"Mexico Issues Stamps of Black Caricature"

[Storebought]

From the San Francisco Chronicle

The Mexican government has issued postage stamps depicting an exaggerated black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin, just weeks after remarks by President Vicente Fox angered U.S. blacks.

The series of five stamps released Wednesday depicts a hapless boy 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, which started in the 1940s and is still published in Mexico.

This stamp depicts the Mexican version of The Little Black Sambo, who, incidentally was not African(-American), but Bengali.

I expect the race hustlers in the US will be made very upset about this, at least until some Mexican gov't flunky stammers, "No, no..this is no pickeninny...this is a stamp of...Condoleeza Rice!" Then the race hustlers will distribute the stamps themselves.

I've always known that a small, peninsulares race caste ran that country, but, traditionally, they've been much more reticent about their racist overlordship of that mestizo/Indian country.

Keeping this in mind, I strongly suspect that the current massive levels of illegal immigration from Mex. are in fact a deliberate ethnic cleansing of low class mestizos and Indian no-castes, not to mention, an easy way to deport Mexican drug dealers, thugs, etc., without the hassle of paperwork.

[Beet]

Thank God for the Mexican government.

Someone needed to stand up to those race hustlers!

[Storebought]

An image of one one of the stamps:



There are others there, but this one captures the gist.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Remind me, what year are we in exactly?

[Beet]

Once again, good for them for putting those race hustlers back in their place

[??????????]

Remind me, what year are we in exactly?

You must remember Al. Mexico is 40-50 years behind the rest of the civilized world.

[Storebought]

Remind me, what year are we in exactly?

The truly outrageous thing is that the Mexican government is charging over six dollars per stamp.

[John Dibble]

Remind me, what year are we in exactly?

The truly outrageous thing is that the Mexican government is charging over six dollars per stamp.

Are you sure that isn't in pesos?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The truly outrageous thing is that the Mexican government is charging over six dollars per stamp.

Maybe they're printed with magic ink

[Storebought]

The truly outrageous thing is that the Mexican government is charging over six dollars per stamp.

Maybe they're printed with magic ink

Everyone who licks it gets swollen lips...

[Erc]

I read The Little Black Sambo as a kid...never saw (and still can't see) any problem with it, other than the title.

*glances quickly from side to side*

[minionofmidas]

He looks more like a caricature of Bush a chimp than a caricature of a Black man...

[Emsworth]

CNN: "The Rev. Jesse Jackson said President Bush should pressure Mexico to withdraw the stamps from the market, saying they "'nsult people around the world.'"

[afleitch]

Why don't they try to ban Jar Jar Binks while they are at it! 

[angus]

Remind me, what year are we in exactly?

The truly outrageous thing is that the Mexican government is charging over six dollars per stamp.

Are you sure that isn't in pesos?

6.50 moneda national.  it's about 59 cents US.  at one-hour's wage for a mexican construction worker, it's still an expensive stamp.  actually, it's a fairly cute stamp as well.  But hey, I like Jar Jar as well.  Okay, let's do a quid-pro-quo just for jesse and get him to shut the hell up.  Why not let's just put this on a stamp, with an arrow pointing to Fox, and be done with it:

[angus]

more like a caricature of a chimp

that's the whole reason it's offensive to black people, I'd imagine.  think about it.  That, and maybe the fact that the particular literature it attempts to honor isn't exactly kind to little sambo, and is quite racially insensitive.

it's like, say, say there was a cartoon spoofing US presidents.  Say each one looked very much like a slice of Wonder Bread.  Now, you'd say, well, it looks more like a caricature of a slice of white bread than a caricature of a dead president, and I'd say, "well, Lewis, that's the whole reason it's offensive to some white people, I'd imagine."  see what I mean?

having said that, I'd not get offended.  I'd laugh my ass off, but then, as we've discussed before I like a good joke.  But there are those who don't take jokes well.  My guess however is that this wasn't a mexican government attempting humor.  (if it were, it'd be mightily offensive, since we don't pay them to try to be funny.  we pay them to work.  the bastards.)  It is simply a stamp honoring a piece of literature.  Jackson and his ilk seem to have nothing better to do with their time.

I know I'm always bitching about my party telling the Rest of the World what to do.  And I call it Imperialism.  However, rest assured that having the Other Party telling the rest of the world what to do is no more appealing.  Democrats telling governments what's right and what's wrong is just as ugly as when Republicans do it.  Jackson's a piece of work.  Wonder how many minutes went by between the time he made those comments and the next time he made some comment about Bush pushing his brand of moralism on the world.  I'd give it ten.  Maybe 20.  Hypocrite.

okay, end of rant.  thank you.

[minionofmidas]

I'd like to know the content of the books honoured before I pass judgment, frankly.

[Democratic Hawk]

An image of one one of the stamps:



There are others there, but this one captures the gist.

I think they are rather sweet

Dave

[angus]

I'd like to know the content of the books honoured before I pass judgment, frankly.

http://www.sterlingtimes.co.uk/sambo.htm

I'm pretty upset at the way they stereotype tigers as cruel man-eating beasts whose lust for little boys is only outweighed by its greedy material lust for fine clothing!

[WalterMitty]

the problem is, leaders, even some respectable leaders, kowtow to jesse jackson.

really, they need to tell jesse to shut the f' up

that stamp isnt any more offensive than jesse calling black conservatives 'uncle toms'

it isnt nearly as silly as jesse spewing such nonsense as 'from the outhouse to the white house!"

[minionofmidas]

I'd like to know the content of the books honoured before I pass judgment, frankly.

http://www.sterlingtimes.co.uk/sambo.htm

I'm pretty upset at the way they stereotype tigers as cruel man-eating beasts whose lust for little boys is only outweighed by its greedy material lust for fine clothing!

I was referring to Mernin Pinguin, not Sambo...

[J. J.]

Mexico is sovereign nation.  While can, and should, express our outrage, it's not our decision to make.  Of course, we could suggest a US "Frito Bandito" stamp, and see how Mexico likes it.

[angus]

a little chihuahua saying, "Yo quiero Taco Bell" would be a bigger hit. 


"La cucaracha, La cucaracha
 Ya no quiere caminar
 Porque no tiene, porque la falta
 marijuana que fumar"

And they could retaliate with Yosemite Sam and his six shooters firing on some mesopotamian village and destroying statues and temples in the desert.

I think we're all missing the greater point.  We are uptight in many ways.  The thought-police and book-burners of the Politically Correct variety were in with a vengeance in the early 90s, but they've lost a good deal of clout.  Still, a lingering lack of freedom and creativity remains.  What if some well-meaning philatelist wanted to submit to the post office a series of stamps honoring famous americans, or folk heroes, or short-story cartoon characters.  Probably at some point somebody has attempted to honor Al Jolsen, for example, in this way.  But, with our uptight authoritarian leftist contingent, the post office says, no way.  That's a hot potato we don't want anything to do with.  So the stamp never gets made.  Fine.  whatever.  Actually, it's probably of interest to a few esoteric collectors anyway, and I really don't give a damn what's on the stamp, but I have no problem with the USPS honoring all sorts of bits of americana.  For example, Young Elvis or Old Elvis?  More than once I heard bitching and moaning about how putting fat old elvis was tantamount to honoring materialism and glorifying drug abuse.  Give it a rest!  It's just a stamp.

Mexicans just don't seem to have this hang up, and the last thing we ought to be doing right now is pressuring other countries to become more uptight.  Seriously.

[minionofmidas]

I'd like to see the Yosemite Sam stamps.

[angus]

sorry, I'm ranting.  I'll stop.  all this just seems like misplaced/feigned empathy and severe overreaction to me.