Althouse: Cinco de Mayo racist stereotyping.

May 5, 2014

Cinco de Mayo racist stereotyping.

On MSNBC.

34 comments:

The Drill SGT said...: Lucky they aren't a Dartmouth frat; 5/5/14, 3:37 PM
Strelnikov said...: Don't be silly. Racists are bad people. It's impossible for good people, like MSNBC's staff and audience, to be racists.; 5/5/14, 3:50 PM
SteveR said...: Well the entire "celebration" is a bit of a disrespect but this is a whole level beyond that. Who cares? Not anyone at MSNBC or NBC or Comcast. Now about the Congressional Hispanic Caucus? Lets bring out Speedy Gonzales and the Frito Bandito.; 5/5/14, 4:01 PM
Sorun said...: The Left has all the good comedians.; 5/5/14, 4:02 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Here in Madison, back in 2012, students were getting criticized for calling their block party "Cinco de Drinko." It was considered "racist" just to appropriate the name of the holiday.; 5/5/14, 4:28 PM
mesquito said...: San Antonio is just winding down its yearly "Fiesta," in which white people have been known to participate and not be called racist. It ain't Dartmouth.; 5/5/14, 4:36 PM
Roughcoat said...: I swear to goodness, this country has become more Puritanical than the Massachusetts Bay Colony, more Victorian than Victorian England, more doctrinaire than an Inquisitional court in Torquemada's Spain. A place where fun and humor go to die.; 5/5/14, 4:51 PM
MadisonMan said...: And wasn't there a sorority that got booted off campus somewhere because they all dressed as Mexicans?

(google)

Yes. Chi Omegas at Penn State. Raked over the coals.; 5/5/14, 4:58 PM
MadisonMan said...: Huffy Post article on Penn State's Chi-Os.

I eagerly await the article on MSNBC.; 5/5/14, 5:00 PM
Beorn said...: It was considered "racist" just to appropriate the name of the holiday.

Would it also be considered racist for Yo Yo Ma to appropriate a Western cello?

At what point can we denounce this new McCarthyism?; 5/5/14, 5:04 PM
n.n said...: Equal opportunity offense. Perhaps that's the best we can hope for.; 5/5/14, 5:06 PM
Gahrie said...: Speedy Gonzalez actually appears regularly on Spanish language television in commercials. Apparently he is only racist if he appears on English language television.; 5/5/14, 5:10 PM
Michael said...: This is not a big holiday in Mexico outside of Puebla, the scene of the battle. I think you would see blank stares in Oaxaca or Sinaloa.; 5/5/14, 5:13 PM
Curious George said...: I had a Mexican business partner tell me that Cinco de mayo really was a "tourist holiday" in Mexico and Mexicans really didn't celebrate it at all.; 5/5/14, 5:28 PM
rhhardin said...: Drunks would be St. Patrick's Day.; 5/5/14, 5:45 PM
richard mcenroe said...: They were just simulating what they were sure Tea Partiers were saying about Cinco de Cervezas.; 5/5/14, 6:07 PM
newton said...: Cinco de mayo is NOT Mexico's Independence Day: Mexico's actual Independence Day is September 16, in which the Grito de Dolores (the call to arms that sparked the revolution against Spain in 1810) is commemorated.

Cinco de mayo commemorates a victory in a battle against French forces which invaded Mexico over a century ago - and only a few states in Mexico celebrate it - especially Puebla, where the battle took place. Nowhere else in Mexico is celebrated. But of course, too many people here take it as an excuse for having an extra margarita...

Think about it this way: no one celebrates the Battle of Yorktown, or the Battle of Saratoga, or the Battle of Fort McHenry - even though these were important battles. VE Day is not celebrated with a big party here - nor VJ Day.

So, if you're not in the mood for celebrating anything, don't feel guilty about it. And if someone tells you you're a "racist" for not celebrating Cinco de mayo, tell them it's not that important for Mexicans in their own land. If they're not celebrating today, why should you? And if they tell you it's about their "independence", make sure you let them know when the actual day is. Besides, there's a whole lot of celebrating during Hispanic Heritage Month, which usually begins around September 16. (Hint-hint, Grito de Dolores!)

Again: if you're not celebrating, don't feel guilty about it. Better be right than stupid.; 5/5/14, 6:52 PM
The Godfather said...: St. Patricks's Day has become a celebration of drink, when it should in fact be a celebration of (a) the conversation of the Irish to Christianity, or (b) the success of Irish immigrants in America, or (c) [my favorite] the success of all immigrants in America.

I guess what's happened to Cinco de Mayo means that Hispanics have succeeded in America like the Irish.; 5/5/14, 7:04 PM
traditionalguy said...: The State of Georgia still closes down for the Confederate Memorial Day holiday. That one sneaks up on us.; 5/5/14, 7:53 PM
traditionalguy said...: Stay thirsty, my friend.; 5/5/14, 8:03 PM
Gahrie said...: Cinco de Mayo was a cynical attempt by big business to create a Hispanic "St. Patrick's Day".

Not only was the Battle of Puebla inconsequential, the Mexicans eventually lost the war it occurred in.; 5/5/14, 8:15 PM
SteveR said...: Largely I fully agree its nothing but an excuse to sell Mexican beer or to have special parties or bar events. But imagine this on Fox and Friends and the outrage would erupt. But we all know MSNBC is on the right side and just having innocent fun.; 5/5/14, 8:22 PM
Rusty said...: Another excuse for the amatuers to get drunk and puke in the street.; 5/5/14, 8:22 PM
richard mcenroe said...: We need educators of proven racial sensibilities...

http://minx.cc/?post=348981; 5/5/14, 8:52 PM
CWJ said...: Is this the same cinco de cuatro that Obama mentioned?; 5/5/14, 8:56 PM
Oso Negro said...: Oso Negro reporting from San Antonio, Texas on Cinco de Mayo. No festivities of note on the Riverwalk. No action in El Mercado. Not much of a deal, muchachos.; 5/5/14, 9:00 PM
Jay Vogt said...: American Parties are quite popular in Europe. They serve sloppy Joes, oversized and over sweet deserts. They drink Budweiser from red Solo cups and beerbongs. They wear basketball jerseys and baseball caps and otherwise mock (gently or otherwise) Americana as best they can. It seems like they're having quite a time of it too.

The Japanese have (to western Christian eyes) grossly diminished Christmas for decades.

Still no one here seems to really care. Me neither.

We enjoyed Tacos and Margaritas tonight unapologetically.; 5/5/14, 9:26 PM
somefeller said...: Not only was the Battle of Puebla inconsequential, the Mexicans eventually lost the war it occurred in.

Which is why Maximilian lived to a ripe old age as Emperor of Mexico. Oh, wait...; 5/5/14, 10:32 PM
LordSomber said...: There are people who treat others as pre-judged members of certain groups, and there are others who treat persons unknown as individuals.

I don't think I need to label who is who at this point.; 5/5/14, 10:59 PM
RecChief said...: being a liberal means never having to admit you're wrong. Or sorry.; 5/6/14, 12:07 AM
RecChief said...: Why isn't anyone at MSNBC protesting the racial slur that St. Patrick's day has become in America?; 5/6/14, 12:08 AM
gerry said...: Look, it's a pretty minor holiday, anyway. Who cares?

Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in Puebla, where the famous battle took place but it really isn't as important as most people think. September 16, Independence Day, is a much more important holiday in Mexico.; 5/6/14, 7:53 AM
Jason said...: Drop the Chalupa.; 5/6/14, 10:03 AM
Fernandinande said...: Cinco de Mayo racist stereotyping.

What race is Mexico? My two best friends are from Mexico, and they're both white, one Jewish. The (corrupt) people who run Mexico are almost all white.

"Cinco de Drinko"

I call it "Five of Mayonnaise". Cuz Mexico itself is kind of a joke.

If it's racist to poke fun at another culture, then it's also racist to "celebrate" another culture.; 5/6/14, 12:13 PM