Given that in the States “siesta” has the connotation of being a Hispanic thing anyways, I don’t think illustrating the concept with a cartoon Mexican would be seen as racist.
If you were using it to illustrate a paper on immigration policy or something, on the other hand, people would quite rightly interpret it as racist.
Useless. That cat is awake.
Apropos of nothing, how about that Verizon commercial about the nursery and the woman comes up to the desk and says “I’m picking up some cacti. It should be under ‘semen’.” OK, maybe it’s just me and my ears.
I’d guess it’s a stereotype mostly held only by people who really haven’t met many Mexicans.
As a Yuppie, I find it offensive that he is napping in an Urban Sombrero.
What does it mean for an image to “be racist”?
I’d say it could be, since the man in it is darker skinned, sleeping (IE: lazy) and fat. It certainly might not evoke a positive image of that individual.
I’d like to know how that guy found the world’s shortest mature saguaro. It’s either that, or the guy is a giant.
And the guy in the bowler would be very smart to bring an umbrella. He’d use it as a parasol, the way people do in lots of hot places.
The cat is a great idea. I would steer clear of this image. It is definitely a stereotype and you wouldn’t have to take it very for far for it to be seen as racist.
My mom is Mexican. I can tell you that she most certainly is offended by that image type.
To her, it would equal a mammie eating watermelon or an Asian with a conical hat.
I know that in a lot of places - restaurants owned by Hispanics even - use that type of image.
Mom is not amused.
So I guess this would be racist too, huh? Dagwood Bumstead
I’d say it was offensive - what’s wrong with using an image that actually reflects the true meaning of the word - something like this - Google image search for Siesta, see how many actual photos you find of real Mexicans in sombreros…
Depends - is Dagwood a racist caricature?
Keeping the sun off, of course.
It seems to be a bit of euphemism, but both the popular names for umbrellas suggest that they aren’t used for anything as practical as keeping rain off, but of keeping nice, unmessy sunshine off you (which was, of course, a real use as well): Umbrella means “little shade” or “little shadow”, and parasol means “sun shield”
Which brings us right back to sombreros (“shade makers”)
How is that racist? Good lord. Is everything racist nowadays?
So are sombreros used more to keep off the rain than the sun, too?
I know. Next you’ll tell me that innocent pictures of bucktoothed Asians sitting in a big rice bowl are racist, or drunken Indians passed out in a teepee. It’s so hard to know what’s offensive these days!
Are stereotypes racist? Some would say no.
Racial ones, sure.
Even the “positive” ones.
