A friend of mine recently sent me an excerpt from the Feb 2003 Dame Edna column. Please read: _________________________________________________
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 not American, try English.
Dame Edna
________________________________________________
As a person who is genuinely enraptured by my culture and believe Hispanics are a vital, dynamic, intelligent workforce I wrote an email to vfmail@vf.com to express my outrage
If you do not want to do this then please comment and tell us how you feel about Dame Edna's comment
Jer: I certainly do not mean to use this board for any incendiary commentary but felt that it was important to post this terrible injustice so that all can comment/reflect. Please remove if you feel it is necessary.
to pa'lante
Posts: 91 | Location: london | Registered: 02 March 2002
Hola Joquecalor, Yes, I too received this from my friend James in St. Augustine, who was outraged. I agree Edna was out of line, and dowright rude! :b:
Best thing to do is to e-mail VF and tell them that an apology to the Hispanic community is in order and perhaps a nice article about Spanish literature or Hispanic culture, because obviously Dame Edna is so ignorant that she is unable to answer her reader's questions. And, by the way, it would not hurt Vanity Fair to have some Latinas as models once in a while either! Gloria Estefan is not the only Latina, BTW!
Arriba!
Posts: 697 | Location: Florida | Registered: 24 August 2001
The gili$%@#&� who wrote that article deserves to be 'colgado por sus ------------' for such a xenophobic, elitist, ignorant attitude.
It's truly a pity there are some 'bad eggs' out there like this loser who feel it necessary to say things that could brew hate within others.
I'd like to propose that this xenophobe be punished by being sent to Spain for 6 months and we'll see if they decide it might be worth learning Spanish.
No wait, being sent to Spain would be too much of a 'prize' to be considered an effective punishment...This individual doesn't deserve to come to Spain...Hmmmmmm? We'll have to think about this one....
poseso.... Tony --- English Unlimited... Un ambiente para aprender ingl�s... (An English Learning Environment)
Posts: 656 | Location: Madrid (Kansas City, USA) | Registered: 06 November 2001
Dame Edna is a monsterous drag act who you really shouldn't take too seriously - however, I do agree that what she said in this instance was not particularly funny - odd for her. She's been performing in the UK for many years and I reckon there is not one nationality that has not come in for a tongue lashing from her, not to mention what she says about the Royal Family. :jeje:
Posts: 25 | Location: Cambridge, United Kingdon | Registered: 13 October 2002
Unfortunately too many people (ie. readers of Vanity Fair) WILL take it seriously.
You are right. Unfortunately, Vanity Fair's highest percentage of readership come from teenage women and women in their early twenties. While the older women may scoff at Edna, the teenagers still in High school will be impacted by this type of opinion, because Edna is a celebrity and she's in Vanity Fair ! Imagine how a young Latina teenager in Miami will feel when her friends show her this article! Not good, I can tell you.
This is part and parcel of the " Leyenda Negra" syndrome, if it is Spanish, whether from peninsular Spain or Iberoamerica, it's not quite as good as other European countries... It sickens me! I really think Edna was seriously out of line, even comedians have to have some responsibility for what they say! Look at that creepy Andy Rooney!
But, Tony, I would not go as far as to Hang her by her .... :cheers: Guys!
Posts: 697 | Location: Florida | Registered: 24 August 2001
Gee! That wasn't very politically correct of him/her (and Vanity Fair ), was it?
'En fin, Dame Edna, solo puedo decir....�qu� mala es la envidia!' (maybe he/she's just envious of people that can speak more than one language really).
Posts: 627 | Location: Brussels | Registered: 16 December 2001
originally posted by Booklady: [qb] Best thing to do is to e-mail VF and tell them that an apology to the Hispanic community is in order and perhaps a nice article about Spanish literature or Hispanic culture, because obviously Dame Edna is so ignorant that she is unable to answer her reader's questions. And, by the way, it would not hurt Vanity Fair to have some Latinas as models once in a while either! Gloria Estefan is not the only Latina, BTW!
Arriba! [/qb]
Vanity Fair apologize? Nah. Doesn't bother me that much 'bout Dame Edna. (yes, I'm Hispanic.) Dame Edna is just a character, she's supposed to be offensive and not taken seriously. Remember that talk show she/he had a few years ago? What a bitch! She says awful stuff about everyone, so she's an equal opportunity offender. But a funny one at that. Now, if Rush Limbaugh said something like that (and I wouldn't put it past him) or some other loud-mouthed political commentator, I'd be up in arms. But I DO agree with you about there not being enough Hispanic models. Maybe it's because modelling agencies have such awful standards (boyish, lanky figures, almost anorexic) and most Hispanic women are voluptuous. (But hey, if that's the case, good for us!) :l:
Posts: 72 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 25 December 2002
Oh, also, yes there is the possibility that someone would take it seriously, but honestly, only the stupidest readers would. And VF is geared toward the highly-educated, upper class, sophisticated readers, (read: SNOBBY) so there is no chance in this instance a reader would find this satire profound. Whoops, I'm dragging this topic on way too long. I'll stop with this post. I can't help it, I've worked in NYC publishing and love analyzing American media!
Posts: 72 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 25 December 2002
Oh, also, yes there is the possibility that someone would take it seriously, but honestly, only the stupidest readers would
Well, Brenda, I realize you are not inferring that I am stupid, but as a Hispanic and someone who is not stupid, I am offended.
First, about the readership: Vanity Fair is among the top five fashion magazines found in most public libraries. Some high schools and most colleges also carry Vanity Fair. Their readership ranges from teenagers to early thirties.
So, yes, teenagers, who are still CONCRETE thinkers, would take it at face value, that learning Spanish was undesirable because a writer in Vanity Fair said so. Concrete thinkers are not
quote:
stupidest people
they take what is said or read at face value. A 13 year old girl is at an impressionable stage in her development, and would lack the discernment to distinuish between a humourous remark by a comedian and truth.
Only an abstract thinker, like most adults, would question Edna's credentials, and laugh it off.
Second, a picture of the darling Dame Edna was not posted with the article, so that a reader could say, oh Edna's just a Nut!
I love humor more than the average person, but, periodicals should stick as close to versimilitude as possible. Humor in print differs from stand up comedy, where you can see the zaniness of the performer. In print you don't see Edna's type of humor, that's why it's so damaging!
Posts: 697 | Location: Florida | Registered: 24 August 2001
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at 
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at 
Not good, I can tell you.
