Bean was having one of those days where he couldn't be out of my sight without having a meltdown. So I decided to snuggle on the couch with him and watch Spanish cartoons on Youtube. He is fascinated by my laptop so I knew that would settle him down.
I happen to come across a Speedy Gonzales cartoon. When you are a child you don't realize what messages certain cartoons are trying to convey; so to see these same cartoons as an adult can really be an eye opening experience. Aside from the stereotypes, I was quite surprised by this little song.
La cucaracha, la cucaracha,
Ya no puede caminar,
Porque le falta,
Porque no tiene,
Marihuana que fumar.
*Double-take and rewind* Did he just say marihuana que fumar?
(If you don't speak Spanish, the gist of the song is that the cockroach can't walk, or go on because he doesn't have marijuana to smoke. )
I sing that song with Bean all the time, and that's surely not how I learned it.
But apparently Speedy Gonzales wasn't being a smart alec. The fun fact for the day is that is really how the song is sung post Mexican Revolution.
Still, for the sake of being kid-friendly, would it have hurt to change the last line to una pata para andar? (a leg to walk on).
What an eye- opener...never heard that version of la cucuracha..lol
ReplyDeleteYes, I was shocked that they would put that in a cartoon. I was even more shocked to find out that those are the actual words!
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