THANKS to all for your comments — keep them coming!
And while we are on this “Desperate Housewives” topic (read the latest development on the story by clicking here), and as we feel energized by this lively discussion, let me bring up a related matter.
Most Filipinos know that in many US hospitals, you can’t turn a corner without bumping into a Filipino health care professional — doctor, nurse, therapist, nurse aide and so on. So have you, like me, wondered why there are no Filipino characters in the main cast of these hospital drama shows? And to think there are dozens of these shows on American television.
October 4th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
There are no Filipinos in American hospital shows because a Filipino would be able to do everything: be a doctor, nurse, med rep, patient, or hospital aid. You would not need multiple actors/actresses as long as you pay the Filipino overtime for his/her multiple roles. This would put a lot of American actors/actresses out of business.
October 4th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
There are no Filipinos in American hospital shows because at the fast pace Filipinos work, the scenes would need to be shortened because most of the hospital work would over within the first 5 minutes of the show.
October 4th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
There are no Filipino characters in American hospital shows because Filipino actors speak better English and this would cause serious embarassment for a lot of American actors who cannot speak straight, grammatically-correct English! Also, American television is embarassed to show how American hospitals are now well-populated by immigrant Filipinos because this would challenge the old stereotypes of the Asian being just a dumb character.
October 4th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Many Americans still cannot seem to accept that Filipinos are as good as they are. In the medical professions, in information technology, in the arts, and in sports we have shown this. If Filipinos in the Philippines had the same opportunities as Americans have in the U.S., the Philippines would be a superpower by now. Despite overpopulation, yearly calamities (earthquakes, typhoons, floods), and limited resources (no oil, no natural gas, no precious minerals), Filipinos manage to churn out doctors, nurses, computer professionals, accountants, seamen, etc for the world economy. If you put a Filipino side-by-side with anyone in a difficult situation, you can bet that the Filipino will not run away, will survive, and will thrive. The “Desperate Housewives” boo-boo is symptomatic of a fear of immigrants who work harder and appreciate and are more thankful for what America has to offer than its own citizens.
October 4th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
[...] “WHY are there no Filipino characters in hospital shows?” Ruben Nepales asks in The Nepales Report. [...]