I don't understand the appeal of Cinco de Mayo in the non-Mexican/Mex-Am world. I don't get why all my non-Mexican/Mex-Am friends are the only ones posting how they are celebrating Cinco de Mayo (it's mostly getting drunk and eating Mexican food, which, let's be honest, is pretty much what any Austinite does any day of the week.)
To all the non-Mexicans, is this kind of like St. Patrick's Day to the non-Irish/Irish-Americans? As in "On Cinco de Mayo, everyone is Mexican?"
I don't know. I'm Mexican-American and it just kind of rankles. (Especially the dumbasses who have no idea that today is NOT Mexican Independence Day. I've heard "Happy Mexican Independance Day" three times today. That's in September, idiots.)
Hah, I just told this to a coworker. Well, without the idiot.
I think it's pretty much St Patrick's Day: South of the Border Style in how it's treated. But, I do eat Mexican food on Cinco (sopes and flan for lunch!), I cook and/or bake with Guiness on St Paddys, I make noodles on lunar new year (because god help you if you tell my Mien friend it's Chinese new year) and I like a good brat for Oktoberfest. I like having an "excuse" to eat stuff I don't usually have. I like food.
A lot.
We're the same way. Any old excuse to celebrate is valid in my book. Life's too short not to have fun and eat good food any chance you get. One year I had a holiday per day calendar...I think I drove my H up the wall with that one. lol
I keep seeing people talk about their love and consumption of guacamole and margaritas today but no love for Dos Equis?
Heh.
I have nothing against Dos Equis. It's on regular rotation in our house. But I almost never have margaritas. Unfortunately, tonight will be no different.
Post by ChillyMcFreeze on May 5, 2014 17:50:53 GMT -5
There's a difference between someone wearing a mustache and sombrero to ridicule the Mexican culture (e.g. frat parties) and someone donning a sombrero whilst enjoying what Cinco de Mayo is for most people--tacos and reduced price margaritas. (Let the record show that my kindle auto corrected that to Cinco delicious Mayo. It gets it.) I don't think every culturally insensitive thing is equivalent to blackface. There needs to be some context reading with things like this.
I have nothing against Dos Equis. It's on regular rotation in our house. But I almost never have margaritas. Unfortunately, tonight will be no different.
You know, if someone donned a fake mustache today it wouldn't occur to me that it had anything to do with Cinco de Mayo - I'd think more along the lines of "jesusfuckingchrist when are we going to MOVE ON from fake mustaches!" Seriously, wouldn't occur to me otherwise. I can see being offended by it if you are seeing it as a parody of a Mexican person though - again though it seems weird; it's not like mustaches are the unique provenance of Mexicans.
You know, if someone donned a fake mustache today it wouldn't occur to me that it had anything to do with Cinco de Mayo - I'd think more along the lines of "jesusfuckingchrist when are we going to MOVE ON from fake mustaches!" Seriously, wouldn't occur to me otherwise. I can see being offended by it if you are seeing it as a parody of a Mexican person though - again though it seems weird; it's not like mustaches are the unique provenance of Mexicans.
If they had on a sombrero, poncho and a fake moustache would you feel differently? I don't think it's the moustaches themselves that are an issue, or even wearing a sombrero in celebration of the holiday. But somehow, when you combine these things it drifts into parodying a culture instead of celebrating it, kwim?
You know, if someone donned a fake mustache today it wouldn't occur to me that it had anything to do with Cinco de Mayo - I'd think more along the lines of "jesusfuckingchrist when are we going to MOVE ON from fake mustaches!" Seriously, wouldn't occur to me otherwise. I can see being offended by it if you are seeing it as a parody of a Mexican person though - again though it seems weird; it's not like mustaches are the unique provenance of Mexicans.
If they had on a sombrero, poncho and a fake moustache would you feel differently? I don't think it's the moustaches themselves that are an issue, or even wearing a sombrero in celebration of the holiday. But somehow, when you combine these things it drifts into parodying a culture instead of celebrating it, kwim?
I dunno. My husband isn't like super sensitive about this stuff in general but he is pretty adamant that the mustache, even alone, on cinco, is offensive. And there are lots of Mexicans who feel the same. Generally I think the culture being mocked gets to decide if something is offensive or not. While lots of non Mexicans can laugh it off and maybe with some validity, if enough people in the Mexican American community feel slighted then that's enough for me to say, okay let's rethink this.
Post by irishbride2 on May 5, 2014 18:55:41 GMT -5
Well I was the cheese standing alone on ML with this one. I'm not even that passionate about it, but apparently dressing like a Mexican caricature is equivalent to wearing green on St. Patricks day. Or dressing like a mom on Mothers Day. Or something.
Post by racegrrl714 on May 5, 2014 19:06:14 GMT -5
See, before I found this board, I would have thought it was totally funny and cute when I picked up my kid from daycare today and she was wearing a sombrero and fake mustache that they crafted at school today. Today, I didn't really know how to react. LOL
I dunno. My husband isn't like super sensitive about this stuff in general but he is pretty adamant that the mustache, even alone, on cinco, is offensive. And there are lots of Mexicans who feel the same. Generally I think the culture being mocked gets to decide if something is offensive or not. While lots of non Mexicans can laugh it off and maybe with some validity, if enough people in the Mexican American community feel slighted then that's enough for me to say, okay let's rethink this.
To shed light on my last post, my husband is not Mexican-American. He's Mexican. So this surely influences his opinion.
I dunno. My husband isn't like super sensitive about this stuff in general but he is pretty adamant that the mustache, even alone, on cinco, is offensive. And there are lots of Mexicans who feel the same. Generally I think the culture being mocked gets to decide if something is offensive or not. While lots of non Mexicans can laugh it off and maybe with some validity, if enough people in the Mexican American community feel slighted then that's enough for me to say, okay let's rethink this.
I get that; I'm just saying that a mustache on it's own might not register as anything other than a mustache, which is potentially the single-most popular ironic facial "accessory" right now.
Well I was the cheese standing alone on ML with this one. I'm not even that passionate about it, but apparently dressing like a Mexican caricature is equivalent to wearing green on St. Patricks day. Or dressing like a mom on Mothers Day. Or something.
I don't understand the appeal of Cinco de Mayo in the non-Mexican/Mex-Am world. I don't get why all my non-Mexican/Mex-Am friends are the only ones posting how they are celebrating Cinco de Mayo (it's mostly getting drunk and eating Mexican food, which, let's be honest, is pretty much what any Austinite does any day of the week.)
To all the non-Mexicans, is this kind of like St. Patrick's Day to the non-Irish/Irish-Americans? As in "On Cinco de Mayo, everyone is Mexican?"
I don't know. I'm Mexican-American and it just kind of rankles. (Especially the dumbasses who have no idea that today is NOT Mexican Independence Day. I've heard "Happy Mexican Independance Day" three times today. That's in September, idiots.)
See also, St Pats day (for real Irish people, not Irish-Americans).
I dunno. My husband isn't like super sensitive about this stuff in general but he is pretty adamant that the mustache, even alone, on cinco, is offensive. And there are lots of Mexicans who feel the same. Generally I think the culture being mocked gets to decide if something is offensive or not. While lots of non Mexicans can laugh it off and maybe with some validity, if enough people in the Mexican American community feel slighted then that's enough for me to say, okay let's rethink this.
To shed light on my last post, my husband is not Mexican-American. He's Mexican. So this surely influences his opinion.
Yes I think his perspective would be different. He's presumably not a minority in a nation of non Mexicans.
I dunno. My husband isn't like super sensitive about this stuff in general but he is pretty adamant that the mustache, even alone, on cinco, is offensive. And there are lots of Mexicans who feel the same. Generally I think the culture being mocked gets to decide if something is offensive or not. While lots of non Mexicans can laugh it off and maybe with some validity, if enough people in the Mexican American community feel slighted then that's enough for me to say, okay let's rethink this.
I didn't realize this was a thing. I saw one kid in my FB feed with a fake mustache and a Mexican flag onsie, but that baby is Mexican.
You know, if someone donned a fake mustache today it wouldn't occur to me that it had anything to do with Cinco de Mayo - I'd think more along the lines of "jesusfuckingchrist when are we going to MOVE ON from fake mustaches!" Seriously, wouldn't occur to me otherwise. I can see being offended by it if you are seeing it as a parody of a Mexican person though - again though it seems weird; it's not like mustaches are the unique provenance of Mexicans.
I imagine it likely occurs to most Mexican-Americans though, right? Someone who is unlikely to be offended, is obviously less likely to notice. Also, the only reason people wear them on Cinco de Mayo is to "dress up" like a Mexican. So, while no, Mexican's don't own mustaches, it still doesn't make it remotely ok to parody another culture, which is exactly what is happening on Cinco de Mayo.