Comic draws charges of racism

[Teacher Mark 53]

As a Cleveland Indians fan I must ask: "What's the problem"?

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

This guy held 2 jobs. What a stereotype. I'm outraged!!

[jundp 191]

You need only look at some of the old 50's Hollywood westerns to see that - where Native Americans were almost always made out to be the villains.

I always wondered why it was ok for the Lone Ranger to call his Native American sidekick "Tonto."

I have never read these comics, but I can see how the imagery might be offensive. But it's Wal-Mart....that place as a general rule is offensive to me

[slim 1,533]

* Quoted from OP *

"Even Hispanics of conscious minds sense this is racist and that to sell this is totally unacceptable," said Quanell X, who spoke in front of the Wal-Mart on South Post Oak and demanded officials issue an apology. "It is a disgrace — it's an insult to all African-Americans."

** END QUOTE **

If Hispanics of conscious minds sensed it was racist, then why did it take an African-American activist to demand an apology?

The story went on to quote Omar G., a Mexican-born American resident who objected to his kids reading it in the U.S., but obviously didn't sense that selling it was totally unacceptable. Was he not of conscious mind?

Or was he not of "African-American activist" conscious mind?

[zqt3344 21]

What a joke these so called black leaders are? I mean come on. Where in the world are they when they have these black preachers saying "God Damn the USA" making racially driven comments aimed towards whites and many other outlandish racist garbage! Yet you can always count on a black leader to cry foul over some nothing and whine around about racism, they are the only group of people that use this as an excuse for every problem in their life even if self-inflicted. And if they do not like the comic, then do not look at it or read it, free country with free speech.

Comic draws charges of racism

Customers ask Wal-Mart stores to remove book

By LESLIE CASIMIR

2008 Houston Chronicle

Beloved by Mexicans for his dim wits, street smarts and playful disposition, long-running comic book character Memín Pinguín — a little black boy whose face resembles a monkey — is at it again.

His zany adventures chronicled in a hugely popular book series for decades are up for sale at your neighborhood Wal-Mart store in the Libros en Español section, right next to the store's cadre of African-American books.

The latest issue: Memín para presidente.

By Shawnedria McGinty's American standards, the image was shocking. The African-American woman who was shopping at the store on South Post Oak over the weekend immediately asked a store manager to remove the books from the shelves. A manager told her he would comply.

"I said, wait a minute: Is this a monkey or a little black boy?" said McGinty, 34, of Meyerland. "I was so upset. This is 2008."

But as of Monday afternoon, the books were still on the shelves at many Houston stores, prompting community activist Quanell X to demand that Wal-Mart apologize for selling the racially charged books.

"Even Hispanics of conscious minds sense this is racist and that to sell this is totally unacceptable," said Quanell X, who spoke in front of the Wal-Mart on South Post Oak and demanded officials issue an apology. "It is a disgrace — it's an insult to all African-Americans."

Quanell X, who was contacted by McGinty, requested a meeting with regional Wal-Mart officials.

A Wal-Mart spokesman said the books were removed late Monday at the Meyerland location, but would not say if the comic books would be pulled at other Houston locations. A Houston Chronicle reporter bought three Memín comic books for $7.44 each at another Wal-Mart on Dunvale.

"We will be evaluating the best course of action," said Phillip Keene, a company spokesman.

Memín is no stranger to controversy. In 2005, the Mexican postal service released a series of new stamps commemorating the comic book character, who debuted in the 1940s. The stamps sold out quickly, but the debate endured and swirled between the U.S. White House and the Mexican White House.

To some in America, Memín's stereotypical image of exaggerated lips and ape-like characteristics represents a racist period in the nation's history when black-face characters were popular.

The stamps were deemed offensive by President Bush and a number of American leaders, including civil rights icon Jesse Jackson. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox said he didn't understand what all the fuss was about and insisted that Memín's image was not racist, but a beloved character embraced by all Mexicans.

"When you read the stories, he's always the hero — he saves the day," said Raul Ramos, professor of Mexican-American history at the University of Houston, who added that the racial dynamics in Mexico — where stereotypical "Sambo" characters do not exist — are far more complex than in the U.S. "He's kind of the Charlie Chaplin figure, the rascal who is able to overcome the difficult situations. So he's a very populist character in that way."

Omar G., 45, who was shopping at the Meyerland Wal-Mart with his four American-born children, said he did not want his children to read it.

"I grew up reading the comic book as a kid in Mexico, but for here, it is offensive for some people," said Omar, who did not want his last name published. "To see it here in Wal-Mart, I am surprised."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5876334.html

[Teacher Mark 53]

[Fandango 1,440]

I have a white friend who looks just like a monkey. Should he be offended?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

As usual context defines what is acceptable - and the context in the US is clearly different from that of Mexico, which surely should be a consideration for publishers when putting it into print here - though I would imagine the target audience for this are not the people who would be offended by it, but rather hispanic people who were familiar with it from Mexico or their home country.

Clearly the imagery in the comic would be considered racially offensive in this country- even if the stories show a engaging character in generally positive light. Its not the biggest deal in the world - but these things take on a life of their own when the media gets a sniff of it.

Edited July 9, 2008 by Number 6

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Wal-Mart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said the retailer has instructed stores to remove the books from shelves and discontinue sales.

"We received the customer complaint regarding the book, which we knew was based on a popular cartoon character in Mexico. We looked into it further, and we decided to no longer distribute the book and are in the process of removing the books from the stores."

The store has received no other complaints about Memin, Lopez said.

"We have a wide array of products that we provide to Hispanic customers, but when we looked at this more carefully and given the sensitivity of the topic, we thought it was best to no longer carry the book in our stores," he said.

He did not know how many copies of Memin books the chain had or how long it would take to remove them from displays.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/09/mexican.comic/index.html