Blockbuster giving away "Gringo" voodoo dolls ahead of soccer match.

Blockbuster giving away "Gringo" voodoo dolls ahead of soccer match.

www.washingtonpost.com

Blockbuster stores in Mexico City began trading Record newspaper coupons for voodoo-doll likenesses of U.S. soccer players Friday. The back of the dolls' jersey reads, "Gringos."

(visit the link for the full news article)

This is an amazing example of the double standard involving race in this country and around the world. Here we have a major US corporation giving away voodoo dolls that have a racial term for white people on the back. Does anyone here really beleive they would be ok with the same dolls, but instead of gringo they said "slope"?

I'm not saying that I'm personally insulted by it, because I was taught that sticks and stone might break my bones, but words will never hurt. That being said, its still mind blowing that this is being supported by blockbuster and no attention is being brought by the media. CNN didn't even mention the that the dolls said Gringo on the back (It didn't fit their template).

edition.cnn.com...

The move has also been supported by U.S. chain Blockbuster, which began trading the coupons for dolls in its Mexican stores last week.

Complete with pins, the dolls represent U.S. players, however, users are instructed to wish for Mexican goals, rather than hoping for harm upon the U.S. players.

www.washingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm just shocked Mexico City even has Blockbusters.

Those Mexicans love us. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many in the USA! Just kidding.

I am sure it's just a team rivalry thing. Typical in sports.

Originally posted by Mynaeris
Those Mexicans love us. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many in the USA! Just kidding.

I am sure it's just a team rivalry thing. Typical in sports.

Its typical for major corporations to have racially derogatory promotions? Could you list any other like this, that were accepted and considered "typical sports rivalry"?

reply to post by Cio88





Let's play "prick the gringo..."

It's not like the Illegals have been doing it for years.

Originally posted by Cio88


This is an amazing example of the double standard involving race in this country and around the world. Here we have a major US corporation giving away voodoo dolls that have a racial term for white people on the back.

Gringo is not a racial term for white. Gringo is a Latin American reference for foreigner, usually American, but often used to as a reference for any non-Spanish speaking foreigner.

All of your subsequent points are moot.

[edit on 11-2-2009 by Hellish-D]

reply to post by Hellish-D



You make a valid point , whenever I go cycling there is always some Mexican dude calling out "Hey White Girl you wanna man?"

They have never said "Hey Gringa you wanna man".

lol that's awesome...

I hope I can get one off of ebay

Originally posted by Cio88
Its typical for major corporations to have racially derogatory promotions? Could you list any other like this, that were accepted and considered "typical sports rivalry"?

The Washington Redskins...

of course you do realize that only white people can be racist and anything none whites say or do is just a bit of fun.....

reply to post by fatdad


Irrelevant to this discussion.

It is also inflammatory. Enjoy your bating, I'm curious to see where it leads.

reply to post by Hellish-D

Gringo is not a racial term for white. Gringo is a Latin American reference for foreigner, usually American, but often used to as a reference for any non-Spanish speaking foreigner.

I like how you left out this part:

www.thefreedictionary.com...

Word History: In Latin America the word gringo is an offensive term for a foreigner,

What exactly do you think every racial word out there is? Its the same thing, but you equivocate because it pertains to white people.

www.merriam-webster.com...

often disparaging : a foreigner in Spain or Latin America especially when of English or American origin ; broadly : a non-Hispanic person

The voodoo may not even work, since according to the roster, many on the team aren't even from the US.

Adu, Freddy M 5' 8" 140 06/02/1989 Potomac, Md. AS Monaco (France)
Altidore, Jozy F 6' 1" 175 11/06/1989 Boca Raton, Fla. Villarreal C.F. (Spain)
Beasley, DaMarcus M 5' 8 145 05/24/1982 Ft. Wayne, Ind. Glasgow Rangers (Scotland)
Bocanegra, Carlos D 6' 0" 170 05/25/1979 Alta Loma, Calif. Stade Rennais (France)
Bornstein, Jonathan D 5' 9" 145 11/07/1984 Los Alamitos, Calif. Chivas USA (MLS)
Bradley, Michael M 6' 2" 175 07/31/1987 Manhattan Beach, Calif. Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany)
Busch, Jon GK 5’ 10” 165 08/18/1976 Albany, N.Y. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Califf, Danny D 6' 1" 175 03/17/1980 Orange, Calif. FC Midtjylland (Denmark)
Cameron, Geoff M 6’ 3” 185 07/11/1985 Attleboro, Mass. Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Carroll, Brian M 5’ 10” 155 07/20/1981 Springfield, Va. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Cherundolo, Steve D 5' 6" 145 02/19/1979 San Diego, Calif. Hannover 96 (Germany)
Ching, Brian F 6’ 1” 195 05/24/1978 Haleiwa, Hawaii Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Clark, Ricardo M 5’ 10” 150 05/10/1983 Jonesboro, Ga. Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Cooper, Kenny F 6’ 3” 210 10/21/1984 Dallas, Texas FC Dallas (MLS)
Davies, Charlie F 5’ 10” 160 06/25/1986 Manchester, N.H. Hammarby IF (Sweden)
DeMerit, Jay D 6' 0" 185 12/04/1979 Green Bay, Wis. Watford FC (England)
Dempsey, Clint F 6' 1" 170 03/09/1983 Nacogdoches, Texas Fulham FC (England)
Donovan, Landon M 5' 8" 150 03/04/1982 Redlands, Calif. Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Edu, Maurice M 6' 0" 170 04/18/1986 Fontana, Calif. Glasgow Rangers (Scotland)
Feilhaber, Benny M 5' 9" 150 01/19/1985 Irvine, Calif. AGF Aarhus (Denmark)
Franklin, Sean D 5’ 10” 155 03/21/1985 Palmdale, Calif. Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Gaven, Eddie M 6’ 0" 165 10/25/1986 Hamilton, N.J. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Gibbs, Cory D 6’ 1” 178 01/14/1980 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Goodson, Clarence D 6’ 4” 170 05/17/1982 Alexandria, Va. IK Start (Norway)
Guzan, Brad GK 6' 4" 210 09/09/1984 Homer Glen, Ill. Aston Villa (England)
Hahnemann, Marcus GK 6' 3" 220 06/15/1972 Seattle, Wash. Reading FC (England)
Hejduk, Frankie D 5' 8 155 08/05/1974 Cardiff, Calif. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Hesmer, Will GK 6’ 2” 195 11/23/1981 Wilson, N.C. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Holden, Stuart M 5’ 10” 160 08/01/1985 Houston, Texas Houston Dynamo (MLS)
Howard, Tim GK 6' 3" 210 03/06/1979 North Brunswick, N.J. Everton FC (England)
Jewsbury, Jack M 6’ 0” 185 04/13/1981 Springfield, Mo. Kansas City Wizards (MLS)
Johnson, Eddie F 6' 0" 180 03/31/1984 Palm Coast, Fla. Cardiff City (Wales)
Kljestan, Sacha M 6’ 1” 150 09/09/1985 Huntington Beach, Calif. Chivas USA (MLS)
Lewis, Eddie M 5' 10 155 05/17/1974 Cerritos, Calif. Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
Marshall, Chad D 6’ 4” 190 08/22/1984 Riverside, Calif. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Mastroeni, Pablo M 5' 10 170 08/26/1976 Phoenix, Ariz. Colorado Rapids (MLS)
Moor, Drew D 6' 0" 170 01/15/1984 Dallas, Texas FC Dallas (MLS)
Onyewu, Oguchi D 6' 4" 210 05/13/1982 Olney, Md. Standard de Liege (Belgium)
Orozco, Michael D 5' 11" 160 02/07/1986 Orange, Calif. San Luis (Mexico)
Parkhurst, Michael D 5' 11" 155 01/24/1984 Providence, R.I. FC Nordsjælland (Denmark)
Pearce, Heath D 5' 10" 175 08/13/1984 Modesto, Calif. Hansa Rostock (Germany)
Perkins, Troy GK 6’ 2” 190 07/20/1981 Worthington, Ohio Valerenga IF (Norway)
Pickens, Matt GK 6’ 3” 200 04/05/1982 Washington, Mo. out of contract
Rogers, Robbie M 5’ 10” 165 05/12/1987 Huntington Beach, Calif. Columbus Crew (MLS)
Rolfe, Chris F 5’ 8” 145 01/17/1983 Kettering, Ohio Chicago Fire (MLS)
Simek, Frank D 5' 11' 165 10/13/1984 St. Louis, Mo. Sheffield Wednesday (England)
Spector, Jonathan D 6' 0" 180 03/01/1986 Arlington Heights, Ill. West Ham United (England)
Szetela, Danny M 5' 11" 170 06/07/1987 Clifton, N.J. Brescia (Italy)
Thorrington, John M 5’ 8” 150 10/17/1979 Palos Verdes, Calif. Chicago Fire (MLS)
Torres, José Francisco M 5' 7" 135 10/29/1987 Longview, Texas Pachuca (Mexico)
Wingert, Chris D 5’ 10” 155 06/16/1982 Babylon, N.Y. Real Salt Lake (MLS)
Wynne, Marvell D 5' 9" 170 05/08/1986 Poway, Calif. Toronto FC (MLS)

link

reply to post by Cio88


And where in there does it say it pertains specifically to white people? Also, with regards to it's offensiveness, it is a rather mild offense, most often considered playful.

Also, since gringo refers to any non-Spanish speaking foreigner, Blacks are also gringos, as are Asians and non-Spanish speaking Hispanics.

Hey, that game is in 30 minutes.

Darn it, that explains why my gardener left in such a hurry today.

reply to post by Hellish-D

And where in there does it say it pertains specifically to white people? Also, with regards to it's offensiveness, it is a rather mild offense, most often considered playful.

This is what non-whites say about EVERY slur directed to whites. Be it "redneck", "cracker" or "honky". I always get the same excuse, "its not directed towards just white people" and "its playful". I doubt white people who live in Latin American countries would agree with you that its playful. Many of them live like second class citizens, paying "gringo prices" at markets and generally being treated like dirt.

The fact is, its a derogatory term being endorsed for promotions by a major company. Like I said, the name calling doesn't bother me, the double standard does.

[edit on 11-2-2009 by Cio88]

They are ALL from America Alxandro. Yes even Adu. He's not even playing in this game. The location at the end of their info is where they reside(play professionally). Mexico has several guys, nationalised from other s. American countries who are playing in this game.

My pick:
USA -3
Mex - 1

Originally posted by Hellish-D
Also, since gringo refers to any non-Spanish speaking foreigner, Blacks are also gringos, as are Asians and non-Spanish speaking Hispanics.

Same can be said about 'n-word's. It's not binded to only blacks, anyone can be one.

Fact remains Mexicans by far and large call whites "gringos". And even dispite what internet references and you claim as to what "gringo" means it has evolved to something more deogratory. Most mexicans I befriend or get to know through my line of work even say it's bad and they themselves won't say it(well to any whites faces at least).

Gringos:

A recurring etymology of gringo states that it originated during the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. This theory holds that Gringo comes from "green coat," used in reference to the American soldiers and the green color of their uniforms. Yet another story, from Mexico, holds that Mexicans with knowledge of the English language used to write "greens go home" on street walls referring to the color of the uniforms of the invading army and subsequently it became common for the rest of the population to yell "green go" whenever U.S. soldiers passed by. These explanations are unlikely, since the U.S. Army did not use green uniforms until the 1940s, but rather blue ones, and after that brown (early 20th century including World War I).[3] Another assertion maintains that one of two songs – either "Green Grow the Lilacs" or "O Green Grow the Rushes" – was popular at the time and that Mexicans heard the invading U.S. troops singing "Green grow..." and contracted this into gringo. However, there is ample evidence that the use of the word predates the Mexican-American War.

en.wikipedia.org...