Essay Sixty

Good Golliwog Miss Molly!

A few weeks ago, Mexican President Vicente Fox sparked controversy by making arguably racist remarks about U.S. Blacks. Despite meetings with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, Fox ultimately refused to apologize for the comments — opting for the shrewd tactic of expressing regret that his words had been misinterpreted. Of course, he hasn’t managed to publicly decipher how the quotes should have been interpreted.

Now comes the latest politically incorrect enchilada. The Mexican government unveiled a series of postage stamps commemorating the country’s comic book characters. Among the collection is Memin Pinguin, a big-lipped, bug-eyed Black figure. According to comic admirers, Señor Pinguin’s appearance, speech and mannerisms made him the delightful butt of the jokes from the Whiter comic characters. He’s Steppin Fetchit with a salsa twist. Needless to say, Jesse Jackson is not too keen on Memin Pinguin — although he’ll have a field day dropping rhymes in this case.

Like Fox’s response to the outrage he generated in the past weeks, Mexican officials here are equally dumbfounded by the reactions of Jackson and the NAACP, among others. Rafael Laveaga, a spokesman from the Mexican Embassy in Washington, delivered this foxy explanation: “Just as Speedy Gonzalez has never been interpreted in a racial manner by the people in Mexico, because he is a cartoon character, I am certain that this commemorative postage stamp is not intended to be interpreted on a racial basis in Mexico or anywhere else.”

Well, thanks for clearing that up. Mighty White of you, amigo. Of course, Hispanics in the U.S. didn’t exactly respond so favorably to characters like the Frito Bandito. Hell, even the Taco Bell Chihuahua got mixed-race reviews. And Hollywood isn’t scurrying to produce a revamped version of The Cisco Kid — although Antonio Banderas could sure use a paying gig.

The Mexican Postal Service defended the use of Memin Pinguin, claiming he reflects a part of Mexico’s culture. No argument here. The country has always demonstrated peculiar attitudes regarding race and skin tones. But is this cultural thang really worth celebrating? Maybe Hispanic philatelists should eagerly await the Mexican drug lords and kidnappers stamp collections.

President Fox has not yet delivered a statement, but bet on something like, “ The Mexican comic book heroes, filled with dignity, willingness and ability to work, are doing comic book jobs that not even Memin Pinguin wants to do.”

Speaking of dignity-filled Hispanics, the comic book’s publisher gushed Memin Pinguin is, “so charming, so affectionate, so wonderful, generous and friendly.” Apparently, one man’s coon is another man’s cartoon.