SikhSpectrum.com Quarterly Issue No.31, March 2008
Letterman’s Top Ten list draws cheers, jeers
Danny Chan
A recent Top Ten list from David Letterman has drawn both kudos and brickbats from the Filipino-American community in the United States. The list, titled “Top Ten Reasons Why There Couldn’t Be A Filipino American US President”, was aired on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman.
Many Filipino-Americans were delighted by the list, which was penned by an anonymous author and has circulated on the internet for years. The list casts them in a favorable light, depicting the close-knit, religious nature of Filipino-Americans who favor an extended family over the traditional nuclear family, they said.
“This certainly shows we are an emerging group. It’s an honor in this diverse society to be featured in Dave’s famous show,” one person wrote in an e-mail.
But others contend the list may have perpetuated negative stereotypes about the country’s 2 million Filipino-Americans, possibly impeding the emergence of a Filipino-American Barack Obama-type. For instance, most second- and third-generation progeny no longer hang giant wooden spoons and forks on their walls nor do they post pictures of the Last Supper in their homes. The complete list is as follows:
10. The White House is not big enough for in-laws and extended relatives.
9. There are not enough parking spaces at the White House for 2 Honda Civics, 2 Toyota Land Cruisers, 3 Toyota Corollas, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW, and an MPV (My Pinoy Van).
8. Dignitaries generally are intimidated by eating with their fingers at State dinners.
7. There are too many dining rooms in the White House—where will they put the picture of the Last Supper?
6. The White House walls are not big enough to hold a pair of giant wooden spoon and fork.
5. Secret Service staff won’t respond to “psst…pst” or “hoy…hoy”.
4. Secret Service staff will not be comfortable driving the presidential car with a Holy
3. No budget allocation to purchase a Karaoke music-machine for every room in the White House.
2. State dinners do not allow “Take Home”.
And the No. 1 reason why there couldn’t be a Filipino-American US president is:
1. Air Force One does not allow overweight Balikbayan boxes!!!
