I watched a George Lopez show last night where George was mad at a neighbor

[Bandit]

for having a lawn decoration of a Mexican in traditional clothing wearing a Serapa and Sombrero and the figure was taking a Siesta. George said this was a racist figure and he wanted to smash it with a baseball bat and in fact his mother did exactly that. My question is what do you believe is the racist aspect to the figure. That it is taking a Siesta or that it is wearing traditional Mexican clothing or just that it is of a Mexican period. Should nothing that is traditional Mexican ever be displayed?

[zanne]

1. Anything that stereotypes or ridicules is racist. nt

[Bandit]

6. Is traditional the same as stereotype?

Is an art piece of a Mexican taking a Siesta racist? They created the concept and it is traditional in many areas. Is it stereotyping to remark about that concept?

[zanne]

22. That stereotype implies a "Lazy Mexican".

I can't believe that you don't find that offensive in any way. If you think it's "traditional" for white people to have "art pieces" of lazy Mexicans maybe you need some sensitivity training.

[Bandit]

28. So the entire concept of Siesta is racist

I can kind of follow where you are coming from and I do not believe in any fashion that Mexicans are lazy. Hell Americans are complaining daily how they are here stealing their jobs, that doesn't say lazy to me. They work twice as hard for half the money. But they did create the concept of Siesta and I do not find a sculpture depicting that as being racist. Maybe you are correct and I do need some sensitivty training because it was obvious that Mexicans do find it offensive.

[lonestarnot]

7. And how does a siesta which is part of mexican culture stereotype or ridicule?

What bullshit! After age 50 rem sleep declines from about 120 minutes to approximately 20 minutes. Mexicans have it right!

[lonestarnot]

2. George Lopez sounds like a racist! Siestas are wonderful! We should do it here.

[AP]

3. it's a joke about lawn jockeys

the mexican equivalent...

get it?

When there was white flight to the suburbs in the 50s - 70s, white families in the suburbs put black lawn jockey statues in their front yards to make clear what they thought were the proper social roles according to race. White people lived in the big houses and black people were the servants. So, even if you didn't really have a black servant, you had your statue out front as a substitute.

Lopez's style of humor is to make people understand anti-latino racism (which a lot of people are OK with, and often don't recognize, as the OP shows) by drawing comparisons to anti-black racism (which most people recognize, even if they are racist). If this wasn't funny to someone, it was probably because they weren't aware of the recent American history.

[lonestarnot]

9. Oh bullshit.

[AP]

10. I added a clarification. Read my edited post.

[lonestarnot]

13. Anything that requires thought is too difficult for some.

w/o seeing the stupid show, and I have watched a few, I am at a disadvantage to comment re specifics.

[Bandit]

18. So if I created a sculpture of a Vietnamese boy wearing a grass hat riding a water buffalo

Would that be a racist sculpture? or how about this Is this considered a stereotype of a texan and would it be offensive to those that rode in automobiles instead of on horses?

[AP]

20. If it were in the context of a Vietnamese family moving into a white neighborhood

and the white neighbor put it out front as a statement about where they thought Vietnamese families belong, and it is in the context of a society where everyone realizes that lawn jockeys are racist, but often miss blatant anti-Vietnamese racism, then, yes.

[Bandit]

23. That was not the context at all, it was a Mexican neighborhood

:shrug:

[zanne]

25. It was a white person's lawn in a Mexican neighborhood.

Big difference.

[AP]

26. Lopez lives in a middle class white neighborhood in his show.

[annabanana]

24. yup. . .n/t

[Beregond2]

4. Stereotype

It is racist because it reinforces the stereotype of the lazy Mexican. The black equivalent would be the "shiftless coon." Get it?

[UTUSN]

5. Depends. Did the serape have a Dallas Cowboys logo on it? n/t

[UTUSN]

8. Better answer: Actually, George LOPEZ *is* a stereotype!1 n/t

[lonestarnot]

11. Oh and by the way, in my experience the worst offenders of "send them home where they belong" are

American Mexicans. Yes brown skinned people who hate their own skin. They are like smokers who have quit and are intolerant of smokers. :smoke:

[zanne]

27. I guess I don't have to ask you what you think about the immigration issue. nt

[WinkyDink]

12. Was the neighbor himself Mexican? Or just thought it was "cute" to have a little replica of one on

his LAWN?!
I doubt if these replicas are "traditional" IN Mexico.

Entiende Usted?

[lonestarnot]

14. Hay muchos que hace en Mexico. Son cute!

[Bandit]

15. The neighbor was white of course but he did make the point that

it was made in Mexico and I doubt very seriously if the neighbor had been Mexican anyone would have said anything..

[AP]

32. If the neighbor were not white, they wouldn't be making a reference to lawn jockeys

in order to make a joke about demographic shifts in suburban america and about the way everyone recognizes anti-black racism, but doesn't think precise anti-latino racist parallels are, in fact, racist (which the discussion in this thread shows very clearly -- everyone can look at that picture of the lawn jockey below and know it's not right, but people are having a very hard time wrapping their minds around the parallel in Lopez's show).

[Orsino]

39. Yes, the rules for the oppressive majority are different.

Keeping a tiny, stereotypical Mexican on your lawn could be offensive.

[jgraz]

16. I bet you don't have a problem with one of these either

:eyes:

[lonestarnot]

17. Where is that fucking thing?

[jgraz]

19. It's called a lawn jockey. It's a traditional racist symbol in wealthy white neighborhoods

Lopez was just reacting to a Mexican lawn jockey.

[lonestarnot]

30. It's a fucking thing and where is it?

[jgraz]

31. I have no idea what you're getting at

[lonestarnot]

33. What is so difficult about where is it?

:shrug:

[AP]

34. It's probably in a museum. But it WAS on lawns all across American suburbs pre-80s.

[lonestarnot]

35. Museum my ass. Sure it is not in your back yard?

[jgraz]

37. THAT'S the point you were trying to set up? That it was in my own yard?

Jesus, you just discovered a whole new level of FAIL.

[lonestarnot]

38. You posted it.

Just say'n. :shrug: And I don't use the google much because they spy. And your FAIL acronym means nothing to me. Did I Feature An Illegal Lithuanian?

[jgraz]

36. Do you have any idea how google image search works?

It doesn't exactly come with GPS coordinates.

If you have a point, please make it.

[Malikshah]

21. It is referred to, I believe, as a lawn jocky.

Viewed as innocuous by many whites for decades (other examples-- Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima, Tarbabies, Little Black Sambos)--

They are stereotypical and offensive.

The reclining Mexican feeds into the stereotype of the "lazy peasant"-- I can see where the storyline was coming from, and agree--these images need to be addressed.

[AP]

29. It was on suburban lawns all across America during white flight, pre-80s.