Racist Mexican stamps...
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http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/06/29/mexico.stamp.ap/index.html
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- The Mexican government has issued a postage stamp depicting an exaggerated black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin, just weeks after remarks by President Vicente Fox angered U.S. blacks.
The series of five stamps released for general use Wednesday depicts a child character from a comic book started in the 1940s that is still published in Mexico.
The boy, hapless but lovable, is drawn with exaggerated features, thick lips and wide-open eyes. His appearance, speech and mannerisms are the subject of kidding by white characters in the comic book.
Activists said the stamp was offensive, though officials denied it.
"One would hope the Mexican government would be a little more careful and avoid continually opening wounds," said Sergio Penalosa, an activist in Mexico's small black community on the southern Pacific coast.
"But we've learned to expect anything from this government, just anything," Penalosa said. In May, Fox riled many by saying that Mexican migrants take jobs in the United States that "not even blacks" want.
Fox expressed regret for any offense the remarks may have caused, but insisted his comments had been misinterpreted.
Carlos Caballero, assistant marketing director for the Mexican Postal Service, said the stamps are not offensive, nor were they intended to be.
"This is a traditional character that reflects part of Mexico's culture," Caballero said. "His mischievous nature is part of that character."
However, Penalosa said many Mexicans still assume all blacks are foreigners, despite the fact that at one point early in the Spanish colonial era, Africans outnumbered Spanish in Mexico.
"At this point in time, it was probably pretty insensitive" to issue the stamp, said Elisa Velazquez, an anthropologist who studies Mexico's black communities for the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
"This character is a classic, but it's from another era," Velazquez said. "It's a stereotype and you don't want to encourage ignorance or prejudices."
The 6.50-peso (60 cent) stamps -- depicting the character in five poses -- was issued with the domestic market in mind, but Caballero noted it could be used in international postage as well.
A total of 750,000 of the stamps will be issued.
Ben Vinson, a black professor of Latin American history at Penn State University, said he has been called "Memin Pinguin" by some people in Mexico. He also noted that the character's mother is drawn to look like an old version of the U.S. advertising character Aunt Jemima.
The stamps are part of a series that pays tribute to Mexican comic books. Memin Pinguin, the second in the series, was apparently chosen for this year's release because it is the 50th anniversary of the company that publishes the comic.
Publisher Manelick De la Parra told the government news agency Notimex that the character would be sort of a goodwill ambassador on Mexican letters and postcards. "It seems nice if Memin can travel all over the world, spreading good news," de la Parra said, calling him "so charming, so affectionate, so wonderful, generous and friendly."
Comments
time to handle problems in order of importance
True. Plus, (not defending it) I think so many other coutries have just seen these images from a cute childhood book perspective. I don't think they carry the weight that they do in a coutry like the US where slavery was so heavy and still is cause for debate.
Make no mistake, Mexico has its own history of slavery (although it mostly involves mayans and asians). I think an argument could be made that Fox's initial statement about blacks wasn't that offensive (it could have been more of a condemnation of the US and how we treat minorities), but the mexican government doesn't have much of an argument here. They don't need black caricatures on their postage stamps any more than we need sleeping mexicans on our taco bell signs.
I am totally mystified. This is excusable (enough to be ignored for the time-being) because Mexico has other problems - primarly poverty - ? I would say this view of Blacks and those with "dark" skin is a huge problem which contributes a great deal to the overall direction of policies, and therefore, the health and well-being of the population.
Racism carries the same ugly-ass weight all over the world, whether it's in a kid's book or not. The fact that it is cartoony and appealing to children and ingraining some sick image of Blacks is totally twisted.
"The boy, hapless but lovable, is drawn with exaggerated features, thick lips and wide-open eyes. His appearance, speech and mannerisms are the subject of kidding by white characters in the comic book."
So cute!
What the hell are you guys talking about?
regardless, that excuse about them having other things to worry about is lame... of all the things to put on a stamp - that has to be it?
I don't know how to explain it with out sounding stupid. I guess I'm just saying that it has a different context in Mexico. It's still racist and I'm not excusing it. It's just hard to grasp without having lived in Mexico your whole life. It the view they had of black white relations at the time the book was written, so it's just as much the fault of the US, cuz we created all that stuff to begin with.
I think you're twisting that analogy a bit. There is a lot of accepted racism in Mexico, and it isn't only perpetuated by the government. When people overseas say "Fuck the U.S.," they're not just talking about our president, they're talking about the half of the country that supports him, too.
I wouldn't personally go so far as to say "Fuck Mexico," because I really like Mexico. However, I agree with the sentiment that the racist and sexist attitudes held by many Mexicans are fucked up.
hope you don't think I'm trying to downplay it, and maybe my analogy was wrong.. but I got a little piece in my heart for Mexico, and I wouldnt want a whole nations peoples to be wrongly persecuted for the dumb ass moves of one idiot, which is usually the case in these types of debacles. I love my African American homies and persons of color in general just like I do the white folks, and all the other cool colors, just tryin to keep things in perspective is all.
My (mexican) fiance is all fiesty about this topic with me right now... she's got so much Mexican pride its ridiculous. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a non native Mexican more proud to be Mexican than my lady.
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T.N.
I don't think we're totally in disagreement here, your lady's national pride is both admirable and well-deserved. I do want to point out this statement above:
This isn't just a case of Vincente Fox (who probably had nothing to do with this) making a racist remark. I think Al Sharpton and other US citizens should force a dialog (not just an apology) about this issue.
YES! I could be wrong but I'm guessing they got all this imagry from the US in the frist place. For a few hundred years the US tried to convince everyone African's were inferior and the US could treat them how ever they wanted. Even after slavery the whole "sambo" image still went on. So we can't be suprised when other another country is still dealing with the reprecussions.
Plus, I don't know how many of you have ever been to a gun show, but there is almost always a both selling a bunch of racists "memorabilia". So it's not like this stuff is gone in the US, were just too PC to put it on a stamp.
Nothing personal but there are a lot of black Mexicans. More so on the east coast. As a person of Mexican decent with most immediate family living In Mexico, D.F. (Mexico City) I can say the racism is strong there. It seems like more of a self hate thing because most of it is focused at the "Indio". I have heard of black racism but never experienced it. I don't think it's totally common. It's bizarre to see the monuments of Aztec & Mayan Mexico surrounded by begging indian children and upwardly mobile mexiyuppies. I love the place and most people are kind, just a little backwards at times, like the U.S. It is America too, after all.
I think the stamp is ignorant and should be addressed (no pun intended). Hopefully they will recognize this and teach future generations of its racism like "Black Sambo". Maybe I'll suggest that when I'm there.
Peace.
sorta funny but really the peso is 10 to the dollar right now not 100000. So that stamp is worth about 60 cents.