Acerbic Humor? It's Obnoxious

Have you read the article written by a certain Malou Fernandez which appeared in a magazine named People-Asia? Apparently this woman is a jet-setting socialite, a woman of leisure, who has nothing better to do. I didn’t know that she exists until this particular article landed in the news because many OFWs and pinoys for that matter found it highly offensive. Initially she didn’t care about how people reacted. But as of the last update, it was reported that she has apologized and resigned from People Asia and from the Manila Standard, where she also writes.

I would like to join the many other bloggers in condemning this article and this bigoted writer named Malou Fernandez. This matapobre woman thinks her article was ‘quite tongue-in-cheek’ and humorous. Do you?

Below are the highlights of the article.

From Boracay to Greece

· “The duty-free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume. Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them.”

“While I was on the plane (where the seats were so small I had bruises on my legs), my only consolation was the entertainment on the small flat screen in front of me. But it was busted, so I heaved a sigh, popped my sleeping pills and dozed off to the sounds of gum chewing and endless yelling of “HOY! Kumusta ka na? At taga sann ka? Domestic helper ka rin ba?” Translation: “Hey there? Where are you from? Are you a domestic helper as well?” I though I had died and God had sent me to my very own private hell.”

“On my way back, I had to bravely take the economy flight once more. This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.”

The article drew angry reactions from Pinoys worldwide, and to defend herself, she wrote an equally (if not a more bigoted) article. She said:

“As I type this, I’d like you to know that it’s not about whining, complaining and bitching but just stating the facts. Just recently, I wrote a funny article in my magazine column and my friends thought it was hilarious. It was humorous and quite tongue-in-cheek, or at least I thought so, until the magazine got a few e-mails from people who didn’t get the meaning of my acerbic wit. The bottom line was just that I had offended the reader’s socioeconomic background. If any of these people actually read anything thicker than a magazine they would find it very funny. Most people don’t get the fact that they need bitches like me to shake up their world, otherwise their lives would be boring and mediocre. I obviously write for the a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading. “Although it may sound elitist to you the fact is this country is built on the foundation of haves, have-nots and wannabes. One group will never get the culture of the other. Although I could mention that it is easier to understand someone who has a lower socioeconomic background that would entail a whole other page and frankly I don’t want to be someone to bridge the gap between socioeconomic classes. I leave that to the politicians in my family who believe they can actually help. Now I seriously ask you, am I being a diva or are people around me just lacking in common sense? Perhaps it’s a little of both!”

If you want to read the entire article, here it is: