Comments to city council: "Let’s talk about Develop New Albany’s second edition of the Taco Walk."

Let's all eat at Israel's Delicias de Mexico Gourmet on Saturday, May 19.

Today is the second iteration of the Taco Walk, now a "signature" Develop New Albany event, and accordingly, non-agenda public speaking time at Thursday's city council meeting was devoted to reading the following summary, which also has been sent to the city clerk for inclusion in the official minutes of the meeting. 

This way, in the absence of public dialogue (and with the newspaper predictably AWOL), at least there's a permanent record of sorts. We're hoping nothing happens today to compel revisiting this topic -- at least until next year. 

Of course, DNA might begin to show responsiveness to reality by removing the sombrero from the "official" event poster, but even this lies beyond the organization's ability. 

It's sad. Very, very sad.

---

COMMENT TO CITY COUNCIL DURING NON-AGENDA SPEAKING TIME, THURSDAY 17 MAY 2018

Let’s talk about Develop New Albany’s second edition of the Taco Walk, coming this Saturday (May 19).

There are two fundamental problems, neither of which the organization has been willing to address openly – although let me tell you, I’ve tried, but in New Albany, the anchor seal of approval apparently means never having to answer e-mails, admit errors, say you’re sorry or turn mistakes into useful teaching tools – which is what should be happening here if we can just un-circle the wagons.

First, cultural appropriation, which is defined as “a concept dealing with the adoption of the elements of a minority culture by members of the dominant culture. It is distinguished from equal cultural exchange due to the presence of a colonial element and imbalance of power.”

As for imbalances, the most recent numbers show that the population of New Albany is 85% White, 8% African-American and 3% Hispanic/Latino.

So, Taco Walk was brought to DNA in 2017 by a citizen volunteer named Kelly Winslow, as a way of showcasing any and all downtown restaurants willing to fashion a taco, without reference to ethnicity, including Japanese tacos, vegan tacos, fudge tacos or any other creative flourish.

As it turns out, local memories are short. In 2015, then-president James Ramsey of the University of Louisville was photographed with university administrative workers dressed to party in sombreros, serapes and fake mustaches. There was a tremendous scandal, and the university was compelled to apologize.

Less than two years later, DNA’s brain trust repeated Ramsey’s mistake, with the governing committee itself, minus Winslow (the volunteer, who was horrified) bringing sombreros and maracas to Taco Walk, then adding the creative twist of parading through the streets while singing the Frito Bandito corn chip theme song, and posing for photos in the News and Tribune – which also failed to notice what was happening.

Really? Do any of them pay attention to internet essays each year during Cinco de Mayo warning against bad behavior?

By the way, the Frito Bandito song was written by a New York City ad agency in the late 1960s. There’s nothing Mexican about it. There are good reasons to wear a sombrero, but cultural appropriation is when you borrow the symbols and use them to reinforce a stereotype, which in this instance is the view that while Mexicans are happy napping while using a sombrero as shade, and rising from their naps to sing and dance, it’s unlikely they’ll do any useful work – and this, as most of us should know by now, is really, really dumb.

I’m hoping that DNA’s brain trust knows better than to stage a minstrel show in blackface, or have a wet t-shirt contest, or indulge in preening lisping stereotyping of gay Americans of the sort that used to be Hollywood caricatures, and if they know better in these cases, then the sombrero-wearing, maraca-shaking misbehavior should be left to the ticket-buying public; if Joe Six Pack wants to make a complete fool out of himself, fine, but DNA itself shouldn’t encourage it.

The second issue has to do with Winslow, who brought the idea to DNA in the first place, thinking she’d found an organization to partner with, but was very disappointed in the way Taco Walk went down. She decided to take her idea and decline further participation, to which DNA said nope, it’s ours now.

It may not have been intellectual property rights enforced by written contract, but if you ask me, that’s still thievery. From where I’m sitting DNA has been bullying and trolling Winslow ever since, and I’m not the only one who’s noticed it.

I’d like to ask at what point this organization, which I believe still receives a funding tithe each year from the city, is held accountable for matters like these – like cultural appropriation and infringement of intellectual property rights, or is it fine so long as that mayoral anchor seal of approval is hanging around their necks?

Last year, seeing a Taco Walk board member wearing a sombrero, shaking maracas and singing the Frito Bandito song made one employee of a downtown eatery cry.

When does DNA apologize, not just to her, but to us all?

Thank you.

With Taco Walk a week away, isn't it time for Develop New Albany to publicly take the cultural appropriation pledge and ditch the sombreros?

Did you know the Frito Bandito character was created in the late
1960s by the Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency?

To casual observers, it might not make sense to wait until May 12, a full week after Cinco de Mayo, to spotlight an article about cultural appropriation in the context of this annual exercise in derivative marketing.

But in New Albany, very little makes cultural sense and almost everything is derivative, including Develop New Albany, our own peculiar institution, currently functioning as an appendage of Mayor Gahan's re-election effort, and thus beholden to a succession of 1:00 a.m. mobile phone directives.

As long as DNA continues to evade its "Taco Walk" ramifications of stereotyping and cultural appropriation, we'll keep bringing it up.

Which is to say, what you do on your own time is your burden, but shouldn't we expect a higher standard from organizations tied to municipal government?

Who'd have guessed? William Anthony Nericcio's "aggressive, relentless, and, at times, pathological interrogation of Mexican, Latina/o, Chicana/o, "Hispanic," Mexican-American, and Latin American stereotypes."

We've pointed to Nericcio's work on several occasions in the hope that the DNA board's daily reading is not restricted to the Collected Exhortations of Dear Leader (indeed, futility is this blog's constant and lamentable companion), but with a week to go until the renewal of Taco Walk, we'll offer another point of reference.

First, to recap, last year citizen volunteer Kelly Winslow brought the Taco Walk idea to DNA, unaware that she needed a lawyer, because from the moment DNA's "leadership" cadre arrived on site bearing sombreros, maracas and printed lyrics from the Frito Bandito's infamously demeaning ode to corn chip hucksterism, the event careened off the rails in terms of cultural awareness, leaving Winslow with little choice except to take back her idea and politely excuse herself -- but no such luck, because not only is Mexican culture ripe for appropriation, so are intellectual property rights, DNA reminding Winslow she could get out any time she liked, but her idea could never leave, and to be perfectly blunt, DNA has been nickel-and-diming and bullying her ever since, which is peachy keen according to well-scrubbed community pillars like DNA's city council liaison David Barksdale, who can't seem to grasp that if appearances in fact are everything (they're not, but we're on a roll now), then the appearance of a sombrero situated atop a middle-aged white person shaking maracas and chanting a 50-year-old advertising ditty, who is representing an organization that benefits from taxpayer dollars, is precisely the wrong one, now and forever.

Consequently, here's a slightly less academic explanation of the overarching point.

Put down the sombrero and back away slowly.

Think we might talk about it during the Tuesday morning merchant meeting this week? It's at 8:30 a.m. at the Pepin Mansion on Main Street.

And don't forget: Let's all eat at Israel's Delicias de Mexico Gourmet on Saturday, May 19.

Here's why your Cinco de Mayo celebration is problematic, by Katie Dupere (Mashable)

Today is Cinco de Mayo, one of the most widely celebrated Mexican holidays in the United States. But all the taco eating and $5 margaritas can cloud what you're actually celebrating — and lead to some nasty cultural appropriation.

That sombrero you're wearing, for instance, is never appropriate, unless you're of Mexican heritage.

But cultural appropriation is more than just a cheap, straw imitation of the wide-brimmed hat. It's parodying a culture without knowledge or respect of its roots. Many non-Mexicans are guilty of this on May 5, knocking back margaritas but totally oblivious to what they're even celebrating.

"In Mexican culture the sombrero, 'ponchos,' the music, the dancing, and even the tequila that was first made by the Aztecs have several cultural struggles behind them that a lot of people don’t understand," Melissa Nuno wrote on Medium earlier this year. "It can be offensive to some when people from other cultures try to own it, especially without at least trying to understand what it means to the people of that culture."

As long as DNA continues to evade its "Taco Walk" ramifications of stereotyping and cultural appropriation, we'll keep bringing it up.

For those who have commented that stereotyping and cultural appropriation are perfectly acceptable examples of harmless human frivolity ...

In 2018, DNA's artlessly purloined Taco Tone Deaf Cultural Appropriation Walk moves forward to May 19, with the Frito Bandito returning as Grand Marshal.

... it may prove helpful to peruse this repeat of a post from August 19, 2017.

Which is to say, what you do on your own time is your burden, but shouldn't we expect a higher standard from organizations tied to municipal government?

---

Who'd have guessed? William Anthony Nericcio's "aggressive, relentless, and, at times, pathological interrogation of Mexican, Latina/o, Chicana/o, "Hispanic," Mexican-American, and Latin American stereotypes."

Apropos to nothing in particular, were you aware of this blog?

The new and improved Tex[t]-Mex Galleryblog™ devotes itself to the aggressive, relentless, and, at times, pathological interrogation of Mexican, Latina/o, Chicana/o, "Hispanic," Mexican-American, and Latin American stereotypes. It is both the online supplement to and the bastard sister of a 2007 University of Texas Press book. The book, marketed for the general public (not just academic cultural studies wonks) and a perfect (if a tad garish) stocking stuffer, is also available from Powells, Amazon.com, and LA's rad Skylight Books.

The educational opportunities are virtually limitless, but here's a particularly instructive blog entry: Hipster Ode: Sombreros, Zarapes, and the Witchy Magic of Tequila.

Well there! Thanks to our friend Miguel-Angel Soria for the saucy linkazo to Etsy, the hipster DIY mercado. This stationer was so inspired by the dreamy voice of Joe Nichols' song: Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off, she designed a bachelorette party invitation as a loose-fitting ode to the song. No need for the Algebra degree. Etsy-selling lady figured it all out. ¿Cierto?

Tequila = Mexican, which means: Mexican = Sombrero and Zarapes.

A taste of the salty lyrics (no lime required.)

"Them pantyhose ain't gonna last too long

If the DJ puts Bon Jovi on

She might come home in a table cloth.

Ya tequila makes her clothes fall off"

Unconvinced by a blog? Confident that this troublesome blogger probably comes without the sort of academic credentials designed to make you sweat? Wrong again. The blog's creator ...

William Anthony Nericcio is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University in California, where he also serves on the faculty of the Center for Latin American Studies and the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies.

... has even written a much praised book on the topic.

Tex[t]-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of the "Mexican" in America, by William Anthony Nericcio

A rogues' gallery of Mexican bandits, bombshells, lotharios, and thieves saturates American popular culture. Remember Speedy Gonzalez? "Mexican Spitfire" Lupe Vélez? The Frito Bandito? Familiar and reassuring—at least to Anglos—these Mexican stereotypes are not a people but a text, a carefully woven, articulated, and consumer-ready commodity. In this original, provocative, and highly entertaining book, William Anthony Nericcio deconstructs Tex[t]-Mexicans in films, television, advertising, comic books, toys, literature, and even critical theory, revealing them to be less flesh-and-blood than "seductive hallucinations," less reality than consumer products, a kind of "digital crack."

Nericcio engages in close readings of rogue/icons Rita Hayworth, Speedy Gonzalez, Lupe Vélez, and Frida Kahlo, as well as Orson Welles' film Touch of Evil and the comic artistry of Gilbert Hernandez. He playfully yet devastatingly discloses how American cultural creators have invented and used these and other Tex[t]-Mexicans since the Mexican Revolution of 1910, thereby exposing the stereotypes, agendas, phobias, and intellectual deceits that drive American popular culture. This sophisticated, innovative history of celebrity Latina/o mannequins in the American marketplace takes a quantum leap toward a constructive and deconstructive next-generation figuration/adoration of Latinos in America.

Why bring this up?

Just because I believe in teachable moments -- nothing more, nothing less, and if the ones who should be doing it refuse to so much as answer e-mails, I'm eager to step into the breach with source material.

Caption Contest: "Which end is up? No, I mean the tree."

Did you know the Japanese word for "corrupt" is 破損した ?

Thanks to CA for the photo, which has been lifted from DNA's FB page, which lately has devolved into a forest of #OurNA hashtags and exclamation marks, because the less one has to say, the louder it gets:

Shall we assume that second prize was four tickets?

Will DNA be selecting a matching sombrero for this poor, doomed tree?

Anyway, caption contest: Comment here or at Facebook. If I bother selecting a winner, I'll post it randomly. Or not.

Is Christmas over yet?

Who'd have guessed? William Anthony Nericcio's "aggressive, relentless, and, at times, pathological interrogation of Mexican, Latina/o, Chicana/o, "Hispanic," Mexican-American, and Latin American stereotypes."

Apropos to nothing in particular, were you aware of this blog?

The new and improved Tex[t]-Mex Galleryblog™ devotes itself to the aggressive, relentless, and, at times, pathological interrogation of Mexican, Latina/o, Chicana/o, "Hispanic," Mexican-American, and Latin American stereotypes. It is both the online supplement to and the bastard sister of a 2007 University of Texas Press book. The book, marketed for the general public (not just academic cultural studies wonks) and a perfect (if a tad garish) stocking stuffer, is also available from Powells, Amazon.com, and LA's rad Skylight Books.

The educational opportunities are virtually limitless, but here's a particularly instructive blog entry: Hipster Ode: Sombreros, Zarapes, and the Witchy Magic of Tequila.

Well there! Thanks to our friend Miguel-Angel Soria for the saucy linkazo to Etsy, the hipster DIY mercado. This stationer was so inspired by the dreamy voice of Joe Nichols' song: Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off, she designed a bachelorette party invitation as a loose-fitting ode to the song. No need for the Algebra degree. Etsy-selling lady figured it all out. ¿Cierto?

Tequila = Mexican, which means: Mexican = Sombrero and Zarapes.

A taste of the salty lyrics (no lime required.)

"Them pantyhose ain't gonna last too long

If the DJ puts Bon Jovi on

She might come home in a table cloth.

Ya tequila makes her clothes fall off"

Unconvinced by a blog? Confident that this troublesome blogger probably comes without the sort of academic credentials designed to make you sweat? Wrong again. The blog's creator ...

William Anthony Nericcio is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University in California, where he also serves on the faculty of the Center for Latin American Studies and the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies.

... has even written a much praised book on the topic.

Tex[t]-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of the "Mexican" in America, by William Anthony Nericcio

A rogues' gallery of Mexican bandits, bombshells, lotharios, and thieves saturates American popular culture. Remember Speedy Gonzalez? "Mexican Spitfire" Lupe Vélez? The Frito Bandito? Familiar and reassuring—at least to Anglos—these Mexican stereotypes are not a people but a text, a carefully woven, articulated, and consumer-ready commodity. In this original, provocative, and highly entertaining book, William Anthony Nericcio deconstructs Tex[t]-Mexicans in films, television, advertising, comic books, toys, literature, and even critical theory, revealing them to be less flesh-and-blood than "seductive hallucinations," less reality than consumer products, a kind of "digital crack."

Nericcio engages in close readings of rogue/icons Rita Hayworth, Speedy Gonzalez, Lupe Vélez, and Frida Kahlo, as well as Orson Welles' film Touch of Evil and the comic artistry of Gilbert Hernandez. He playfully yet devastatingly discloses how American cultural creators have invented and used these and other Tex[t]-Mexicans since the Mexican Revolution of 1910, thereby exposing the stereotypes, agendas, phobias, and intellectual deceits that drive American popular culture. This sophisticated, innovative history of celebrity Latina/o mannequins in the American marketplace takes a quantum leap toward a constructive and deconstructive next-generation figuration/adoration of Latinos in America.

Why bring this up?

Just because I believe in teachable moments -- nothing more, nothing less, and if the ones who should be doing it refuse to so much as answer e-mails, I'm eager to step into the breach with source material.

A message from Mayor Gahan.

James "U of L" Ramsey, sombreros, stereotypes and DNA's institutional legacy of tone deafness.

James "U of L" Ramsey, sombreros, stereotypes and DNA's institutional legacy of tone deafness.

Now with an update.

Speaking of "portraying inappropriate and untrue stereotypes," you might remember this story from late October, 2015.

Then again, if you're on the board of Develop New Albany ... probably not.

Ramsey sombrero photo sparks outcry, apology

 ... Olivia Krauth, the editor of the student newspaper The Louisville Cardinal, wrote Thursday that "if a fraternity threw a party with a Mexican theme and pictures of them in these outfits got out, they would be in huge trouble just like countless other Greek organizations across the country in the past few years. ... As the president of a university, I would expect more."

In 2012, for example, a Penn State sorority apologized for "portraying inappropriate and untrue stereotypes" following a Mexican-themed party that included similar garb.

Karman said he wasn't certain what university policy would be in such instances, adding that it would likely be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

As social media criticism grew, university officials released an apology Thursday evening, addressing it to "Hispanic/Latino Faculty, Staff and Students."

Evidently as we develop New Albany, we needn't worry about such matters. Looking forward to DNA's explanation? It might not be a good idea to hold your breath.

By the way, last evening's walk to Israel's Delicias de Mexico Gourmet and the meal that followed both were superb ... and we were able to wear normal clothing, too, sans headgear.

(thanks Clint)

---

Update: Evening follow-up post ... A message from Mayor Gahan.