Under that logic, we should still be running Speedy Gonzalez cartoons, cause gee, that mouse really ran fast! It's a sterotype. It's insulting. And Walmart needs to back away from the comic.

Hands up those who think the person in the quote has missed the point.

*raises hand. When in Rome people. I usually make jokes about Texas really being the Mexicans' land, but this is extremely insensitive. Just the images enough infuriate me.

I cosign, Khia213.

Lol… silly mexican.

What Ramos and Fox have failed to understand it that although the cartoon is Mexican and speaks Spanish, the images are ripped directly from the American South. Not only do you have monkey looking Memin, but you have this Aunt Jemima/Mammy character. None of these images are representing anything about Mexican culture. They have become part of Mexican culture because Mexico is a largely homogeneous population. These images don't look like the typical Mexican and the typical Mexican education does not teach the origin of these images.
At this point, ignorance is no excuse. They've been told and shown. Maybe we can't do anything about what is sold in Mexico, but we can surely say no to Walmart here in the States. (In NYC there is no Walmart for economic reasons and we all manage to get along). They have just posted 10% higher profits than their competitors. We Americans have got to stop compromising ourselves to save a few bucks. Walmart will get the message.

just want to point out that:

contrary to your statement, mexico is not "largely a homogenous population."

memin and his mother are afro-cubans living in mexico.

speedy gonzales was found offensive mostly to latinos living in the US and not to mexicans (i blame the spanish dubbing of the cartoons).

plus, there was/is an african presence in mexico.

look up who the first nation to abolish slavery was and who, constitutionally, was the first nation to consider all people equal, regardless of race or color.

NOT trying to excuse how Memin is depicted. i'm tremendously offended by how Memin and his mother are drawn, but i take offense to some of these broad and uninformed statements.

The African/Afro-Cuban population in Mexico is the minority. I included the word largely in acknowledgement that the population of Mexico is not comprised of 100% of one race or the other.

And does it really matter whether the cartoon is meant to represent Mexicans or Cubans when clearly the image is taken from images of American South?

The drawings are very offensive to me as a Black person, but I can see why Mexicans in Mexico would not understand the offense. However, selling the comics in the US is not appropriate considering the US history with such images.

First of all, yeah ok, Vincente Fox. We know you didn't understand what all el-fuss was about. Yup. OK. (The man is of German descent… his grandfather was German… he changed their name from Fuchs [German for 'fox'] to Fox… Vincente spent time in the US… he graduated from Harvard Business School.) I say all that to say the man is not somebody who aint never been outside of Mexico City proper. He has *some* sort of global and US understanding. Hombre please.

Second, what's that pink stuff all up under Memin's nose? Are those….LIPS?

Yes J, they are his lips.

What the hell with the "rascal" reference!!!!! And they do not have "sambo" characters in Mexico? So explain to me the discrimination against those mexicans of darker hues? Mexico, like the U.S. has a history of racism against those of African descent, just this weekend I watched a film on telemundo called "Mi color es Negro". But of course, there is no issues with race or color in Mexico!

Yes J, they are his lips.

Covering 50% of his face?

SMH

Khia basically said it all

Most people don't even realize that there is a black population in Mexico (even some mexicans who live there). There is a photographer based in Los Angeles, who has been documenting the tiny black population, which mainly lives along the coast of Mexico, and his images are amazing. The stories these people tell about being stopped by mexican cops (in Mexico), and accused of being illegals is just amazing. Many of them don't even know they're black, because they aren't recognized by the government, and have been taught to deny their origins.

I say all of that to say that Mexico is as racist as the rest of latin america. The country is run by the descendants of the same europeans who conquered it.

I don't really believe in cencorship, but that cartoon really needs a racist warning label stuck firmly on the cover.

this whole conversation already took place at racialicious.com and with a lot more context and a lot less snark. head over there to read it if you're interested.

but let's try to draw the line between being rightfully offended over a comic book and then saying some ignorant shit like how memin doesn't look like a "typical mexican." pray tell, what would a typical mexican look like if you had to draw him/her? i'm 100% mexican and i get the "you dont look like a typical mexican" comment all the time. people stutter, hem and haw when i ask them what a typical mexican looks like.

I'm guessing a typical mexican doesn't look like a fucking monkey.

Just a guess tho.

I have a limited amount of patience with the whole "cariacature makes me racist against ethnic group represented" logic. Though Memin's depiction is certainly unflattering, I don't really understand why it is perceived as being so dangerous. Children especially are, in my opinion, unlikely to get any strong racial connotations from him that they might apply to the real world. Is it only ok to draw goofy-looking characters if they have no perceivable ethnic attributes? Does Memin make black children feel bad about themselves, and if so, why? And why don't we have a conversation about that instead?

I keep hearing about how those minstrel-like crows in Dumbo gave me some kind of subliminal racist brain-cooties as a kid. I think that's a load of crap. It would have been just as big of a leap for me to transpose this cartoon character onto an actual person. Does reading Memin make you racist? What does it do?

@ solitaire

way to give a straight answer.

meanwhile, as the snark goes from your mind to the screen, walmart was still pushing to sell this comic book that both you and i found offensive. yes, they pulled it off their shelves but what were you prepared to do about it if they weren't? were you gonna play tug-o-war between you and i… between blacks and mexican or were you prepared to join forces and actually challenge walmart?

stop being so goddamn divisive and pick up a picket sign if you're that outraged over this. your wit can fit in a standard-sized poster hoisted above your head.

Let me get this straight, i'm the one being divisive for feeling offended by OBVIOUSLY RACIST cartoon??

I heard that Walmart pulled this shit off the shelves, for that i'm glad, but I wasn't gonna fly down to Texas to set up a picket either. Walmart isn't the problem, as far as they are concerned this was just another product to sell to their shoppers. The mexican producers of this racist crud are the problem, and I somehow doubt they are gonna stop making it just because some americans don't like it.

@RhymesWithSilver

If you can't see why this cartoon is offensive, then there is nothing I can do for you. All of the questions you asked in your post are easily answered by using normal logic and reason.

there's so much more context about this (historical, cultural, economic, and such) over at racialicious than can be shared here. but for the record, solitaire, i'll summarize it for you:

memin pinguin - offensive. highly. extremely. etc…

if you got the time, head over there and read the comments. if not, so be it.

I'm sorry, they can not claim ignorance over these images. The message, no matter how overt is clear and saying its just a kids comic is stupid and insulting. Kids pick up on sh!t like this and get the wrong ideas. This comic is racist, plain and simple. And the Hispanic population of African origin have stated this as well and have spoken out against it.