Taco Grande

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avesjohn
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by avesjohn »

So, I like to check Cracked for their daily humorous/informative lists, and one of them today was "5 Ignorant Jokes From The Last Comedians You'd Expect." I did not expect Al to show up on this list, especially since we know him so well, but here we are (note: some foul language in the article) with him at #2 for, of all things, "Taco Grande" (hence my commenting on this thread). While I can see how one might see this song as culturally insensitive, I think we can generally agree that doing so would be a bit of a stretch, at a minimum. After all, "Lasagna" does the same thing to Italian food what "Taco Grande" does to Mexican, but where's the outrage there?

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mellow weasel
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by mellow weasel »

avesjohn wrote:So, I like to check Cracked for their daily humorous/informative lists, and one of them today was "5 Ignorant Jokes From The Last Comedians You'd Expect." I did not expect Al to show up on this list, especially since we know him so well, but here we are (note: some foul language in the article) with him at #2 for, of all things, "Taco Grande" (hence my commenting on this thread). While I can see how one might see this song as culturally insensitive, I think we can generally agree that doing so would be a bit of a stretch, at a minimum. After all, "Lasagna" does the same thing to Italian food what "Taco Grande" does to Mexican, but where's the outrage there?

Thoughts?
I don't think it's racist (can you even call it racist, as far as I know Latino isn't a race (sorry if this comment was racist in some way :lol: )). The song doesn't claim ALL Mexicans love to eat, it's just this one guy. I must admit this is one of less impressive parodies in terms of lyrics, but it has nothing to do with making fun of Latinos, it's just kind of boring. Also I don't understand half of the lyrics (Spanish parts) and I've not tried any food mentioned :lol: . If I really tried to find something offensive in this song, it would be the glorifying of unhealthy lifestyle :lol: .

As anthontherun mentioned elsewhere, that whole article is pretentious. I didn't read it entirely, but the excerpts of the song #1 (about a guy in friendzone) that should prove it's bad are really funny to me - the author of the article fails to realize it's a humourous song, not a philosophy thesis :rolleyes:
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avesjohn
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by avesjohn »

Then we're in agreement.

For all of society's advancements, things seem to take a step back when people get overly sensitive and politically correct. Learn to laugh at yourselves, folks.

And stay in school, kids.

(Random note: coincidentally, I had tacos for dinner tonight, before I read the article.)
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Wizzerkat
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by Wizzerkat »

Yes, Latinos are a race of people :) I also concur about the supposed "racism." Al often takes stereotypes to an extreme for comedy purposes. This is nothing different than he has done at other times.
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algonacchick
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by algonacchick »

Taco Grande is a song about someone who loves Mexican food. How is that offensive? Also, I always thought that the character in the song was Al himself. Last time I checked, he wasn't Mexican, although I don't think it really matters whether he is or not. There are plenty of people who aren't Mexican who like Mexican food, and know enough Spanish to order an entree. Several comments on the article state that the author grasping at straws. Totally agree. Btw, I'm considering having huevos rancheros for breakfast. :drool:
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mellow weasel
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by mellow weasel »

algonacchick wrote: Also, I always thought that the character in the song was Al himself. Last time I checked, he wasn't Mexican, although I don't think it really matters whether he is or not. There are plenty of people who aren't Mexican who like Mexican food, and know enough Spanish to order an entree.
The amount of Spanish in the song makes me think that the character is either Mexican or at least of mixed upbringing :D
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tomatochives
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by tomatochives »

avesjohn wrote:So, I like to check Cracked for their daily humorous/informative lists, and one of them today was "5 Ignorant Jokes From The Last Comedians You'd Expect." I did not expect Al to show up on this list, especially since we know him so well, but here we are (note: some foul language in the article) with him at #2 for, of all things, "Taco Grande" (hence my commenting on this thread). While I can see how one might see this song as culturally insensitive, I think we can generally agree that doing so would be a bit of a stretch, at a minimum. After all, "Lasagna" does the same thing to Italian food what "Taco Grande" does to Mexican, but where's the outrage there?

Thoughts?
It's just a song about food, for crying out loud! :annoyed:
"Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" has been slammed for being condescending towards Jewish culture. (Although I'm Jewish by heritage and I have nothing against it.) I wonder why these Cracked.com writers didn't mention that song instead?
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algonacchick
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by algonacchick »

mellow weasel wrote:The amount of Spanish in the song makes me think that the character is either Mexican or at least of mixed upbringing :D
Not necessarily. He's mostly just listing Mexican dishes. Besides, Al's from California. I think plenty of people from there know at least some Spanish, even if they're not latino. I'm not, and I understood pretty much everything Al said. I took Spanish in high school, though.
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TMBJon
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by TMBJon »

Latinos/Hispanics are indeed a race. Mexican food is great. The song is obviously not racist or anything close.
My theory is that the narrator of Taco Grande is a white guy from Southern California who just loves Mexican food and will never shut up about eating it, which is a fairly common trait among white people in Southern California.
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Kevbo1987
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Re: Taco Grande

Post by Kevbo1987 »

I completely agree. It seems to me that the author of that article is saying that the song is implying that all Mexican people do is eat. That's not even anywhere close to the point of the song. The song isn't making fun of Mexican people; it's making fun of one hypothetical guy, who may or may not be Mexican, who loves to eat a ton of Mexican food. If the song had been about a guy who likes to eat a lot of hamburgers and hot dogs, would it have been considered an anti-American song? Of course not.
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