Category: Education

White House Restores Spanish-language Twitter Account; Tweets Typo, of Course

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Can you spot the typo?

Well, that was fast!

After much criticism for having deleted all of its Spanish-language content online, Donald Trump’s White House on Tuesday restored the @LaCasaBlanca Twitter handle, one that had remained idle since the new administration took over on January 20. The account came back with a simple tweet, welcoming Spanish speakers and inviting them to follow and stay in touch with the latest news.

Many Hispanics took to Twitter to react, mostly to respond they would never follow the new administration and some even pointed out a tiny grammatical mistake, which even to this blogger is not really a big deal: The lack of the opening exclamation point in the last phrase.

However… barely a few hours later, a second Spanish-language tweet arrived, this time to inform us about the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. The problem? This time they went with a full typo, writing “Defenderála” (a non-existent word) to explain what Gorsuch will supposedly do with the Constitution.

Oh well, looks like the new administration and their “Hispanic communication experts” will be giving this blogger tons of material to work with.

Via: CNET en Español

Hold onto your Sombrero! UNESCO Declares ‘Charrería’ Intangible Cultural Heritage

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charros

Ok, not everything sucks this 2016.

UNESCO this week declared Mexican charrería as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.”

For the uninitiated — and especially for those who think Mexicans are offended by sombreros — charrería is a traditional practice dedicated to the breeding and grazing of cattle on horseback.

Via: UNESCO

 

See? Even the GOP Knows Mexicans Speak Perfect English Before Crossing the U.S. Border

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mike-pape

Mike Pape, a Republican dude running for Kentucky’s first Congressional district, has released a new TV ad featuring what he thinks are Latino immigrants, complete with Mario Bros.-like mustaches and fake accents.

In the :30 TV spot (below) three men, presumably undocumented immigrants attempting to cross the border into the U.S., are running to a fence and cutting through it when they reveal their very specific political plans: To help stop Donald Trump and Ted Cruz but also Pape himself, because he’s going to help those two build a wall and repeal Obamacare and stuff.

The whole thing is so hilarious it’s hard to be offended. In fact, my favorite part of this whole thing are the English subtitles, because — in case you haven’t noticed — these guys are actually SPEAKING ENGLISH!

So, WTF Señor Pape? Get your caca together, man!

WATCH. CRINGE. DO NOT REPEAT.

Via: Think Progress

British TV Producers Punish Peruvian Tribe by Sending a Bunch of White, Disrespectful Teenagers

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‘Ethan and Alex are sent to Peru to live with the Ashaninka tribe for crimes of laziness and being spoilt’

What to do with lazy, spoilt, disrespectful teenagers who do nothing but play video games all day long?

Send them to Peru, of course!

That is basically the premise of Tribal Teens, a reality TV show hailing form England that sends entitled little brats to live in “dire conditions” and face “life-changing challenges” in some of the world’s most remote tribes.

Among these are the Ashaninka indians in the Peruvian Amazon, who for some screwed up reason ended hosting not only these spoiled, disrespectful teens, but an army of television producers, cameramen, make-up artists, etc., etc.

Seriously, dude. What did the Ashaninka do to deserve this punishment? Can somebody please fill me in?

This Bernie Sanders Ad in Spanish Will [Hopefully] Make you Appreciate that Big Salad

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The 5-minute documentary will run on Univision
A five-minute mini doc will run on Univision next week

In an effort to court Hispanics and — hopefully — make non-Hispanics think hard about what goes in their grande salads and Chipotle salsas, Bernie Sanders will be running a five-minute documentary in Spanish (below.)

According to the New York Times (which by the way failed to properly translate part of the plot) the mini documentary will run nationally on the Univision network and several Univision-affiliated stations, just days before the March 15 Democratic primary in Florida.

Watch. Think about it. Watch again, and remember it next time you savor a juicy tomato.

Edinburgh University Bans Costumes of ‘Mexicans, Gangsters and Mental Patients’

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No Mexican costume for you!
No Mexican costume for you!

Pity the students at Edinburgh University.

For reasons that escape this non-Scottish, freedom-of-speech-advocate Mexican blogger, students at this fine institution have been banned from wearing “offensive fancy dress costumes,” which according to said institution, include “Mexicans, gangsters, mental patients and camp men.”

Per the University ordinance:

“It is also not acceptable to use props to emphasise racial characteristics in order to convey an individual or character. A good costume should be clear enough that you do not need racial or cultural additions.”

I don’t know about you but I still don’t understand how a Scottish person smoking a gigantic plastic cigar and wearing an Andaluz hat qualifies as “a Mexican.” Besides, someone still has to explain to me how my people (i.e. the Mexicans) ended up in the same bin with gangsters and mental patients.

I mean, WTH Scotland? We used to get along!

Via: The Scotsman

Because the Colombia-Not-Columbia Blunder is so Passé…

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Well, at least it doesn't say 'Columbia.'
Well, at least it doesn’t say ‘Columbia.’
Having mastered the art of writing “Colombia” when it meant to write “Columbia,” The New York Times via The Associated Press has decided to move onto yet another Latin American-themed, Spanish-language mixup.

So, as I was saying: #ItsManuelNotManual*

Just like #ItsColombiaNotColumbia

Hat tip: @tropicarlitos

This Is What I Think about Deport Racism’s Cursing Kids Video Against Trump

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DeportRacismKids

Democratic Latino political group Deport Racism this week released a profanity-laced video (below) featuring a bunch of otherwise adorable kids denouncing Donald Trump by calling him things like racist fuck, racista de mierda and other not-so-adorable things. The campaign, says the group, is a “justified attack for a good cause.”

As a Mexican who grew up in a profanity-laced Mexican household (in Mexico,) I am not at all shocked by the obscenities; what I find truly shocking — and shameful —  is the stupidity of the people behind this thing. I mean, really? Is this all you could come up with? **

**For the record, I do think Donald Trump is a clueless fuck.

Watch. Cringe. Do not repeat.

Non-Mexican People In Kentucky Apologize for Dressing up as Mexican People

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¡Ajúa!
How else are you going to have fun in Louisville, Kentucky? Give these people a break

Poor James Ramsey.

The President of the University of Louisville was having a lot of fun wearing a sombrero and shaking a pair of maracas, but then he was scolded for his “cultural insensitivity” and was forced to apologize to a bunch of Hispanics.

According to The Associated Press:

The University of Louisville apologized to the school’s entire Hispanic community Thursday after a photo surfaced showing President James Ramsey among a group of staffers at a Halloween party dressed in matching stereotypical Mexican costumes.

I will never understand why these people should apologize to anybody or why Hispanics (and other non-Mexicans) should be appalled and/or offended over these incidents.

Personally, I feel terrible for these fellows. I mean, how else are you going to have fun when you live in Kentucky?

Give them a break!

Hat tip: Begoña Lozano

Hillary or Evita? NPR Asks, Latinos Respond, Hilarity Ensues

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Evita? Hillary?
Evita? Hillary?

NPR has finally discovered Hillary Clinton’s new Spanish-language posters, which — as everybody knows —  make her look a little too much like Eva Perón, the actress turned first lady of Argentina.

You can read the story here, but the best part about this so far is the reaction of some Latinos on Twitter. Here are just some of my favorites:

On peronism….

On being The Force

Ojo yanquis…

To the Donald…

Pure hilarity…

 

Spanish-Dubbed Chinese Telenovelas Are Way Better than Regular Telenovelas

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EsposaValiente

This is a story of love, passion and betrayal, but its main protagonists do not boast names like Camila Valentina, or Eduardo Alberto Manuel.

Meet Xie An Zhen and Wen Rui Fan, the protagonists of Esposa valiente (Xi Li Ren Qi in Chinese, or The Fierce Wife) a nightly telenovela airing nightly on Spanish-language KJLA-TV channel 57 in Los Angeles.

The story might sound familiar to any drama lover: Xie An Zhen is happily married with one daughter until her husband cheats on her with her cousin, and “the ensuing divorce becomes a battle of love and wits.” But Esposa valiente is not your typical telenovela. It is, in fact, part of an initiative by the Taiwanese government to promote Taiwanese culture in the U.S.

“If we talk about politics every day, nobody will listen,” Steve Hsia, director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times. “If we can shorten the distance between Taiwan and other nations through culture, that’s helpful.”

I’m not sure if this thing is going to shorten the distance between Latinos and Taiwan, but the story looks juicy enough for this blogger to go get hooked. Oh, and the dubbing makes it particularly awesome!

Via: Los Angeles Times

According to Nielsen, I’ll be ‘Wealthy, Healthy and Wise’ Very Soon… So, Yay!

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Nielsen

If everything goes according to plan — and if Nielsen’s latest research is accurate — I will no longer be poor, unhealthy and prone to making poor decisions.

According to Nielsen’s The New American Vanguard, a 2015 report on Latinos 50+:

“While younger Hispanics are commanding wide-spread attention, it’s actually older Hispanics who are leading the way, extending a strong cultural influence over their families and their communities at large.”

In fact, Hispanics 50+ will kick so much butt that they “will lead the way by living and working longer, establishing increased wealth potential and bearing the torch as the cultural matriarchs in their families and communities.”

And that is not all. In addition to being wealthy and a “cultural matriarch,” it looks like I will also be healthier (at last!). According to page 23 of said report, I will soon prefer “healthy and organic food,” which apparently means I’ll be ditching street tacos in favor of a kale-based, gluten-free diet.

Last but not least, and because being wealthy and healthy is certainly not enough, I’ll be making smarter choices in my life. Apparently, once I turn 50, I’ll be playing a crucial role “in the formation of a new mainstream society that is culturally inclusive as well as rooted in traditional American values of patriotism, hard work, personal optimism and faith in Americans’ collective future.”

Really? Wow! I can’t wait.

Trump Sends Ramos Back to Univision; Ramos not Helping Make America Great Again

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trumpRamos

Donald Trump (aka Mexico’s favorite piñata) this evening decided to kick Jorge Ramos out of a press conference, because Ramos wouldn’t sit down nor shut up, which basically means he’s not helping make America great again.

¡Pinche Ramos, pues!

Here’s a Vine from the great Gabe Ortiz

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