‘Desperate Housewives,’ Revisited

April 24, 2008  --  Got something to say?
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Our Town By Jon MelegritoBy Jon Melegrito
Remember last year’s premier episode of ‘Desperate Housewives’ that prompted a firestorm of protest from the Filipino community?
True to its word, ABC is following through with its commitment to make amends. On April 24, ABC and NaFFAA will hold the first of a series of outreach events designed to open doors to Filipinos and Filipino Americans interested in TV acting, writing and directing careers. Through its talent development programs, ABC aims to “nurture the finest talent” and prepare them for job opportunities within the industry.
For starters, level the playing field.
This is a result of several meetings and conference calls with Robert Mendez, ABC Vice President for Diversity, and Steve McPherson, ABC President for Primetime Entertainment.
The goal: end media stereotypes and racial slurs.
As with the issue of race relations brought about by the presidential candidacy of Barrack Obama, a conversation about this subject is needed. But talking about an inspiring vision is one thing.
Translating it into action is another.
So, how do we do this?
Given the media’s powerful role to influence hearts and minds, network programming is a good place to start. But demands, like requiring “sensitivity training” among writers and executives (which have been tried before) apparently don’t work because they are imposed from the outside. Boycotts and libel suits, as some have threatened to do, aren’t effective either. Confrontational tactics don’t always lend themselves to constructive solutions. In fact, they can be counter-productive.
On the other hand, change happening from within through partnerships, may actually offer some long-term remedies.
If we can get the major networks to hire more minorities as scriptwriters, directors, production managers and executives, we have a better chance of transforming the complexion of the industry. This would ensure that day-to-day programming decisions not only adhere to established standards of fairness and decency but reflect more significantly America’s values of diversity.
NaFFAA chose to take this path, to build a relationship with a major network and be actively engaged in its diversity programs.
Not surprisingly, others in the community vehemently objected, chastising NaFFAA’s leadership for “selling out.”
I prefer to call it “taking the high road.” Thinking beyond our immediate, narrow self interests and looking at the bigger picture will lead to more substantive results in the long run. Instead of always complaining, we have to do our part to move the industry forward. When change comes from within, the possibilities are endless.
As McPherson said in our meeting last November, ABC wants to hire more minorities in all levels of management and production. But everytime they need to fill a position, the pool is always “the same white guys in the room.”
In practical terms, ABC wants to avail of the finest talent from diverse communities, not only because it’s the right thing to do. It’s also “good for business.”
And that’s where these outreach events come in, specifically targetting Filipinos and Filipino Americans. This is not about setting job quotas for Filipinos. This is simply about opening doors to talented members of our community, giving them a fair chance to compete and pursue career opportunities in network television.
The bottom line: if there were more Filipinos writing scripts or directing shows, or making executive decisions in board rooms, it’s less likely that a Mark Cherry (and other scriptwriters) will again be making offensive jokes at our expense on prime time.
It’s a long-term goal, but we have to start somewhere.
To be sure, the anger is still there. Especially among Philippine-trained doctors who felt maligned by Teri Hatcher’s character Susan. And rightly so.
If you recall, Susan - after being told she might be on the verge of menopause - demanded to see her gynecologist’s diploma, “to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.” Viewers laughed at yet another Susan boo-boo. That was supposed to fit in well with her flakey persona.
But no one in the Filipino community was laughing. It wasn’t funny at all. Except maybe to the few who suspected a veiled reference to medical diploma mills in the Philippines.
After a media network history of offensive ethnic jokes, we’re not about to take this latest slur lying down. We also know that apologies were easily given in the past, but not much else was ever done to seriously repair the demage.
This recent episode was particularly ironic considering the large number of Filipino medical practitioners working in U.S. hospitals.
Thanks to Kevin Nadal of New York who happened to be watching the show, the whole world learned about ABC’s blunder and signed on to a petition he posted on the internet. It gathered more than 50,000 signatures within days.
The demands: an immediate apology and deletion of the offensive episode from future airings. To its credit, ABC’s responded responsibly. The apology was swift, and the deletion that followed three weeks later was unprecedented.
But that was not enough to mollify some parts of our community.
They wanted an on-air apology, and an hour-long documentary about the valuable role Filipino doctors play in this country. That certainly made sense, in terms of countering the negative image portrayed on TV. We supported these demands via letters to network executives and raised them in face to face meetings.
For its own reasons, ABC chose an alternative solution. To that end, we agreed to establish a relationship that would lead to concrete remedies. Like the April 24 pilot project at the Capitol Hilton.
NaFFAA also opted to become an active member of the Asian American Media Coalition, which monitors the industry to ensure that it follows through with its commitments to diversity.
It’s a good start. Dialogues are, in the end, far more desirable than diatribes.
E-mail your comments to jonmele@aol.com

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