okay, I am from Houston. I grew up reading this comic. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE, no more than Curious George does. Honestly, I am quite tired of the racial environment in my hometown right now, with Quanell X getting involved in every single little tiny thing that might affect the delicate sensibilities of the African-Americans in town. Why is everything so PC now? Had this woman taken five minutes out of her busy day to Wiki the comic, she'd realize that the protagonist is actually a positive role model and spreads the wonderful message that being yourself is more important than trying to be something you're not. This just proves the point about ignorance in this city - how anything culturally different absolutely MUST be racially motivated towards American blacks. Newsflash: the character is Cuban-Mexican with dark skin. He has nothing to do with African-Americans. Get you some education.

So no, Wal-Mart didn't do the right thing. They caved to pressure from people who know nothing about what they are protesting, as usual. Another useful tool for educating kids about other cultures and their entertainment has gone to waste.

QuannelX.

Right.

Who's kidding who here?

Wal-Mart did not do the right thing at all. The Memin Pinguin character was never created in a racist depiction. It just was. If we become so sensitive, maybe Mexicans should boycott Warner Brothers for making the Speedy Gonzalez character. Maybe we should have Wal-Mart pull the Looney Tunes products from the shelves? Come on.. Let's stop looking for every way to call people racists and let's look after the real issues such as African-American (God, please don't dare call them black) people not getting their education because their neighborhoods don't get enough money, or the violence that they suffer from it. It's the same in the latino community, heck, you might want to avoid all Mexicans since we're all carrying salmonella now... Please!

Haven't blacks got enough to worry about? Why can't they spend their energy on keeping their young men off drugs and out of jail and more of their young women in school and out of the maternity wards?

Well now the rest of the country gets to see the racist Quanell X for who's he's worth. He's just like Jesse Jackson.

He LOVES to scream the race card any chance he gets even when it has NOTHING to do with race.

I urge everyone to google his name. He once told black people it was ok to steal from the rich white people..........

Some of you have made some very valid points, but I caution you not to judge all blacks (yes, you can call us that) by the actions of publicity whores like Jackson, Sharpton and whoever this other guy is.

I don't find the comic offensive, but it looks really naive, visually; the characters do resemble some really ancient stereotypes. Aren't many Cubans negro, anyway? How do you know that's not what's depicted there? Sure looks like it, but that's not my point. I wouldn't want to read it (if I could speak Spanish in the first place), but I wouldn't demand it be removed from a store. I firmly believe in freedom of speech as well as freedom of the press, so print what you want. I just don't have to buy it. I haven't been able to sit through a movie that's considered a classic, "Gone With The Wind" because of the hideously exaggerated black stereotypes (and being a southerner, those fake accents are nauseating, too). I realize it's a reflection of the time, but I just can't stomach it. However, I would never try to get others to avoid it. Art is art, and should not be censored for the sake of political correctness, in my opinion.

Mr. Castaneda, you are mistaken about two things - Hispanics *did* protest Speedy - that's why you don't see him anymore. I thought that was just as dumb as this thing we're discussing now. Also, I haven't met a single black person who prefers that AA tag. Mostly, we want to be identified as people, but if you must categorize us, anything that's not a slur is fine - even "colored."

Just as you folks don't want anyone to make snap judgments about you, don't make them about us, either.

I'm sure there was a legal reason for Walmart to pull this comic book. To many people out there looking for an excuse to get an easy buck.

Speedy Gonzales was pulled because of racism, and too bad that was one mexican I liked, he was funny,not racist! This "PC' bullsh*t has too stop or it will divide and ruin the entire world! Freespeech is exactly that, "FREESPEECH"! So you get offended, get over it and stop crying. If you do not like what I call your mother or brother, make a fist, this world has become so candya*s anymore and no problem is ever solved anymore! Let's just all get along, "RIGHT"? Read world history, noone has ever got along with anyone,ever! People do not matter, only power,money and that feel good sh*t! There is a war headed for America's streets soon, get yourself a lawn chair and a curbside while you may! Norm

Yosemite Sam is offensive to my redneck cowboy friends. PULL IT! Elmer Fudd is offensive to my uncle Elmer. PULL IT! My black and white cat doesn't lisp when he meows and he is POed at Sylvester. PULL IT! My Tweety Bird saw a pussy cat the other day. He didn't "Taw a puddy tat." He's POed. PULL IT! Lastly, a Special Ed buddy of mine is offended by Jughead in the Archie comics. PULL IT!!!

I used to read Memin Pinguin comic books when I was a little girl and I used to love them! When I read them I never once thought of black, brown or white. The only thing I thought of was the what new ideas Memin would come up with!!! I loved reading about that little boy and I couldn't wait for the next comic book to come out. I moved close to Bakersfield, California a long time ago and since then I have not seen anymore comic books of Memin Pinguin and I would surely love to know if they sell them close to where I live. I would love to be able to buy and read them again!!! I don't know what's wrong with some people! If they don't like to read it, then they shouldn't buy it or even look at it period!!! Just let other people make decisions for themselves about what they want to read it or not!!! I can't get over what this world has come to with so many people like this person and lots of others suing everyone for everything for really dumb things!!!

Another blow to freedpm of speech. And for what?

This is another example of wussy Walmart bowing down to special interests.

I have read some of the comments on this topic, and it seems that we are all exaggerating our actions. There was one input proposing that moderation and respect for the civil rights of the author to write his story was appropriate. It is the individuals choice if he were to purchase it or not. It should not be a business or institution that dictates what I read or not read. But that is what happened when WALLMAER pulled the comic from its shelves. It has taken my right as a US citizen to read a magazine that has valuable life lessons with in its pages simply because one person felt offended. I read the comic as a child, and it presented valuable lessons of acceptance and tolerance told in a setting of childish antics that often times made adults reflect on their own actions to make this world a better place for future generations. The comic usually dealt with the live of four friends from all walks of life. Memin the main character representing the lower working class in Mexico shunned because of his size and color adn economic status, but you had the other three children from all three social stratuses. rich, poor and middle class that were his best friends. The amazing thing was that what affected one affected all four of the main characters. The death of a family member in the middle class affected the other three charcters just as much who helped their friend through a trying ordeal with support and hope for the future. If the title was an indicator for this issue, it was refering to politics, and more that likely was a satire of the political system not only in Mexico, but may be even the US. considering the current activity with the presidential race, I would guess it is the the US elections that are the stage for this comic. But I will not be able to find out, since the comic was pulled off of the shelves taking my right to read it away.

First off i would like to say sorry to all of the Latino children who liked to read this comic. Wickeddoll is right not all of us think like that its probably only 20% of us who really believe that racism is hiding behind every tree waiting to attack. Sadly that 20% always seem to make headlines causing the rest of us blacks to get a bad rap. But just as i don't judge the whole white community off of one stupid white person don't judge us off of one stupid/ignorant black women who is mad at the world cause her mother named her SHAWNEDRIA lmao!!!!!....and this Quanell X I never heard of him but i will google him he sounds like a wanna be Malcolm X. If only our "black leaders" today where really black leaders, you never saw Martin, Malcolm, DuBois, Booker T. Washington (the list can go on forever) turn every little thing into racism. The truth is that racism as died down dramatically compared to the United States' past I will never be denied entrance to a building or have to come in through the back because i am black(and yes I said black I'm not really sure i like the term African-American better since must of us don't even know what Africa looks like, and probably wouldn't want to live there if we had the chance). These so called "black leaders" Quanell X, Jesse Jackson, Sharpton, Farrakhan (this list can go on forever too) are nothing but poverty pimps, if someone wasn't suffering they would be out of a job and they're making too much money to stop whining now. Booker T. Washington wrote about these men way back in the 1900s he said there will always be those Negroes who thrive off of other Negroes suffering (this is not an exact quote, just the point he made in one of his speeches, I read a piece of it in a book I'm reading titled...Stupid Black Men: How to play the race card and lose by Larry Elder i do highly recommend this book to anyone) In conclusion :-) I think Wal-mart made a bad decision if only someone would stand up to these people and tell them to shut up and worry about something that matters like our black women becoming mothers at such a young age and our black men thinking rapping and selling drugs are more important then getting an education

I've always thought that being "political correct" was just another way of being a racist. The word I detest the most is "Hispanic". A word used to categorize everyone from south of the US borders. All those countries with their own history, their own language, their own culture. Keeps us from really "knowing" the rest of the world. It's really a sad state of affairs.
Didn't know that "Speedy" had been pulled because of the cartoon being racist. I certainly didn't know it was racist. Really loved that character. He always put the "bad guys" to shame.
Political Correct....being immoral and unethical. That's my definition.

Ms. Strain, you're correct that "Hispanic" is a catch-all phrase, but it's certainly not racist or blatantly un-PC. How are we supposed to know from which part of the world a person with a Spanish accent hails from? I know the dialects and culture vary, based on origin, but not being of that ethnicity, really, how the hell should I know?! I think it's a bit unfair to condemn those of us who use that phrase to being in some way insensitive. Now, if we were discussing slurs for Spanish-speaking people, that would be different. How do you propose this be "corrected"? Mandatory classes in public school?

To me, "Hispanic" is no more stereotypical than being called black. There are several different ethnicities of us as well, but it's preposterous to expect anyone to know at a glance whether we're Americans, Jamaicans, Cubans, or whatever.

As for Speedy, I loved the character, and never heard any Latino (is that a better term?) folks complain about it, so I don't really know who put the kibosh on it. I also remember the actor Ricardo Montalban protesting and succeeding in getting rid of the "Frito Bandito" who used to advertise the corn chip, Fritos. I thought that protest was a bit more relevant, since the character was a 'bandito" or "bandit" therefore a criminal figure, much like the thugs that are often presented as typical black young men.

You can't have it both ways, Ms. Strain; you criticize being PC, yet complain about finite differences that you feel must (impossibly) be acknowledged.

Natalie