In the US, back in 2005, Jesse Jackson, the NAACP, even Scott McClellan, speaking for the Bush administration, declared the minting of a postage stamp in Mexico, which celebrated the enduring popularity of Memin Pinguin, their beloved comic book character, to be “offensive, and I would say racial stereotypes are offensive no matter what their origin. The Mexican government needs to take this into account. Images such as these have no place in today’s world.
Stirred up the gringos.
The character has been around since the 1940’s, originally appearing in stories by author, Yolanda Vargas Dulche, and adapted for comics by two artists, first, Alberto Cabrera, and later, Sixto Valencia Burgos. Vicente Fox, the Mexican President at the time, and millions of Mexicans, just couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. The comic stories themselves dealt with social issues in a realistic context, racism among them. Being a bit of a geeky comic book collector, I hope that I can come across an issue to judge for myself.
Well, he certainly looks stereotypical.
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