I chose this picture because it represents much discrimination not only to race but ethnicity. We serve White’s only no Spanish or Mexicans. First of all, no one is “Spanish.” A person may speak Spanish or maybe they came from Spain, but their racial background is not Spanish. This shows the lack of respect white people had for the Mexican race/ethnicity in the early 19th century. That leads me to how this picture ties into our class material.
In Takaki chapter 12 “El Norte: The borderland of Chicano America” we discussed the many mechanisms of social construction. From education where many Mexican Americans were denied jobs because they were perceived as lazy, poorly dressed, dirty, ill educated, and thieves; To limited education and the know-how only of how to work and survive in the fields picking corn. In the end, many Mexican men and their entire families worked in the fields, farms, and ranches and their children did the same with little or no education. This sign surprisingly is written in correct English there were no “purposeful” mistakes making fun of the Mexicans for their lack of education, but that’s only one step up. For this sign emotionally scars Mexican people in other ways. It brings them down to the level of the Blacks. Both the Mexicans and Blacks had to eat with their “own-colored people.” Having the skin color of black was a more of a disgrace than having a lighter so-called tanner color. For as we discussed in class the darker your skin tone the lower class level you were in. There is an example on page 326 chapter 12 of Takaki saying, “A group of us Mexicans who were all dressed once went to a restaurant in Amarillo, and they (white people) told us that if we wanted to eat we should go to the special department where it said ‘For Colored People’. I told my friend that I would rather die from starvation than to humiliate myself before the Americans by eating with the Negroes.” This quote depicts the exact conversation we had in class. Mexicans were offended to eat with black people and this humiliated them. That is why this sign is very cruel. Not only do the Whites discriminate the “Spanish or Mexicans” they are overall telling them that because of their color they are thought of as inferior just the same as the Negroes were. They even go one notch in up and make fun of their nationality. Like I said before “Spanish” is not an ethnicity or a race it is a language. Maybe White people thought if they put Spanish and Mexican on the sign they could avoid all people who looked Mexican or spoke Spanish I’m not sure.
I think this sign is very unique. You don’t see any signs saying We Serve White’s only no hood or blacks. I’m not sure what a good example would be there but I think you get my point. I’m not surprised that these kinds of signs were put up keeping people who are not white out of a restaurant, but this is my first sign I’ve seen specifically excluding Spanish or Mexicans. I’ve gone through many history classes learning about segregation of blacks in restaurants and other places, this is my first really full learning of how much more discrimination and separation there is in America.
www.somosprimos.com/sp2007/spfeb07/weserve.jpg
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Outstanding dissertation. I always find it strange when the pop culture tries so hard to impose it's ignorance because it is perceived as P.C. politically correct. I am a white person with a Spanish sir name. My grandmother and Grand Father are from Durango MX. On there Border crossing in 1901 the following is clearly written on the document. White Mexican. I found that intriguing because of the level of discrimination at the time that a white American boarder office would take the time to differentiate.
Growing up in the San Fernando Valley during the failed forced bussing experiment, I was never considered Mexican or even Latino. The Mexicans at my school never considered me a part of them. I did not speak Spanish and never related to anything except American culture. I find it so ridiculous that now I have to be labeled Hispanic because everyone is excepting it. Bull****t. I am what I am and refuse to let someone's misguided ignorance label me. Shame on those who think Mexican, Hispanic or Spanish is a race. Fools.
The crazy thing is that in the US we see mainly Indian or Mestiso Mexicans. So, strangely Americans think all Mexicans look like that. The thing the news doesn't report is that the European descendants in Mexico discriminate completely against the Indian mixed Mexican. The ones with the wealth there are Whites. But this is never shown.
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