Thread: Chicano Power shirt, a racist statement

Tonight, a kid in our complex came by to talk to my son. He stood there at my front window waiting for him. As I looked over I saw his shirt, I asked "Freddy, what does your shirt say?".

He slowly, and with much sudden self-conciousness, he said "um...I don't know". I knew he knew what it said. It said "Chicano Power" and had a Mexican flag behind a buff shaved headed, barechested, tattoed Latino male (quite the gang looking character), with a very voluptuous woman next to him.

This kid is 13 and has always been a nice kid so I had to believe he knew what it said, but really did not understand what was behind that so very racist statement.

I asked what store it came from, he said he did not know, his friend had given it to him.

I asked him what would people think if they saw a white teenager with a shirt that said "White Power" on it, in the same way his says "Chicano Power"? He admitted he did not know.

I explained that not only would anyone wearing such a shirt be considered highly offensive, but they might be subject to attacks, maybe even shootings, and police scrutiny. I said his shirt is the same and it was offensive.

He was not sure what to say, I am sure he will never wear it in front of us again. It goes to show that these kids are being raised with that mentallity and they simply do not see the wrong of it all. They assume that this mentallity is ok and is just and ethnic pride thing. I told him otherwise, it was a racist thing.

Good for you AmericanElizabeth!!!! I think he knew what the shirt meant and probably thought he could get away with it.Way to call his bluff!!!!



Head 'em up,move 'em out Rawhide!

This child belongs to someone... I am sure he has a mom and dad and wonder if they approved of the apparel

I googled for chicano power t shirt and got these results:

http://www.cafepress.com/buy/Hispanic/? ... C-G-EF-TSH

http://www.culturaymas.com/index.html?l ... og0_1.html

http://65.61.249.183/youbuycds/main_content.html

http://www.mayazteca.net/cgi-bin/v4/com ... RS&pid=219

along with a host of other racist sites....

I guess that's what they spend their their money on since they don't pay taxes, can insurance, car notes, rent, health care, education costs, etc., etc.....

While registering my boys for school yesterday, I saw a shirt saying the same thing. I immediatly said something to the sectretary, she assured me that the first day of school was the "free day" for all political tees..

We'll see...

It seems that the Latino community is working backwards towards hate and discrimination!!! We have become so Politically Correct that the white class of people can't say anything with out being flagged as a racist! In the Latino community they can wear shirts that say Chicano Power on them and other racist slang words? Why because there in another language? Well there's that double standard again! One set of rules for us and another for them!!!

This might boil down to a race issue, but I would like to hear from some fellow minority members here on the difference between shirts that say white power, black power, brown power (Chicano Power), yellow power, etc etc!

The way I see it makes that no other race is more "powerful" then mine! And I find that very racist and wrong! And the group "La Raza" should not hold any water just as the KKK wasn't given any!

Not sure if I went to far here but I'm angry over this!

Originally Posted by BorderLegionnaire

It seems that the Latino community is working backwards towards hate and discrimination!!! We have become so Politically Correct that the white class of people can't say anything with out being flagged as a racist! In the Latino community they can wear shirts that say Chicano Power on them and other racist slang words? Why because there in another language? Well there's that double standard again! One set of rules for us and another for them!!!

This might boil down to a race issue, but I would like to hear from some fellow minority members here on the difference between shirts that say white power, black power, brown power (Chicano Power), yellow power, etc etc!

The way I see it makes that no other race is more "powerful" then mine! And I find that very racist and wrong! And the group "La Raza" should not hold any water just as the KKK wasn't given any!

Not sure if I went to far here but I'm angry over this!

Border Legionaire ,

No, I don't think you went too far at all; what this thread does, is expose the dirty underbellly of PC, i.e., one standard for whites, and another for minorities. It's rather like the ridiculous claim that minorities cannot be racist, on the grounds that their hate cannot negatively impact others. (I would say that those whites who have been the victims of abuse from minorities, (of whatever race) might beg to differ, as would minorities who have been the targets of abuse from other minorities)!

In any case, the best way around this double standard and the silly debate over semantics that accompanies it, is to point out the simple truth that hate is hate, and bigotry is bigotry, and it is equally ugly on a brown, black, red or yellow face as on a white one. The results of such hatred are equally odious, no matter what group is the source! If bigotry is unacceptable when it comes from the klan and the skinheads, it is equally unacceptable when it comes from La Raza, MeChA, "Aztlan" and any of their allies.

Whether it is expressed in gestures, or shouted insults, or signs, or slogans, or on clothing, the hate and bigotry in some parts of the Latino community is beginning to show, and they need to be called on it like everyone else. Racism, bigotry and hatred are not acceptable in America, no matter what their source, and that most certainly includes the Chicano community as much as any other. There is an old proverb that applies here and that is that anyone who makes a jackass of himself, should not take it badly, when others ride him!

I have seen plenty of Brown Pride and Aztlan Rising T shirts.

If you really want to piss them off, wear a picture of Mt. Rushmore that says "Proud to be American". They hate these "dead white guys" even though they are the same guys on the US money they love!

Originally Posted by Bowman

I have seen plenty of Brown Pride and Aztlan Rising T shirts.

If you really want to piss them off, wear a picture of Mt. Rushmore that says "Proud to be American". They hate these "dead white guys" even though they are the same guys on the US money they love!

It would be nice if we could simply have AMERICAN PRIDE!