US TV satire calls Cory Aquino ’slut’
Should we rise up again?
After the Desperate Housewives brouhaha, here comes another US TV show "insulting" the Filipinos.
In its September 18 episode, US political satire program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart aired a five-minute segment entitled "Is the US Ready for a Woman President?" and showed a photograph of Corazon Aquino, the Philippines' first woman President, with the word "Slut!" and three hand-drawn hearts across her face.
Aside from Aquino, the skit also showed photographs of other popular women leaders each with a gag line. Former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir's photo was shown with the phrase "Oy!" while former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was shown in a Photoshopped leg-spreading photo (a la Britney Spears) with the line "Ooops!"
While the photos were being shown, correspondent Samantha Bee delivered the following line: "Other countries had girl leaders for years and while Golda Meir may have fended off Egypt, Corazon Aquino faced down dictators, Margaret Thatcher kicked communist's ass, still they are women."
Below is a YouTube video of the segment.
The use of the tampered photographs were a parody of the infamous showbiz gossip blog PerezHilton.com whose blogger is known for writing mostly offensive doodles on pictures of celebrities.
In response to the video, hundreds of YouTube viewers posted mixed reactions varying from indifference to dismay to disgust.
drumniNg: this is already too much insult for us Filipinos… we are made fun by the US first with our med schools now our political leaders. what will be next naman? People of the Philippines na ba?
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cpao2: Cory Aquino a slut? The same Cory that US Time magazine featured as its Person of the Year in 1986 and whose image was superimposed on the Statue of Liberty by American media..? We shouldnt be bothered by such silly and mundane banter cloaked under free speech. Freedom of Speech ought to be tempered by responsibility and civility and enhanced by sensitivity and tact. The Daily Show just relegated itself into the realm of tabloid trash.
JohnAgra: people are just making something a bigger deal than it is.. What's next? filipinos targeting family guy for having filipino jokes? Are we going to ban nutshack?? Don't get me wrong guys… I'm filipino, but people complain too damn much!
jolorulz: as a filipino, i applaud this segment of the show. Every one in the philippines is really taking this way too negatively. people should take this into context and understand the point of view whether women are ready to lead the only super power in the world. and i think they didnt lampoon the women here directly, rather lampooned the very question proposed.
Several Philippine political personalities have also complained against the segment.
Aquino's eldest son, Senator Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, said that the episode was made in poor taste and called on the network to review the show first before airing it.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim said that although the show is satirical in nature, it still is not an excuse for slurring the former president of the Philippines.
The segment was aired on September 18 and yet the issue was raised way later than the "Philippine med school" scandal started by the September 30 premiere episode of Desperate Housewives.
The Daily Show is a satirical program, but is there a reason for Filipinos to rise up against the slut-calling stunt?
A few comments from Pinoy Money Talk members can be found HERE.
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October 12th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Not really different from Erap jokes making him look as if he’s too stupid.
Something like this:
FVR: Sorry ha, nalate ako kasi nagbrownout, nastuck ako sa elevator
Erap: Ako rin, nalate din, nastuck ako sa escalator
or something like this:
Ako lang magpapadugo sa ilong ni Manny Pacquiao - English.
Bumbay - DNAligo
Gloria - DNA tumangkad
October 8th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
DJB Rizalist, I disagree that that’s “clearly” the message. I chanced upon your blog and read your postulation on the supposed sociological root of the “slut” caption. (As you can see from the screencap above, Aquino’s head was not superimposed on the body of Paris Hilton or Britney Spears.) Plus your dismissal of a known feminist’s own declaration that she finds nothing wrong with it as her being insenstive, sexist (how?) and apparently, slow (you say she must have not had much chance to think about it?). Rather presumptuous. I think you’re overreading. It was already mentioned above, the tampered photographs, including the tone of the captions, are a parody of perezhilton.com.
I could not imagine how a segment that supports the idea of having a woman at the White House (a slant that becomes apparent with Samantha Bee’s interjections against LaShawn Barber, and the “I’m ready for a woman on top” line) would deliberately throw a sexist sterotypical diatribe against a well-known woman leader such as Aquino. I say again, you’re overreading.
October 7th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
It’s clearly based on the old stereotype of Filipina women as sluts and prostitutes from the old GI Joe days at clark and subic. Jon Stewart loses a lot of credibility with those who thought him funny, and not just stupid.