Should Mario be banned?

[tony_good]

Clearly, Mario is a racist Italian stereotype. It's amazing that so few people realize this and that there isn't a public outcry to change or outright ban this character. Consider these variables:
1. He is a blue collar laborer.
2. He is short and overweight.
3. He speaks broken English.
4. He is unintelligent.

Were he a non-white, there is no doubt that people would be outraged. Sure, stereotypes may exist for a reason, but that is no excuse for this kind of bigotry to be promoted, ESPECIALLY for children!

[Dahne]

Hey, for all you know, he may very well be a highly accomplished intellectual. He manages to divine a way to metabolize common vegetable matter into an unlimited source of combustible fuel, complete with a means of lighting and projecting it, as well as a snappy outfit, all without tools of any kind and in the space of a fraction of a second.

[Pedro Lambrini]

Being a bit of a Mario fan I'd like to respond to the above points:

1) He may be a blue collar worker but he is also the saviour of the world and royal family members who now has friends in high places.

2) He may be a little round but how do you know he's short? The only character taller than him in the games is Bowser. He also grows quite a bit if he's fed properly (there's a moral tale in that alone!)

3) His english is not broken, he merely has an accent. Example: "Just what I needed!" or "It's a-me, Mario". Notice the accent on the 2nd example - it is NOT broken english.

4) What makes you think he is unintelligent? He solves all the puzzles thrown at him and he always gets the job done!

I rest my case your honour. Although I do feel you may have some hang up regarding Short, fat, foreign, stupid labourers... :D

[DigitalSpace]

This is ridiculous.

Lighten up, kthx.

[SegaAges]

there is some website that says how mario is a communist. it's super funny. I know somebody has the link

[DigitalSpace]

there is some website that says how mario is a communist. it's super funny. I know somebody has the link

http://nedmartin.org/amused/communist-mario

[Pedro Lambrini]

This is ridiculous.

Lighten up, kthx.

I don't know if you're responding to my post (I presume this cos it's the one directly above yours!) but if you are I'm sorry! It was meant in a light hearted way - that's why I put the big grin at the end of the message. I was just passing some time before work!

[atomicthumbs]

This is ridiculous.

Lighten up, kthx.

I don't know if you're responding to my post (I presume this cos it's the one directly above yours!) but if you are I'm sorry! It was meant in a light hearted way - that's why I put the big grin at the end of the message. I was just passing some time before work!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/atomicthumbs/alwayshave.jpg

[DigitalSpace]

I don't know if you're responding to my post (I presume this cos it's the one directly above yours!) but if you are I'm sorry! It was meant in a light hearted way - that's why I put the big grin at the end of the message. I was just passing some time before work!

I was responding to tony_good, not you! Your response was great. Sorry about the confusion. I have no ill will towards you whatsoever! :)



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/atomicthumbs/alwayshave.jpg

LOL

[Dobie]

Clearly, Mario is a racist Italian stereotype. It's amazing that so few people realize this and that there isn't a public outcry to change or outright ban this character. Consider these variables:
1. He is a blue collar laborer.
2. He is short and overweight.
3. He speaks broken English.
4. He is unintelligent.

Were he a non-white, there is no doubt that people would be outraged. Sure, stereotypes may exist for a reason, but that is no excuse for this kind of bigotry to be promoted, ESPECIALLY for children!

That's a really weak argument. Mario is not portrayed in a negative light. If the character were, say, a white collar CEO, does that change anything? Well, you'd have to get rid of the plumber motif, but that's about it.

I suppose if Mario was replaced with Lara Croft you'd be making the argument that the game was sexist. Instead you're complaining that he's "short and fat." You also make the assumption that if the character was anything but white, that its automatically racist. With your faulty logic, any game that portrays any person or stereotype should be banned.

There's a difference between having a character who happens to be Italian, and portraying Italians and their heritage in a bad light. Nothing in the game "pokes fun" at any ethnic group. Mario is about as docile as gaming characters get. Characters like Mario should be encouraged in gaming today. He's the antithesis of everything that's wrong in gaming's past and present.

[Darth Sensei]

Peta people should also hate Mario and he's a known animal abuser. :roll:

[dethink]

umm, is everyone's sarcasm detector broken this morning? ;)

[punkoffgirl]

Look, it's Tony Bueno! :)

[Flack]

1. He is a blue collar laborer.
2. He is short and overweight.
3. He speaks broken English.
4. He is unintelligent.

Sounds like my inlaws. Let's ban them too, while we're at it.

(Is "okie-dialect" considered broken English?)

[pixelsnpolygons]

1. He is a blue collar laborer.
2. He is short and overweight.
3. He speaks broken English.
4. He is unintelligent.

Banned? I sure hope you're kidding - but I know a lot of people have these kinds of feelings and they have successfully ruined things in the past due to being a. bored and b. overly PC.

1. So blue collar laborers aren't allowed to be in games? Aren't allowed to be heroes? Aren't allowed to be characters? What? I don't understand. Blue collar laborers exist - many of them are Italian. And?

2. And? Plenty of people are, including Italians.

3. Again, I ask, so what?

4. And you're basing this off what? Jesus dude, he tought kids to read and count on the SNES - that's more than Sonic ever did.

[pixelsnpolygons]

umm, is everyone's sarcasm detector broken this morning?

Mine is.

[Aussie2B]

Were he a non-white, there is no doubt that people would be outraged.

Uh... Barret?

[MarioAllStar2600]

Should Tony_good never speak ever again? Yes.

If that is stereotyping Italians then I guess you should ban Sopranos, Family Bonds, and every other show based around Italian-Americans. If anything him being a hardworker shows that Italians are hard labors and not all crime guys. ;) I can't believe im even debating this STUPID question. Honestly- Were you just trying to stir up trouble or something? Cause nobody honestly thinks Mario should be banned....

[MegaDrive20XX]

I'm Half- Italian and Half-Spanish decedent and I am not offended by Mario, my Italian grandmother adores the little plumber when ever I played Nintendo, she likes to watch.

The thing is, Mario was based on Miyamoto's land lord back when he to programming school in the States during the 70's. So that was Miyamoto's image of his landlord and in probably no way was supposed to be taken seriously as a sterotype...it's just what the public thinks and takes it out of proportion.

[Predatorxs]

Clearly, Mario is a racist Italian stereotype. It's amazing that so few people realize this and that there isn't a public outcry to change or outright ban this character. Consider these variables:
1. He is a blue collar laborer.
2. He is short and overweight.
3. He speaks broken English.
4. He is unintelligent.

Were he a non-white, there is no doubt that people would be outraged. Sure, stereotypes may exist for a reason, but that is no excuse for this kind of bigotry to be promoted, ESPECIALLY for children!

Luigi.. is alittle taller, but he could be 6'5 makin mario 6'1-ish! LOL....

Why not ban that blue hedgehog.. he just plain stinks! :D Mario and his gang are the sh!t,

"why de hell am'z i posting many times in this thrid" now thats broke english!

It seems all the good threads are all on holiday! today dammit!

http://www.xs.dsl.pipex.com/avator/ms_ufo.gif..XS

[captain nintendo]

How can I take a guy who uses a Decipticon avatar seriously :P
Honestly though its a nice joke post.

[MarioAllStar2600]

By the way Who says Mario is unintelligent? He doesn't seem dumb to me at all.

[Hep038]

I think he was just trying to piss off Fanboys....Looks like it worked.

Now as for the racist bastard Luigi...

[rbudrick]

One thing that hasn't been brought up is Marios's rampant drug use. He uses magic mushrooms to get bigger (or maybe he just FEELS bigger, having his senses all off the wall). If you ask me, the Mario series is pretty tripped out. There are other examlpes of things like this throughout the Mario games, but I will refrain...

Miyamoto was promoting drug use the whole time...Maybe he tried to make up for it in SMB2j when he added the poisonous mushrooms. Mario was still kicking the shit out of turtles tho. Aren't flying turtles endangered?

-Rob

[Pedro Lambrini]

So, Tony_good. Would you still ban him, then?


DigitalSpace: Och, it's nae bother, laddie! But mind ye watch yersel, awright?

Oh, wait - this is verging on self depricating racism! Quick, ban me!

[Neil Koch]

I seem to recall some bible thumper back in the 80s who led a protest of Mario because he thought it encouraged drug use...

[tony_good]

Was I serious or not??? Hmmmm...

Dunno. What do you think?

[MegaDrive20XX]

I think he was just trying to piss off Fanboys....Looks like it worked.

Now as for the racist bastard Luigi...

Yeah piss off those Fanboys!! because of the issue of race and what's not real in video games needs to be avoided! woot! go team!

[tony_good]

The drug thing is one I hadn't thought of, but if you look in Super Mario Sunshine, some of the shrooms are clearly have psilosybin (sp?) hallucinogenic properties.

Someone told me that, though, so it's strictly hearsay... :roll:

[digitalpress]

Clearly a number of members do not know who tony_good is!

Welcome to the forums, T. Interesting choice for a warm-up topic, also rather effective. You'll fit right in here :)

[BigGeorgeJohnson]

digitalpress Posted:


" Clearly a number of members do not know who tony_good is! "


How come we've never seen Tony_Good and John Kerry in the same place?

[SegaAges]

i just don't like mario because he needs to hit puberty. his high pitched voice. hey man, anybody can glue a mustache on.

*stupid pixelated man*

there's super sonic, and super mario. both now can take an extra hit. but come on, super sonic looks better, super mario just gets bigger

[Lady Jaye]

The thing is, Mario was based on Miyamoto's land lord back when he to programming school in the States during the 70's. So that was Miyamoto's image of his landlord and in probably no way was supposed to be taken seriously as a sterotype...it's just what the public thinks and takes it out of proportion.

Actually, you got the story wrong. Mario was created out of hardware limitation (the overalls with contrasting color from the shirt to distinguish the moving arms, the moustache because it was easier to create than a mouth, the hat because it was too hard to animate hair...). The character was originally named Jumpman and was a carpenter. He was renamed Mario by the time DK Jr. was released, in honor of Nintendo of America's New York landlord, Mario Segali, who happened to look like Mario (NoA used to be located on the East Coast, before moving to Washington State). As for Mario's job as a plumber, that was established with the game Mario Bros. (which also introduced Luigi officially). And Luigi was Mario's green-clothed identical twin until SMB 2 was released. In that game, Luigi was modified and became tall and lanky out of necessity (Luigi was chosen to cover the pixels of the taller character of Doki Doki Panic).

[kainemaxwell]

...and who could forget the Yoshi's Island level named "Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy".

[slip81]

Was I serious or not??? Hmmmm...

Dunno. What do you think?

I hope you were serious, because coming onto a board with 4 posts and intentionally starting arguments for no reason is pretty lame.

Mario isn't a racist either. If you have a problem with Mario what do you think about the thousands of other stereotyped characters in the media?

[Pedro Lambrini]

Clearly a number of members do not know who tony_good is!

Sorry, I still don't know who he is! Would someone like to tell me? Since DigitalPress knows who he is I presume he's not a complete ejit! (Only joking!)

[Brian_Provinciano]

Clearly, Mario is a racist Italian stereotype. It's amazing that so few people realize this and that there isn't a public outcry to change or outright ban this character. Consider these variables:
1. He is a blue collar laborer.
2. He is short and overweight.
3. He speaks broken English.
4. He is unintelligent.

Were he a non-white, there is no doubt that people would be outraged. Sure, stereotypes may exist for a reason, but that is no excuse for this kind of bigotry to be promoted, ESPECIALLY for children!

I'm Italian, and am not offended by Mario, The Sopranos, or any of those other "stereotypes". I think everyone who's offended by stereotypes need to relax a bit. What does offend me though are movies like Undercover Brother and Barbershop 2, which are just white bashing movies, it's very uncalled for. I'd been a huge fan of Eddie Griffin for quite some time, but when I saw Undercover Brother, I just wasn't impressed. The stereotypes in the movies aren't a problem, it all the derogatory dialogue towards "white guys" and "white chicks". If they replaced the word "white guy" with any other race, those movies would've been pulled because of the racism before even being made.

[NeoVenom]

Mario's the man. He'z never gonna be banned. LOL

[MarioAllStar2600]

Clearly, Mario is a racist Italian stereotype. It's amazing that so few people realize this and that there isn't a public outcry to change or outright ban this character. Consider these variables:
1. He is a blue collar laborer.
2. He is short and overweight.
3. He speaks broken English.
4. He is unintelligent.

Were he a non-white, there is no doubt that people would be outraged. Sure, stereotypes may exist for a reason, but that is no excuse for this kind of bigotry to be promoted, ESPECIALLY for children!

I'm Italian, and am not offended by Mario, The Sopranos, or any of those other "stereotypes". I think everyone who's offended by stereotypes need to relax a bit. What does offend me though are movies like Undercover Brother and Barbershop 2, which are just white bashing movies, it's very uncalled for. I'd been a huge fan of Eddie Griffin for quite some time, but when I saw Undercover Brother, I just wasn't impressed. The stereotypes in the movies aren't a problem, it all the derogatory dialogue towards "white guys" and "white chicks". If they replaced the word "white guy" with any other race, those movies would've been pulled because of the racism before even being made.

I was also very offended by Undercover Brother. A bunch of trash if you ask me. A whole movie about how much better black people are, but you can't say shoot on the radio. :roll:

[rbudrick]

I'm 1/8 Italian too, and I really don't care about any Itialian stereotypes either....or English, or Lithuanian, or anything else my bloodline comes from.

Not that you ever hear "How many Lithuanians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? " :D


I'm Italian, and am not offended by Mario, The Sopranos, or any of those other "stereotypes". I think everyone who's offended by stereotypes need to relax a bit. What does offend me though are movies like Undercover Brother and Barbershop 2, which are just white bashing movies, it's very uncalled for. I'd been a huge fan of Eddie Griffin for quite some time, but when I saw Undercover Brother, I just wasn't impressed. The stereotypes in the movies aren't a problem, it all the derogatory dialogue towards "white guys" and "white chicks". If they replaced the word "white guy" with any other race, those movies would've been pulled because of the racism before even being made.

I very much agree. I liked the movie a lot, but I was a tad offended in some parts. Black comedians get away with anything because people who stand up to it are called racists.

Example: Chris Rock. I love his comedy, but the man is a flat out racist. I remember him cleary talking about how young white people scare him to death in one of his comedy acts.

-Rob

[tholly]

nope...there is nothing wrong with Mario at all.....anyone offended by him is the unintelligent one, not Mario himself.

mario will be around as long as video games are

[Push Upstairs]

One thing that hasn't been brought up is Marios's rampant drug use. He uses magic mushrooms to get bigger (or maybe he just FEELS bigger, having his senses all off the wall). If you ask me, the Mario series is pretty tripped out. There are other examlpes of things like this throughout the Mario games, but I will refrain...

Miyamoto was promoting drug use the whole time...Maybe he tried to make up for it in SMB2j when he added the poisonous mushrooms. Mario was still kicking the shit out of turtles tho. Aren't flying turtles endangered?

-Rob

You hit this one right on the head.

Forget the "ITSA ME!" voices being bad...Mario was all about the 'shrooms.

The guy collected various plants to gain "super powers". Clearly Mario is one serious drug fiend out to attain a permanent fix.

As for "starman"....i'm not even gonna go there.

I heard that the orginal planned ending for SMB was a scene where Mario comes down from his "trip" but it was cut because the NES couldnt accurately portray the impact of the "coming down" in a single screen.



If you believe any of that then, well...i dunno what to tell you.

[soniko_karuto]

i'm half vampire killer and half pocket monster breeder, and i don't give a shit about stereotypes.

anyone here set for some yugi?

[Kepone]

While we're at it, let's ban the following:

-The Sopranos
-The Godfather

And anything else that eschews a supposed Italain stereotype. :roll:

Don't be such a crybaby, whoever you are, calling for Mario to be banned. It's just a video game.

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Yay! Another person ranting about racial predjudice. Damn man get a grip. Do you honestly believe Mario was intended to be a negative stereotype? :o

[Habeeb Hamusta]

I'm 1/8 Italian too, and I really don't care about any Itialian stereotypes either....or English, or Lithuanian, or anything else my bloodline comes from.

Not that you ever hear "How many Lithuanians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? " :D

I very much agree. I liked the movie a lot, but I was a tad offended in some parts. Black comedians get away with anything because people who stand up to it are called racists.

Example: Chris Rock. I love his comedy, but the man is a flat out racist. I remember him cleary talking about how young white people scare him to death in one of his comedy acts.

-Rob

Chris Rock is just telling jokes. He says those things to make people laugh. It's his job. I swear people take everything so literally.

[rbudrick]

Chris Rock is just telling jokes. He says those things to make people laugh. It's his job. I swear people take everything so literally.

Just telling jokes. Mhmm. And Hitler was just increasing his nation's economy.

I like Chris Rock...I really do, but he's still a racist, jokes or not.

You know, if a white man told that joke about black people, everyone would be shocked, offended, and angry. And then everyone would send that comedian death threats and label him a Racist or a Nazi, or a white supremist, etc.

It is a double standard, plain and simple.

-Rob

[Kroogah]

Just telling jokes. Mhmm. And Hitler was just increasing his nation's economy.

DRINK!!!!!

Stop Chris Rock before he kills again! WE MUST GO TO WAR!!

Oh my God, this thread is Bueno.

[PapaStu]

Mario is racist.

He supported Hitler. I've got proof.

News at 11.

[MegaDrive20XX]

The thing is, Mario was based on Miyamoto's land lord back when he to programming school in the States during the 70's. So that was Miyamoto's image of his landlord and in probably no way was supposed to be taken seriously as a sterotype...it's just what the public thinks and takes it out of proportion.

Actually, you got the story wrong. Mario was created out of hardware limitation (the overalls with contrasting color from the shirt to distinguish the moving arms, the moustache because it was easier to create than a mouth, the hat because it was too hard to animate hair...). The character was originally named Jumpman and was a carpenter. He was renamed Mario by the time DK Jr. was released, in honor of Nintendo of America's New York landlord, Mario Segali, who happened to look like Mario (NoA used to be located on the East Coast, before moving to Washington State). As for Mario's job as a plumber, that was established with the game Mario Bros. (which also introduced Luigi officially). And Luigi was Mario's green-clothed identical twin until SMB 2 was released. In that game, Luigi was modified and became tall and lanky out of necessity (Luigi was chosen to cover the pixels of the taller character of Doki Doki Panic).

Then explain why in the Mario Mania guide book (History of Mario and guide book to Super Mario World) that tells the story of Miyamoto and his land lord?

[Sph1nx]

Damn Hitler.

[atomicthumbs]

Yay! Another person ranting about racial predjudice. Damn man get a grip. Do you honestly believe Mario was intended to be a negative stereotype? :o

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/atomicthumbs/bustingmariosballs.jpg

[DigitalSpace]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/atomicthumbs/bustingmariosballs.jpg

Once again, Luigi gets shunned. LOL

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Just telling jokes. Mhmm. And Hitler was just increasing his nation's economy.

I like Chris Rock...I really do, but he's still a racist, jokes or not.

You know, if a white man told that joke about black people, everyone would be shocked, offended, and angry. And then everyone would send that comedian death threats and label him a Racist or a Nazi, or a white supremist, etc.

It is a double standard, plain and simple.

-Rob

Argh WE MUST KILL CHRIS ROCK!!!!

There is a big difference between Chris Rock and Hitler. LOL . Chris Rock isn't killing people. And yes, if a white person said something like that he would most surely be labeled as bad; but it's the same weay with Chris Rock. Even though a lot of people might be offended by him, there are still those who think he is funny, and that's who he is making the jokes for. The same way a lot of people would feel about the white guy crackin black jokes. Saying something doesn't dictate who or what you are. Get over it.

[Habeeb Hamusta]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/atomicthumbs/bustingmariosballs.jpg

Hilarious!

[atomicthumbs]

Once again, Luigi gets shunned. LOL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/atomicthumbs/sexandtheluigi.jpg

[soniko_karuto]

Once again, Luigi gets shunned. LOL

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v89/atomicthumbs/sexandtheluigi.jpg

omg!! bwahahahahaha

[Queen Of The Felines]

Ok, that "Sex in the City" pic cracked me up. LOL

Tony_good writes for the DP mag and the post was A JOKE. A spoof, a parody, a tale of sarcastic wit.

Everybody just chill, k? :)

Kristine

[soniko_karuto]

uhm, i did got it as a joke.

thank god he didn't say anything else.

[rbudrick]

Saying something doesn't dictate who or what you are

It doesn't? Hmmm, that's news to me..I've always believed what people say definitely syas a lot about who they are., but whatever. If you tell millions you are scared to death of white kids, that's not really a joke, and it says a lot about you. This is mainly true because he was serious, not joking.

And I bet Chris Rock did kill peple. They were prolly just black folks though, so no biggie. And I'm white so I can make that joke, and it's ok, because Chris Rock can say mean shiit like that too. But the difference is I'm not funny tho, you say? Neither iis CR's racist shit.

<waits for double standard to kick in and for people to get mad, thus proving my point...>



There's really zero justification for racism, jokes or not. If you believe that it is justified, you are really part of the problem.

And Mario didn't support Hitler..we all know now he's a Commie. Oh, he's racist too and he joined the KKK with Chris Rock

Sorry to threadjack...actually, this thread was jacked from the start, so fuck it. LOL

Seriously folks, I've got nothing but love for everyone here...I mean no ill will.

So let's get back on subject:

KILL MARIO! KILL MARIO! KILL MARIO!


-Rob

[atomicthumbs]

Now.... Nobody here is serious right? I mean, do some of you really hate Mario? He has been a part of my life MUCH LONGER than he has not. I just can't imagine videogames without him... I can imagine movies without him, heck I can almost imagine sex without him... But games? Nope.

[soniko_karuto]

heck I can almost imagine sex without him... But games? Nope.

bambino grab a-hold of my peperoni! LOL LOL LOL

[digitalpress]

Clearly a number of members do not know who tony_good is!

Sorry, I still don't know who he is! Would someone like to tell me? Since DigitalPress knows who he is I presume he's not a complete ejit! (Only joking!)

tony_good is Tony Bueno, he's been a DP staff writer longer than just about anyone. The real IRONY here is that Tony himself has been a victim of racial stereotyping, and this thread is clearly posted on the opposite side of the issue that some members here perceive it to be.

[MarioAllStar2600]

FIgured out who Tony is lastnight. I know who he is now. I must say I had no clue is he was joking or not, but now I know he was. He posted so seriously. :P

Mario looks jacked on that picture of Tony Soprano.

[tony_good]

Racist charicatures are often overlooked or perceived as cute so long as they are family friendly. Think about all the old Warner Bros. cartoons that stereotype just about everybody, including middle aged white men like Elmer Fudd. There are many, many of these shorts that are no longer shown, i.e. anti-Japanese WWII propaganda films, those mocking Native Americans, a parody of Snow White called Coal Black, and I believe the Speedy Gonzalez cartoons have recently been shelved.

Nowadays in a misguided attempt at political correctness, animated characters like Dora the Explorer reinforce the stereotype that just because someone is hispanic that they must speak Spanish. It is very offensive when people come up to me and just start asking me questions in Spanish. I don't speak that language, but even if I did, I would still resent such condescending implications.

The American Heritage dictionary defines Stereotype as - n. "1. A conventional, oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. 2. One regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type. v. 1. To make a stereotype of or from. 2. To characterize by a conventional stereotype.

No, I don't think Mario shoud be banned. But at the same time, he is definitely not a good example for children. Nor is Dora or Fat Albert or a lot of the above mentioned WB toons. When you take that into consideration, how is Mario NOT regarded as a stereotype? MAMA MIA!

[Chainsaw_Charlie]

Why ban one of the most recoginizable video game characters of all time?
________
drug testing (http://drugtestingkit.org)

[rbudrick]

Nobody here is serious right?

Hmmm, I don't think they are...I mean, who doesn't like Mario? Mario's done nothing but change my life for the better. I'm actually pretty amazed this thread went on this long...it's pretty funny, I think. LOL

-Rob

[pixelsnpolygons]

Now that I know it was a joke, all I can say is... nice entrance, Tony. LOL

[PapaStu]

Racist charicatures are often overlooked or perceived as cute so long as they are family friendly. Think about all the old Warner Bros. cartoons that stereotype just about everybody, including middle aged white men like Elmer Fudd. There are many, many of these shorts that are no longer shown, i.e. anti-Japanese WWII propaganda films, those mocking Native Americans, a parody of Snow White called Coal Black, and I believe the Speedy Gonzalez cartoons have recently been shelved.

Nowadays in a misguided attempt at political correctness, animated characters like Dora the Explorer reinforce the stereotype that just because someone is hispanic that they must speak Spanish. It is very offensive when people come up to me and just start asking me questions in Spanish. I don't speak that language, but even if I did, I would still resent such condescending implications.

The American Heritage dictionary defines Stereotype as - n. "1. A conventional, oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. 2. One regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type. v. 1. To make a stereotype of or from. 2. To characterize by a conventional stereotype.

No, I don't think Mario shoud be banned. But at the same time, he is definitely not a good example for children. Nor is Dora or Fat Albert or a lot of the above mentioned WB toons. When you take that into consideration, how is Mario NOT regarded as a stereotype? MAMA MIA!

Dont forget the wonder that is Disney as well. They have also fallen into that that practice of massive sterotyping through animation. No longer will you see the old Disney War propaganda films (well the Pacific Theatre ones at least) or will you see Song Of The South which is on permanent Storage Vault lockdown. Even with current films Disney hasnt been able to get away from not sterotyping. Just look at Pochantas and Mulan and some of the other newer films, they reek with horrible generalities of race and sex issues.

[NE146]

stereotype that just because someone is hispanic that they must speak Spanish. It is very offensive when people come up to me and just start asking me questions in Spanish.

Hey I get that often too especially when travelling around to places like L.A. etc. And I'm not even Hispanic! Doing that to me is sort of the equivalent of attempting to speaking to a Hawaiin or Samoan in spanish :P

[Push Upstairs]

...and I believe the Speedy Gonzalez cartoons have recently been shelved.

Last i heard about this, the cartoons were going to be shelved untill a alot of the Hispanic community said they liked Speedy and didnt want the cartoons to be shelved.

[Golden Bear]

Come to think about it, if Mario were introduced today, he'd probably be more in the mold of Dora the Explorer as an articulate, fit, fully bilingual young man with no over-the-top Italian accent and would bear little resemblence to the one we know today. Just a thought.

[tom]

Who's Mario?

[geneshifter]

WOW, this thread delivers!

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Come to think about it, if Mario were introduced today, he'd probably be more in the mold of Dora the Explorer as an articulate, fit, fully bilingual young man with no over-the-top Italian accent and would bear little resemblence to the one we know today. Just a thought.
Yeah, that's the problem.

Mario absolutely is a stereotype, nobody can deny that, but that's exactly what makes him interesting. When you excise all stereotypes from fictional characters, they become bland, uninteresting and ultimately meaningless characters that no one could ever really develop an affection for.

There's no problem with stereotypes. The problem is in taking them seriously. It's a fine line, especially when you're dealing with entertainment for kids, but it's a line we have to walk if we want good entertainment.

Who doesn't prefer Looney Toons to the cartoons of today?


...word is bondage...