An Open Letter for the McElroy Bros of why Mexican Taako is not racist (in this mexican-american fan’s humble opinion) and why Blue Taako is really racist
Disclaimer Time! i do not speak for all Mexican-Americans let alone all Mexicans and you’re going to want to get more views on the subject! This is My Personal Opinion, but it is backed by many years of paying attention to Latinx Representation and critiquing media with Latinx friends and family.
PART ONE: Mexican Taako is Not Racist Representation and Here’s Why!
The most prevalent reason i’ve seen for Taako not being Mexican is that he’s a thief and that would be reinforcing bad stereotypes of Mexican’s being thieves. So! I’m gonna address this in Two Parts
1) Thieving is not Taako’s primary character trait. If it was, then yes, i’d say that making taako mexican would be a pretty dicey move, but Taako is one of the Main Heroes. He is, to take a direct quote from the show, a Fully Realized Creation. He is a clever and powerful magic user, he’s aloof but still manages to be one of the first main characters to build strong positive relationships with NPC characters (Ren, Angus). He’s ultimately a Good Guy.
He has flaws, yes, but he still gets to be good and clever and a hero. And that’s something that we don’t get to see a lot in Mexican characters. I would argue that Taako is good, complex representation because of his flaws. The complexity of his character is what makes him more human and more relateable. And it would be a very good thing for a diverse audience to be able to see a Mexican character as a complex, flawed, but ultimately heroic, human being.
One of the best ways to create a character that does fulfill a stereotypical trait is to make them well-rounded and human and not defined by that trait, and with Taako, that’s already built in. (Taako even has potential backstory reasons for feeling like he needs to stockpile wealth! A childhood living on the road with questionable income is a pretty good reason!)
2) The other best way to create a Mexican Character with Questionable Traits is to create another Mexican character in the same series who shows that This Stereotype Is Not Universal. And again! Lucky You! You already have one built into the narrative!
Now i know Lup doesn’t show up ‘till much later in the show, but if Taako is Mexican, that automatically gives you a second Mexican character, his twin, who is quickly shown to be the very heart and moral compass of her team! Lup is excellent representation, and really, i don’t think she should be left out of this conversation.
(i’mma head off the argument that Lup hustles people at pool by saying that that was not about wealth or stealing so much as it was about showing off and proving herself more skilled, but ymmv on that one. I’m also gonna head off the arguments about Lup being a bit of a spitfire and Down To Fight which could be another Questionable Stereotype with the fact that Again! we still have Taako, who is Very Much not down to fight, he’ll find the most clever and roundabout ways to avoid a fight and his very motto is “Taako’s Good Out Here”. Like, this is Exactly Why having multiple, well-rounded poc in the same story is Super Beneficial)
Having Two Mexican Characters would also go a long way to improving the number of canon poc characters, which this show Sorely Needs. We have One Canon Recurring poc NPC? i’m pretty sure? i havn’t actually gone through and counted, but one actual canonical poc out of a cast of probly upwards of 20 characters?? (a generalized number counting only NPC that show up in more than one episode, not sure if Istus counts, but that would only bring the count up to 2)
PART TWO: Blue Taako is still really incredibly racist and here’s why!
1) the issue of the taco. I know so many people have said this already but i really think it bears repeating. Having anyone but a Mexican invent the taco is cultural appropriation. Even having a non-specific Taako (a “he can be whatever you want” Taako) invent the taco is saying that the taco is not a specifically Mexican food and it’s creation could be attributed to literally anyone on the planet because it just doesn’t matter. It’s saying that there is nothing special or culturally relevant about the taco, nothing relevant to the time and place in which it was invented, or the people who invented it.
That’s, like, you’re not just saying “anyone could invent the taco” that’s complete cultural erasure. You’re saying Mexicans just don’t exist in your world, they’re not around to invent the taco. That Stings, man, that HURTS, that cuts Real Deep!
2) blue skin. Okay, i don’t know if this has come up yet, but there’s this unfortunate thing in a lot of visual media, specifically Scifi and Fantasy media, where poc actors are cast in a role where they’re either in full-body paint or full-body costume prosthesis, (or they’re playing a CGI or animated character that’s non-human). It kindof relays to your fans that you’d rather see a non-human character as a hero than a poc. So when you guys said you’d add poc to the main cast, the main trio, and then gave Taako blue skin instead of an actual human tone? you kindof backed right into this. And i know it was all with good intentions,you were trying to hurt the least number of people, but damn, that was a bad move.
So, ultimate takeaway, you guys could probly use a couple poc on your creative team? Also, to any writers or creators out there looking to create some diverse media and not run into this kind of trouble, i very much recommend the @writingwithcolor blog, and getting some sensitivity readers.
