| Mexican Stamps insult people all around the world? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 30 2005, 09:27 AM (136 Views) | |
| monkeyman | Jun 30 2005, 09:27 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/06/...s.ap/index.html MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- U.S. activists called on the Mexican government to withdraw a postage stamp depicting an exaggerated black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin, saying the offense was worse than recent remarks about blacks made by President Vicente Fox. Mexico defended the series of five stamps released Wednesday, which depicts a child character from a comic book started in the 1940s that is still published in Mexico. But the Rev. Jesse Jackson said President Bush should pressure Mexico to withdraw the stamps from the market, saying they "insult people around the world." "The impact of this is worse than what the president said," Jackson noted, referring to Fox's May 13 comment that Mexican migrants take jobs in the United States that "not even blacks" want. Fox later met with Jackson and expressed regret but insisted his comments had been misinterpreted. On Thursday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan objected to the stamp, saying "racial stereotypes are offensive no matter what their origin" and have no place in today's world. He added that it was "an internal issue for Mexico and the postal authorities that issued the stamp." The character on the stamp 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. Mexico said that like Speedy Gonzalez -- a cartoon mouse with a Mexican accent that debuted in the United States in 1953 -- the Memin Pinguin character shouldn't be interpreted as a racial slur. "Just as Speedy Gonzalez has never been interpreted in a racial manner by the people in Mexico, because he is a cartoon character, I am certain that this commemorative postage stamp is not intended to be interpreted on a racial basis in Mexico or anywhere else," said Rafael Laveaga, the spokesman for the Mexican Embassy in Washington. But NAACP interim President Dennis Courtland Hayes countered that "laughing at the expense of hardworking African Americans or African Mexicans is no joke and it should end at once." The NAACP -- the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- called the stamps "injurious to black people who live in the United States and Mexico." Jackson also said Mexico should "issue a complete and full apology." Activists in Mexico said the stamp was offensive but not unexpected. "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. 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." "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." Laveaga, the embassy spokesman, countered that "if you look closely at many of the cartoon characters in U.S. pop culture, those who try will be able to find something offensive." But, he noted, "the vast majority will see a cartoon character, which is what Memin Pinguin is." 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. |
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| Canucks fan | Jun 30 2005, 03:42 PM Post #2 |
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Aftert just looking at the picture there, I don't see anything wrong with it. All I see is a cartoon monkey with a hat on. The Mexicans have a perfect point with the Speedy Gonzales thing. They didn't make a big deal over it, so the US shouldn't make a big deal out of this. It was probably far more insulting to Mexicans than this is to African Americans. |
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| michao | Jun 30 2005, 10:31 PM Post #3 |
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wow damnit looks like freedom of expresion is abolished, wtf so there is a little black kid on the stamp, what makes it wrong? |
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| nintendrone | Jul 1 2005, 07:57 AM Post #4 |
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exactly! I'm not even offended |
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| taz3r | Jul 8 2005, 01:10 PM Post #5 |
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blaz3 a heat
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yea i dont see it insulting at all more of an insult to the mexicans then to me |
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| kenshin | Jul 10 2005, 07:45 AM Post #6 |
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wow how can someone get offended by speedy gonzalez? |
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| Andy | Jul 10 2005, 10:44 AM Post #7 |
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U so cool imma call u culo
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maan...some white people are just retarded, how is that offending...and its not really any of anyones buisness besides the people in mexico. |
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| sesshomaru | Jul 10 2005, 07:13 PM Post #8 |
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mexico rocks |
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