Please sign and send... (esp. Josh, B, and Meg!)
This petition is to request a formal apology from Vanity Fair and
Dame Edna for the offensive article regarding Latinos and the
Spanish language, which appears in the February 2003 issue of
Vanity Fair. In the meantime, please boycott Vanity Fair magazine,
and urge others to do the same.
If you are offended by the word-for-word transcription below,
please copy (rather than forward) this email in a new message,
sign it at the end of the list, and send it to all of the people whom
you know. If you receive this list with 100 names signed, please
send it to the Editor at vfmail@vf.com
Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpt, Vanity Fair (February 2003), p. 116, Ask Dame Edna:
Dear Dame: Edna, I would very much like to learn a foreign
language, preferably French or Italian, but every time I mention
this, people tell me to learn Spanish instead. They say, "Everyone
is going to be speaking Spanish in 10 years. George W. Bush
speaks Spanish." Could this be true? Are we all going to have to
speak Spanish?
Torn Romantic, Palm Beach
Dear Torn: Forget Spanish. There's nothing in that language
worth reading except Don Quixote, and a quick listen to the CD of
Man of La Mancha will take care of that. There was a poet named
Garcia Lorca, but I'd leave him on the intellectual back burner if I
were you. As for everyone's speaking it, what twaddle! Who speaks
it that you are really desperate to talk to? The help? Your leaf
blower? Study French or German, where there are at least a few
books worth reading, or, if you're American, try English.
--------------------------------------------
Dame Edna
Petition Letter Requesting Apology:
Dear Editor,
I was infuriated at Dame Edna's response to Torn Romantic, Palm
Beach (Vanity Fair, February 2003). Dame Edna could have
chosen any number of amusing responses; however, she
responded using cheap, two-dimensional stereotypes of Latinos
and Latin Americans, revealing not only her racism but also her
profound ignorance of who we are.
We are not just 'the help' and the 'leaf blowers'. We are architects
and activists, journalists and doctors, governors and athletes,
scientists and business people. We are Nobel Prize Winners and
Rhodes Scholars. We speak Spanish, but we also speak fluent
English, and many of us speak other languages as well. As of last
week, we are officially the largest minority population in the United
States at 37 million and 13% of the population.Without us, the
economy of this nation and the Americas, and consequently the
world, would come to a complete standstill.
If Dame Edna were even remotely cultured or educated, she would
have read and lost herself in the exquisite writings of Nobel prize
winners Octavio Paz, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, and Pablo Neruda.
She would know that Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz was one of the first
feminists and poets in the Americas. She would admire Isabel
Allende and Sandra Cisneros for their passionate prose and
vibrant spirits. And of course, if it had not been for us, the world
would not know chocolate! And everyone knows life would not be
worth living without chocolate.
Finally, I would like to point out that Dame Edna would have
NEVER written such blatantly offensive material about African-
Americans or Jews, for obvious reasons. It seems that Dame
Edna AND the Editors of Vanity Fair believe that Latinos and Latin
Americans cannot read, and even if we could, we would never be
Vanity Fair readers. For the life of me, I still cannot figure out why
you chose to feature Salma Hayek on the cover and in an article
celebrating her success immediately following such an offensive
piece.
FYI:
Spanish is the world’s second largest language: it probably has more native
speakers than any other language on the planet except for the official
language of China. English has more non-native speakers than Spanish, but
less native speakers. Clearly, if you know Spanish and English fluently, you
can communicate with a sizable proportion of the world's population. Spanish
is the official language of no less than twenty-one countries.
I demand an apology in print in the next issue of Vanity Fair from
the Editors and from Dame Edna. In the meantime, I will be
mobilizing everyone I know to boycott and protest Vanity Fair.
By the way, I am a 31-year old Mexican-American woman, with
three Ivy League degrees, working in New York City at a major firm.
I sure as hell am NOT the leaf blower or the help, and I think all of
you need to go to college. Wendy Maldonado
1. Wendy Maldonado, Jackson Heights, NY
2. Jasmine J. Friedman, New York, NY
3. Angelique Jewell, New York, NY
4. Paula Cserei, Houston, TX
5. Monica Cardenas, Houston, TX
6. Denise de la Cruz; Houston, TX
7. Ana Aguirre, Houston, TX
8. Elisa Mendez, Fort Lee, NJ
9. Elizabeth Vidal, Orlando, FL
10. Mirta Fernandez, WNY, NJ
11. Jessica Feria, North Bergen, NJ
12. Jeannie Feria, North Bergen, NJ
13. Barbara Perez, North Bergen. NJ
14. Angel Perez, North Bergen, NJ
15. Angelina Deleon, Flemington, NJ
16. Rolando Deleon, Flemington, NJ
17. Nilo Calichs, North Bergen, NJ
18. Alicia Calichs, North Bergen, NJ
19. Casey Perez, North Bergen, NJ
20. Dean Perez, North Bergen, NJ
21.Myrta Gonzalez, Miami, FL
22. Ramiro Gonzalez, Miami, FL
23. Liz Martinez, Miami, FL.
24. Lisa Garcia, Miami, FL.
25. Zobeida Perez, Miami FL
26. Darlene Muniz, Miami, FL.
27. Julie Muniz-Gomez, Miami, FL.
28. Marisol Rodriguez, Miami, FL
29. Ileana Monteagudo, Miami, FL.
30. Lineda Paz, Miami, FL.
31. Yamilka Villalba, Miami, FL.
32. Alina Herrera Miami, FL.
33. Darlene Muniz Miami, FL.
34. Laura Rivera Miami, FL.
35. Lourdes Balepogi Miami, FL.
36. Jenny Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
37. Jossie Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
38. Angel Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
39. Jason P. Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
40. Robert R. Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
41. Cristin Aguilera Miami, GL
42. Davina Aryeh Washington,DC
43. Sylvia L. Connors Greenwich, CT
44. Daniella Peters Greenwich, CT
45. Ingrid M. Hess, Darien, CT
46. Leticia Fonseca de Arias . Panama, Rep. of Panama
47. Doris Miranda de Aleman, Panama, Rep. of Panama
48. Cristina Cardoze, New York, NY
49. Claudia Quintero, New York, NY
50. Analisa Arcacha, Miami, FL
51. Dunia Arsuaga, Miami, FL
52. Alexis Anderson, Miami FL (Mexicana/Salvadoraiqa/Americana)
53. Kristina Mariscal, CA
54. JC Montenegro, CA
55. Carolyn Escalante, CA
56. Margaret Villanueva, St. Cloud, MN (University professor)
57. J.A. Hernandez, University of Chicago (Fellow & Grad Student)
58. Omar A. Medina, Sonoma State University (Chicano)
59. Laura Godinez-Avina, Stanford University, Califas
60. Maria Guadalupe Medina, Stanford University, CA
61. Reyna Morales, Univ. of Calif. Berkeley
62. Abraham Escareno, Univ. of Calif. Berkeley
63. Jose R. Gonzalez, Univ. of Calif. Berkeley
64. Maribel Gonzalez, Univ. of Calif. Los Angeles
65. Marlin Padilla, Univ. of Calif. Los Angeles
66. Margarita Perez, South Gate, CA.
67. Laura Leal, Hawthorne, CA
68. Claudia Franco, Los Angeles
69. Kandy Franco, Univ. of Calif. Los Angeles, Majoring in English & Spanish
Dame Edna for the offensive article regarding Latinos and the
Spanish language, which appears in the February 2003 issue of
Vanity Fair. In the meantime, please boycott Vanity Fair magazine,
and urge others to do the same.
If you are offended by the word-for-word transcription below,
please copy (rather than forward) this email in a new message,
sign it at the end of the list, and send it to all of the people whom
you know. If you receive this list with 100 names signed, please
send it to the Editor at vfmail@vf.com
Thank you.
------------------------------------------------------------
Excerpt, Vanity Fair (February 2003), p. 116, Ask Dame Edna:
Dear Dame: Edna, I would very much like to learn a foreign
language, preferably French or Italian, but every time I mention
this, people tell me to learn Spanish instead. They say, "Everyone
is going to be speaking Spanish in 10 years. George W. Bush
speaks Spanish." Could this be true? Are we all going to have to
speak Spanish?
Torn Romantic, Palm Beach
Dear Torn: Forget Spanish. There's nothing in that language
worth reading except Don Quixote, and a quick listen to the CD of
Man of La Mancha will take care of that. There was a poet named
Garcia Lorca, but I'd leave him on the intellectual back burner if I
were you. As for everyone's speaking it, what twaddle! Who speaks
it that you are really desperate to talk to? The help? Your leaf
blower? Study French or German, where there are at least a few
books worth reading, or, if you're American, try English.
--------------------------------------------
Dame Edna
Petition Letter Requesting Apology:
Dear Editor,
I was infuriated at Dame Edna's response to Torn Romantic, Palm
Beach (Vanity Fair, February 2003). Dame Edna could have
chosen any number of amusing responses; however, she
responded using cheap, two-dimensional stereotypes of Latinos
and Latin Americans, revealing not only her racism but also her
profound ignorance of who we are.
We are not just 'the help' and the 'leaf blowers'. We are architects
and activists, journalists and doctors, governors and athletes,
scientists and business people. We are Nobel Prize Winners and
Rhodes Scholars. We speak Spanish, but we also speak fluent
English, and many of us speak other languages as well. As of last
week, we are officially the largest minority population in the United
States at 37 million and 13% of the population.Without us, the
economy of this nation and the Americas, and consequently the
world, would come to a complete standstill.
If Dame Edna were even remotely cultured or educated, she would
have read and lost herself in the exquisite writings of Nobel prize
winners Octavio Paz, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, and Pablo Neruda.
She would know that Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz was one of the first
feminists and poets in the Americas. She would admire Isabel
Allende and Sandra Cisneros for their passionate prose and
vibrant spirits. And of course, if it had not been for us, the world
would not know chocolate! And everyone knows life would not be
worth living without chocolate.
Finally, I would like to point out that Dame Edna would have
NEVER written such blatantly offensive material about African-
Americans or Jews, for obvious reasons. It seems that Dame
Edna AND the Editors of Vanity Fair believe that Latinos and Latin
Americans cannot read, and even if we could, we would never be
Vanity Fair readers. For the life of me, I still cannot figure out why
you chose to feature Salma Hayek on the cover and in an article
celebrating her success immediately following such an offensive
piece.
FYI:
Spanish is the world’s second largest language: it probably has more native
speakers than any other language on the planet except for the official
language of China. English has more non-native speakers than Spanish, but
less native speakers. Clearly, if you know Spanish and English fluently, you
can communicate with a sizable proportion of the world's population. Spanish
is the official language of no less than twenty-one countries.
I demand an apology in print in the next issue of Vanity Fair from
the Editors and from Dame Edna. In the meantime, I will be
mobilizing everyone I know to boycott and protest Vanity Fair.
By the way, I am a 31-year old Mexican-American woman, with
three Ivy League degrees, working in New York City at a major firm.
I sure as hell am NOT the leaf blower or the help, and I think all of
you need to go to college. Wendy Maldonado
1. Wendy Maldonado, Jackson Heights, NY
2. Jasmine J. Friedman, New York, NY
3. Angelique Jewell, New York, NY
4. Paula Cserei, Houston, TX
5. Monica Cardenas, Houston, TX
6. Denise de la Cruz; Houston, TX
7. Ana Aguirre, Houston, TX
8. Elisa Mendez, Fort Lee, NJ
9. Elizabeth Vidal, Orlando, FL
10. Mirta Fernandez, WNY, NJ
11. Jessica Feria, North Bergen, NJ
12. Jeannie Feria, North Bergen, NJ
13. Barbara Perez, North Bergen. NJ
14. Angel Perez, North Bergen, NJ
15. Angelina Deleon, Flemington, NJ
16. Rolando Deleon, Flemington, NJ
17. Nilo Calichs, North Bergen, NJ
18. Alicia Calichs, North Bergen, NJ
19. Casey Perez, North Bergen, NJ
20. Dean Perez, North Bergen, NJ
21.Myrta Gonzalez, Miami, FL
22. Ramiro Gonzalez, Miami, FL
23. Liz Martinez, Miami, FL.
24. Lisa Garcia, Miami, FL.
25. Zobeida Perez, Miami FL
26. Darlene Muniz, Miami, FL.
27. Julie Muniz-Gomez, Miami, FL.
28. Marisol Rodriguez, Miami, FL
29. Ileana Monteagudo, Miami, FL.
30. Lineda Paz, Miami, FL.
31. Yamilka Villalba, Miami, FL.
32. Alina Herrera Miami, FL.
33. Darlene Muniz Miami, FL.
34. Laura Rivera Miami, FL.
35. Lourdes Balepogi Miami, FL.
36. Jenny Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
37. Jossie Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
38. Angel Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
39. Jason P. Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
40. Robert R. Esquijarosa Miami, FL. (Cuban-American)
41. Cristin Aguilera Miami, GL
42. Davina Aryeh Washington,DC
43. Sylvia L. Connors Greenwich, CT
44. Daniella Peters Greenwich, CT
45. Ingrid M. Hess, Darien, CT
46. Leticia Fonseca de Arias . Panama, Rep. of Panama
47. Doris Miranda de Aleman, Panama, Rep. of Panama
48. Cristina Cardoze, New York, NY
49. Claudia Quintero, New York, NY
50. Analisa Arcacha, Miami, FL
51. Dunia Arsuaga, Miami, FL
52. Alexis Anderson, Miami FL (Mexicana/Salvadoraiqa/Americana)
53. Kristina Mariscal, CA
54. JC Montenegro, CA
55. Carolyn Escalante, CA
56. Margaret Villanueva, St. Cloud, MN (University professor)
57. J.A. Hernandez, University of Chicago (Fellow & Grad Student)
58. Omar A. Medina, Sonoma State University (Chicano)
59. Laura Godinez-Avina, Stanford University, Califas
60. Maria Guadalupe Medina, Stanford University, CA
61. Reyna Morales, Univ. of Calif. Berkeley
62. Abraham Escareno, Univ. of Calif. Berkeley
63. Jose R. Gonzalez, Univ. of Calif. Berkeley
64. Maribel Gonzalez, Univ. of Calif. Los Angeles
65. Marlin Padilla, Univ. of Calif. Los Angeles
66. Margarita Perez, South Gate, CA.
67. Laura Leal, Hawthorne, CA
68. Claudia Franco, Los Angeles
69. Kandy Franco, Univ. of Calif. Los Angeles, Majoring in English & Spanish