Thursday, October 04, 2007

disparate home fries

okay.

so i'm not jumping into the racist slur brouhaha of Desperate Housewives, though I'd just like to point out the flurry of mixed reactions that came from Filipinos both in the native land and overseas.

first of all, i don't watch the show. for no particular reason, i just don't. well, i did adore teri hatcher when she was doing those string-strapped calisthenics backriding with dean cain. but aside from that, nothing can pull me to primetime boobtube except for Heroes and, maybe, According to Jim.

secondly, i'm not a modern day patriot who would dive headfirst into a cesspool of something worse than a hurled excrement. but I did march into Roxas Boulevard during the Independence Centennial, and somehow believed that we, Filipinos, are feigned nationalists--probably because our unity comes when needed, not because we are united to begin with.

anyway, the issue with the dialogue uttered at Desperate Houseives was, in my belief, a discriminating remark/comment against the Philippines, or collectively, the Filipino people. there was no question of its racist implications, though a lot of people, some Filipinos thought that it was a common blunder that should be taken lightly. it is not. it is tantamount to labelling Blacks as niggers as well as a modern day Kristallnacht for the Jews.

it is not a question of the capacity of Filipino medical professionals, but a question of the Filipinos in general: who are we as people that we are relegated as a supposed punchline to a tv show? we do commit mistakes, grave or not, but we don't deny that. i think that particular line maligned the country more than anything else. the petition that came with it was necessary, but the call to boycott was excessive. overkill, ika nga.

sometimes, i don't know how people react. the issue with Malu Fernandez was total condemnation. probably because Fernandez turned out to be a Filipino herself and the article crossed our boundaries of tolerance. now i ask why should we take this new incident as merely a fleeting instance? why shouldn't this snap our patriotic sanities and react the other way around? maybe some of us think that knowing the facts makes it okay for a person to throw derogatory statements against somebody.

now, so what do we do? nothing, i guess. ABC Network apologized anyway. but that's a good start. i believe that it is imperative for writers (not just tv shows, but every writer) should not create discriminating remarks or comments or dialogues even on the pretext of humor. there is still the moral and an ethical factor that exist on creative liberties.

we learned lessons in the end, but we will not see the finality of this. the complaints will be continuous. the only thing that we managed to reap out of this was the pitiful reality that we are not as united as we initially thought we are.

but then...

maybe, i would still be proud to wave my country's flag at them...

Labels: buhay-kultura, c'est la vie, pulitikol

latest musing of Etchie at 20:09 0 comments

Friday, February 16, 2007

rubber soul

the news is grim. far too grim: actor Richard Gomez is running for a senatorial seat.

and i have one thing in mind: God help us.

i bet he doesn't know to spell the word Constitution. nor even know what a preamble is.

i read once that he claimed never read books.

(Abe Lincoln possibly had the unfortunate fate to be uneducated---but, at least, he supplemented his knowledge by devouring literature)

he maybe popular, but he is not the kind you'd want to create laws nor to approve them. he's winnable, yes. but winning isn't about everything. politics is the playground of leadership.

i guess i wouldn't be this censorious if we know that his political background started with a lowly barangay chairmanship (erap fared better, i think, his ladder to presidency is somehow justified). i'd probably forgive him if such a surreal reason ever transpires, but i'd still vomit in his face if given the opportunity.

then i cringed at the fact that he once dreamt of going for the gubernatorial race in Bulacan (i'm a Bulakeno, so that explains it)---primarily for the reason that his folks are/were Bulakenos.

oh well. it only cemented the reality that politics is the new showbiz today. it maybe lucrative, but it is still dirty, and it'll smear you like that cesspool in a sewer.

sigh. it's unavoidably bad. to think that all this madness is gradually creeping up before our very eyes and into the innards of our country's political scene. i have to be every bit patriotic, but in all sense, is just a wasted truth.




. . .




maybe i'll start working on a mcdonald's (no offense to those working the crew, it's pretty much a decent job than those pulling the shit off the pork barrels). they say serving burgers make you a better politician someday...

Labels: pulitikol

latest musing of Etchie at 13:02 0 comments

Sunday, December 10, 2006

when will the midget go?

found this cool countdown timer on one of the blogs that i accidentally stumbled on.

now, i'm wondering if anyone could perhaps create something like this one for the unwanted midget in the palace?




note: if you don't see the timer, just scroll down on the linked blog until you hit rock bottom...

Labels: pulitikol

latest musing of Etchie at 22:58 0 comments

Subscribe !

© Etchie Pingol 2005. Some rights and lefts reserved.
Designed by The Dubai Chronicles.