¡Ask a Mexican!

Some people love The Mexican. Some hate him. But no one can deny he is spreading everywhere.

No, this isn't some allegory about immigration reform.  Instead, it's a potentially tasteless post.

Two years since I last blogged about him (Only Gringos Call Gringos Gringos, Gabacho), he's in two dozen alternative weeklies and has a book coming out. 

As this NYT article describes (The Mexican Will See You Now), The Mexican is everywhere.

Click below to see a list of questions about kids and parents and schools that I wish The Mexican would answer -- or feel free to suggest (and answer) your own.

                         

Possible questions -- maybe you have better ones:

-- how come mexican kids don't look you in the eye or talk during class?

-- what's the deal with parents allowing girls to get their ears pierced so young and wear such tight clothing in elementary school?

-- how can you tell if a kid is mexican or puerto rican or guatemalan without asking him or her directly?

-- how come the mexican kids don't get along with the puerto rican kids, and vice versa?

-- how come mexican parents don't come to parents night or ask questions about how their kid is doing in school?

-- the mexican boys seem to pick on each other a lot -- what's with that?

-- what are five words in spanish i need to know if i'm teaching in a school with lots of mexican kids?

                      

                         

Possible questions -- maybe you have better ones:

-- how come mexican kids don't look you in the eye or talk during class?

-- what's the deal with parents allowing girls to get their ears pierced so young and wear such tight clothing in elementary school?

-- how can you tell if a kid is mexican or puerto rican or guatemalan without asking him or her directly?

-- how come the mexican kids don't get along with the puerto rican kids, and vice versa?

-- how come mexican parents don't come to parents night or ask questions about how their kid is doing in school?

-- the mexican boys seem to pick on each other a lot -- what's with that?

-- what are five words in spanish i need to know if i'm teaching in a school with lots of mexican kids?

                      

Comments

[’94 Camaro owner, Rick Navarro]

Alexander are your, “possible questions,” the opening statements in some kind of racism essay contest, or are you firming up a wetback hunk for a USO tour of the minuteman circuit? “Hey white folks, before I bring out Ann Jillian, can we talk about what the deal is with these Mexicans.”

The book is a riot; treading a sublime line between subtle and broad, but your questions alone, make my fuck-you-bone itch.

[Alexander]

rick --
thanks for your comment. love your car. glad you like the book.
the questions are in the spirit of the questions that the mexican handles all the time: ignorant, curious, real. i'm sure you've been asked similar questions a hundred times before.

the answers -- funny, informative, honest -- are the key, but unfortunately i can't get the mexican to answer them (have been trying on and off for two years).

want to take a shot at answering in his stead? go for it -- a good place to scratch your fuck-you bone itch.

Hispanic children often catch heat for lowering their eyes to adults in school, especially if they are being reprimanded in any way. This is a sign of deference and respect; for a Mexican parent, eyeballing an adult in such a situation would be considered a shocking act of defiance, even when the child is innocent.

Unfortunately, U.S. teachers not aware of this are invariably looking for the child to 'look me in the eye' as a sign of honesty. While most white and black teachers I encountered did not initially understand this, most could absorb the concept in theory when it was pointed out.

I can't guarantee it didn't color their take on the child at a subconscious level.

Glad you brought up the book and column, mainly because there is a new local columnist who has unsuccessfully tried to crown herself the female "Mexican" expert. In her short time writing for the Sun-Times, Esther Cepeda has made more racist and inflammatory statements than Mr. Arellano has in the several years he has been doing this.

While Mr. Arellano's statements may have sometimes bordered on stereotyping, Ms. Cepeda has not limited her ignorant comments to cultural differences, which are horrendous and misinformed enough, but has made racist political commentary that looks like it was written by Newt and Rush.

It wasn't until you brought up this California column again that I realized what Cepeda's bizarre journalism was aiming for.

Unfortunately, she has failed.

In Mexico, piercing baby girls ears is done in the hospital when she is born, and until recently, was as taken for granted as circumcising boys was here for several decades.

I worked in communities with high Mexican enrollment for years and never observed a fashion tendency to tight clothing on girls.

While many children, both boys and girls may have worn clothing that was too small, it was a function of poverty and possibly not being the same size as your older sister was when she wore the outfit.

This I could attest to as I had had the older sib when she wore the same clothing in my room.

No chance you're a perv, right?

Alexander,
I found your post, especially the racist stereotype graphic, disgusting and offensive. Like most white racists who think it's OK to use the N word because some black people use it, you seem to take great joy in demeaning Mexicans. Acting like you're only plugging the column but really trying to show how racist-him you are. Pretty sickening.

[Clyde]

Please remove that racist logo from your blog. It's so offensive that I won't take part in your other important discussions until it is removed.

[Educator]

Alexander,

Here is my take on your questions. I am Mexican-American and have taught a predominantly Mexican student population for most of my professional career.

how come mexican kids don't look you in the eye or talk during class?

Not looking teachers in the eye is a cultura thing as explained by a pster above. Not talking in class--I haven't found this in my experience, although some students are hesitant because they are still not fully comfortable in the Englsh language. It is the teacher's job to create a system where all students have an opportunity to participate.

-- what's the deal with parents allowing girls to get their ears pierced so young and wear such tight clothing in elementary school?

Piercing ears--I have often wondered why mainstream white folks make such a big deal about piercing ears. Any thoughts?
Tight clothes--I have seen the same tight clothes on non-Mexicans. It is more a youth culture thing.

-- how can you tell if a kid is mexican or puerto rican or guatemalan without asking him or her directly?

You can talk about your own culture and upbringing first and then ask them.

-- how come the mexican kids don't get along with the puerto rican kids, and vice versa?

I have found that this is not really the case as much as it used to be. Read: Latino Ethnic Consciousness: The Case of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans in Chicago by Felix M. Padilla for a history on this relationship.

-- how come mexican parents don't come to parents night or ask questions about how their kid is doing in school?
I haven't found this in my experience Parents night, parent conferences student performances were always extremely well attended (close to 100%) by the parents at my school.

-- the mexican boys seem to pick on each other a lot -- what's with that?
I don't think they pick on each other much more than other kids do. But it might be just playing "the dozens."

-- what are five words in spanish i need to know if i'm teaching in a school with lots of mexican kids?
You're going to need alot more than 5 words in Spanish...

Alexander, you are normally a thoughtful poster, and I respect your written work on Latino students (stories that don't often get told), but I think that some of the questions here are a bit disingenuous. Do some more homework and get to know my community a little more.

I think getting your ears pierced in the hospital is healthier and more sanitary than getting it done at the mall or your daughter's bathroom.

Wanna know what little Mexican girls think of white kids' piercings? Why didn't you wonder aloud about that?

Most of those pincushions' moms would fall on their knees in gratitude if their kids' piercings were limited to areas as tame as their ears....

I too, have always had nearly 100 percent attendance at report card pickup, at schools in Pilsen as well as Little Village. Not sure what you are referencing.

Is there any reason why you need to tell Mexicans from Puerto Ricans without asking them?

Are you trying to make sure you personalize your ethnic slur by delivering it to the right group?

Maybe you could get helpful tips from Homeland Security; they are very invested in racial profiling.

[Rick Navarro]

Alexander – It looks like Educator and the others already nailed the answers, and I respect your response, man. It’s just that coming off the failure of the immigration bill there are a lot of pissed off Mexican’s who’ve had it being the nation’s eternal outsiders.

Forty percent of the school population, Alexander. Forty percent.

I see the Ask the Mexican column as pure satire that pricks out and highlights mainstream misinformation about Mexican ethnicity and culture. Brings it out in the open.

1. How come educators are allowed to work with Mexican children when they don't do any of the groundwork to educate themselves about cultural differences?
2. How come ignorant white guys feel compelled to spout their attempts at observational "humor" about race on the internet?
3. How come ignorant white guys say they can't tell the difference between a Mexican, Puerto Rican or Guatemalan, but still think it's okay to spew stereotypes about Mexicans when they've admitted they're not really sure about whom they're talking?
4. How come when teachers neither speak Spanish nor know anything but stereotypes about Mexicans, they're surprised when Mexican kids' parents don't want to talk to them about their kids' education?
5. How come some white kids pick on each other, don't get along with other kids and other ethnicities of kids, but that's just individual difference, but it's when a child of color acts out that a so-called educator feels compelled to generalize it to a whole population?
6. How come educators think you could teach in a school with a lot of Mexican kids in it knowing only five important words in Spanish? I can think of five words for you, but they're not very polite.

I've got more, but I don't have time to engage in this. Suffice it to say, Alex, that your post was more than "potentially tasteless." The point you fail to miss about Gustavo Arellano's column (for that matter, you didn't even mention his name in either of your posts about him), is that it's satire. Who's he mocking? You and guys like you, who think stereotyping is totally reasonable and that asking a Mexican is the right approach to filling the gaping, cavernous gaps in their cross-cultural understanding. Have you been trying for two years to get Arellano to answer your questions because you don't see fit to read a book? Go to Mexico? Take a class? Know any Mexicans, you know, close up and personal?

The worst part of your post, worse than the overbroad generalizations and the public announcement of your ignorance, is your target. You're picking on children, and that's just gross. If all Mexican kids look and act the same to you, that says a lot more about you than it does about the kids or any cultural differences.

[Alexander]

first off, i totally get that it's satire -- did you think i put up the post not knowing that?

where we may disagree is that i think the column is making fun of everyone -- including perhaps people who think that discussions of race have to be serious and are only allowed among those who are the victims of the racism.

i think your beef, to the extent that you have one, is with arellano rather than me. in fact, if you'd read the article, you'd find that lots of people find him offensive. i'm ok with that.

FWIW, he saw the original post and has been sent this latest one with no complaints or concerns.

by the way, he's having a contest and giving away free copies of the book here:

http://www.ocweekly.com/columns/ask-a-mexican/ask-a-mexican/27365/

for more comments on this, check out the followup post from july 3: "everyone's a racist"

Viewer of the blog: Think of one person you know whom you would not label "a racist." Any real person. Even a public figure. Anybody qualify? (The definition I use: A racist is a person who believes that one race is superior to another. Yes, that definition could be deconstructed --- starting with "what's the definition of race?" --- from here to Sunday, but it's a good start, I'd say.) Feel free to share the name of any known not-a-racists.

No, Alex, my beef is with your post. I've read the column. In fact, I went back through Arellano's archives. Some of his columns are funny, some not so much, but all of them drive at the same point.

If you (and by you, I mean the generic "you," not you personally, necessarily)really want to learn about cultural difference, asking a member of a racial or ethnic group to be the spokesperson for the whole group is not a productive approach. Arellano's willing to take it on because he's a satirist. And he's more or less successful in the realm of satire. You, however, Alex, not so much.

And as an educator, I am really bothered by the idea of teachers writing letters to a newspaper column to learn about the culture of the kids they're teaching. We have a responsibility to school ourselves, read up, talk to people, practice listening without judgment. Your post took a bunch of negative stereotypes and painted them onto an entire group of children.

In all the pages of Arellano's column I read, I didn't see anything that targeted children. That was all you. Adults can stick up for themselves.

[Alexander]

oh, please. i wasn't "targeting" children. that's ridiculous.

i was coming up with questions that an anglo or monocultural teacher might ask (or that i have heard them ask) because this is ostensibly an education blog. make sense?

in reality, no children were hurt in the writing or publication of that post. that is, unless their parents let them surf just about anywhere, in which case they [the parents] should be str... never mind.

in reality, many of the questions arellano prints are MUCH more bawdy and offensive than the ones i came up with. i could make up some harsher questions, but that would make you really unhappy.

my real point is that you have to name the myths and misconceptions in order to dispel them. otherwise they just linger and grow.

as for funny, well, it wasn't funny because it's the answers, not the questions, where the real fun is, and i'm an ignorant gabacho who wouldn't dream of trying to answer questions about mexican kids (even though i know most of the answers in this case).

anyway, you say your gripe is with me, not arellano, but you complain more about him -- here's his email, have at it:

themexican@askamexican.net

tell him alexander sent you.

[Charlie]

I think it's best just to leave it alone at this point, Alexander. These are the same people who didn't see the humor in a movie like Borat. Which I thought was a bit overrated, but excellent at pointing out the ignorance that surrounds us.

The other problem is, this isn't exactly a blog known for its sarcasm, so I can see how someone might stumble upon your questions and be offended if they didn't know the context.

I haven't complained about Arellano at all, in fact, Alex. And you have completely missed the point. Or maybe, you just failed to make it. If you were attempting sarcasm, you didn't make it. If you were "naming the myths and misconceptions," you didn't state that, you just said you had questions you wished he would answer.

Further, you've had eight respondents, including myself, who have taken issue with different elements of your post, including your stereotyping of Mexican children. Now, there's no law requiring you to reflect on this a bit, and clearly you're not inclined to do so. But I recommend it.

Really, Alexander's list of questions was satire in the vein of the Ask the Mexican column itself. I saw it off the bat. I'd bet that Alexander isn't a racist, and wasn't even unintentionally racist no matter what it might appear to people who believe he is. From what I've seen on this blog, it seems his life's work has been to support the community's need for information and dialog that improves social, racial, and economic justice for a very oppressed group --- CPS students (and teachers, admin, etc.). Of course satire is going to seem incorrect to some or even many. That's probably why we see Ask the Mexican in an alternative newspaper, not the LA Times. Well, that's all for me on this thread. Back to complaining about sped, for me.

Stereotype: Sociology. a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group: The cowboy and Indian are American stereotypes.

About stereotyping, good or bad, I've seen this especially from members within their own communities, often they do it to themselves, used as cultural identificaltion, accept it, perpetuate it, often proud of it, and have some good laughs.

"By members of a group", "members within their own communities"..

Not by people who have decided they want to 'join in the fun' and are sure they understand what is being discussed.

I am the poster who commented on Cepeda, because even that twit could not distinguish funny observations on culture from racist xenophobia.

Again, if I am grinding a heel of my shoe into your instep, I should accept your judgement, not my own, as to whether or not it hurts.

[Girls Schools]

No, Alex, my beef is with your post. I've read the column. In fact, I went back through Arellano's archives. Some of his columns are funny, some not so much, but all of them drive at the same point. There are several certified girls driving schools in country that offers one of the most trusted and effective defensive driving course, providing students with a fully approved safety courses designed to help our graduates keep their insurance rates low and protect their driving record. These courses contain animations and streaming videos.