I honestly do not want to blow this situation up, however this is what the video uploader states:
As you all know the country Brunei and Philippines are near thats why Calvin joked about it but in Chinese culture the way he said it is insulting to the country Philippines and Ngar who translated this told me since she is Chinese herself and she even asked her other friends who can understand and knows their culture and they agreed that when Calvin said that he did insult [the Philippines]. – AsianFanaticz
I don’t really know how to take this, because from the video’s subtitles, I can take it as either of the following:
- Calvin telling Wu Zun not to land in the Philippines when swimming back to Brunei can be interpreted as Calvin warning Wu Zun not to accidentally swim to the Philippines instead of Brunei (since his homesickness may affect his judgment?), since the two countries are so close.
- OR, Calvin’s warning means that Wu Zun shouldn’t make the mistake of swimming to the Philippines, which would place the country in a negative light.
You know what this reminds me of? The scandal of the year (2007) when Teri Hatcher’s character from Desperate Housewives asked to see her OB-GYN’s diploma to make sure he didn’t finish Med school from the Philippines. Which is utterly ridiculous because other countries look to the Philippines for extra hands when they lack of skilled (and English-speaking) medical professionals. Hell, the PH is probably losing so many because they’re being needed around the world.
So the point of this post is:
- If you speak and understand Mandarin, then by all means, in your opinion, is Calvin really insulting the Philippines?
- Kung Pinoy ka, how do you feel about this?
As for me, I’m really divided since A) I don’t understand Mandarin (I’ve learned a few words, thanks to Taiwan dramas), B) I don’t want to make it a big deal (again because of A). If Calvin really did insult the country, then he probably just made one of the biggest mistakes of his career in Fahrenheit (and as a celebrity, he should know better). Let’s remember that Romantic Princess is currently being shown in the Philippines and oh wait! Who’s plays a character there? Oh yeah! Calvin! I can see the Philippines banning Fahrenheit (or just Calvin) from ever stepping foot into the country, or just banning everything Fahrenheit altogether (e.g, CDs, dramas, concerts, etc.). (lol)
So, I hope to read your thoughts!
– Paula
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