This was brought to my attention by two people: apparently there’s this popular Mexican comic book called Memin Pinguin, in which the title character look a lot like Ebony from The Spirit, which is to say, like a big-lipped monkey. Wal-Mart had been carrying it until people noticed it and raised a ruckus. Today Wal-Mart has announced that they’re pulling the book off their shelves. The last time Memin made the news here was three years ago when he was put on a series of Mexican stamps.

The Wikipedia entry on the character states that it dates back to the 1940s and is very popular in many Latin American countries. Mexico’s defense is based on cultural differences stemming from the divergent histories of racism in Mexico and America.

Clearly Memin means something entirely different to the Mexican people than to us, which is why it needs to be viewed in its proper context. Picking it up in a Wal-Mart, it’s easy to see it as racist without knowing anything more than what you see on the surface, which is why I’m inclined to think it doesn’t belong there, but then, don’t Mexican-Americans have a right to buy this comic if they like it? The initial article doesn’t talk to any about Memin, which is very unfortunate because it seems as if someone should. If there are any reading this, I’d appreciate hearing what you think about the specific issue of Memin being carried in Wal-Mart.

Thanks to Cheryl and to my roommate Max for pointing this out to me.