[Xmca-l] Re: Stereotyping Latin America and Mexico at the U. of Louisville

[David Preiss]

Dear David,
I don't see an issue of nuance here. What I see is that they just are
obviously insensitive to Mexican culture. Cultural vilification in this
case originates from the lack of attention on behalf of university
authorities to the symbolic nature of cultural symbols and their evident
degradation to the status of pretended funny costumes for a party totally
unrelated to the culture associated to those costumes. I could grant some
empathy to uneducated college first year students, not to a president that
is responsible of their education.
David

On Sun, Nov 1, 2015 at 3:26 PM, David H Kirshner <dkirsh@lsu.edu> wrote:

> Thanks, David and Annalisa.
>
> I agree with the examples of blackface, Hassidic Jews, and devout Muslims.
> But this is about nuance, not about open-and-shut universal principles.
> I live in the Southern U.S., and while aware of the politics you speak of,
> I'm not sure it translates into cultural vilification, per se.
> Perhaps that's why these university folks, who wouldn't think of dressing
> in blackface or as Hassidic Jews or devout Muslims thought it would be okay
> to dress in folkloric Mexican costumes.
>
> David
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-l-bounces+dkirsh=lsu.edu@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:
> xmca-l-bounces+dkirsh=lsu.edu@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of David Preiss
> Sent: Sunday, November 01, 2015 12:14 PM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Stereotyping Latin America and Mexico at the U. of
> Louisville
>
> On addition to what Annalisa points out, they dressed like that for a
> halloween party. If they would have dressed themselves as Hassidic jews or
> devoted muslims for, I insist, a Halloween party, that would have been
> antisemitic or islamophobic. So, Mexicans are scary Halloween monsters?
> Something to be afraid of? And certainly they don't look like they are
> celebrating Mexican culture, but using cartoon-like Mexican symbols as an
> aside of whatever they intended to be doing at that moment.
> Very insensitive when you have Trump treating Mexico and immigrants like a
> public enemy or the plague and even Latin origin candidates giving away
> their roots for the sake of political power.
> That university president should leave his post, he is dishonoring academe
> as a whole by remaining in his position.
>
>
>
> On Sun, Nov 1, 2015 at 2:51 PM, Annalisa Aguilar <annalisa@unm.edu> wrote:
>
> >
> > David K,
> >
> > Your question about why this is a put down is really hard to believe.
> >
> > But OK, think about it this way: If they were in blackface and holding
> > watermelons, would you get it then?
> >
> > Annalisa
> >
> >
> >
>
>