4. Why does George Lopez think that the Joker in Batman i

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SPANISH-AMERICAN HUMORSee also PowerPoints on
Cisneros Ethnic Names, Ethnic Humor, and
Spanish-American Contrastive Analysis

• by Don L. F. Nilsen
• and Alleen Pace Nilsen

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• 1. What is the miracle of The Milagro Beenfield
  War (3)?
• 2. Why is it good for mice to be bilingual (6-7)?
• 3. To what extent to Cheech and Chong represent
  Chicano culture (8)?
• 4. Why does George Lopez think that the Joker in
  Batman is Latino (9)?
• 5. What is Magical Realism (10-12)?
• 6. Explain Mexican Humor and the Corridos
  (13-14).
• 7. What are Jeff Valdezs brothers names? Why
  is that important (15-16)?

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BILINGUAL ALLUSIONS

• In John Nichols The Milagro Beanfield War,
  Horsethief Shorty gives a forest ranger the
  following warning
• These people wouldnt confide in you, in that
  uniform, Carl, if you was Cesar Chavez, Pedro
  Infante, Cantinflas, and Lee Trevino all rolled
  into one.

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BILINGUAL EDUCATION

• One young bilingual child defined Bilingual
  Education as follows
• Thats when the teacher says everything twice,
  but you only understand it once.

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A BILINGUAL KNOCK-KNOCK JOKE

• Knock knock.
• Whos there?
• Kelly.
• Kelly who?
• Que le importa?
• (Spanish for Whats it to you?

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A BILINGUAL STORYfrom Laurence Peter and Bill
Danas The Laughter Prescription

• There was un ratoncito, a little mouse, and he
  was hiding in his hole in the living room. He
  was very frustrated, because he knew where there
  was some queso, some cheese. But, he heard the
  miao of el gato, the cat.

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• This was no ratoncito estupido, because he knew
  that gatos eat ratoncitos. So he waited until he
  heard Woof, woof, and he knew it was el perro,
  the dog. He knew that perros scare away los
  gatos, and also that perros dont eat ratoncitos.
  So he walked out and saw, no perro, pero el
  gato!
• And el gato gulped him up and said iQue bueno
  ser bilingue!

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CHEECH AND CHONG

• Cheech and Chong (Richard Marin and Tommy Chong)
  have been described as the Bob and Ray of the
  scruffy drug culture.

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GEORGE LOPEZ

• I liked the original Batman because the Joker
  was LatinoCesar Romerobut I thought Batman
  should have been Mexican because that car was way
  too nice for a white man to be driving.

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MAGICAL REALISM

• Magical Realism is a blend of exaggeration,
  fables and cultureal lore that is distinctly
  Hispanic.
• It can be seen in Rudolfo Anayas Bless Me,
  Ultima, and in Laura Esquivels Like Water for
  Chocolate

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• Like Water for Chocolate gets its title from a
  Spanish colloquialism alluding to water that is
  agitated or ready to boil.
• Tita is the youngest of three daughters in a
  Mexican ranching family. She was born in a
  kitchen and therefore has a special affinity for
  food.
• So many tears were shed at Titas birth that when
  the tears dried there was enough salt to last the
  family for many years.

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• When Tita is forced to bake the wedding cake to
  celebrate her sisters marriage to the man that
  Tita loves, Tita cries so many tears that her
  sorrow is baked into the wedding cake and all of
  the guests become ill.
• (Nilsen Nilsen 145)

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MEXICAN CORRIDOS

• Because Mexican corridos are about the
  corridor between Mexico and the United States,
  they are very bicultural.
• These Corridos make allusions both to Mexican
  folk heroes and to American folk heroes, whether
  they are real (like Jimmy Hoffa), mythological
  (like Pecos Bill), or superheroes (like Superman).

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MEXICAN HUMOR

• Mexican humor is expressed in folk genres such as
  jokes, jests, and anecdotes. It is very
  bilingual and bicultural.
• Mexican proverbs are epiphenal, as in En boca
  cerrada, no entran moscas.

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OFFENSIVE ETHNIC HUMOR

• Sometimes our sensitivities change. Bill Dana
  used to have a character named Jose Jimenez who
  used a Mexican accent to tell hilarious jokes.
• But this offended so many people that he had to
  stop using this persona.
• The same is true about the Taco Bell spokesman
  who spoke with an accent.

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JEFF VALDEZ

• My brothers names are Alfonso, Lorenzo,
  Ramonand me Jeff. I guess that was right
  about the time my parents assimilatedright there!

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SPANISH-HUMOR WEB SITES

• CHEECH AND CHONG UP IN SMOKE
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vk2pXxHW1DHs
• GOODESMAN AND JOO
• http//cartoonando.blogspot.com/2008/04/1000-posts
  .html
• CARLOS MENCIA
• http//www.comedycentral.com/shows/mind_of_mencia/
  index.jhtml