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Monday 5 May 2014

On Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is the brown version of St. Patrick's Day in the United States. At the very least, that's how it's treated nowadays anyway.

In Mexico it's not the Big Deal it is for Mexican Americans and Mexicans abroad. While it does commemorate the surprising victory of unprepared Mexican defence against invading French troops, it also boosted morale across the border: Mexican communities the other side of the border made it a holiday that celebrated democracy and freedom during the early years of the Civil War.

The celebration of cultural heritage alone should automatically make this an important date. Unfortunately, and as has been the case throughout history, POC and minorities can't have anything for themselves without white people taking and pissing all over it. Instead of uniting communities through education about their heritage, you have ... things like this. And this. And also this.




This isn't an issue of political correctness, or getting in the way of people having fun. This is about the Americanisation of an important date for Mexicans and Xicanos, and how it perpetuates negative racial stereotypes.

Cinco de Mayo did not become the celebration it is today after beer companies started making a big profit off of it. I get it - we're celebrating. We want to have a good time, and many of us would like to have that good time with a side of margaritas and a side of beer to wash them down.

The thing is, it was profit alone that drove celebrations through the roof. Suddenly - because there is alcohol to be imbibed, and a profit to be made by the people selling said alcohol - celebrating your/someone else's heritage in a notoriously racist and segregationist country becomes okay.

But it's not quite so, because it's alright to celebrate on their terms and in a way approved by them. So instead of learning about the Battle of Puebla or Mexican-American history, we have 'Drinko de Mayo'. We have white people with fake mustaches, zarapes, sombreros, and even brownface.

To quote from Tierracita's tumblr:

Happy Cinco de Gringo! Happy Gringo de Mayo!

May your carefree cultural appropriation and essentializing bring you great joy and ignorant bliss. While drinking Coronas and margaritas, eating chips and salsa, and wearing that sombrero hopefully you will also take a moment to thank all the field workers who keep food on you table and the underpaid undocumented workers who keep our economy afloat. And I’m hoping beyond hope (and really I have none) that you will reflect on the hypocrisy of enjoying the fruits of the culture and the people that many of you all consider less than human or second class, a hypocrisy that results in families torn apart, oppression, violence, racism, and even death. So much death. Also, why don’t you also reflect on any assumptions you might have on why people from Mexico immigrate (return) to America, maybe even research how our role as America(ns) has played into the deterioration of Mexico’s economy and has left many no choice but to follow the bloody money trail. NAFTA anyone?

Oh right, I’m being too glib—where’s the guacamole?

For mi raza, let’s get together and remember why today even exists El Día de la Batalla de Puebla; a small group of us stood together and fought against the colonizers. Now that does warrant a fiesta!  

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