Hmm. Interesting AskMeFi question: Is a statue of a sleeping Mexican offensive? On one hand it makes me think of Speedy Gonzales cartoons, and vintage Looney Tunes cartoons make me HAPPY; but on other hand, sometimes when you watch those old cartoons you wonder how in the heck the animators didn’t see anything offensive in their racial caricatures.
M-H
October 2, 2007 — 2:30 pm
On an international email list a few years ago a horrible flame war erupted when a Sydneysider (no, it wasn’t me) welcomed a new person from Melbourne as a ‘Mexican’. Common parlance here – they come fron south of the border after all. Many of the US people on the list considered it a racist epithet.
I gave up on after a couple of days and unsubbed, as did every other Aussie in the end. There aren’t many ‘real’ Mexicans here, therefore the term doesn’t have any racist overtone, IMO.
Same thing happened on another list when someone referred to the local company ‘White lady Funerals”. Many Americans objected to that as well.
Bex
October 2, 2007 — 3:46 pm
Dont forget when I said something wasnt ‘kosher’ on a certain list too M-H… LOL.
missfee
October 2, 2007 — 5:00 pm
The americans call us mexicans with mobiles in the film world…
Don’t we have these images in fifties kitch stuff – door numbers etc? Can this be going a bit far?
Kris
October 2, 2007 — 5:08 pm
I can see your point, M-H, and I’ve heard the “Mexican” thing in Australia before and didn’t take it as anything but a joke. But I’m not sure that saying that there aren’t any Mexicans here excuses us from abusing a stereotype. I mean, if someone on the American list had referred to another American as an “Abo”, surely some of the Antipodeans would have found that offensive?
eileen
October 3, 2007 — 1:18 am
A lawn ornament of a sleeping Mexican? Really?
TACKY.
Bex
October 3, 2007 — 10:05 am
I think an ornament of a sleeping Mexican is a bit offensive – but can be understood if its a fifties thing (modern reproductions not accepted). Its the same as the “Bush Babies” figures my nan has from the fifties – those little aboriginal baby statues. So very very wrong.
But the ‘Mexican’ thing over here simply means they are from south of the border. Not they are sleepy, lazy etc. Different cultures = different humour. (Hate to say it Kris, I find US humour painful sometimes! hehe).