Mexican Stereotypes

Mexican Stereotypes

By:Toni Keens

A stereotype is a widely held and fixed view or image of a particular type of person or thing.There are stereotypes for everything and everyone all throughout the world especially about mexicans. There are tons of views about Mexicans but some typical views about them are the greaser, the lazy mexican, the mexican spitfire,maids, dirty slum dwellers & drug addicts as well as dumb and lazy sombrero wearing people and that some have over the top accents and dress very fiesta like. Throughout history Americans have portrayed their own views of mexicans in newspapers, radio stations, government policies, movies, & so on mostly because of the media. The media is the main source for the views that Americans depict of the Mexicans as well as other nations.

This cartoon portrays a very important stereotype about mexicans and their relationship with the U.S. It shows that even though they came to America for freedom and a better life they haven't got that because they are still working to make money to send back to Mexico to make it better and help loved ones there or to bring them to America.In the cartoon the chain on the mexican shows how americans see them as less than us and do not get the same rights as us either even if they work as hard as we do or do the things we do. They aren't treated the same so for them being in the U.S. on their nation's independence day is just saddening for them because nothing had changed for them since they left Mexico it was the same as if they would have been there.

Cartoon of speedy and slowpoke Gonzalez

This was a famous American cartoon during the 1950's until 1999 about Mexican mice.It stereotyped Mexicans as sombrero wearing people with over the top accents. That is what the character Speedy conveys but on the cartoon his cousin slowpoke stereotypes mexicans as drunks and with lazy relatives as well as dumb(slow)people.It also conveys that Mexicans are always up against whites.This caused alot of conflict between Mexicans living in the U.S. and mexicans living in Mexico because they look at it differently so it was canceled. it was more offensive than heroic as it was trying to show through the mouse Speedy Gonzalez.

the maid named Rosario from the tv show "Will and Grace."

On lifetime there is a show called "Will and Grace" which has a mexican maid working for the rich women Karen. Rosario worked for Karen as a maid and done anything karen told her to do. On the show they had a love-hate relationship where they would fight about things then be sweet to each other. The show portrayed the stereotype of mexican women as a maid or the domestic. In television or media the stereotypes of mexicans as the domestic like maids are depicted to work for rich people for a low amount of pay. They are portrayed and stereotyped as to speak heavily accented english sprinkled with Spanish words or phrases or speaking nothing but spanish and working hard for hardly no pay at all.This show for instance portrays the maid Rosario as that and it is very offensive and demeaning to Mexicans because not all mexicans are like that but today that is how they are portrayed in media by Americans.

This is a spanish Singer who defied gender stereotypes about Mexican women and girls and who died at 93.

In mexico there was a legendary singer, Chavela Vargas, who defied gender stereotypes about mexican women and girls. She wore mens clothes singing lustful "ranchera" songs and also carrying a pistol, drinking alot and smoking cigars. She was the face of the Mexican gay and lesbian movement during the 1950's and during that time homosexuality wasn't widely accepted as today so Chavela refused to change pronouns in her love songs about women even as etiquette required and even before it was acceptable to express one's love for one of the same gender she embraced it. What she did went against Mexican religion and beliefs of catholics and it's how she rose to fame by defying their preconception of what it meant to be a women or a woman singer. The stereotype or role of woman in Mexico was always seen by Americans or Mexicans themselves that mexican women are to be smart beautiful lady-like (feminine) women that stood behind the men and to not be like them and were also very passionate. Well this singer didn't believe that so she defied the gender stereotypes and did her own thing and in the end she was honored as a "distinguished citizen" of Mexico city and was given the grand cross of Isabella the Catholic from Spain.

These are Mexican Stamps that the U.S. find stereotyped toward them yet the U.S. throughout history has stereotyped Mexico alot.

There is an article about the U.S. govt. accusing the Mexican govt. for stereotyping the U.S. with their stamps. The stamp depicts a black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin with thick lips and wide-open eyes.The U.S. govt. found this very racist and said shouldn't be used in today's world. Mexico's govt. responds back saying that they have been stereotyped as well by the cartoon of Speedy Gonzalez and that wasn't claimed too much to be a racial slur for many years so their cartoon character shouldn't be considered a racial slur. The article was basically about the govt.'s arguing back and forth about stereotypes and the ironic thing is both nation's stereotype each other all the time and throughout history so the question is why accuse each other of stereotyping each other when everyone does it. that can be simply answered with that the media and newspapers and especially our governments maintain these stereotypes to continue back and forth. If they didn't continue this then what the Americans and the Mexicans think of each other wouldnt be bad views it would actually probably be good views.

Stereotyping has been around forever and a huge issue that still continues today and will continue for a very long time due to the media. For example, the worst cases of stereotyping has been between America and Mexico. Throughout history they have both stereotyped each other through newspapers,radio stations, government policies, cartoons, television, and so on. They both accuse each other and make big deals about it and all their conflicts about stereotyping evolved from the media and the media keeps that issue pushing forward. This will continue to evolve through the media for a very long time in my opinion all we can do is just face it and deal with it like we have done everyday throughout history.

• What do you think about why the media is the main source for American's views on Mexicans?
• Do you agree or disagree that the media is the main source for the views/stereotypes that Americans have about Mexicans and why?

this is an political cartoon in an newspaper.

Discussion Questions: