Most of you may have already heard or read the latest issue in the Pinoy blogging community today which revolves around a particular TV show, called Desperate Housewives, when one of its characters exclaimed a seemingly insulting racial remark against Filipino medical practitioners.

Hatcher’s character actually said this : “Okay, before going further, can I check these diplomas cause I would just like to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.” Source

To those who are not aware of the said issue, you can check out the whole story and watch the video clip at the Mindy-TV Blog.

If ever there is one thing that Pinoys don’t like, it would be others trampling and insulting the Filipino race.

As expected, a lot of Filipinos were affected and angered by the said statement. Blog posts of dismay and hatred raged throughout the blogosphere, discussions transpired on comment pages, and copies of the video clip shot through e-mails. With this big of a ruckus, it almost seems like hell is going to break loose.

But such reactions are only normal especially in a community where everybody wants their voices to be heard on a controversial issue. The only thing that seemed out of place were the calls to boycott the show.

Boycott? Now where did I heard that term before?

Gathering another lynch mob
If we were to recall, the might of the Pinoy blogging community was revealed to the world when Pinoy bloggers called for the resignation of Malu Fernandez and the mass boycott against Manila Standard Today, all for the sake of those OFWs.

With our ability to unite as one and fight for a single cause, everyone saw that the Pinoy blogging community is a force that should not be trifled with.

However, like any great power comes great responsibility.

Sure, we got the scare out of Malu Fernandez and forced her into hiding, even the local media recognized our raw yet untamed power. But calling to everyone to Boycott Desperate Housewives? Pifff…

I read a statement once when this issue was revealed on one of our mailing lists, which read “Uy, issue na naman ito! Tara iboycott natin!”

Are we really the kind of people who would act irrationally and emotionally to such an issue? Does it mean that if we are confronted with a problem, all we do is call for a boycott and hope that everyone follows suit?

If this is the case, then I guess Malu Fernandez was right to call us a lynch mob.

A waste of time?
For me, boycotting Desperate Housewives would just be a waste of time.

The creators of Desperate Housewives wouldn’t really care of what we think about. They would just ignore us and continue doing the show. They’re in an industry where they are already used to getting e-mails of disagreement and even hatemails.

Racial slurs like these are nothing really new, especially on TV shows. Stand up comedians make fun of other races all the time. They do get into trouble with their remarks every once in a while, but everyone sees that it is for the sake of entertainment and comedy, then they move on.

I’m not saying that it is wrong to act against this issue, nor am I saying that we should ignore it. We can blog about this issue and cause a lot of noise, but then again, things would just go on.

For example, everyone thought the Malu Fernandez issue would go on forever, but what happened now? Malu Fernandez is back at Manila Standard and is quietly writing articles about beauty stuffs and good living. Manila Standard Today is still standing and the call for boycott was nothing but a voice that is forgotten.

Shifting our focus
There are other things that we should be concerned about, things that are in need of our great command like the Cris Mendez Issue, the violation of copyrights done by Manila Bulletin, and even the fight for the protection of our environment. Harnessing our great power for these things are worth all the time and effort.

But if you guys are really offended about the issue and would like to push for a boycott, it really is your choice.

But for me… Boycott? No thanks.

Just another one of my personal thoughts. Happy blogging!

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Here is what other bloggers have to say:

• Desperate Housewives jokes about Med Schools in the Philippines
• Second Class Citizens
• Anti-Filipino Slur on Desperate Housewives?
• Desperate Housewives’ Rather Insulting Remark about Medical Schools in the Philippines
• Desperate Housewives racial slur against Filipino medical practicioners?
• Who’s Desperate?
• Filipino Americans demand for apology from ABC and Desperate Housewives Petition
• Kick That Desperate Housewives Out
• Teri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives Insults Filipinos
• Desperate for Philippine Audience
• Desperate Housewives Maligns Philippine Med Schools
• Filams Protest US TV show – ABS-CBN News
• Reacting and Over Reacting to DH Script…
• Desperate Housewives on Philippine Med Schools
• Bloghopping
• My Take On This Desperate Housewives Shenanigans
• Another Perspective on the Latest Racial Slur Issue
• Of Racists and Slurs
• Desperate Housewives, Philippine Medical Schools and How Many of You Got it All Wrong
• What Did You Just Say, Teri Hatcher?
• About Desperate Housewives, Teri Hatcher and Med Schools
• Pinoys seek apology from ‘Desperate Housewives
• “Desperate Housewives” insults Filipinos
• Anti-Filipino remark on ‘Desperate Housewives’?
• Desperate Housewives’ [Season 4, Episode 1] denigrates Filipino Doctors
• Fil-Am Anger: Desperate Housewives’ Slur vs. Filipino Medical Schools
• Dok, sa Pilipinas ka ba nag-Med School
• Desperate Housewives on Pinoy MDs
• Desperate Housewives’ insulting remark to Philippine Med Schools
• Desperate Housewives Diss Philippine-Educated Doctors
• ‘tado to ah!
• Desperate Housewives Slur Vs The Philippines
• IT’S NOT FUNNY!
• Desperate Housewives Chenes
• Desperate Housewives maligns Philippine med schools
• Desperate Housewives Apparently Insults Filipinos: So What?
• Malacañang responds to Desperate housewives issue
• Teri Hatcher doesn’t want her vagina examined by doctor from Philippines
• Susan Mayer, Back Off!
• What Should You Do Before Condemning Desperate Housewives?
• Do You Really Want to Get Desperate Housewives’s Attention?
• Video Response to “Teri Hatcher Insults Filipinos”
• Filipino medics protest alleged racial slur in US TV show
• Fil-Americans protest ‘racist’ line in ‘Desperate Housewives
• Ermita: Palace to seek apology for ‘racial slur’ on US show
• DFA protests to US TV network over ‘racial slur’
• Touchy Subject | Filipino Americans demand for apology from ABC and Desperate Housewives
• Conan O’Brien Hates the Philippines Too!
• Dismal And Sound Logic: Reactions Regarding The Desperate Housewives Controversy