memin pinguin

Memin Pinguin

The Mexican government has issued a series of five stamps depicting the 1940's character, Memin Pinguin. The stamps are part of a series that pays tribute to Mexican comic books. It is worth mentioning that this is the second series and that it was chosen for being the 50th anniversary of the character.

only a couple of months ago president Fox was criticized for making comments that were construed as racist. I'll agree that Memin Pinguin has exaggerated features thick lips and wide-open eyes. But what people have to take in consideration is that the Mexican culture is different, I am not going to say that discrimination doesn't exist in Mexico, it's just based in other characteristics, social status and wealth being the most notable ones. The truth is that back there the color of the skin is not important and people pay little attention.

now, if you are going to criticize this cartoon on the sole base of the character's appearance, why hasn't Archie gotten in trouble? I mean, isn't his red hair and freckles a stereotype? I mean, it is a cartoon, of course it's going to have exaggerated features. I remember reading the comic when I was a kid and it never made me think less of anyone, if anything and because of his mischievousness, he was my hero.

now I respect other opinions and I know a lot of people are not going to agree with me, but ultimately what we have to understand is that Mexico and the U.S. have very different cultures and you need to at least try to understand where other people are coming from before jumping into conclusions.

**Revision

When I first posted this entry I knew I was opening a can of worms but I am surprised at some of the comments that have been posted. Now, I respect every point of view but here just a few quotes that I've found interesting.

This character "memin" is new to me, and by the physical depiction it's nothing more than a Mexican version of a black minstrel character which is very offensive to Blacks.

Let me tell you Cesar Davis, in the minstrel shows blacks were shown as naive, simpleminded buffoons who sang and danced the days away, stealing the occasional watermelon. Had you done a little bit of research you would've found that Memin Pinguin is a kind hearted little boy who attends a public school where he is friends with kids from all different social backgrounds. Where Memin Pinguin, thanks to his happy go lucky and kind hearted attitude manages to gain the love and esteem from all of his classmates.

Had you done a little more research, you would also had learned that in 1985 the Phillipines declared Memin Pinguin a "must read" at public schools claiming that the comic strip "promotes on students respect to the family and the institutions."

Also Cesar, had you paid more attention, you would've noticed that I indeed said that discrimination in Mexico does exist but it takes other forms rather than discrimination based on skin color.

I understand that it's old imagery that has an aspect of nostalgia to Mexicans, but of course, by being reprinted now, it does imply that they feel this exaggerated depiction is acceptable.

Main Entry: car·i·ca·ture
Pronunciation: 'kar-i-k&-"chur, -"ch&r, -"tyur, -"tur
Etymology: Italian caricatura, literally, act of loading, from caricare to load, from Late Latin carricare
1 : exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics

the above is Merriam Webster's definition of caricature, this is what MP is. had it been meant to be a realistic depiction of what a black boy from Caribbean looks like, then i would be the first one to protest. What we need to do here is take some time and realize that Mexico is a completely different culture and the black history in Mexico is completely different than the one in the U.S. If you are going to criticize this comic you have first infom yourself and get all the facts.

when's the last time you've seen a dark skinned female sex symbol on the novelas or on the news in Mexico? Instead eurocentric looking people are always in the limelight.

again, Mr Davis I don't know where are you getting this information, i have to assume that it is from what you get from the U.S. media. Yadhira Carrillo, Eugenia Cauduro, Kate del Castillo, Adriana Fonseca, Patricia Navidad, Patricia Manterola, are just some of Mexico's most famous Soap stars. Now I don't know what your idea of what a Mexican woman looks like but for me that's as Mexican as you can get. Mexico is a very diverse country, and yes we have the "eurocentric" looking people that you talk about on TV, and that is because there's people that actually look like that. You can take a look at El Impacial's "society page" to get a better idea of what i am talking about.

The bottom line here is that we Mexicans, have the ability to laugh at ourselves and not be offended, although let me tell you that if they were to publish a comic strip based on my person I'd be damn happy to be portrayed as the happy little kid with the kind heart and whom everybody loves.