June 2, 2010

“Mexicano Mask”: Racist Gringos Fire Back

Courtesy of I Hate the Media

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Well, huh. It appears the culture war over immigration has spawned a new journalistic beat: The culture war over race-based masks.

Regular MoJo readers will recall the controversy that broke out last month over Florida-based Zubi Advertising‘s “Gringo Mask,” which was intended as a playful, not-for-profit show of solidarity with brown people who are likely to be targeted for arrest under Arizona’s “Papers, Please” law, SB 1070. Zubi backpedaled on the promotion when it was inundated with angry calls from gringos; apparently, anti-immigration forces feared the racial underclass was getting too, um, uppity.

But Zubi’s comeuppance wasn’t denouement enough for some self-styled conservatives, like the dudes who run a website called “I Hate the Media” (and if they think they’re getting gratuitous link love, they’re dreaming). They took time out from their busy schedule of breast-beating over “Sestakgate” just long enough to Photoshop themselves a “Mexicano Mask.” And if you thought the Gringo Mask was offensive, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Here, in their own words:

Last week a Florida advertising agency created Gringo Masks designed to help illegal aliens pass as legal American residents.

Now IHateTheMedia.com has created Mexicano Masks™ designed to help legal American residents leach off the welfare system, overwhelm our public schools, overrun emergency rooms, crowd our criminal justice system, swamp our jails, and work without paying taxes. After all, who wants to look like an oppressive, racist gringo when there are so many reasons not to?…

“The spirit in which we conceived Mexicano Masks™,” the spokesperson continued, “is definitely to offend people. The time for dialogue is long gone.”…

NOTE: Neither rubber band nor green card is included.

Well, they’re clearly right about one thing: It’s hard to start a dialogue with someone who thinks brown people sit at home thinking up new ways to “swamp our jails.” That’s more the M.O. of Arizona legislators.

Also, guys, it’s “leech,” not “leach.” You must have been overwhelmed by immigrants during the English lessons in your public schools, eh?

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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