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 ...
Oh, poor baby....
Lots of Mexican themed costumes at the Spirit website:
Maybe it was the, “Frito Bandito.”
“I can’t imagine them reducing any other culture to a costume like that and calling it by that ethnic name”
http://halloween-costumes.spirithalloween.com/search?view=grid&w=gypsy
Social and cultural tails continue wagging the dog.
Viva con Dios, amigos. We don't need no stinking green card.
I just don’t care who gets offended. When I was a kid my dad was a member of the Sons of Italy. They protested that Liggett and Meyers cigarettes sponsored Elliot Ness. Dad said if they didn’t like that they should do something about Italian involvement in organized crime. I am sick and tired of outrage from anyone, including my own. Lets just grow up.
When did Mexican become a race?
I think it’s time to stop discriminating against ghosts and pumpkins, myself.
I find Clinton and Obama masks offensive. Does the media want to give me air time?
Cheech Marin from “Nice Dreams”, or a look-alike.
HA...reminds me of my days in LATIN Club in High School....TOGA Night!
"Mexican" is a nationality, not a race, you colossal dipwad.
I suppose that for Halloween outings, all disguises have to be of something evil? How about the kings, queens, and princesses? How about comic book and movie super heroes? If a black kid in a black neighborhood goes out trick-or-treating dressed as a white man, aren’t we supposed to rave and ooh and ahh about how cute that is?
Shoot, not only should the costume store keep on these guys, they should have specials on Frito corn chips to carry around with them. We have found something that we allegedly hate worse than we do the devil on Halloween, and it’s disgusting.
Cheech is Hispanic. It’s offensive.
This is really dumb.
Why is it when I’m offended nobody gives a damn? Why is it that only certain government-designated victim groups get to be offended and to make money off it?
"I'm outraged!"
What is so bad about a sombrero or mustache?
I’d rather see someone go all out and dress like a person in a mariachi band, or a pancho villa outfit.
I don’t see it as negative. Plus it gives people a chance to practice overdone accents. Beats seeing people in satanic outfits.
Can do this for all sorts of cultures other than mexican too. German lederhosen + accent, etc..
I guess I won’t wear my Aunt Jemima costume this year.
Does it come with any props? Six pack? Food stamps? Rubber chickens?
I’m going to be an evil white heteropressor this year.
Thanks. That image was stuck in the back of my mind somewhere. :) “For wearing high heel sneakers, and acting like a qu@@r.” Something like that :)
Oh CRAP, every doggone “minority” looks for anything to be offended, by something. If they’re so darn offended, they can always go back across the border and be offended by the government they escaped, when they came here!!!!!
I recall the character’s name was “Alice Bowie.”
Now thats priceless :)>
ROFL
What race do these people actually think they are?
ROFL
How about vinylhosen?
Sheesh! Stop digging around looking for things to be offended about. If you don't like this country go to another one........Take all your kinfolks with you,cry babies
ROFL
“has offended Latino shoppers and community groups “
EVERYTHING offends them, especially our laws and customs. I’m sick of importing whiners and absconders, we have enough of our homegrown ones.
“I just don’t care who gets offended. When I was a kid my dad was a member of the Sons of Italy. They protested that Liggett and Meyers cigarettes sponsored Elliot Ness. Dad said if they didn’t like that they should do something about Italian involvement in organized crime. I am sick and tired of outrage from anyone, including my own. Lets just grow up.”
Well said.
I’m goin’ as Dr. Bogus Pachysandra; Muslim Cleric/Proctologist!
I thought Juan Valdez was Colombian.
“Italian involvemnet in organized crime”. You mean that ficticious Italian fraternal organization that has been negatively protrayed in the media? I suppose you think the bakery in my neighborhood burned down because they forgot to take the Football Cards out of the oven? Sonny Mecurio was a legitimate business man! Stata Zeit!
Really? the Mexicans at the restaurant I work at think this kind of thing is hilarious. They think some dress habits of white and black people are funny too. They actually call fat guys Gordo, and skinny guys Flaco. They aren’t offended by anything. In fact, if they give you a nickname, it means they like you. It’s not the Mexicans, it’s the stupid Marxist Chicanos. Mexicans do not like Chicanos.
Give me a break. Mexicans have got to be the most easily offended people in the world.
What if they made Switzerland Man and dressed him in lederhosen and stockings. Would anyone be offended?
Amish Man with suspenders, a hat and a beard.
Ethnic costumes are now “offensive”?
If they were actually Americans (culturally) instead of hyphenated immigrants, anchor babies or illegals they would not be insulted.
It’s not a poncho, it’s a cape, add a mask and call him Zorro.
he moved to Mexico and took up the drug trade - he was perfectly positioned
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