Thursday, May 4, 2017

Cinco de Mayo (May 5) in the age of Trump

AP (ap.org, May 4, 2017); Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
(Pero Like) Sh*t you should not say on Cinco de Mayo even if you're a well-meaning Gringo
Maya Martinez, a manager at the Rio Bravo Brewing Company in Albuquerque, N.M., pours a craft brew, May 3, 2017, days before the brewery was set to unveil a new drink on Cinco de Mayo. Pres. Trump's immigration policies and rhetoric are leaving some Mexican Americans (Chicanos) and immigrants feeling at odds with a day they already thought was appropriated by beer and liquor companies, event promoters and local bars (AP).

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Cinco de Mayo met with more ambivalence in the age of Trump
I love Mexicans, rapists, and drug dealers.
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - For years, Yazmin Irazoqui Ruiz saw Cinco de Mayo ("Fifth of May") as a reason to eat tacos and listen to Mexican music.

The 25-year-old Mexican-born medical student left Mexico for the U.S. as a child and celebrates the day to honor a homeland she hardly remembers.

But the Albuquerque, New Mexico, resident said she's reluctant to take part in Cinco de Mayo festivities this year as President Don Trump steps up federal immigration enforcement and supporters back his call for the building of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mexican President Pena Nieto (AP)
"I mean, what is it about? You want to eat our food and listen to our music, but when we need you to defend us, where are you?" Irazoqui Ruiz asked about the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in the country.

(FLAMA/TheFlama.com) Celebrate this 4th of July like Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We'll be drunk by 11 am, put ketchup on everything, and have absolutely no idea what we’re celebrating…Battle of the 4th?
 
She isn't alone. Trump's immigration policies and rhetoric are leaving some Mexican Americans and immigrants feeling at odds with a holiday they already thought was appropriated by beer and liquor companies, event promoters, and bars.

Why? What is Cinco de Mayo?

Latino activists and scholars say that ambivalence is bolstered by the hazy history of Cinco de Mayo and by stereotypes exploited by marketers.

Battle of Pubela: Mexican Indians vs. French invaders
The once-obscure holiday marking a 19th century-battle between Mexico and invading French forces is now a regular celebration in the U.S., where partygoers flock to bars for cheap margaritas and tacos. Television beer commercials often show mostly white actors on a beach celebrating.

"The narrative around Cinco de Mayo seems to say, 'This day really isn't yours'," said Cynthia Duarte, a sociology professor at California Lutheran University.

There doing what in Missouri?!
Tequila company Jose Cuervo is playing off the notion that the holiday is largely overlooked south of the border by throwing a party in a small Missouri town called Mexico: More than 90 percent of people there are white and less than 2.5 percent of Mexican descent. The company is marketing the event on its Facebook page as "Mexico's First Cinco de Mayo."
 
"Consumers consistently tell us that Cinco de Mayo is a great way for them to reconnect with people they care about and enjoy a few cervezas," said John Alvarado, vice president of marketing for Corona beer, which is made by Anheuser-Busch InBev.
  
Mexican 4th of July?
Chicano farm champion Cesar Chavez
Often mistaken for Mexican Independence Day (September 16th), Cinco de Mayo commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla.

That battle was between the victorious ragtag army of largely Mexican-Indian soldiers against the invading French forces of Napoleon III.

The day is barely observed in Mexico, but was celebrated in California by Latinos and abolitionists who linked the victory to the fight against slavery.
 
During the Chicano Movement of the 1970s, Mexican Americans adopted Cinco de Mayo for its David vs. Goliath story line as motivation in civil rights struggles. This year... More
Protesters line up in NYC, hoping for chance to BOO Trump, Dummy-in-Chief (AP)
"Without immigrants there would be no America" [USA] (AP)

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