Texas-based pizza chain accepts pesos, takes heat
DALLAS — A pizza chain has been hit with death threats and hate mail after offering to accept Mexican pesos, becoming another flash point in the nation’s debate over immigrants.
“This is the United States of America, not the United States of Mexico,” one e-mail read. “Quit catering to the … illegal Mexicans,” another said.
Dallas-based Pizza Patron said it was not trying to inject itself into a larger political debate about illegal immigration when it posted signs this week saying “Aceptamos pesos”–or “We accept pesos”–at its 59 stores across Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and California.
Pizza Patron spokesman Andy Gamm said the company was just trying to sell more pizza to its customers, 60 percent of whom are Hispanic.
This article is an exaggerated example of the way I see the anti-immigrant crowd. I know it’s not really accurate, but I can’t help but make the association.
Yes, I realize that not all people who are really into opposing illegal immigration are this disgustingly racist, and some of them may not even be racist at all. Most swear up and down that it has nothing to do with race whatsoever, but rather economics and such. While I recognize all that, I also can’t dismiss the fact that the vast majority of racists don’t come right out and say that they are racists either; they usually talk about all the “problems” associated with the particular people group in question (who just happen to be of the same racial background) but attempt to deny that race plays any part in their opinion.
5 Comments
I have heard that they are charging a high exchange rate in the store’s favor. If that is true it doesn’t seem so nice.
Had to comment - it seems like a catch 22 in that every time someone mentions a problem that in general does relate to a particular race ( except the white race - I feel they are open game to make fun of and openly portray in media as fools ) they are called racist.
The result is name calling and not an open discussion about the problem.
JB wrote -
“Most swear up and down that it has nothing to do with race whatsoever, but rather economics and such. While I recognize all that, I also can’t dismiss the fact that the vast majority of racists don’t come right out and say that they are racists either; they usually talk about all the “problemsâ€? associated with the particular people group in question (who just happen to be of the same racial background)”
YOur comment just seems very judgemental to me.
Dave: I don’t think he’s being unfairly judgmental. You may just be a little defensive in this case because of your experiences in Mexico or Oxnard as you call it.
No, I admitted in the post that my comment about most anti-immigration sentiment seeming racist is not necessarily fair or easily backed up with solid facts. However, part of that is that most people don’t admit that their motivations have anything to do with racial prejudice, even when they do. That’s all I was saying.
However, I feel pretty safe in saying that people who were issuing death threats against the restaurant owners just because they accepted pesos is undeniably racist.