Comments on: Cross-Border Conversation on Race

By: eduardo_bandito

eduardo_bandito — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 21:12:17 +0000

mexican amerindians have subsidies and they right to ask for education in their language but not a separated legal system to that of the other mexicans only a reduction of third of the sentence en case of commiting a crime if they can prove they are amerindians. mennonite came to mexico in the 20′s and the PNR tried to forcefully assimilated until the early years of the 40′s when they were acknoledged as a pseudoamerindian group and yeah mexican mennonites defect really easy from the group I don’t know why either.

By: imthemom

imthemom — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 06:38:51 +0000

My “white” American daughter has been living in Mazatlan. She has a friend who is tall, “white” with black curly hair. His family is from Mazatlan and he says his birth certificate lists him as “pure indigenous”. I know the Mexican census asks for language spoken but not race so racial statistics are hard to find. The exception was the 1921 census, which asked about 3 races: pure indigenous, mestizo, and blanco. I’ve been looking for info in the internet about Mexico, racial attitudes and the status of indians. What I have learned is that there is a color continum prejudice with the lighter skined people being favored over the darker skined people with the indians being discriminated against, marginalized, paid lower wages for the same work. Unlike the US, as far as I can tell, the indians did not have treaties with the Mexican government and were never considered sovereign nations and do not have reservations or government subsidies. I realize I am searching in English and there must be better information in Spanish from Mexican sources but most of the information is one or two sentences in tourist propaganda. I have also learned that Germans actually built the first port in Mazatlan. My daughter also says there are Mennonites in the area (who make great cheese) but are having many problems with this generation of teens. I can’t find anything about them on the internet either. Anybody out there know more than me and want to point me to the right search engine? Thanks.

By: Mariana

Mariana — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 22:36:39 +0000

American characters like Aunt Jemima have as exagerated looking as Memín and this auntie was created by Americans, then any “African American” protested. By other hand, day by day we see humilliating characterizatios on Mexican characters on different American movies and TV programs, if we get on than intolerance position then Mexican goverment should protest by that. I think all this problem is based on a deep ignorance by some American sectors to our Mexican culture and history. They don’t even have read the comic, they ignore the context at all, they ignore our African roots in Mexico and the relation of Afro orign with the rest of the population. Afro people here don’t feel ofended at all with Memin. Before talking and making a big scandal they would learn a little bit more about Mexico (that believe me, is richer than the real ofensive images we see on movies) and its cultural richness (and of course read Memin first too). Certainly in Mexico exists racism but it’s not related at all by the color of the skin and our culture alow us to get fun and some jokes about the most physical characteristics, we are not so serious about, we don’t see many things with that solemnity, we laugh at everything, (but we don’t offend) that’s our sense of humor, we laugh at the very death. So as we respect foreign cultures, we demand to be respected on ours. You don’t like the stamps, ok, you don’t buy it. We feel ofended when some Americans call us “brownies” and we do it not for the word by itself but because of all the humilliating and offensive charge that it contains.

By: logtar

logtar — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 14:22:52 +0000

I think that race in the US is not the same as in some latin American countries, Race was never a subject discussed as much as it is here back in Colombia.

By: Karla Contreras

Karla Contreras — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 17:22:17 +0000

People from the the USA would never understand they way Mexico thinks about race. A good example: I’ve asked by Mexican Americans if there is such a thing as a Hispanic Heritage MOnth in Mexico. People just don’t understand that the definition of race in Mexico tought in schools is, black (selfexplanatory), yellow (asian), and white. Under the white everybody that is not black or asian looking can qualify as it. Yes my felow americans a “brownie” in Mexico is considered to be white race.
Mexico certainly can be accused of being Classist, and having neglected the Indigenous(same way as the US), but race is never been a topic of conversation, we are just Mexicans.

If we are going to get in to the sterotypes. A debate about Speedy Gonzales, taco bell Chihuahua and all the stereotypes used in movies and TV about Mexico and Mexican workers.

By: Sergio J. Castro Becerra

Sergio J. Castro Becerra — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 16:42:21 +0000

Chino Cochino! That’s just her interpretation of it. We use it because it rhymes, not because it has a racist connotation. It is used in the same way as ¿Me entiendes Méndez? or ¿Me explico Federico?, nel pastel, simón limón. It is used just to ease the language, to make it more friendy.

By: 台灣部落格

台灣部落格 — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 16:04:43 +0000

全球的声音

全球的声音 – “全球声音在线”(Global Voices Online)是哈佛大学法学院伯克曼中心设立的一个全球Blogger 互动的窗口，重新设计的网站昨天上线，采用了目前流行的三栏模式（虽然我不够喜欢太少的

By: El Oso, El Moreno, and El Abogado » Blog Archive » Chino Cochino?

El Oso, El Moreno, and El Abogado » Blog Archive » Chino Cochino? — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 05:58:43 +0000

[...] I asked Laura if there was overt racism in Mexico against Chinese-Mexicans [PDF - spanish]. She said no, but then remembered a popular saying: chino cochino (literally: Chinese pig, but more like, ‘dirty Chinese’). She said that Chinese immigrants were viewed as dirty and unkempt and that the saying has endured on today. Whether that is racism or Memin Pinguin-like playfulness, I guess, is in the eye of the beholder. [...]

By: sam

sam — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 20:48:54 +0000

no mamen, there is no such a thing as racisim in mexico……….but our “vecino” from the north……is about the only country in the world where it is very much alive. just like alway has been.

By: sam

sam — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 20:45:54 +0000

no mamen, there is no such a thing as racisim in mexico……….but our “vecino” from the north……is about the only country in the world where it is very much alive. just like has alway has been.

By: judy

judy — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 19:48:35 +0000

God Bless America and God Bless Mexico truly at the end of the day the only thing that counts is what GOD sees in your heart.We need to pray and ask the LORD for Help!

By: Heriberto

Heriberto — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 19:57:59 +0000

I found a cartoon in a local paper (Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, California). The plot of the cartoon was to present a politically correct Memin Pinguin that would be accepted by our fellow americans. The result was an white boy. This is the thing, if the cartoon character was just a white boy with common white boy features it would not be considered racism by americans. It would have to be a white boy. Now, THAT’s racism.
On other aspect, for Mexican people, Memin Pinguin is more an archetype than a stereotype. An archetype that is based more on the images of black central-americans than the now-called african americans. Memin’s mother is a classic Mamá Iné and he himself is just a regular boy son on a Mamá Iné. An archetype, a basic Carl-Jung-like image from which some of our individual images part, not a stereotype that traps them.
Regarding Michael Ferris’ comment: he seems to grasp the sense of the mexican self better than some native mexicans. Good for ya.
Yes, physical features make for our nicknames, with no offense intended or taken. I still remember a popular TV show (Chispas de Chocolate, “Chocolate Chips”), broadcasted by then most important TV chain in Mexico, Televisa, and performed exclusively by black mexicans. Many of the gags were about the darkness of black people, but it was not ill-hearted. The show was popular, loved and widely reproduced in everyday activities by all sorts of people. Our internal history allows it.
The fuss should be made about native americans from Chiapas or Oaxaca, who live almost deprived from the goods of modern life. Oh, but those are so nice to see and framed in a vacation picture by our european and american visitors! (sarcasm intended, sorry).

By: Wallo World » Of Memín Pinguín and Little Black Sambo

Wallo World » Of Memín Pinguín and Little Black Sambo — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 19:48:51 +0000

[...] Wallo

Global Voices Online has an excellent multicultural roundup of the debate over the issuance of a Mexican stamp which honors what some argue is clear [...]

By: Roger

Roger — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 11:26:08 +0000

This is what we came up with. It was kind of heard, becasue we had to unify the views from our american, mexican, and european team members. Check it out, I hope you like it..

http://www.mobuzztv.com/shows/170.html

By: Michael Farris

Michael Farris — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 08:04:35 +0000

From my experience with Mexicans:

USans try as much as possible to minimize sex, power, class (and other) differences, but Mexicans like to emphasize them. Any distinctive physical feature of a person will be the focus of attention and conversation and if you’re get to know people, your distinctive feature (whether weight, height, skin color, large nose, whatever) will probably be the basis of an affectionate nickname.
There aren’t that many black people in Mexico so the perceived different features of Memín Pingüín are exaggerated (just as the perceived zaftig features of women of north european origin are usually exaggerated in Mexican comics).

I’ve read a very few Memín Pingüín comics and (after I got over the shock of his appearance) they didn’t strike me as racially based humor. He’s the very human protagonist (with a good heart) and not remotely meant as a symbol of anything but of imperfect (specifically Mexican) humanity. Yes, If I were black I can imagine I might react somewhat differently.

But mostly, I’m just amazed that people in the US think it’s their business what Mexicans put on their stamps.