A real howler

The Filipino Monkey story apparently involves a guy -or guys- who do the radio version of trolling and spamming:

Rick Hoffman, a retired captain who commanded the cruiser Hue City and spent many of his 17 years at sea in the Gulf was subject to the renegade radio talker repeatedly, often without pause during the so-called “Tanker Wars” of the late 1980s.

“For 25 years there’s been this mythical guy out there who, hour after hour, shouts obscenities and threats,” he said. “He could be tied up pierside somewhere or he could be on the bridge of a merchant ship.”

And the Monkey has stamina.

“He used to go all night long. The guy is crazy,” he said. “But who knows how many Filipino Monkeys there are? Could it have been a spurious transmission? Absolutely.”

Furthermore, Hoffman said radio signals have a way of traveling long distances in that area. “Under certain weather conditions I could hear Bahrain from the Strait of Hormuz.”

Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Navy spokesman at the Pentagon, could not say if the voice belonged to the heckler.

“It”s an international circuit and we’ve said all along there were other ships and shore stations in the area,” he said.

The report above says the phenomenon has been reported as being around since the 1980s, and suggests it could be a deranged veteran from the heyday of the US bases in Clark and Subic. But the Navy Times seems to have gotten its facts wrong (see gCaptain.com link below).

The Americans, after all, composed this song:monkeys_zamboanga 1.mp3 (audio lifted from They Were Expendable, starring John Wayne)

Or, we ought to consider this, it could be a deranged Filipino, too. As the famous comedy_-_filipino_sex 1.mp3 audio file put it, a “Filipino pancit-eating mother hamper” (not work safe, not for kids, click the link at your own peril!) was the creation, more likely than not, of a Filipino, too.

In The Filipino Monkey Strikes Again (and again and again…), gCaptain.com gives the lowdown on what is, apparently, one of the occupational hazards for Filipinos manning the merchant vessels of the world:

First of all any seaman, military or commercial, can tell you their is no heckler know as the “Filipino Monkey”. Rather it’s a phrase that’s been uttered by thousands of mariners for decades. This harassing radio call with racial origins is made over the radio when a sailor hears the distinct accent of a Filipino mariner on the VHF radio. Why is it said? Mostly out of boredom but also for the simple reason that it is sure to get a heated response.

It also happens to be the bane of every Watch Officer’s existence; a joke that is no longer funny but refuses to die.

gCaptain then links to another blog, Tim’s Times, which gives a Filipino account of the practice:

The two tone alarm has gone again and this time it’s a pan pan from La Coruna Radio, other side of the Bay of Biscay. You wouldn’t mind so much if it was just the official users of VHF and MF radio that you had to contend with, but oh no there is every manner of animal sound, and jungle noise on the VHF from people who should not be on the radio, let alone a ship. One moron was calling out, “Gorilla from Manila, and Filipino monkey” my watchman who is from Manila laughed and said that it is often Indian’s who call this out to provoke a response from Filipinos, who say “Indian I can’t see you but I can smell you”. So childish and these guys are in charge of ships, frightening, and these days it is all being recorded, so you must be dealing with stupidity, says a lot for the profession…

Going back to gCaptain, he points to the US origins of the taunt (immortalized by Hollywood, as the audio file I linked to above, shows):

Initially I was shocked that a Navy ship, or any ship, could not have known the taunt was a joke. This is seamanship 101. I clearly remember having the taunt whispered in my ear by an upperclassmen during my plebe year that the Naval Academy and by the time I received my officers license I had heard it hundreds of time. How could the officers of the cruiser Port Royal not know this was a common joke? I’m admitting still confused but after hearing the audio file I must say it doesn’t sound like the typical ‘Filipino Monkey’ taunt.

Another blog, Cyborg’s Contemplative Corner, has this story:

My boyfriend S is as true blue a sailor as you can get, and there’s no greater joy for him than to pour over nautical maps and write captain’s logs. He would insist on keeping the radio on, tuned to the unencrypted frequency used by sailors to casually communicate with each other.

It was the first day of our voyage and on our radio channel we had picked up the conversation between two Pakistani sailors on different cargo ships who randomly contacted each other and then proceeding to chat. This was particularly interesting to me as I was the only one on our boat who understood Urdu so I listened intently as they spoke of their ships, where they were going, what food they got on the ships, what cargo they carried and so on.

And then suddenly, unexpectedly, it happened.

There was no mistaking what was being yelled –

“Filipino monkey! Filipino monkey!”

And so it went on five or six times more, before the sailors could recover from their conversation being so rudely interrupted.

And then one of the Pakistanis retorted

“You bastard, I’m not Filipino, I’m Pakistani”

But there was no stopping this fellow. On and on he went.

“Filipino monkey! Filipino monkey!”

The Pakistanis then resorted to the most gentlemanly course open to them and proceed to cuss the hell out of this fellow in the choicest Punjabi expletives. S had noticed the drone of this anonymous radio user (and how the conversation had switched from Urdu to English) and came down.

S: “What’s going on? Who’s screaming?

TM: “I have no idea. He just randomly barged into their conversation and started abusing”

S: “That’s weird. I’m sure I’ve heard this same guy on this radio frequency say this before as well.”

That incident kept repeating for the next two days that we were close enough to Piraeus. Invariably, at some point during the day, the two Pakistanis would use the radio to chat and the anonymous guy would barge in and constantly chant “Filipino monkey”. The guy was not only batshit crazy, but he seemed to get no sleep at all. For no matter what time of the day the Pakistanis chose to chat, sure enough, within minutes our abuser would appear and start insulting them.

This would then blow out into a full scale insult war with the Pakistanis responding with choice words in Punjabi. As we sailed closer to Santorini, the exchanges became less frequent and then stopped altogether. However, as we approached Piraeus on our way back, sure enough, our sailor tormentor was back in action, this time harassing two Indian sailors. The modus operandi was the same – the sailors would start using the open channel to chat and then within minutes the man would begin his incessant drone of “Filipino monkey” in an extremely annoying sing-song voice. The sailors responded with swears, the man did the same, and then it just was a trade off of a volley of abuses.

I haven’t been back in Greece after this trip, but every time S goes home and sails, he brings back stories of the “Filipino Monkey” man, still his up to his insane ways, polluting the pristine airwaves of the Aegean with his racist nonsense. However, S and I always thought the man was a local phenomenon, probably some Greek man with intense resentment for the fact that modern cargo ships predominantly draw their crew from the Philippines.

What’s peculiar is that Filipino seamen have, apparently, been living with this monkey business for years, and have turned it into a game, and nothing more.

Equally, and even more, peculiar, is how the whole thing not only seized the headlines, but, as Scott Macleod of Time’s Middle East blog asks, Did “Filipino Monkey” Almost Cause WWIII?

There may be a serious problem here. Has the Bush administration’s demonization of Iran so pervaded the U.S. government that the judgement of vital decision-makers is becoming dangerously clouded? So when a possible practical joker issues a threat to a warship, you have a Strangelovian military chain of command from Bahrain to Washington racing to insist that the crazy, murderous mullahs in Tehran are at it again. By the Pentagon’s own account, one of the warships very nearly took out at least one of the Iranian vessels but the order to fire was prevented at the last minute when the speedboats turned away. It goes without saying that an armed clash like that between two long-time adversaries could have ignited a much larger confrontation. Bush recently warned that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have raised the specter of World War III and he has not ruled out a U.S. military strike on Iran to degrade its uranium-enrichment facility.

In due course, I hope that we establish who issued the verbal threat to blow up the U.S. ships. Was it “Filipino Monkey”? An imitator? If the Pentagon had better proof that it was an Iranian, we would have seen it by now. Incidentally, the Iranians always denied making the threat, and accused the U.S. of hyping a routine ship-to-ship interaction in international waters into a fabricated confrontation. “This is an ordinary occurrence, which happens every now and then for both sides,” Iranian Foreign Minister spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini said immediately afterwards…

If “Filipino Monkey” or somebody of that ilk turns out to be the culprit, it means that the Pentagon either can’t tell the difference between a prank and a threat, or that it’s too busy confronting Iran to bother trying to do so. Either way, it’s another reason to worry.

On an unrelated note, for reference purposes, here’s the House of Representatives Committee Report 1653 on the Garci Tapes:

Committee Report No 1653-2

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Manuel L. Quezon III.

74 thoughts on “A real howler

  1. what we have here is a filipino monkey-eating american eagle too anxious swoop on its adversaries.

    now we’re being served as baits. luv u uncle sam!

  2. When I first read this Filipino Monkey story over at Michelle Malkin’s blog last Friday, I knew it won’t be long before this hits the fan in the old homeland.

    I Googled this morning under Blogs and found countless entries, but MLQ3’s entry may be among the first originating from the old homeland.

    In MM’s comments section, a couple of seamen narrated their experiences transiting the strait, and the chatter, mostly innuendos and sexual taunts, coming out of the international channel used in the strait, VHF 16, and almost always perpetrated by somebody carrying the handle, Filipino Monkey. Almost like a generic name for useless chatter.

    BTW, the Iranians also released their own version with their own video of the incident, with their operatives speaking in English.

    Scary? Remember that USS Cole incident was perpetrated by a small speedboat. It definitely could have unleashed another international incident.

  3. Q3: Thanks for rapid info-gathering on “Filipino Monkey”. I’m going into a meeting tomorrow; will probably run into a kibitzing, what with this FilipinoMonkey nearly having caused WorldWar3; the info you’ve posted is a great help.

  4. By the way, part of the paranoia is a recently ran wargame of naval asymmetric warfare — a fleet of destroyers/cruisers versus mosquito/PT boats. In the first round of the wargames, the mosquito boats decimated the destroyers/cruisers.

  5. Lack of diplomatic contacts and lack of a “HOTLINE” between the US and Tehran is a serious issue. Had a firefight ensued in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon and the US State Department has no way of communicating with their counterparts in Tehran for information-gathering and a rapid de-escalation of hostilities.

  6. upn, sounds like a deranged guy whose racism went viral.

    interesting though, is that the best laid plans of mice and men always go awry when the unpredictable happens.

  7. …Filipino seamen have, apparently, been living with this monkey business for years, and have turned it into a game, and nothing more.

    Kudos to our seamen, clearly not a whiny bunch; tough guys who wouldnt cry racism at the drop of a hat. They give as good as they get.

    If “Filipino Monkey” or somebody of that ilk turns out to be the culprit, it means that the Pentagon either can’t tell the difference between a prank and a threat, or that it’s too busy confronting Iran to bother trying to do so. Either way, it’s another reason to worry.

    Or maybe those young sailors are scared, understandably. Their government has been telling them that Iran could be next and soon theyll be at war. With nerves frayed like that, even a prank would seem threatening.

  8. They should turn this legend? phenomenon into a movie. A plot similar to Urban Legends where there is a real Filipino Monkey who not only taunts but kills you after days of destroying you psychologically.

  9. “Mostly out of boredom but also for the simple reason that it is sure to get a heated response.”

    Wehehehe, Filipino Monkey. Sounds so family(iar) in this blog. wehehehehe

  10. I recently watched a documentary about the shooting down of the Iranian Passenger Jet by the USS Vincennes back in 1988. The Americans thought they were being attacked by an Iranian F-14 when it was actually a commercial jet. The order to fire came when the Ship’s instruments seem to show the plane descending in classic attack pattern. Only later during the investigation did it turn out that the instruments never indicated such a thing, and on the contrary, showed that the plane kept on ascending [to cruising altitude]. The explanation by psychologists is that the American crewmen who were watching the instruments fooled themselves into thinking that they were being attacked.

  11. the swarming maneuvers of the iranian speedboats was a tactic used in the 2002 War Games by the Blue Team that led to the sinking of 16 major warships (aircraft carriers, cruisers, amphibious vessels).

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/12/washington/12navy.html?ex=1357794000&en=a4dbb42d5ad2a700&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

    In the days since the encounter with five Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz, American officers have acknowledged that they have been studying anew the lessons from a startling simulation conducted in August 2002. In that war game, the Blue Team navy, representing the United States, lost 16 major warships — an aircraft carrier, cruisers and amphibious vessels — when they were sunk to the bottom of the Persian Gulf in an attack that included swarming tactics by enemy speedboats.

    “The sheer numbers involved overloaded their ability, both mentally and electronically, to handle the attack,” said Lt. Gen. Paul K. Van Riper, a retired Marine Corps officer who served in the war game as commander of a Red Team force representing an unnamed Persian Gulf military. “The whole thing was over in 5, maybe 10 minutes.”

  12. When I first read this Filipino Monkey story over at Michelle Malkin’s blog last Friday, I knew it won’t be long before this hits the fan in the old homeland.

    I Googled this morning under Blogs and found countless entries, but MLQ3’s entry may be among the first originating from the old homeland.

    i think jessica zafra posted re the filipino monkey business first.

    and it wasn’t picked up yet by instapundit and other blogs i read.

    but here’s the memeorandum item on it.

    http://www.memeorandum.com/080112/p32

  13. On an unrelated note, for reference purposes, here’s the House of Representatives Committee Report 1653 on the Garci Tapes:

    Committee Report No 1653-2

    i haven’t read the entire report, but did the report include the recent testimony of doble that shed more light into the role of mr. soc villegas and medy poblador (obstruction of justice, coverup)

  14. what about some of the recent stuff we found out re the wiretapping by ISAFP operatives on Garci and the opposition during the 2004 elections?

    richard gordon even tried to do a hatchet job on doble. good job, sen. gordon. pwedeng pwede ka maging presidente sa 2010 nyan.

  15. Kawawang Pinoy.

    The good thing about this is that it puts Pinoys back on the map. Good for traffic for websites about Pinoys. 😉

  16. BenignO.

    I dont know, but I found nothing kawawa about Pinoy in this “phenomenon”. I really dont feel that way.

    The same way I feel abou the word “Nigger” now. Four years ago, I would prohibit that “N” word in the project site, even sent home one worker for not following my order. But the word is uttered just everywehere and in different tones. Its not that im using it now and Ims ure it never ever be a part of my vocabulary. There is just no way to stop peopel from uttering N word. And popel will react to it different manner.

  17. Re the monkeys-zamboanga-1.mp3 song? I remember hearing that in the movie, and isn’t the melody the famous No Te Vayas A Zamboanga aka Don’t You Go to Far Zamboanga?

    Goodness, I swear the way Pinoys get mentioned in the news/cyberspace, I’m willing to bet that after the apocalypse, the first person out and about will be a Pinoy. Walang kasing tibay!

  18. rego: You may want to go back to your 4-years-ago practice of prohibiting the use of the “N” word during office hours. If someone were to sue about management sustaining “… a hostile environment for minorities”, your company or your clients can lose. If you are the project-manager responsible for that site, I will support actions to have you fired. [At least, go to corporate-HR for guidance to cover your ass.]

  19. rego, in private conversation, use of deragotory words may let you go off, but in work place or even in Public Place where 3rd affected Parties may hear the utterance, then Big Troubles loom. My experience, 20 years or more years ago four letters words for Pakistanis were common, now don’t even hear them even in Private Conversation. I myself will not hesitate to give my piece of thought to Anyone, I mean anyone who uses deragatory words to anybody or just as part of his or her vocabulary…

  20. Cvj,

    I watched that one too.

    I think the captain of the Vincennes was itching for some action.

  21. if there was “filipino monkey”, there were american “ape”, african “gorilla”, british “orangutan”, chinese “chimp”, etc. what’s the big deal? if we could dish it out, we should be able to take it. chinese, polish, japanese, mexicans, even the british, are portrayed humorously and irreverently on american tv and movies from time to time with hardly a whimper from these people. filipinos? they make international incident out of it, and sue for wounded pride. nakakahiya!

    btw, michele malkin is married to an american. i think she has become more american than her husband.

  22. btw, michele malkin is married to an american. i think she has become more american than her husband.

    maybe you mean more ‘white’.

    i guess she’s pandering to the righties to gain an audience, trying hard to be an ann coulter – there’s money in it you know.

  23. MLQ3, outside of the “threat” (if it was), the “Filipino monkey” could be another prank or insult. Either someone adds it to the racial laundry list, or trashes it to the garbage bin. It’s not clear where it came from, and who said it (“I’m coming to you….”). Another speculation that will surely draw varied reactions.

    My take is, if it were a trap to set up pinoys in the world of comedy or whatever, it could have something to do with the glaring presence of pinoy seamen manning international vessels. Whether the heckler (in that Iranian-US face off) is a deranged or entertaining pinoy, or anyone else, we don’t really know. Spending much space, and time, on the “Filipino monkey” as having to do with “real” Filipinos might be a fruitless exercise, for now. I will still read Michelle Malkin’s. From what I heard, Malkin berated Filipinos and likened them to “weasels” (in the wake of the pullout of pinoy troops from Iraq, although it was probably meant for Gloria’s unpopular decision).

    The song “The Monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga” is concededly racial. It was made popular by GIs stationed in Mindanao during the heyday of Moro campaigns in 1903-1913. But they were referring to Moros, not Filipinos. (Moros were not considered Filipinos then, and many Moros still don’t.) You’re right, Starshadow, it is sung to the tune of “Don’t You Go to Far Zamboanga” (“No te vayas a Zamboanga”).

  24. While pinoys are involved in literary thuggery over nonsensical issues, the whole picture of the China’s rise as an economic power comes a little more clear.

    Chinese economy driven more by domestic forces: study

    Agence France-Presse

    WASHINGTON – The surging Chinese economy has been largely driven by domestic forces and not as dependent on exports as some US officials contend, according to a new US study.

    The study released Monday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace with the International Cooperation Center in China’s National Development and Reform Commission, contradicts many assumptions about China’s economic performance.

    Economist Albert Keidel, who authored the report, wrote that China’s stunning growth of around 10 percent annually since 1990s “has been overwhelmingly domestic in origin.”

    “Trade and foreign investment clearly became increasingly important as sources of foreign technology and management skill transfers; but unlike many other East Asian economies, China’s own fast and slow cycles have not followed the fortunes of US economic growth and recession — quite the opposite,” he added.

    He said that China’s recent inflation surge “is the product of domestic rural structural problems, not excessive monetary growth linked to trade surpluses or foreign reserves.”

    The report comes amid a growing chorus of protests in Washington about Chinese economic management, claiming that Beijing uses an artificially low currency to gain an edge in exports to keep its economy rolling.

    US officials have argued that China needs to stimulate more domestic demand to help ease dependence on exports that create global trade imbalances.

    But Keidel’s report said China already is driven to a large extent by domestic demand.

    “US government analysts need to correct the popular misperception that Chinese growth is export-led and hence exchange-rate dependent — it is not,” he said.

    “US commercial and diplomatic thinking regarding China’s commercial behavior and long-term prospects needs to shift to account for this conclusion.”

    Because China’s growth has not been export-led, Keidel said the United States should concentrate on improving domestic components of its own international competitiveness rather than blaming China for imbalances.

    “Of course, this is not to say that successful export growth is not a vital part of China’s development strategy,” he said.

    “Exports are clearly one of many essential components in a development strategy driven mostly by domestic demand.”

    Last year, Keidel released a study indicating China’s economy is about 40 percent smaller than most estimates. The World Bank reached a similar conclusion in December.

  25. hvrds: Are you saying that “Filipino Monkey” is nonsensical, or is it Michelle Malkin nonsensical? What about GMA? Or what about disagreeing with your economics blabbering… is that nonsensical? Ikaw naman ang doing the thuggery eh, when you do cut-and-paste. And when you post your original thoughts, masyadong wala kang intellectual discipline. You ramble on and on, and on and on, and on. I will appreciate it if you reduce by 50% your blogposts, medyo ang hahaba ng iyong blog entries.

  26. I dont know, but I found nothing kawawa about Pinoy in this “phenomenon”. I really dont feel that way.–rego

    what can we do if that’s the way you feel. di ba, ‘goy?

  27. I believe that the ‘Filipino monkey’ issue is nonsensical relative to what hvrds is (and has been) pointing out. If we spend more time digesting the message hvrds is trying to convey, then we’d have a better idea of what we, as a country, have been doing wrong and what other countries, like China, have been doing right with their economic development. Besides, the matter is not even about us but about an international incident involving the US and Iran.

  28. more than 200,000 Pinoy seamen work on the world’s vessels. i think that number is 20% of the world’s total.

    yes, there are thousands of ships with an all-Pinoy crew, thousands more with an all-Pinoy but the captain crew

  29. The surging Chinese economy has been largely driven by domestic forces and not as dependent on exports as some US officials contend, according to a new US study.

    Exactamente. This is what we should be following. Marketing to fellow Pinoys, attracting Pinoy investors instead of foreign ones, etc. We are a smaller market, sure. That just means our investors get to drive a more sensible car instead of a giant, gas-guzzling luxury SUV. Later when we want a bigger market, our investors can target the poor countries of Africa and Asia. They should be our trading partners, not the US or any of the rich countries. We need to be trading with equals. If the poorer countries can get out of the WTO first and build an organization by themselves, so much the better.

  30. By the way, ‘Filipino monkey’ is not a person. It isnt even a group of persons. It is a taunt. The reporters wouldve known that if they just asked and not gone for ‘controversy’.

  31. Exactamente. This is what we should be following. Marketing to fellow Pinoys,

    it doesn’t matter kahit na sino ang target if the product is sub-standard. kahit na sino ang target mo, you still have to compete. kaso, walang innovation and more often than not, puro gaya lang. take for example the lowly patis, toyo, suka – ang container at presentation ng product pareho pa rin at hindi nagbago. compared to vietnam or thailand, theirs looked modern with easy to pour/close lids.

  32. Got this video clip from Youtube, an Iranian version of “I will come to you, and you will explode in a few minutes” threat –

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_eVLfioCCM

    Seems more like a plot to bomb Iran gone wrong, and the way out of is to lay blame to that “monkey” which resides in the White House?

  33. Hindi na pinoy has touched on a major weakness of the Philippine economy AND the Philippine society. The educational system is in poor shape. The elected officials are not increasing the proportion of the budget that gets allocated to education. The civil service employees responsible for ensuring that the schools are providing the minimum-level quality education are not doing their jobs. The students themselves are happier with “less education”, gleeful when schools are closed because the Pope visits or a rally happens and the students do not ask for make-up days. The clamor for “…less English” is heard without a corresponding clamor for “…more Korean” or “more Chinese” to compensate for the decreased competitiveness. And the predatory schools keep popping up to take advantage of the out-of-kilter environment.

  34. Later when we want a bigger market, our investors can target the poor countries of Africa and Asia. They should be our trading partners, not the US or any of the rich countries. – Jeg

    Jane Jacobs made the same recommendation in her book The Economy of Cities.

    Jacobs’ main argument is that all economic growth derives from urban import replacement. Import replacement is when a city starts producing locally goods that it formerly imported, e.g., Tokyo bicycle factories replacing Tokyo bicycle importers in the 1800s. Jacobs claims that import replacement builds up local infrastructure, skills, and production. Jacobs also claims that the increased produce is exported to other cities, giving those other cities a new opportunity to engage in import replacement, thus producing a positive cycle of growth. – Wikipedia entry on Jane Jacobs

    Perhaps the same ‘import replacement’ dynamic is driving China’s growth.

  35. I will come to you, and you will explode in a few minutes”

    Sounds like a sales pitch that you normally hear at night in the alleys behind The Peninsula hotel.

  36. Pfsh! Wikipedia perpetuates the myth that the Filipino Monkey is a person.

    “Filipino Monkey” is a nickname given to a particular radio prankster (and his imitators) in maritime radio transmissions in the Persian Gulf as well as in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Filipino Monkey has created problems for merchant shipping and naval operations for over two decades.[1]. It is likely that this title has come about due to a suspicion that such pranksters originate from the Philippines.

    My emphasis.
    (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_monkey)

    Here is the lowdown on the whole phenomenon:
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/11/us_iran_navy_speedboat_row_filipino_monkey/

    via the United Filipino Seafarers website. http://www.ufs.ph/new/

  37. jeg, so if it’s not a person where did the filipino-ness of this monkey originate? and what’s the monkey doing in the maritime activity? sociological phenomenology is needed here, quick supply one to wikipedia.

  38. ‘Filipino monkey’ is a taunt to Filipino seamen. The original troll meant to insult Filipino them. Im sure he got as good as he gave and soon a phenomenon is born. Like MLQ3 said, the bored radio operators started treating it like a game.

    (Although Im not sure what you mean by ‘Filipino-ness’.)

  39. The original troll meant to insult Filipino them.

    I meant “The original troll meant to insult them.”

  40. Filipino monkey’ is a taunt to Filipino seamen. The original troll meant to insult Filipino them.

    which means that because we can trust our maritime simian brothers to slug it out with the bombays and pakis in the open sea, this racial slur is of no national concern for us. after all, it’s not as if this behaviour merits wide viewership as the fictional but highly entertaining desperate housewives. what no filipino doctors coming to aid some wounded egos here? surprise, surprise.

    Im sure he got as good as he gave and soon a phenomenon is born.

    translation: the barambados deserve the taunt. the cheating nurses did not deserve reference in u.s. show. u-wow! it’s like saying u.s. based pinoy professionals are levels way above the evolutionary ladder that there’s no need to fuss about this incident.

    not that am making fuss out of it. just surprise about the passing dismissal. reminds me of the attitudinal chasm between edsa 3 and edsa 2. one is consequential the other is not. it all boils down to whose involved.

  41. which means that because we can trust our maritime simian brothers to slug it out with the bombays and pakis in the open sea, this racial slur is of no national concern for us.

    I wouldnt have put it that way, but yes (simian brothers?). It is of absolutely no national concern for us. Those insulted by the Desperate Housewives quip were, in my humble opinion, whiny.

    translation: the barambados deserve the taunt.

    You lost me here, INE. That isnt an accurate translation at all. A more accurate translation wouldve been: You call me a monkey, I’ll call you a pus-filled flea on a plague-ridden rodent.

    not that am making fuss out of it.

    With all due respect, INE, it seems you are. Youre comment above seems to want to twist my admiration for the seamen for not whining like the doctors did into something else.

  42. There are hundreds or even thousands of Iranians, who graduated from Philippines universities during the Shah regime, have learned to speak Tagalog. Also many arabs are to eager to learn the language.

  43. Agree with Jeg. The doctors in question should’ve followed the Filipino seamen’s example and acted like real men.

  44. CVJ

    For once I agree with you on the local vs import discussion…that as the locals start producing the once imported product, we go up economically (bit by bit)

  45. Jeg and cvj,

    Our Filipino seamen “retaliated in kind” .

    Not that I blame our seafarers but is that the kind of response you wanted for the “Desperate Housewives” issue? Did you want our doctors to respond that way?

    As I see it, our seafarers felt insulted and I’m guessing that because of their response. With regards to the “Desperate Housewives”, some felt insulted too and some responded the way they did.

    BOTH GROUPS felt insulted and responded in some way yet one group is not “whiny”.

    There was this Philippine Blog awards issue, there was this Bryan boy pictures issue, there was this Justice Cruz brouhaha, Malu Fernandez, etc……

    Again, not that I’m blaming our seafarers but are you guys advocating their kind of response to everyone who felt insulted in some way so they will not be considered “whiny”?

    I seem to remember I had a discussion here with another blogger regarding the Bryanboy pics. Can’t remember the exact words but I think I said “… kung ganun ay wala na lang reklamo, pagandahan na lang ng insulto”.

    INE,

    Regarding the consequentialness, have you considered the goal and the corresponding result of each.

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