Gabriel Iglesias, a comedian named « Fluffy », defends his role as Speedy Gonzales in « Space Jam: A New Legacy ».
The 1996 original played Michael Jordan and a list of Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Porky Pig and the runaway mouse Speedy, who will return to the sequel led by Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James instead of Jordan, who became the last in 2003 Times withdrew from basketball.
Critics have called the classic cartoon character, a bilingual mouse from Mexico wearing a sombrero and speaking with a heavy accent, a stereotype for Latin Americans.
In an article in the author’s New York Times Last week’s Charles Blow discussed how race-insensitive cartoons from earlier times endure today – coupled with the news that a number of Dr. Seuss would be dragged off the shelves and production preventively, which some might consider a problematic matter.
He recalls the first cartoons he remembers and mentions Speedy Gonzales, « whose friends helped to spread the caustic stereotype of the drunk and lethargic Mexicans, « wrote Blow.
Iglesias, whose family is from Mexico, later took to Twitter to defend the character and role.
“I’m the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam. Does that mean they’ll try to break off Fluffy too? You can’t catch me breaking off the culture. I’m the fastest mouse in all of Mexico, « the 44-year-old actor – and star of Netflix’s » Mr. Iglesias « – tweeted on Saturday.
I’m the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam. Does that mean they’ll try to break off Fluffy too? You can’t catch me breaking off the culture. I’m the fastest mouse in all of Mexico 💨 pic.twitter.com/Ov4wjO00kM
The character Speedy Gonzales made his debut in 1953, played by legendary voice actor Mel Blanc with Russian-Jewish heritage, who also works for Bugs, Daffy Duck, Porky and most of the Looney Tunes characters spoke.
The defense of Speedy follows another exit from « Space Jam: A New Legacy »: the serial abuser Pepé Le Pew. In his essay, Blow also claimed that the female skunk « normalized the rape culture ». His comments led the producers to decide to cut one of Pepé’s star scenes, in which the character is portrayed as a flirtatious bartender who, despite her many objections, insists on kissing a customer (played by Greice Santo).
According to Deadline, professional baller James takes Pepé aside to explain the concept of « consent » as the flirtatious skunk admits that his longtime love, Penelope Pussycat, has requested an injunction against him – a disturbing statement It must emerge from a children’s cartoon.
On Twitter, Blow addressed his point by listing Pepé’s many known attacks, including touching and kissing « repeatedly without consent. »
« Has taught the boys that « no » doesn’t actually mean « no », that it is part of the « game, » the starting line of a power struggle, « Blow continued in a thread Saturday. « It taught how to overcome a woman’s strenuous, even physical, objections was normal, adorable, funny. They didn’t even allow the woman to SPEAK. »
This helped teach boys that « no » isn’t really No meant it was part of « game, » the starting line of a power struggle. It taught how to overcome a woman’s strenuous, even physical objections, was normal, adorable, funny. They didn’t even give the woman a chance to SPEAK.
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