Mexican racism, or just a beloved cartoon character?

Question

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/mexican-officials-must-co_b_3552.html

here is a picture of all stamps in the collection:
http://www.meminpinguin.org/clientes/meminpinguin.org/


The writer of the column would have you believe that the cartoon is racist, and that the Mexican government is racist to put it on their stamps.

Does the writer only consider it racist because the cartoon is black? Would the writer be calling foul if Speedy Gonzales was on the stamp?

I try to stay away from the subject of white trailer trash.

Answer 1

Just a Beloved Character, and it has been for many, many years

and Blacks in Mexico DO NOT make up about two percent of the population.

I´ve met like 2 black mexican people in my 42 years of life, and they were not victims of racism

But to be honest, there is a lot of racism against our fellow indian citizens

Answer 2

try to stay away from the subject of white trailer trash.

That is though.

Every single group on the face of the earth has some character, cartoon or otherwise, depicting and in some cases exagerating some characteristic of a particular group. Blondes aren't dumb. Blondes aren't "sexier" than any other woman, they've had white men act like Bundy and macho like John Wayne, we've had characters like the Frito Bandito and the Hawaiian Punch guy, there was Aunt Jemima on the maple syrup, Chef Boyardee on Spagetti-o's etc. we've got the eastern guru guy talking about the sensibility of having dish network in the windy city instead of Comcast.....not every character is ment to be an insult or an exhaltation of a certain group. Anyone can read in anything they want and be offended if they choose to. I hate the Vonage commercial where it's the cute blonde girl who says "Look....dolphins" when it's sharks. But I'm not going to get in an uproar over it. It wouldn't be funny if it was any other type. Does that mean I can't like Pepe la pew coz it's a sexy litlle french skunk in old cartoons and the French are going to be offended? As with everything....it can be taken to extreems and people can find so-called racism in just about anything.

Answer 3

You seem to be missing the real point of the article - makes me wonder if you read past the first paragraph. The point isn't about this obviously racist comic character its about the extent of racism in Mexico. The more lily white you are the better your chances at success is what he's saying. He's trying to get the point across that for all the cries coming from Mexico about the U.S. they are still decades - maybe even a century - behind the U.S. in terms of fair and equitable treatment of other races. The cartoon is just a symptom of the epidemic infecting Mexican society not the cause.

Answer 4

Very interesting article:

Racism goes much deeper in the country. Even while Mexican writers and politicians rail in articles against American racism, many Mexicans are quick to boast of differences in skin color among their own family members.


In El Paso many years ago,we had a Mexican neighbor named Lola that was married to a Mexican Indian that ran a business that repaired cars.His business was named "Indian Joe's"
He had a very dark skin color,she on the other hand was very light almost white looking.She said that when she marring Joe,
her family disowned her because they felt she was marring beneath her status.She gave up her family for him.They were a wonderful, loving, productive couple.I would baby sit their twin daughters when I was about 12 or 13.She told this all to my mother because they were friends.They were not poor people ,they were legal citizens too.

Racism is in all societies,all country's...It is wrong and very counter productive to both the people involved.Yes I think the cartoon is race based,and I'm sure its racists.I'm not black but I find the stamps very offensive.

Answer 5

There is racism in all countries. Mexico itself promotes lighter complected citizens to higher class than the darker complected citizens. Even on your billboards you depict fair, blonde, blue eyed women as sexy or attractive as compared to the darker complected majority.

It is the same in the USA. I don't pay much attention to it. I remember when I was a child there was a book called "Little Black Sambo" and it was a cute story. It was banned! I never knew why until I got older,but if no one had told me "why" and the book hadn't been banned no one would have had a reason to make a big to-do about it.

I think this PC is being driven in the ground. People shouldn't be so thin skinned (no pun intended)

I totally agree with Crazybird on this one.

Answer 6

This character is a piece of Mexican history. Even for today's standards or today's paranoia can be considered racist by the offended, Memin meant no disrespect for a race.
Sarcastic humor is part (or was part) of the Mexican idiosyncrasy. Memin It would be the equivalent of Peter, from Family Guy or Frey (Fray?) from Futurama. A singular individual, not a call out for a race type.
In a racist culture like US, where civil wars were due to racism even today official documentation will include race as ID data, a cartoon like this would be considered racist. Mexico, as of today, is a race-less culture, even I think will change at the same time it becomes more "americanized".

BTY. "Americanized" is another clue of US' culture of "superior race" racial behavior . America is the name of the whole continent, not only US.

Answer 7

I'm sure about the first part...but I have to say I think Speedy is a positive representative of any group of people. He's athletic, he's clever, he's brave and always looking out for the little guy. I think any group would be proud to have a cultural icon like that. But I remember something that my mom told me...offensive people choose to be offensive, but its you that makes the choice of being offended. So when people act offensive to me...I choose to ignore, because I know the truth about me.

Answer 8

Mexicans are very racist than any racist country i've ever known.
Do y'all remember when their current president called on the US to eliminate blacks (guys) to solve the social issues here?He never apologized when he was called on to do so by some prominent black reverend.
Whether you are a pure Latino or semi black,KKK does not recognize you are human being so it's time minorities start recognizing themselves as equal because we are part of the minority and nothing can change that now.

Answer 9

I believe things have gone too far when we accuse inanimate objects of racism. I'd say that is a cartoon character, an object of artistic expression and nothing more.
I don't think that cartoon has an opinion about anyone's race.

Answer 10

Well, Frito Lay doesn't use the "Frito Bandito" any more and we are becoming so PC it pretty much makes me want to puke daily.

Please don't encourage it!

I don't see you bringing up unfair characterizations of 'white trailer trash' though, and that is racism, too.

What if we all just learn to live with the fact that not everyone thinks highly of everyone else, and just not turn it into a federal case?

Public opinion has a sufficient 'blanding' affect, I think. Obviously, this character is beyond what we consider PC here, but as I said, PC is not my favorite religion.