Hispanic activists say Cinco de Mayo holiday is being co-opted by alcohol industry

Associated Press (via San Jose Mercury News) ^ | 1 May 2003 | Deborah Kong

[CounterCounterCulture]

SAN JOSE, Calif. -At the Cinco de Mayo celebrations of his childhood, John Zamora remembers the sound of mariachis, the taste of tamales and mischievous kids cracking confetti-filled eggshells on each other's heads.

When Zamora became a father, he brought his own children to the celebrations, then his grandchildren. But the crowds got bigger and people were drinking too much. Finally, he stopped going.

[John Beresford Tipton]

Bite me!
Or better yet, bite the worm.

[CounterCounterCulture]

¿Por qué?

[Wolfie]

"It's one day we can be Mexicans, just like you can be Irish for one day."

Right. And everybody knows that the alcohol industry has kept its nose out of St. Patricks Day.

[CounterCounterCulture]

They don't claim that at all.

People use these holidays as an excuse to drink without any recognition or intelligence of what these days really stand for. Any wonder why these foreign "holidays" are more popular than the more somber and less commercialized Memorial/Veterans Day holidays?

[John Beresford Tipton]

Mexicans put worms in their tequila bottles,
but as Seinfeld admonishes us:
"Not that there is anything wrong with that"!

[knuthom]

it commemorates the victory of a small, ill-equipped Mexican army over French troops on May 5, 1862

What's the big deal? They beat the French. Could it have been that hard?

[CounterCounterCulture]

What's the big deal? They beat the French. Could it have been that hard?

It's not the degree in difficulty...just seeing the French get their butts handed to them is a reward in itself. Like taking candy from a baby.

[KarlInOhio]

About the only enthic holiday we haven't turned into a reason to drink is Oktoberfest. And that's only because the holiday came with vast amounts of beer already included.

[freedomlover]

Imagine anything being promoted on MLK day. Here in Atlanta the Atlanta Journal Constitution has been known to publish the names of companies that dare open their doors that day.

[Corin Stormhands]

You gotta have beer to go with Mexican food...

[Earl B.]

What's this? People using a party as an excuse to drink? No way.

[CounterCounterCulture]

You gotta have beer to go with Mexican food...

I've managed to do all right without the cerveza. :-)

[CounterCounterCulture]

What's this? People using a party as an excuse to drink? No way.

I'm as stunned as you are.

[krb]

It's not a drinking holiday

I didn't know that. Well, welcome to the present. How do you think Christians feel about Christmas? And that Easter Bunny crap. Ha!

[Corin Stormhands]

OK, I gotta have beer to go with Mexican food...

[LA-Lawyer]

We call it "Cinco de Drinko" here in LA

[BTW, practically the whole city goes cerveza-wild on cinco de drinko...its become a mainstream excuse to party for all ethnicities]

[KneelBeforeZod]

I wonder if San Jose has moved the Cinco de mayo stuff to the fairgrounds again. but even that was a problem. Too many drunk idiots and people taking advantage causing problems.

[KneelBeforeZod]

well getting drunk is an OK way to celebrate a vicotry over the frenchies. but I think the bigger issue is that the mexicans don't really know what cinco is about other than party time. they don't even celebrate their independence day in the US. guess commericalism has taken over.