Amy Klobuchar Says her Spanish Name Used to be Elena; Hilarity Ensues

During a meeting with a mostly Hispanic crowd, Amy Klobuchar reminded us her Spanish name used to be Elena –for some reason.

During a meeting Tuesday night with Culinary Union members in Las Vegas, Sen. Amy Klobuchar tried to relate to a mostly Hispanic crowd by talking about her fourth-grade Spanish and other Spanish-related anecdotes. According to various reports, Klobuchar kicked off her presentation by saying: “My name is Amy, but when I was in fourth grade Spanish they gave me the name Elena.”

I decided to tweet out a video of the exchage using the hashtag #MyKlobucharEthnicName and what followed was a hilarious thread of people sharing their “ethnic name.” Purely for this blogger’s entertainment (I hope).

WATCH the original video (below) and then scroll down for some hilarious responses:

Hispanics at Starbucks

Shut up, Alicia!

Chomp, chomp!

Lalo is Klobuspeak for AMLO

EMLO, anyone?

JUST FOLLOW #MyKlobucharEthnicName for more entertainment…

Got Milk? Too Bad. This Texas Shop Wants to Know if you Got Papers Instead

As if things were not already difficult for Hispanics living in America these days, local businesses are now trolling us with a supposedly funny t-shirt that takes a jab at Hispanics by questioning their legal status.

The above t-shirt –that takes a page from the popular Got Milk slogan–was spotted a few days ago in Ebony Mart, a popular shopping stop for Hispanics in Port Arthur, Texas, by local residents who found it outrageous –and definitely not funny.

As of this writing, the store owner had apologized and reportedly stopped selling said t-shirts, which I’m willing to bet are Made in either Mexico or El Salvador, two of America’s main exporters of cotton apparel.  🤷🏽‍♀️

Via: Local 12 News 

 

 

Being Hispanic in America Used to Be Challenging; Now It’s Outright Dangerous 😱

I’m not going to lie: These days –after many, many years living on this side of the border– I’ve become increasingly uneasy about doing things that I normally would do in public: Speak Spanish, wear hoop earrings, say outloud I’m Mexican a mucha honra, etc. etc.

The reason? As I keep saying on Twitter, being a minority in America used to be difficult, yes, but now it’s just plain dangerous.

Barely days after an anti-Mexican nutcase shot dozens of people in a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, many of them fatally, another member of the “I Am a White Dude Who Hates Hispanics” clan was arrested after making a series of social media threats against Hispanics in the Miami area.

According to multiple press reports, Eric Lin, a Maryland native, sent a bunch of threatening messages on Facebook professing his nazi beliefs, and vowing to exterminate the entire “Latin Race” [sic] which he also referred to as “rabid dogs.”

Unsurprisingly, Mr. Lin then went on to praise the “great president” of this nation, who as we all know kicked off his presidential campaign by calling us criminals, drug-dealers and rapists.

Coincidence? Ummmmmm….

Trump, Still Strong Among Grammatically-Challenged Latinos

While president Donald Trump claims that his crusade for more border security and the construction of a southern border wall have made his popularity rise among Hispanics, pollsters consulted by Politico and other media outlets have put those numbers into question. Not only that, a closer look to recent polls show holes in the methodology and show that Hispanic support for the president is not really on the rise.

Percentages and polls aside, Latinos and Latinas (or as some like to say “Latinx”) who still support the president would be well-advised to proofread their Spanish-language messages.

Via: @stonecold2050

Last time I checked, the correct Spanish translation of Latinos for Trump was Latinos por Trump and not Latinos PARA Trump” as some will have you believe. But I guess they don’t really care, do they? Heck, they even have their own t-shirts!

Carolina Herrera Vows to Make Sarapes Great Again!

Sarapewear

Move over Michael Kors’ jerga fashion, the next big thing in Mexican-inspired fashion comes courtesy of Carolina Herrera, who is launching her “unique” Mexico-inspired collection.

According to Atlanta-born Wes Gordon, creative director of the Carolina Herrera brand, the 2020 Mexico collection draws its inspiration from the traditional “sarape, embroidered flowers and the cempasúchitl flower to bring to life one of the most vibrant –and visually rich– Carolina Herrera collections.” TRANSLATION: It’s basically another case of ripping off the traditional embroidery and designs of local indigenous peoples.

Please note that the models are NOT inspired on the looks of said indigenous peoples… 

Mexico-Inspired…

Inspiration?

Photo via Vogue México

Monolingual Drunk Berates Woman for Speaking Spanish; He Gets Lectured… in Spanglish

Another day, another drunken, monolingual moron in America feels threatened by people speaking Spanish around them.

In the latest episode of an increasingly common occurence, a man in El Paso, Texas claiming to be a war veteran goes off on a local woman for speaking Spanish to… her mom.

“This is America… We speak English here! Why don’t you speak English?” says the man, who according to local media, is a war veteran from Wisconsin.

I’m sure the incident was very upsetting for the women, but the exchange quickly turns quite hilarious as the woman’s mother starts yelling back at the man… not in English or Spanish, but in Spanglish.

“Como vas a estar tomando beer in the morning?  Puto!”

The whole exchange is a bit ridiculous (and innecessarily long, if you asked me) but watch it below if you’re so inclined… SIGH.

Via: El Diario La Prensa

‘Hola México’ Photoshops Yalitza Aparicio; Hilarity Ensues

From Edgar G. Pichardo (@ElDeCreativo)

Hola México jumped on the Yalitza Aparicio bandwagon with a colorful splash –and cover story honoring the Oscar-nominated indigenous actress. But Hola México being Hola México, decided to give Yalitza the not-so-indigenous look, going a little heavy on the Photoshop, both on the cover and in the inside pages of the magazine.

Twitter Mexico, of course, responded as it usually does: With dozens of possible, hilarious theories to explain Yalitza’s impossibly long legs.

Here’s a screenshot taken from the pages of Hola México:

And here are some of my favorite reactions:

Two theories

Three knees?

What is going on?

A matter of … perspective?

Another possibility

Well…

The ‘MEXICO WILL PAY FOR THE WALL’ Jumpsuit is Now $29.95 on Amazon

 

Remember that infamous Toys R Us store in Portugal?

Well, now you can add another wall-related product to a growing list of nonsensical merchandise.

Just in time for Christmas 2018, there’s the MEXICO WILL PAY for the wall zip-up jumpsuit, currently on sale on Amazon.com for only $29.95 or less!

WARNING: This thing is made of 90 percent Nylon and 10 percent spandex, which will be just perfect for hanging around with your friends at a Halloween party –as long as it doesn’t take place on a United flight.

Sign me up for a few of these, Amazon. I’m going to have some real fun during my next trip to Mexicou!.

Via: The Huffington Post

Netflix Readies Show about Rich, Scandinavian-looking Mexicans 🙄

What could possibly go wrong?

I’m sure at this point you’re well aware of Mexico’s Scandinavian-looking talent, the ones that get all the TV gigs and –unsurprisingly– hail from FRFs (Filthy Rich Families.)

Add one more to the list, as Netflix this week will premiere Made in Mexico, its first reality series about, well, rich, white Mexicans.

Produced by a non-Mexican production company (Love Productions USA,) Made in Mexico seeks to “cast a light on Mexico City’s wealthy families and their opulent lifestyles as it trails nine socialites.”

Made in Mexico debuts September 28 in all territories where Netflix is available and this blogger will be watching –of course.

Via: CNET en Español

 

SHOCKING: Light-skinned, Blond Mexicans are more Successful, Get Better Jobs: Study

Mexican güeritos in El Show de Cristina

The Mexican government has –finally– confirmed what this blogger has been hammering for, like, ages: The darker a person’s skin, the more difficult it is to get ahead in Mexico.

A study commissioned  by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) concluded that skin color “has an influence on the level of education that people reach as well as the employment opportunities available to them.”

Oh, look! Scandinavian Mexicans

And that is not all. A previous study by Mexico’s National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED), also showed that a whopping 20 percent of Mexicans’ “don’t feel comfortable with the color of their skin and many feel they had been discriminated against because of their physical appearance, mainly for being dark-skinned.

“Discrimination against people of brown complexion has been normalized for a very long time,” Evelia Reyes, a social and cultural history educator at the College of Mexico, told Mexico’s Animal Político.

You don’t say.

I’m no social worker or history educator and know almost nothing about research. But I’ve been watching Mexican television long enough to have an idea or two of where this whole “normalization” comes from.

Oh, and if you want to be further depressed, WATCH the video below. SIGH.

Via: El Universal

Some New York City Lawyers are Genuinely Bilingual…

As seen in multicultural Harlem

… unlike racist New York lawyer Aaron Schlossberg, who once claimed to be “fluent in Spanish” but then went batshit crazy and threatened to call ICE on people speaking the language at his local deli.

Shame on you, Señor Schlossberg. You should learn from the fine lawyers of Spanish Harlem, who I’m sure are much more attuned to the sensibilities of a multicultural, multiethnic city –and the need for [true] bilingual professionals.

Photo: Laura Martínez, NYC 2018

Latinos Threw a Party for Racist Lawyer Aaron Schlossberg in Manhattan. It Was Amazing! 💃🏻

If you ever broke a piñata –and had to sing the accompanying song that goes with it, you’ll see how brilliant this is. Sign by Jessica Solt. Photos: Laura Martínez

Being Hispanic in the U.S. has become a sort of act of resistance for many of us. Not only because we have to deal with a president who launched his candidacy by calling Mexicans a bunch of rapists and criminals, but because that same presidency seems to be enabling all kinds of racist behavior towards “these people” (i.e. Latinos, Hispanics, Beaners or whatever you want to call “my people.”)

In one of the most recent of these episodes, a video went viral this week showing New York attorney Aaron Schlossberg verbally attacking deli employees for –wait for it– speaking Spanish. In Manhattan. At a deli. Imagine that!

In the video (which was first reported by Latino Rebels), we can see Schlossberg complaining aggressively to the deli’s management, saying “your staff is speaking Spanish to clients when they should be speaking English. Every person I listen to: he spoke it, he spoke it, she’s speaking it,” he says, pointing angrily at several people in the place.

The incident spread quickly across social media and made it eventually to the main media outlets, causing hilarious scenes where reporters were trying to interview Schlossberg just to see him running away as if someone had called La Migra on him.

The hero of the afternoon: The dude with the big Bluetooth speaker

Needless to say, Schlossberg’s tirade got Latinos very angry (and many reasonable non-Latinos, of course) but I’m happy to report that “my people” responded in the best way possible: By throwing him a Latin FIESTA right on his block, outside a posh apartment building on West 60th Street, in the heart of Manhattan.

The party, which took place on Friday, May 18, was organized by a group known as Millennials for Revolution on Facebook who invited people to show Schlossberg that speaking Spanish is not a crime and that “we will gladly educate you on our culture and language by throwing a big fiesta.”

And it was goooood!

It was only 5:30 pm but dozens of people were already gathered, listening to music, waving improvised signs and chanting things like Hablamos español!  I don’t know exactly how, but I found myself joining the crowd dancing to some good ol’ Latin favorites: From Celia Cruz’ Quimbara, to Elvis Crespo’s Suavemente and –yes– several versions of Despacito. Ay!

The fiesta reached its peak when a mariachi band, organized through a GoFundMe page that has raised over $1,000, arrived on site and gave us some old time Mexican favorites, including a moving version of Cielito lindo, which had us all singing out loud.

I created the #AaronSchlossbergLatinParty hashtag on Twitter and was happy to see it was used by other users to help spread the love.

Click through this Twitter moment and ¡Que siga la fiesta!

 

UPDATE: On Tuesday May 22, the racist lawyer used social media to apologize. The apology is lame and I don’t believe him, but here it is:

Starbucks, Now Serving Coffee with a Dash of Racism

I’ll have a Venti with room for racism

Paisanos BEWARE!

Next time you go to a Starbucks and order a venti, tall, mocha, latte, foamy frapuccino (or whatever the hell it is they call a coffee over there) make sure to leave some room for … racism.

In the latest episode involving the coffee chain and a non-white person, a Latino customer says that when he received his drink, it came with the word BEANER written on it –even though he clearly told them his name was Pedro, which apparently is synonym of “Mexican.”

I’m not entirely sure why, but these type of “incidents” are happening more and more frequently in this melting pot we call America. Perhaps it’s just part of the whole process of making it GREAT AGAIN. 🤔

Via: USA Today

The Deportation Bus Might be My Free Ticket Back to Mexicou!

Photo by Ana Clavel on Facebook

If you thought American politicians had run out of ideas to get rid of those pesky Mexicans, think again.

I give you The Deportation Bus, a moving campaign ad for GOP Georgia governor candidate Michael Williams, who is running on a promise of getting rid of all “those illegals.”

According to The Hill:

“We’re not just going to track them and watch them roam around our state,” Williams says. “We’re going to put them on this bus and send ‘em home.”

I mean, I’m not precisely an “illegal,” but given the current political here, a free ride back to Mexico doesn’t sound like a really bad idea right now.