Posted on 10/29/2009 9:44:55 AM PDT by DogByte6RER
'Mexican Man' costume offends Latino shoppers, community groups
By Sean Maher
EMERYVILLE A costume dubbed "Mexican Man" has offended Latino shoppers and community groups after being discovered at a Halloween chain store.
The photo on the costume packaging shows a man with a thick mustache wearing a poncho and a sombrero. Oakland resident Monica Plazola said she discovered the costume last week at the Spirit Halloween store in Emeryville, which she was visiting with her two children, ages 7 and 9.
"We were there at the store, with all kinds of costumes, and that was the only one identified racially," she said. "I was really surprised that kind of costume existed in this day and age. I was kind of stumped on it."
Her husband, Carlos, said he could not remember the last time he'd seen something so blatantly stereotypical.
"It's incredibly offensive," he said. "I can't imagine them reducing any other culture to a costume like that and calling it by that ethnic name. Reducing a culture to such a stereotype is harmful and insulting. I can't imagine a Chinese man or black man being put out there and it being OK."
Mara Chavez, deputy director at Centro Legal De La Raza in Oakland, said her organization discovered the costume when the Plazolas sent them the photos. The group is asking Spirit Halloween to pull the costumes from the shelves.
"These costumes need to be taken out and not sold," she said. "As Latinos, we are a big percentage of consumers here in the state of California, so it is to their best interest to not depict such insulting costumes. It affects them in terms of their profits as well."
The manager of Spirit Halloween in Emeryville confirmed the availability of the costume but declined to comment...
(Excerpt) Read more at insidebayarea.com ...
Now I find out it was not only humiliating, but RACIST! Beware you witches and Sponge Bobs of today!!
Don’t like it get the hell out of this country!!
“When did Mexican become a race?”
When the spanish that run Mexico declared them sub human!
The hideous treatment of the noble brown Hispanic raza has been carried out by insensitive gringos since the days of “The Frito Bandito” in the 70’s.
To make up for it I propose we let all Hispanic people come into the country in any manner they want without paperwork, use our roads, schools, and hospitals free of charge, not pay taxes (or maybe worst case only 3 out of 5 years), not have to learn English, and march in the streets demanding more benefits whenever they want.
On second thought I may not be totally out of the woods, either.
Costume: white baker's outfit (shirt, pants, white tennies) with a large bar code on the back.
White male in white outfit.
Bound to be interpreted as racist. LOL
Somebody please slap Monica sillier.
It was “up in smoke”, battle of the bands, “momma talkin’ to me try to tell me how to live, dananananananaa”
I stand corrected, Sir.
Senator Blutarski, I presume?
Pawnshop?
There goes my Tuco costume! I guess I should now go as the biker from the Village People instead.
*snort*
I'll just dress as a Drunken Irishman, instead; and have my wife do herself up as a Gypsy dancer. Nothing offensive about that. /sarc>
a man with a thick mustache wearing a poncho and a sombrero ... Her husband, Carlos, said he could not remember the last time he'd seen something so blatantly stereotypical
I DO remember the last time I saw that very thing. I was in the store, and looking at coffee can lables: Juan Valdez.
Ha ha! I remember back-in-the-day, my Daddy won a prize at a Knights of Columbus Halloween Party dressed as an ARAB!
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