That's right. We Browns, or Mexicans as we are also known, like to have special treatment when we attend restaurants. My personal pet peeve, and I think I speak for the entire community, is waiting, especially when my abuelita is there with me, we want to be able to walk in and just sit. None of that 5 minute wait nonsense.
These are rules posted for the serving staff at a Huntington Beach restaurant.
According to the waitress who passed this precious note along to the internet, the restaurant owners "also posted a dress code rule that ladies must wear makeup and skirts could not be below the knee." [Gridskipper]
Pondering some more on the aspects of racism, I took a second to look back at my growing up in the United States, and the many different times where I've been discriminated against.
Perhaps even not in the conventional way that one would take the term "racism" to be defined. Mainly because the people discriminating were not Americans. It was Hispanics. Most of my time spent working in kitchens ranging from Village Inn to T.G.I. Friday's I grew accustomed to overhearing conversations about me. In Spanish.
Most of my life I've been hearing lines of "Wait. You're Mexican?!!!" or "No way, esé, you look like a güero!". Being probably the fairest-skinned member of my family, and most of my white friends, people are usually surprised and in disbelief of my Hispanic heritage.
To the point where I have to constantly make a strong argument for people to believe me. Even more so now that my features are notably darker than when I first began my career as a human being.
If I hear "Say something in Spanish" one more time, I think I just may go postal on somebody.
I guess you can say I'm a white Mexican. I've often said, I'm probably the whitest Mexican you'll ever meet. In every sense of the word. Product of my environment indeed. Yet not quite sure that I would fall into the complete category of the "White Mexicans"
Did you know that Mexico was invented by White people? And they still have all the power (though none of the English grammatical skills despite their impressive private schooling)? Well we did know that part about the power and the grammar. But not the inventing! Also, if the Indigenous people would stop spitting out papooses, Mexico could go back to being Italian or Mennonite or…oh shit we got bored. [Guanabee]
On a previous post I wrote about a certain discomfort I felt in the back of my mind when looking at the Cream of Wheat box. After a friend read this, he kindly pointed me to somewhat of an old post, attacking this very topic. Apparently Uncle Ben got a raise!
A racially charged advertising character, who for decades has been relegated to a minor role in the marketing of the products that still carry his name, is taking center stage in a campaign that gives him a makeover — Madison Avenue style — by promoting him to chairman of the company. [NY Times]
What's that you say? There's racism in our food supply?!?!
...what's amazing about this guy isn't his fake promotion—it's that he still has a job at all. Uncle Ben is a rare survivor in the once-crowded world of racist spokescharacters. Most of his contemporaries were fired a long time ago. [Slate.com]
I guess it's still not as bad as those silly ol' Betty Boop cartoons.
