Trader Joe's to remove racist packaging

[HotLikeMexico 6,547]

A white person calling something racist... that’s funny tell another one. 
 

On another note I did always find those names as cringe for years and maybe slightly racist but I let it go because I thought I was just thinking to much into it. I thought it was mainly harmless. 

[JRCF29 8,230]

Just now, Doot said:

The odd part of this is me ordering a hard shell taco from a Mexican restaurant and then apparently being "ignorant" for thinking Mexicans eat hard shell tacos...

As if people are supposed to research the cultural history of every piece of food they put in their mouths. 

If Chinese restaurants and Mexican restaurants sell items that don't even originate from their respective countries, people are going to think that's where they came from. 

If you ask me, we have to get past this idea of food tribalism, in that dishes and cuisines are going to evolve as immigrants to different countries respond to the palates of the diners there, the ingredients available, etc. 

As for the idea that non-Mexican people are “weird” for operating Mexican restaurants... imagine if I said the same thing about a Japanese immigrant who owned and operated a traditional American diner; I’d be canceled before the day was over.

[Doot 2]

1 minute ago, HotLikeMexico said:

A white person calling something racist... that’s funny tell another one. 

Why is that funny?

[Doot 2]

Just now, JRCF29 said:

If you ask me, we have to get past this idea of food tribalism, in that dishes and cuisines are going to evolve as immigrants to different countries respond to the palates of the diners there, the ingredients available, etc. 

As for the idea that non-Mexican people are “weird” for operating Mexican restaurants... imagine if I said the same thing about a Japanese immigrant who owned and operated a traditional American diner; I’d be canceled before the day was over.

You are very well written, and I appreciate your insights. I agree. 

[JRCF29 8,230]

Just now, Doot said:

You are very well written, and I appreciate your insights. I agree. 

[farting 629]

Well this is dumb

[HotLikeMexico 6,547]

9 minutes ago, Doot said:

Why is that funny?

I probably shouldn’t have phrased it the way I did. 
 

However, someone will get offended by this but when it comes to these minuscule issues that people find “problematic” it always tends to be a white person who gets super upset while people of color are just like... meh. 

The person in this reminds me of those white kids I knew in college who were always offended by everything and telling me as a Latino (or anyone of color for that matter) what should be offensive to me. Telling me what I should be feeling and why I need to take a stand. Even on nonsensical issues that really aren’t THAT offensive to begin with. Like relax you don’t know a majority of the experiences or struggles we have gone through and this isn’t one of them. It comes off as white guilt sometimes and it’s almost a forced WOKE attitude.

I do appreciate when someone who isn’t of color is on board with dismanteling racism, but sometimes it’s overdone.

 

I dunno y’all can chime in with y’all’s thoughts. I’m open to it. 

[Doot 2]

Just now, HotLikeMexico said:

Someone will get offended by this but when it comes to these minuscule issues that people find “problematic” it always tends to be a white person who gets super upset while people of color are just like... meh. 

The person in this reminds me of those white kids I knew in college who were always offended by everything and telling me as a Latino (or anyone of color for that matter) what should be offensive to me. Telling me what I should be feeling and why I need to take a stand. Even on nonsensical issues that really aren’t THAT offensive to begin with. Like relax you don’t know a majority of the experiences or struggles we have gone through and this isn’t one of them. It comes off as white guilt sometimes and it’s almost a forced WOKE attitude 

I do appreciate when someone who isn’t of color is on board with dismanteling racism, but sometimes it’s overdone.

 

I dunno y’all can chime in with y’all’s thoughts. I’m open to it. 

Interesting. 

I thought you were referring to someone in this thread lol

[Zeth 948]

Wow, Trader Joe’s just solved racism! /s

On a serious note, this is just stupid. People will continue making these petitions, not because they truly care about racism, but because they want their 5 seconds of fame. And companies will gladly cater so they are painted in a positive light. In reality, neither does anything positive to solve the problems of the world concerning racism.

 

[Reject False Icons 4,943]

I don’t know what the hell is Trader Joe 

But Mexican food in the USA is confusing, we share a border and there’s obviously cultural influences In both sides as every border

so you call Mexican food to a mix of both countries regional food, and it’s wrong, When you don’t know the whole context 

also whites selling Mexican food because it’s good sales, I think is more of a cultural appropriation problem 

[HotLikeMexico 6,547]

Just now, Doot said:

Interesting. 

I thought you were referring to someone in this thread lol

Nah. I’d @ them. I ain’t scurred. 

[HotLikeMexico 6,547]

7 minutes ago, Reject False Icons said:

I don’t know what the hell is Trader Joe 

But Mexican food in the USA is confusing, we share a border and there’s obviously cultural influences In both sides as every border

so you call Mexican food to a mix of both countries regional food, and it’s wrong, When you don’t know the whole context 

also whites selling Mexican food because it’s good sales, I think is more of a cultural appropriation problem 

Thank you. That’s why I can’t stand Rick Bayless. A white dude who has made a whole career cooking and specializing in Mexican food. People try to say so a white chef can’t make Mexican food and research and study it? It’s slippery because a man can love and appreciate a culture all he wants. But the way HE comes off and how money hungry he’s been with his business, you can’t NOT see it as appropriation. 

[Emvee 8,829]

16 minutes ago, JRCF29 said:

So only people of certain races or national origins should be allowed to operate certain types of businesses? 

Whoa there, don’t mischaracterize my or anybody’s thinking it’s problematic as suggesting we need to forcefully redistribute ownership or force them out of business. I just think it’s weird. It’s inauthentic. It’s not a true cultural exchange. 

In a broader sense, though, not just in this case - we, as consumers or even polities, have every right to choose what we will or will not buy. 

No true Mexican eats hard shell tacos anyway 

[JRCF29 8,230]

3 minutes ago, Doot said:

You are very well written, and I appreciate your insights. I agree. 

I will also add that I think food is an incredible starting point for interest in other cultures, be it through the art/decor in the restaurant, conversations with establishment owners*, just googling something when you get home, or deciding to seriously pursue study in a foreign language and it origins (which more and more people are doing). 
 

I think some of hear conversations and accusations almost discourage that type of interest in another culture for fear that you’ll be seen as “appropriating” it, or mocking it, or that you don’t belong, or that it’s not your place, when in reality I never actually hear Hispanic people saying that themselves. Every Spanish-speaking and/or Latino person I interact with in real life loves my interest in the language and the culture, my Spanish teacher sometimes has his friend from abroad video call our class and he loves answering questions about traditions and daily life in Spain, other Spanish teachers in the department hold parties incorporating Latin American traditions (cagatillo, if that’s spelt right, where you hit a log until it poops presents), and everyone on here who speaks Spanish has always encouraged me to pursue it further ( @Dulo Peep @Lisseth).
 

I personally find food fascinating tbh, not least of all because it’s possible to trace the origins of a ton of dishes through many cultures and and countries and it’s always fun to try and put your own spin on a traditionally foreign-origin dish even when you’re cooking alone. It’s a way to appreciate- and, as I mentioned already, spark interest in- another culture(s) 

*this goes for both owners from, say,  Mexico who own Mexican restaurant, but also non-Mexican owners who nonetheless have understanding, knowledge about, and appreciation for the culture. I know, for example, that I want to pursue a minor in Spanish and potentially work in the U.S Embassy to a Spanish-speaking country and I would like to think that I wouldn’t be sneered at for maybe opening a Mexican restaurant when I retired (assuming I learn how to cook) or working as a guide in a Mexican-history museum, or *gasp* teaching Spanish

 

I guess my overall point is that nothing good is going to come of campaigns like this, because ultimately it will just discourage people worldwide from learning about and experiencing other cultures. 

[Doot 2]

Just now, JRCF29 said:

I guess my overall point is that nothing good is going to come of campaigns like this, because ultimately it will just discourage people worldwide from learning about and experiencing other cultures. 

Valid point. 

I'm absolutely fascinated by other cultures. A dream is to go to Tokyo and experience everything. 

But honestly, so much of what spurred my initial interest was food. Only then as I got older and started to see more stuff in movies and TV, that everything started to get connected.