fullman*

(Click here if the video isn’t working)

In this skit, a postman approached comedian Harry Enfield, who was clearly agitated and shouting at someone, and asked him what was going. It then turned to comedian Paul Whitehouse, who was seated on a chair on his lawn, and beside him was a young girl wearing a grey uniform and an apron gyrating and dancing lasciviously. Harry then told the postman that he was shouting at his Filipino maid to do her job and get his friend Paul to mate with her.

He kept ordering the girl to gyrate and dance in front of Paul and even instructed her to “hump him”. When an indifferent Paul stood up to go inside the house, Harry scolded the Filipina girl, telling her to get out and just go. The scene closed with the postman sidling up to the Filipina, whispering to her as they walked off together.

The problem about this skit is that it trivializes a scene of abuse. This is not even a question of being politically correct; it isn’t even about Filipinos having no sense of humor (oy, are we not known for laughing at our tragedy?). The issue is about satirizing human trafficking and exploitation. Gender statistics may be be poor, but based on stories of sexual abuse encountered by Filipinas abroad, one could already surmise the number of Filipinas who are victimized by trafficking, promised with jobs as domestic helpers but end up being forced to become little brown f***ing machines for big, burly, old white men. It isn’t funny at all. It is unethical, disgusting and abusive.

The skit is base because of the negative stereotypes it promotes. I do not mean to indulge in an Imeldific rant for the true, good and the beautiful; what I am simply saying is that comedy shows like ‘Harry and Paul’ furthers the vulnerability of communities and populations to racism and racial stereotyping. Mainstream media has the power to embed these notions into popular consciousness, making it easy for the public to see Filipino women as submissive sexual objects. By making the issue an object of ridicule, ‘Harry and Paul’ is actually cultivating the sense of impunity enjoyed by old white men who take advantage of poverty-driven labor migration to find women they can abuse.

I happen to like British humour. I like Little Britain for its irreverence, and I am a fan of Hugh Grant. This show, though, this isn’t funny. I do agree that BBC owes us an apology.

SHARE IT IF YOU LIKE IT!