Speedy Gonzalez exonerated...it's okay to be a cartoon Mexican mouse

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,55675,00.html"; target="_blank">http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,55675,00.html</a>;



Whew...and here I was, fearing I'd seen the last of the little fella...



Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Want to know what's funny? When this story first became an "issue" and broke months ago, I had quite a few conversations with Hispanic buddies, co-workers and several of my neighbors on my street about this whole thing.



    Not ONE of them found Gonzalez demeaning or insulting. If anything, they were irked that the show was removed and that their kids were deprived of seeing someone they grew up watching.



    Since when did the tender sensibilities and hyper-PC whims of the few govern what the many can do, see, hear, watch, think, say, etc.?







    Any Hispanic people here at AI totally offended and bothered by Speedy Gonzalez?



    What's next: are bald guys with speech impediments going to call for the removal of Elmer Fudd from the airwaves? Does Foghorn Leghorn sound too much like a Southern plantation owner? When Bugs Bunny puts on a skirt and lipstick to outwit a pursuer, is that a slap in the face of the transvestite/transexual/transgender community?



    Jeez...
  • Reply 2 of 8
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    One of my friends at work is Mexican, and loved Speedy. He said (I swear) that he liked the little mouse because it reminded him of one of his childhood friends back in Mexico (a country boy who moved to the Big City apparently -- sort of like our stereotypes of West Virginians I suppose).



    [found a mistake passing through]



    [ 06-21-2002: Message edited by: BuonRotto ]</p>
  • Reply 3 of 8
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Exactly. I live in a pretty heavily Hispanic part of San Diego, so most of my neighbors and people in my general sphere of contact are of that background. We talk about stuff all the time: entertainment, politics, local stuff, etc.



    One of them said "that's so STUPID...it's a cartoon!" and so forth. And that's pretty much the stance taken by everyone I've talked to about this.



    He was/is a very popular and well-liked character in the Looney Toons family. I felt that this was one of "those stories" when it broke, feeling that there was no merit or reason for it whatsoever, and that within a few months or so, smarter and cooler thinking would prevail.



    Looks like I was right. Again.







    I think most people see what's what. I think the busybody, perpetually offended segment of society is indeed a very small (albeit vocal and often influential) of the population.



    I'd like to think that most normal people are too busy busting their ass to raise their families, pay the bills, do the right things in life, etc. to waste their time worrying about silly stuff like this.



    You very rarely see just a "regular joe" kind of person get all bent out of shape at stuff like this. It's always the academic types, or the professional complainer/protester/boycotter or a member the the R.I.P.O.B (Righteously Indignant and Perpetually Offended Brigade) who seem to have the time and energy to get worked up about cartoon mice, racism in George Lucas' universe, etc.







    Nobody I know EVER gives a damn about this stuff. White, black, Hispanic, gay or otherwise. Maybe I just hang out with a happy, less whiny class of people. I'd like to think that's the reason.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Pscates it's a factor of PC'ness and White Guilt. Some people are trained to believe that portraying any ethnicity is a bad thing which is a shame. Speedy was always cool and outsmarting people. He was a much better character than what you would see many Hispanics cast in movies(usually a gun or knife wielding punk) years ago.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    cdhostagecdhostage Posts: 1,038member
    I don't think tyhaty the media portray AnYONE as any goodf. Nobody. Everyone stinks when they come on camera. Even Pamela Anderson is whifty. Then again, she's getting old.



    Now, a certain young Heigl I know....;
  • Reply 6 of 8
    My hispanic friends have no problem with him. Perhaps those worried about these trivial things should channel their efforts into fighting the real injustices against people of color.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    Now what about Slowpoke Gonzalez?
  • Reply 8 of 8
    It may seems stupid in hind site but these days people get pissed off when a dog tries to sell tacos.
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