Thread: Wal-Mart pulls 'Memin Pinguin'

Wal-Mart pulls 'Memin Pinguin'
News


Show Caption / SOURCE: KHOU-TV
Popular comic removed for allegations of racist undertones

Wednesday, July 09, 2008 at 10:51 a.m.


A popular comic book from Mexico has been pulled from Wal-Mart shelves in the United States.

The comic book series "Memin Pinguin" was being sold at some Wal-Mart stores.

But one African-American customer told KHOU-TV in Houston that she found the comic racist.

The popular Mexican comic features a dark-skinned Cuban character who is sometimes kicked and called names.

Houston area activist Quanell X said the problem with the book is more than just words.

"This is poking fun at the physical features of an entire people," the African-American activist said. "Making them look buffoonish (and) Portraying the young (black) Kid as stupid...."

Wal-Mart told KHOU-TV that they responded to the complaints by removing the controversial comic book from its shelves.

Many American activists and political figures have previously complained that character is racist.

The Mexican government protested the characterizations asserting that Americans simply do not understand Memin's cultural significance in Mexico.

http://www.team4news.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=156980

The Mexican government protested the characterizations asserting that Americans simply do not understand Memin's cultural significance in Mexico.

No we didn't. Mexicans are amongst the biggest racists in the world and I've witnessed their attitudes towards blacks firsthand.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/09/mex...mic/index.html



HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- A comic-book character popular in Mexico for generations has run into a cultural barrier at the border, where Americans see him as a racist caricature.


Comic book character Memin Pinguin is "a disgrace," an African-American activist says.

1 of 3 For more than 60 years Mexicans have followed the adventures of "Memin Pinguin." But the dark-skinned Memin's exaggerated features in "Memin for President" came as a shock to Houston, Texas, Wal-Mart shopper Shawnedria McGinty.

"I was like, OK, is that a monkey or a boy?" McGinty said. "To me it was an insult."

She'd never heard of "Memin Pinguin." She bought a Spanish-English dictionary and tried translating but still didn't like what she saw. Watch what upset McGinty »

"So I asked my boyfriend, does that look like a monkey to you?" she said. "And we went back and forth and he was like, no, that's a black woman," referring to the character's Aunt Jemima-like mother.

McGinty and Houston community activist Quannel X want the comic books removed from the stores.

"This is absolutely insensitive toward race, in particular the African-American culture, and also people of color," Quannel X said. "This is poking fun at the physical features of an entire people."

But Mexican readers who grew up following the shenanigans of Memin say critics need to look beyond the cover and understand the stories.

"They will bring a smile to their face because we're so fond of that character," said Javier Salas, a Spanish-language talk show host on Chicago radio station WRTO. "We respect him, we love him. And that's why it's so absurd for us to hear complaints from people who don't know, don't understand Memin."

Memin is a poor Cuban-Mexican kid with bug eyes, thick lips and protruding ears. The mischievous and caring boy helps his mother by selling newspapers and shining shoes.

"We grew up reading, learning and educating ourselves with a lot of the topics they always touched on, which was honesty, justice, tolerance. He was a very unique character," Salas said.

Wal-Mart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said the retailer has instructed stores to remove the books from shelves and discontinue sales.

"We received the customer complaint regarding the book, which we knew was based on a popular cartoon character in Mexico. We looked into it further, and we decided to no longer distribute the book and are in the process of removing the books from the stores."

The store has received no other complaints about Memin, Lopez said.

"We have a wide array of products that we provide to Hispanic customers, but when we looked at this more carefully and given the sensitivity of the topic, we thought it was best to no longer carry the book in our stores," he said.

He did not know how many copies of Memin books the chain had or how long it would take to remove them from displays.

Memin is no stranger to controversy. Three years ago, a series of Mexican stamps honoring Memin ignited an international uproar. The stamps were discontinued because of protests from African-American leaders.

"This is saying we respect and regard the African-American community by making them look like Sambos on a stamp?" the Rev. Al Sharpton said at the time. "This goes over the line."

Quannel X called the comic book "a disgrace."


"Look how they portray his mother, with huge ethnic lips, dark skin, making her look like the big gorilla and him like the little monkey."

But fans of Memin say the valuable lessons of a beloved comic book character tackling real-life problems have been lost in translation.

The Mexican government protested the characterizations asserting that Americans simply do not understand Memin's cultural significance in Mexico.

Who cares what you think......we aren't in Mexico and many of your significances are mis-understood here. Can the cultural BS as well. Wasn't it you guys who were OFFENDED by the Frito Bandito? The simple corn chip character? One that was created simply because it rhymed with a word and not having anything to do with you personally or ment in any demeaning way. Eye, eye,eye eye......I am the Frito bandito.....I love Frito corn chips I love them I do.... if you take my corn chips I sock it to you.

Lost in translation I guess.

Don't throw rocks at glass houses......comes back to bite you in the be-hind.

"They will bring a smile to their face because we're so fond of that character," said Javier Salas, a Spanish-language talk show host on Chicago radio station WRTO. "We respect him, we love him. And that's why it's so absurd for us to hear complaints from people who don't know, don't understand Memin."

Memin is a poor Cuban-Mexican kid with bug eyes, thick lips and protruding ears. The mischievous and caring boy helps his mother by selling newspapers and shining shoes.

"We grew up reading, learning and educating ourselves with a lot of the topics they always touched on, which was honesty, justice, tolerance. He was a very unique character," Salas said.

Yeah, you love him as if he was your very own pet, that's why he resembles a monkey? Why not make Memin a short, fat kid wearing a sombrero?

Mexican comic book sold at Wal-Mart called ‘racist’

11:46 AM CDT on Tuesday, July 8, 2008
By Jeremy Desel / KHOU-TV


Video: http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/w ... da890.html

July 8, 2008
-- Shawnedria McGinty was not sure what to think when she found a copy of the comic book series “Memin Pinguinâ€

The Mexican government protested the characterizations asserting that Americans simply do not understand Memin's cultural significance in Mexico.

I think most Americans understand "Memin's cultural significance in Mexico". Alot of people from Mexico are clearly racist against any other race but their "own".

KEEP YOUR RACIST TRASH IN MEXICO.

Hey, we lost the Frito Bandito, the Hawaiian Punch guy, Boris and Natshisa from Bullwinkle....Pepe LaPue, the Mexican mouse, Duddly Do-Right from the Canadian Mounties,...banned our Sambo restaurants when nothing was ment to be racist since the story was based on an Indian boy (India)...can't have schools be named the Seminoles, Trogans..etc. Well.....let me get my list going where I can be "offended".

The physical depiction of Blacks found in Memin Pinguin is not much different than that of some Black cartoonists. I have never read a comic book in the series
so I can not speak to the plot line.

The physical depiction of Blacks found in Memin Pinguin is not much different than that of some Black cartoonists. I have never read a comic book in the series
so I can not speak to the plot line.

It's been proven this was against the black portion of their race. Ages ago.