A Stereotypical Puzzle

Have you seen the little "Homies" action figures?  My daughter found a bunch at a thrift store recently, bought them and gave them to me.  I am fascinated and charmed and repelled by them all at once.  For some reason, I keep getting them out and looking at each one and giving them names of my own choosing.  Of course I decided to look them up and see what's behind their creation and how people feel about them.  What a variety of opinions I found! One either sees them as promoting gang violence and lifestyles or celebrating the diversity among latin communities.

Homies, Mijos and Homie's bobble heads

Creator David Gonzales first dreamed his characters up as cartoons.  Published in Lowrider Magazine, the cartoon characters soon became little action figures.  Created at a 1/32 scale, Gonzales claims they are meant to take Latin American stereotypes and claim them for Latinos in a humorous way.  Controversial among anti-gang activists and the law enforcement sector, the figures are selling like hotcakes amongst urban latinos, particularly kids.  Gonzales creates profiles for each character showing how appearances are sometimes deceiving, like the figure representing a former gang member turned highly-educated youth counselor.  Asian and African American figures are also included in the collections.

The distinct personalities are fascinating to me

Gonzales has created an anglo set of characters called Trailer Trash and is in the process of making an Italian family of figures as well.  What all of these characters have in common is- each in some way echo cultural or racial stereotypes.  In an ultra politically correct society, this is a bold thing to do to my way of thinking.  I am not typically interested in art that makes political or social statements, but these have caught my imagination.  Maybe this is because so many of these figures look like students I love.  Will they be limited in their lives because of the cultural stereotypes they may have accepted about themselves?  Can they gently laugh at and claim this culture and move in other circles as well without losing their familial ties?  For that matter, can those who may identify with the "trailer trash" figures?  I'd be interested in your thoughts.  If you want to weigh in but for some reason can't comment, send an email to ajowebb@gmail.com and I will include it for you.  I could use some other thoughts on these as I work to understand my reactions.

Thanks for stopping by! Alice