http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/06/29/mexico.stamp.ap/index.html
Actually, I’m kinda surprised there never was any outcry over the Reese’s cups logo. Kinda looks like Buckwheat.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36549&item=5593391349&rd=1
Mexico continues to prove how fucked up they are.
:rolleyes:
Looks pretty damn offensive to me.
Looks pretty much like a golliwog to me - they still use it?!
Holy Mother of Mary Pickford!
As if the pickaninny isn’t bad enough, there’s a Mammy in the background! Oprah, drop Hermès are do a show about this, willya?
Interesting question, though:* should* Mexicans give a damn about whether black Americans are offended?
Americans seemed to listen when Mexicans complained about the racist elements of Speedy Gonzalez. Of course, the American government isn’t publishing pamphlets on how to illegally immigrate to Mexico.
Eve. If they want our tourism dollars, they should. If they care to improve relations with their own black citizens they should. But trotting out that tired, “It’s part of our culture,” defense ain’t cutting it.
When I first heard about this, before I actually saw the stamps, I thought “Oh geeze, what new massively over-sensitive bullshit is it this time?”
Then I saw the stamps. Yikes. Mega-yikes. Unless they had the subject eating watermelon in a welfare line I cannot imagine how it could have been worse.
I’m amazed that our cultures are so different that this could actually get issued.
It’s not known to many, but Mexico does have a small black population. Also, note this quote from the article:
“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.
And I think those who made this decision should know that these images are unacceptable all over the world.
Oh, I fully agree the image is almost comically ghastly—not only to “African-Americans,” but to all black people (and indeed, non-black people). I can just see this turning into, however, “big bad America is trying to stomp all over Mexico’s longstanding cultural history of pickaninnies and Mammies.”
Sweet jumping Jesus.
Cervaise, this comment is highly offensive. How dare you imply Mexican men named “Jesus” constantly engage in comically ridiculous capering and dancing?
Only to the same extent that they are offended by common racial epiphets against Mexicans by racist Americans.
I’d like to get a little more information about this before I pass judgement. According to the article, the comic book that spawned this character is still being published in Mexico. This site supports that. If so, the stamp should be fair game.
What’s the comic about?
Well, aren’t Mexicans full of those beans?
How odd, I’ve lived on the border my whole life and never saw any of those items. However, I do remember the El Negrito (The Little Black Person-- in that instance) tire place that had a Buckwheat looking kid on the sign.
Sadly, the few black kids in schools on the U.S. side of the border were often harrassed like you wouldn’t believe, until the schools wised up five or six years ago. It’s slightly more subtle now. Just two years ago a student swore up and down that it was a scientific fact that black people had skin that soaked up a lot of water and that’s why they never went swimming.
I can totally believe the Reese’s stuff.