Idaho School Teachers Dress as Mexican Stereotypes, Border Wall

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The serapes and giant mustaches represent a mocking stereotype of Mexican people, who believe it or not are not a monolith. As Cardinal Dolan stated:
When we give in to our fears of the other because he or she is of a race different from ourselves, when we prejudge the motives of others precisely because they are of a different color, when we stereotype or ridicule the other because of racial characteristics and heritage, we fail to heed the command of the prophet Amos: “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; then truly will the Lord…be with you as you claim! …Then let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream…”
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Racism is actually a big deal. In our Church, it is a sin that therefore needs to be confessed by name. I understand that these teachers were likely not Catholic, but I’m glad to be part of a faith that decries their antics.

There’s also a broader question of whether politicking in an elementary school like this is acceptable or even ethical. This is fundamentally no different than teachers dressing up as Hillary Clinton and carrying signs reading “I’m with her.”

I suspect that the school district is quietly sympathetic to the teachers and therefore just keeping up appearances of finger-wagging at them.
 
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Their antics? Apparently (according to the teachers) this was a costume contest and team building meeting. It took place after school hours with teachers only present.The team building contest was to dress up representing stereotypes of other countries. There were teachers dressed up as people from France, Japan, and other countries as well.Maybe the school district is sympathetic to them because it was part of a team building activity that the school district initiated.
 
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I’m sure that’s a distinction that a Hispanic kid will totally make, as opposed to just knowing that his teacher Mr. So and So thinks it’s funny to mock his ethnicity with cartoonish stereotypes.
 
That’s all well and good, but I can’t see how no one anticipated that this would get out and the students would hear about it/see pictures.

If this was an office Halloween party, I’d say okay, not a huge deal, adults can be expected to know what’s actually offensive and what’s clearly meant in jest. Teachers should have more sensitivity though, given that they work with kids. They should expect some higher scrutiny for dumb antics.
 
I find it rather telling that the strongest anti-immigrant sentiment ses to come from geographical areas not close to the border
 
This was not kid’s activity, first of all. Secondly, this is not about racism. It’s about the politics of the wall with Mexico. There are a whole lot of people who believe that the wall is somehow a sign of bigotry, racism, insensitivity, you name it, and therefore the whole topic has become “offensive.” This doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with the consumes per se. They depict a very real issue of today’s America, and that’s what makes them funny. Yes, the reality is that the vast majority of illegal aliens in the US are Mexican, so what? That’s not a racist statement, that’s statistics. Everyone will get offended by something, so one can make a claim that everything is inappropriate.
 
According to some of the more conservative members at CAF, racism essentially doesn’t exist and is a conspiracy fabricated by the liberal media… I still remember my exchanges with one poster who insisted the 1950s was a bygone golden age and that blacks were better off then than they are today…
Its amazing that Catholics wouldn’t have more sympathy for a traditionally Catholic culture (in this case Mexico).
 
Supposedly, the picture wasn’t supposed to be posted at all but one person decided to post it for their own reasons.

If true and this was also a team building/stereotype type of exercise that came from the school board? and not the teachers themselves I think the teachers should be blamed at all, and since they would have been depicting “stereotypes” that do exist vs. stereotyping or doing this on their own per se.
 
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That’s my point. Even if the kids “weren’t supposed to see it” how do you not anticipate the pictures get out in an era when everyone has a camera in their pocket?

How dumb are they to not stop and think, “hm…how’s this gonna look if it ends up on Facebook?”
 
The teachers were following a school activity that obviously came from somewhere higher up with the school system. It was a contest, and their were teachers who were also dressed up as people from other countries, and other country stereotypes were portrayed as well. How are the teachers to be at fault for participating in an team building activity that was planned by someone I’m assuming in higher authority? If the activity was to portray stereotypes what do you think they teachers should have done instead?
 
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So punish whoever came up with the “dress as offensive stereotypes” party theme too. The teachers aren’t children blindly following the leader. They’re adults who could’ve easily gone, “hey, boss, maybe this isn’t such a great idea…”
 
These type of team building events happen all the time, especially in colleges, this was just put out there to the media. It’s not surprising, I’ve seen way more offensive.
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
Did you see the pictures of people dressed up in cartoonish Speedy Gonzales costumes?
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I admit I’m kind of dense when it comes to costumes and humor. What’s so offensive about Speedy Gonzales (I had to look up who it was)?
 
It plays on stereotypes about Mexicans for comedic effect. Would you understand why a cartoon portrayal of a black person with exaggerated large lips, eating a watermelon and carrying a bucket of fried chicken would be offensive?
 
And if this was an office Halloween party for an accounting firm I’d be much more likely to agree with you that it’s no big deal. Teachers need to be more careful than most, particularly at official events.
 
It’s kinda borderline. It’s not like the worst thing in the world. I more just meant it as shorthand for the “serapes and maracas” look.
 
blackforest said:
I suspect that the school district is quietly sympathetic to the teachers and therefore just keeping up appearances of finger-wagging at them.
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This, if true, is the most bothersome part. My goodness, since when do we feel the need to pacify anyone for appearances sake? In the words of Dr Seuss, “say what you mean and mean what you say.”
 
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