News & Politics - Mexican stamp called offensive to blacks

TokyoNiGHTS · 07-01-2005, 02:29 PM

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"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.

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"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.

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"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."

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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."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americ...cnn_topstories

It's just something that shouldn't be brought back up. The overall picture is that its an old stereotype that most would like to forget.

meretwins · 07-02-2005, 01:16 PM

i'm sure if a stamp of a short greasy sombrero wearing man with brown skin holding a taco was made here in texas a hell of a lot of folks would be up in arms...and rightly so...i find the stamp in poor taste and very vulgar but then as a black woman i understand where the sambo/mammy characterization is coming from and it's trifling...

LittleMilkJug · 07-13-2005, 04:44 AM

And those are stamps of today? And nobody even thought about it offending people?

rubydh18 · 07-15-2005, 04:31 PM

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Originally Posted by meretwins

i'm sure if a stamp of a short greasy sombrero wearing man with brown skin holding a taco was made here in texas a hell of a lot of folks would be up in arms...and rightly so...i find the stamp in poor taste and very vulgar but then as a black woman i understand where the sambo/mammy characterization is coming from and it's trifling...

Was adding short and greasy necessary?

meretwins · 07-15-2005, 05:32 PM

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Originally Posted by rubydh18

Was adding short and greasy necessary?

very, because you know exactly what it refers to...just like mexico's assinine stamp...pretty it up anyway you want but the stamp is still offensive...

**TheAngel** · 07-16-2005, 09:11 AM

I agree that this is offensive, especially because that characture of african-americans was used in an offensive manner in the 20s, 30s, and 40s in the media. I think Mexico needs to do some very fast clean up before it creates a situation that it can no longer control.

**Mio** · 07-16-2005, 11:34 AM

i'm white and find that very offensive.


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