LAist: "I'm not a racist. I make fun of everybody."

Carl K

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:09:09 -0800

I like Carlos Mencia's humor because I can actually tell he is making fun of behaviors first and fore most. People have had political correctness shoved down their throats for so long and so hard that most have lost track of reality and can only see things in black or white instead of using their brains to think for themselves and understand what is really going on. Wikipedia, is not hard nose facts like everyone in this thread thinks it is. It is a compilation of whatever from whoever submits something. WASP stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protistant It is name given to folks of European descent who are not Catholic. That's all. (Too many kids thinking without any direction on this thread, me thinks, he he he).

Joe Rogain

Wed, 09 May 2007 18:01:23 -0800

Is this a Joe Rogain sponsored article?

k.rizzle

Wed, 09 May 2007 17:40:35 -0800

what about a nappy WASP?

FP

Wed, 09 May 2007 17:19:42 -0800

Wow, if anyone feels slighted and/or insulted by the term WASP, then you have some serious issues. My God... And equating Henry to George Bush? What?!? Please.

o

Wed, 09 May 2007 16:40:53 -0800

So, you hate Carlos because he's "unpatriotic"? That's fine, but I hate him because he's just not funny. How about a little hate too for Comedy Central for keeping this POS on the air?

Panfilo

Wed, 09 May 2007 16:22:56 -0800

Carlos, please stop pretending/insinuating you're Mexican-American. I have no trouble with beaner/wetback jokes, I'm Mexican-American and make them myself with my Latino friends, but that's not why I'm offended. I'm offended as a fan of good comedy. Your jokes suck and you can see the punchlines a mile away. Chapelle quit his show because he thought it was becoming the kind of simplistic racial stereotype dreck that Mencia wallows in. No mames guey.

k.rizzle@gmail.com

Wed, 09 May 2007 14:59:56 -0800

Henry D, your point was that there are clear lines that should not be crossed. So it does change your point.

Henry D

Wed, 09 May 2007 14:17:31 -0800

I apologize if my use of the word WASP offended you or anyone else. However this doesn't change my second point.

Brian

Wed, 09 May 2007 13:54:47 -0800

Henry D, who are you? George Bush? Read on my friend... From Wikipedia: "It is frequently used today in a derogatory fashion. In fact, many dictionaries warn the term is often 'derogatory' or 'insulting'." and "In addition some see it as a racial, ethnic, and religious slur showing contempt for white Protestant Americans." And from Merriam-Webster: "sometimes disparaging : an American of Northern European and especially British ancestry and of Protestant background; especially : a member of the dominant and the most privileged class of people in the United States" Finally, from your Wikipedia friend: "Some object to the expression because of its inaccuracy and, because the term is bandied about in a casual manner by people who may not understand its full meaning or its imprecision." Hmmm...

Henry D

Wed, 09 May 2007 13:40:32 -0800

"The WASP acronym originated in reference to White Americans with a history in the upper class establishment, who are alleged to form a powerful elite.[1] Some may use the term to describe any white person who does not claim any minority affiliation, regardless of their socio-economic status or actual ancestry." -Wikipedia You can't argue with Wikipedia. It's infallible. WASP is not derogatory. =p Secondly, I am half WASP myself (German), so when I accuse him of parading it is not "just as inaccurate as Mencia claiming to be Mexican." because I am not lying about my race to disenfranchise WASPs. Do you recall me showing prejudice towards WASPs anywhere in my letter above?

brian

Wed, 09 May 2007 13:23:29 -0800

WASP is, in fact, a derogatory term, and probably an inaccurate representation of Carlos Mencia. The term was popularized to define the controlling elite. It would specifically exclude Catholics, Mediterranean-region Europeans, and thus many working class Caucasians. I believe he's Half-German, which does not necessarily indicate that he's Anglo-Saxon or combination of one or the other. (And, furthermore, Anglo-Saxon is typically used to refer to the British invaders/settlers that established what we now know was the Imperial power of the British.) So even if you are gonna cop-out and say that WASP isn't a pejorative term, its still possibly just as inaccurate as Mencia claiming to be "Mexican."

kiran

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:52:04 -0800

this is a great letter. I hate that "fucker"

Maxximoo

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:45:29 -0800

Implying that all comedians steal jokes isn't only incorrect but it also is attempting to justify something that the worst of them do. You would never write off someone who plagiarizes a novel or a song because "everyone does it". don't treat a comic's material any differently.

William

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:43:43 -0800

I'd like to know what that line is that one is not supposed to cross. Racial prejudice is not what America is about? HAHAHAHA. That was a good one.

K.rizzle

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:19:57 -0800

As pointed out by FP a safe PC freindly method for not being a racist pig is to describe people through acronyms that contain (closest primary color of skin)(common language spoken by group)(name of group's original tribe)(religion practiced by group) so ned menica is a WASP posing as a YSAC (yellow)(spanish)(aztec)(catholic)

Mencia = Douchebag

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:14:39 -0800

A friend of mine used to work at a law firm that specializes in expediting and processing visas and citizenship papers for people who are getting those special work visas for "creative" types. I think they're H-1 visas. Apparently when Mencia's paperwork came to the firm, one of Mencia's people called to emphasize that they wanted the info about Mencia's Caucasian heritage to remain top secret. Mencia is half-Caucasian (German, I believe) and half-Latino (Honduran), but it is absolutely part of his shtick to cast himself as a Mexican-American. Thanks for calling him on it.

FP

Wed, 09 May 2007 11:32:35 -0800

WASP isn't a derogatory term. It stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

Marie

Wed, 09 May 2007 11:21:58 -0800

I don't mean this to be snarky, but why is it okay to use the term WASP, especially in the context of complaining about negative words being attached to various ethnic/racial groups?