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Perspectives
EOITOR IN CHIEF
Sarah Kickler
EDITORIAL EDITOR
Mike Schmierbach
NIGHT EOITOR
Doug Irving
‘Catchy’ stereotypes are still inappropriate
The recent Taco Bell ads
have received warranted
criticism for exploiting
Mexican stereotypes
One of the things I like
least about the adver
tising industry (em
phasis on the word
one) is its inability to let go of a
joke. Advertising is like that guy
you occasionally run into at a par
ty, the one you’re never quite sure
you like. You know the one I
mean. He’s so desperate for your
approval, anyone’s approval actu
ally, that it is impossible for you
to have even a modicum of re
spect for him. He rarely says any
thing particularly witty or in
sightful, but when he does, you
know about it. You know because
he will repeat this witticism until
it has been stripped of any humor
or novelty. Eventually, you learn
to avoid him because you know
that all subsequent conversations
will revolve around the same old
joke.
And if today’s logo-littered
American landscape is the party,
then the Taco Bell corporation is
Kameron
Cole
tnat guy — and
he brought his
dog.
I am referring
of course to
Dinky the Chi
huahua, who
from the first
time he uttered
the words “Yo
quiero Taco
Bell,” was guar
anteed a space in advertising lore.
But its ubiquity isn’t the only
reason I dislike the campaign; it’s
not even the biggest reason. The
main reason I hate Dinky is be
cause he is a reminder of tradi
tions that should have been left in
the past.
That loathsome little dog is the
1990s version of the “Fritos Ban
dito,” the now infamous ad icon
that used a crude Mexican stereo
type to induce the public to buy
corn chips.
Frito Lay pulled those ads after
widespread boycotts by minority
groups. But it looks like Dinky the
Chihuahua will be spared such a
fate. Why? Because his popularity
translates into profitability, and
where is the incentive to respect
culture when there’s money to be
made?
The most virulent critic of the
campaign is Gabriel Cazares,
president of the Tampa, Fla.,
chapter of the League of United
Latin American Citizens. Cazares
opposes the commercials on the
grounds that “Mexican Ameri
cans are treated like dogs, they
have to work like dogs, and now
they’re being portrayed as dogs.”
Now before you roll your eyes
or open your mouth to protest
that Cazares, LULAC and per
haps even me are making some
thing out of nothing, consider
the timing of the Taco Bell cam
paign.
While Dinky asserts his desire
for Taco Bell between episodes of
sitcoms and movies of the week,
campaigns against bilingual edu
cation in public schools are gain
ing momentum, affirmative ac
tion debates are raging and the
idea that Latinos are lesser Ameri
cans persists.
Given the current climate of
this country, can something so
culturally loaded really be dis
missed as harmless?
If that isn’t enough to make you
sit back and do a little chin
scratching, consider Taco Bell’s
own history. Remember the im
age of the napping Mexican in the
sombrero, accompanied by the
phrase “run for the border”?
This kind of cultural appropria
tion isn’t a new phenomenon. In
dustry and advertising have a
well-documented history of using
stereotypes and corrupted images
to peddle products. But that does
n’t begin to excuse the practice. If
enough people stop laughing and
start questioning these images,
perhaps respect will become
more profitable than denigration.
Kameron Cole is a columnist for the
Emerald. Her work appears on al
ternate Wednesdays. Her views do
' not necessarily represent those of the
newspaper.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
I was surprised and dismayed to see the
gleaming Starbucks sign on the front page
of the Emerald (ODE, March 31). I was
even more surprised when I realized that
there was no story accompanying the pho
to. Starbucks’ presence on 13th Avenue is
being met with some very heated criticism
and many informal boycotts. 1 don’t think
this "independent newspaper” is justified
in plastering corporate logos on the front
page unless it plans to address the issues
surrounding Starbucks and corporate in
fluence on campus. That kind of photo
graph is a free advertisement for the one
coffee shop on 13th Avenue that could ac
tually afford such a large ad.
Stephen Price
Eugene
Poor coffee choice
In regard to the most recent coffee tast
ing that took place in the Fir Room this
March, I would like to voice my concern
over the newly chosen vendor. I am in op
position to the EMU’s final selection, Seat
tle Roasting, for a number of reasons. First,
I participated in the tasting, along with
several other friends, and this company
was by far not the best-tasting coffee. We
all felt that Orsini Coffee or Cafe Mam mer
ited that honor. Second, this company is
not local, nor do they even originate from
the state of Oregon, as do Cafe Mam and
Orsini — both of which are Eugene-based.
Third, they do not operate with the excep
tional organic, environmental and social
standards that Cafe Mam employs. Fourth,
to my own knowledge, their worker bene
fits and labor relations do not, nor do those
of many larger companies, measure up to
those of Orsini and Cafe Mam. Just contact
one of their employees and you will learn
about their job satisfaction and the soon
to-be worker owned and operated facilities
of Cafe Mam. And, finally, the Emerald
pointed out that the final choice did not of
fer the best tasting product, nor were they
the best-priced vendor (ODE, March 30).
So where did this decision come from?
In light of these objections, I strongly
urge the University to reconsider its deci
sion and consider signing on with a locally
owned and operated vendor such as Cafe
Mam or Orsini. At the very least, the Uni
versity should re-evaluate the question
naires that we filled out during the tasting.
Perhaps even a second public tasting is in
order. Whatever the remedy, I feel that my
tuition fees and my use of the EMU facili
ties, along with the thousands of other stu
dents who attend the University, are enti
tled to a coffee product that we endorse
and that we have deemed desirable. In
simple terms, offer us a coffee product that
we want to purchase, not the one that we
are obliged to and compromised to buy on
those unfortunate occasions when we
can’t make it down to 13th Avenue and be
yond in order to purchase a product we re
ally wanted.
Erin Kuch
Romance Languages
Vote Wortman, Cowling
ASUO elections are just around the cor
ner and Geneva and Morgan wanted to
take this opportunity to tell you why they
want to represent the students as ASUO
president and vice president. Some stu
dents feel that ASUO does not affect them,
so why should they vote? The truth is that
ASUO can and does affect your daily life.
Geneva and Morgan are running with the
goals to save students money and expand
access to higher education for all.
Our first goal is an across-the-board tu
ition freeze. Thanks to the ASUO Execu
tive two years ago, in-state students en
joyed a tuition freeze this year, but
out-of-state, international, law school and
graduate students’ tuition has risen more
than 80 percent in the last five years. We
want to freeze tuition for all.
Our second goal is to have concerts in
McArthur Court. It will take the effort of
all the branches of student government
along with the collective voice of the stu
dents to put enough pressure on adminis
tration so that students can access the
building that they built with student dol
lars. Concerts in Mac Court will save us
money on tickets and will be safer for stu
dents than shows off-campus.
Geneva and Morgan feel that we, as a
University, must address the decreasing
diversity on campus. Geneva is at the Uni
versity because she is on an Underrepre
sented Minority Scholarship. That schol
arship no longer exists, and there are less
funds available for underrepresented stu
dents. Geneva and Morgan are committed
to increasing programs designed to recruit
and retain students and faculty of color.
All of these goals can only be achieved
by experienced leaders. Both Geneva and
Morgan have fought hard in Salem and
Washington, D.C., lobbying your represen
tatives on issues such as financial aid, af
firmative action and student control of stu
dent fees. But none of these goals will
become a reality without students who
care. We urge all students, no matter if you
are involved or not, to look at each candi
date’s issues and decide which candidates
have the experience to be the most effec
tive and represent you the best. Vote April
15 and 16. Vote for active, effective leader
ship. Vote Geneva and Morgan for ASUO
Executive.
Geneva Wortman
Morgan Cowling
Candidates for ASUO Executive