Fernando,

I hope your stay in the U.S. wasn't marred by the fact that your host family wasn't responsive to your questions. I think it's essential that exchange programs offer an opportunity for growth and understanding by everyone. It appears they may have failed you by not having an open mind.

Were you in an American school for a full year or just part of a year? What state?

ElGato

[ 07-10-2001: Message edited by: ElGato ]

Hehe, well, I find my way into american way of thinking. I talk with a lot of neighbours, with my teachers and with other american teenagers, so finally I think I had a good picture of how the american society is (but I know in other states may be quite different).

I stayed in Gaithersburg, near Washington DC for 1 month, studying english and spending my summer trying to meet a culture different of mine. It was a very positive experience (of course it has its shadows, but overall it was fine).

You don't realise how different you are from the rest of the world. It is very interesting how you have developed your own culture :-)

I adore many things of America, and obviously I can't stand others (as it always has to be).

It's a pity my host family didn't stay in home too much. I remember I was bored for long periods of time (I was alone at home). Being 16 years-old in that year it wasn't allowed to me to get out of there and looking around (but I did it anyway, what the hell... ).

colored pencils? In Franco's times people avoided to say the word 'rojo' (red) because it had political meaning (comunist) and they used 'colorado'. In Spain the word 'negro' is absolutly correct even for persons unless you use a despective tone.

About Juan Valdés I think it could be annoying as it gives an image about Colombia where people rides donkeys instead of driving cars, etc...but I think it's just marketing about the product trying to reflect it is handle with care, so nobody finds it important, I'm more worried about most films where the bads, since the end of the cold war, are arab terrorists or latin narcos....

About the conguito I think it's just a cartoon, there are also a lot of spanish products with cartoons about spanish topics included the typical spanish 'paleto', gipsy dancer, la fallera, the bull, tío Pepe.... but they are just brands with a little bit old fashioned design but with a good product known since a long time, they don't have money to spend in marketing and they just have the fidelity of the customers that trust on that brand.

Anyway, I find important the PC in general.

Of course the conguito man is a racist caricature, and if you are anti-racist you certainly should see it as such. Whether it is extremely offensive to all people depends on the context. The problem with many trademarks such as this, but more usually coffee, sugar, chocolate and bananas is that they usually portray colonised peoples as mere producers. Add a twist of exoticism (palm trees) or danger (conguito cannibal) and you have a stereotype which reproduces western notions of the third world.If this influences people's opinions, then obviously it's a negative thing.
Having said that, I know some Africans who have laughed in private at conguito, just as I have sniggered at anti-Irish jokes (I'm Irish) when told to me by a friend who has clearly no prejudices on this front. I am offended however when a clearly racist, sexist, macho comedian makes overtly racist, sexist or homophobic jokes on prime time television – which often happens in Spain - as these will be picked up on be people who (I'm not being elitist) won't know any better, and who will feel reinforced in their own narrow-minded views.
Conguito, for this reason, is offensive. It does reinforce stereotypes of Africa. I doubt whether it in itself directly contributes to racism, but it is offensive all the same, and is perhaps irresponsible.

Thanks LaMaestra, Miguelito, Fernando and Caminante. For some hours, before, I thought I was the only one that, however considers that language must be respectful with people's sensitivities, thinks that in this, like in many other cases these critics are going too far.

Half an hour ago I went to the shop round the corner, to buy a Conguitos, and this way see the figure, because I remember it like a black man with a spear but I can't recall a white man being boiled (Barry said they were showed like cannibals/savages).

I think the intention of the message in the figure is to link the idea of a dark brown-peanut-and-chocolate sweet with an old-times-dark brown-african-warrior. I saw advertisements in TV in the old times (nowadays there are no longer), and they meant no harm to the black people's image.

¿Should an italian feel angry because a make of pizza is represented by a roman soldier? ¿Does this make the people believe that Italy is 2000 years back after any modern society in technology or civilizaton?
It is ridiculous.

Thanks also Eva for having been able to see this real meaning in your post 7/4/2000. And, yes, what I meant is that it is a pity that you will not be able to have any more innocents Conguito men anymore, because the overconsciousness fashion has gone too far.

Well! I never thought my little question would cause such a controversy. I don’t think that this is something that will ever be resolved. Maybe the good thing is that our Conguito man inspires discussion so that we can be more aware of other people’s opinions.

Thank you all for your input.

I keep on thinking it is not ofensive nor racist. Racism comes where you imply that someone is better for being black, white, yellow or purple.

Do you think a conguito is offensive to an african? To which? In the north of Africa noboy is black, they are very brown, but almost all are "white". The berebers in Morocco and Algeria have sometimes blue eyes and are blond (they where originally a german tribe).

The disrrespect comes just if you thnik in all Africa people are like a conguito. In Africa there are isolated tribes of course, but you may also find some great and well developed cities.

I repeat: What counts is the intention, not what it is sayed.

Why is incorrect to say that someone is black if he is? By black you are only implying that the color of his skin is black, nothing more nothing less, no disrrespect, no racism and any such other things. Will I feel offended if someone calls me white? No, it is the color of my skin.

I really don't understand this paranoia about the using of words, unless the term 'black' in the States imply any other meanings...

I think it's a sad day when teachers in schools in England daren't refer to blackboards as such, but have to call them chalkboards or something. I've lived away from there for a long time now and each story I hear like that opens my eyes wider. I like to think that here in Spain we are maybe a bit naive or innocent when we can't read any wrong into stuff like that, rather than be branded as racist or politically incorrect.

Wow this thread has really spun in a couple of days! Now we're debating racism! Woo hoo!

I loved the anecdotal soccer race riot story, la maestra...that is classic (and sadly, VERY believable!).

FYI: "Aunt Jemima" is known as "La Negrita" in Mexico. It's always nice to know that insensitivity and stereotyping know no political boundaries!

Lest anyone misunderstand me (Ignacio), I'm definitely NOT a proponent of PC. However, I am definitely a defender of diversity. When I see the Little Ceasar pizza man, I have a different reaction than when I see the Conguito mascot. The difference is that the Conguito is an offensive caricature, and definitely does NOT "link the idea of a dark brown-peanut-and-chocolate sweet with an old-times-dark brown-african-warrior." Have you seen the boiler on the Conguito? He couldn't outrun a sloth with that belly! It perpetuates a stereotype that most Spaniards have had trouble dealing with for years: That of the black African. (Trust me, we Americans aren't doing much better...but we've been at it for a shorter time...)

Eva: Thanks for opening "la caja de Pandora"...but actually I'm as surprised as you, and I'm glad you did. I didn't even know I had an opinion on this until I made one up!!

Racism is racism. You can't put a smiley face on it by asking if it is or is not politically correct.

The simple fact is, if we do not act out against it happening, we are no better than the people that are racists. We allow them to have a forum to spread their hatred.

Wolf