A Miami company has created the ‘gringo mask’ in response to the “absurd” Arizona law and “the notion that we all must look a certain way”. As we all know, the color of ones skin is not the point of the new law.
Cristobal Herrera/Sun Sentinel Zubi Advertising Agency employees, in Miami, pose while wearing their 'Gringo' masks.
New face of immigration? Miami company creates ‘Gringo Mask’ to start dialogue, not to offend
by
Juan Carlos Pérez-DuthieIs it Halloween already? No, not yet, although for many Hispanic immigrants things seem quite scary in Arizona and for some in the Latino community, the state’s governor, Republican Jan Brewer, has assumed the role of big bad witch.
The reason: On April 23, Brewer signed into law a controversial measure, SB 1070, which allows the police to detain anyone whose immigration status may be suspect. And playing into this, of course, is the person’s appearance.
So, you don’t look the way you should in Brewer’s and the police’s eyes? No problem! Because here’s the solution, free of charge and readily available to anyone: the Gringo Mask!
Whether you are a man or a woman, now you can boast of a perfectly acceptable image for Arizona — you know, light skin, blond hair, blue eyes – without having to resort to expensive bleaching creams like Sammy Sosa or Michael Jackson did, or cumbersome Joan Rivers-type plastic surgery.
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“What caught our attention was the absurdity of this law, and the notion that we all must look a certain way,” continues the Cuban-American executive. “Once we talked about it, my creative team came back with the idea of the mask and the website [which went live on April 30. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are also being used to spread the word]. Basically, this is all a satire of what is happening in Arizona.”To take part in this satire, all you have to do is go to www.gringomask.com, choose the mask that best applies to you, download free, print it, cut it, put an elastic band around it and … bingo! New face, new immigration status!
“The spirit in which we conceived Gringo Mask,” clarifies Zubizarreta, “was not to offend anyone. We wanted to start a dialogue.”
Frankly, I think the masks are more of an attention-getting device for Zubi Advertising than anything else. But in doing this… are they racial profiling?
Source: Palm Beach Post
May 25th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Oh for Cripes sake! (You really need the headbanging emoticon back…seriously)
So Arizona finally decides to follow the law that has been on record and uphold it. Gasp
what will happen next? Making someone who looks under 30 show ID to buy liquor? cigarettes? 
Get off you high horse and be glad that someone out there wants to keep you AND your country safe. If you haven’t done anything wrong, then you know what?! You got nothing to worry about.
Get off your high horse and quit looking for where to sign up for the next pity party. Don’t like it? LEAVE! No one’s making you stay!
May 25th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Interesting… a pity party. I like that!
May 25th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I am offended – I do not have blond hair nor do I have blue eyes. Geeze…
I actually heard someone (obviously Latino by accent) call in to one of the national talk shows, Rush or Glen – not sure which – saying he was here legally but now he gets stopped. Guess what dude, we all get stopped – for running lights and stop signs, speeding, burned out light bulbs, not wearing seat-belts – and when we are stopped, just like you, we are asked for documentation. It’s called a valid drivers license, registration, and proof of insurance. You will be asked for those too, just like us gringos (isn’t this a bit like using the N word?, jus’ sayin’), and if those valid documents are not produced THEN and ONLY then you will be asked to produce those other papers. Don’t have them? Then please, obey the law and leave.
May 25th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Well, I’m not offended, though I do have blue eyes.
I just think it’s ridiculous.
You’ve got a damned good point, Patti – we all get stopped and we are all asked for documentation. If they don’t like it, adios!
To some people ‘gringo’ might be a little like ‘nigger’, but neither means much to me.
The people who use the word as an endearment with each other have given it so much power over us that we can’t even write it for fear we’ll be called out.
It’s a word, like all the others. So, no. Gringo doesn’t offend me. The masks… are just stupid.
May 25th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
Doesn’t really offend me either – I just get aggravated when everybody and his brother carry on about being offended and expect all of us to change our behaviors on the whim of their touchy little bleeding hearts so I like to point out when THEY say or do things that could easily offend people like us
May 26th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Yep!!
May 25th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
But Patti raises a good point. Now anytime a Latino or Latina gets pulled over, they’re going to say they’re being profiled and discriminated against. ACLU will come running to sign people up for lawsuits and to keep us all dizzy.
When the fact of the matter is, if you didn’t run the light/speed/do something illegal, then you wouldn’t have been pulled over in the first place. DUH.
Hmm…wonder if Sharpton and Jesse will get upset that the Latins are getting their press? It’s just a matter of time. Excuse me, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
May 25th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
They can try, but without legitimate cases it will be so much hot air… the kind jesse and al specialize in…
May 25th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Which may be what they’ll want to go for. You know, make a big stink, be a nuissance, make it look like more work than it is and that good people will give up and get rid of it.
Put signs in your lawn and on your cars showing that you support what Arizona is doing.
The line is being drawn, which side will you stand on?!
May 25th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Yep!
May 25th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Oh, hell, I’ve been wearin’ this same ol’ gringo mask for a tad over 63 years. Seems I have some buds wearin Mex masks, too, many of whom wear badges her in the southwest. I have some other buds who wear chinamen masks, some others in blackface. These are the masks of America, I’m proud to wear one of the many.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:30 am
You’ve the soul of a poet, Peter.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Start a dialogue? C’mon! For fuck’s sake, what part of “illegal” don’t these people get?
I’m tired of having to have a dialogue with people who won’t shut up about their beliefs. I’m just done with this.
May 27th, 2010 at 8:13 am
No shit! I hear you, Joanie!
May 29th, 2010 at 8:28 am
And there is no “dialogue” when you can’t get a word in edgewise.
May 29th, 2010 at 8:30 am
That’s the damn truth.