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Shrekxicanismo.


Language interests, amuses and often amazes me. I love the evolution of words and language and always enjoy botanical terms in particular as they tell a whole story (usually in Latin) that is glazed over when the words are simply used just to identify the plant by name. Another thing I love is slang (1) For some reason it reminds me of graffiti and, like graffiti, it can take many forms. I find beauty in its chaos.

  1. which according to various dictionaries………….slang – a type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people. i.e. “grass is slang for marijuana” : Slang is vocabulary that is used between people who belong to the same social group and who know each other well. Slang is very informal language. It can offend people if it is used about other people or outside a group of people who know each other well. We usually use slang in speaking rather than writing. : Slang is informal language that can be regional or develop from communities and subcultures. It can take the form of a single word or a phrase.

A word that recently entered my consciousness is “shrekxican”

Reddit asks….

Why do Whitexicans generally give their children Spanish names and Shrekxicans and Croodxicans give their children Anglo-Saxon names??

So, first a definition …..(via the Urban Dictionary)…………..

No, actually I think we should first bring up the primary reference material.

Shrek is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Shrek is an anti-social ogre who loves the solitude of his swamp and enjoys fending off mobs and intruders. Shrek finds his home in the swamp overrun by fairy tale creatures banished by the obsessive ruler Lord Farquaad. With the help of Donkey, Shrek makes a pact with Farquaad to rescue Princess Fiona in exchange for regaining control of his swamp. Produced on a $60 million budget, the film was a huge box office smash grossing a worldwide total of $484.4 million.

The Croods (also known as Crood Awakening) is a 2013 American animated adventure comedy film starring Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The Croods, a cave family, survive various natural disasters, due to the overprotective father Grug refusing to let anyone leave the cave except for short periods to gather food. An earthquake destroys the cave and surrounding lands, and the Croods flee into a jungle they discover below their home mountains. Grug, patriarch of the Croods, is threatened by the arrival of a genius named Guy, who comes up with revolutionary new inventions as they trek through a dangerous but exotic land in search of a new home. The Croods grossed $187.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $400 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $587.2 million

Now we get to the definition.

Shrexican

  • Most typically over weight, bald Hispanic males who resembles Shrek. Usually seen wearing over sized NFL jerseys, shorts and high top basketball shoes.
    “Man, did you see that giant vato wearin’ the Raiders jersey? He looked like a Shrexican.”

(at this stage) I couldn’t find one for Croodxicans But there was this)

Readers responded….

prokofiev77
People always give their children names that they associate with people of higher status. It’s normal, you’re not going to give them a name you associate with something negative… And it’s no mystery that Anglo-Saxon countries have money and influence

Rodrigoecb
Shrexicans believe they have higher status and whitexicans believe they are more native.

TJ-Axolotl
Whitexicans give their children European names.
Shrexicans choose a famous artist and name their children after them.

Garune-San
I think it’s the same as people who buy luxury clothes to appear luxurious, while the rich dress without appearing rich (to a certain extent).

Other questions were asked….

What is a Shrexican? Is this meme just making fun of Mexicans with indigenous features?

And answered….

sleepy_axolotl
Mexican here.
No, it doesn’t refer to mexicans with indigenous features.
It originally started as a way to mock a couple of “buchones”.
Being buchón is something that was originated from Sinaloa (a state in Mexico) and it referenced to the people that pretended to be rich influenced by the narco culture in the area. Historically speaking, Sinaloa is where the narco influence in society started.
The stereotype of a buchón is basically what the shrexican thing describes. Overweight, pretending to be rich or “to have money” by using knockoffs of high end brands, dumb or “uncultured” and basically having no class. For women the stereotype is to be “thick” and use washed ripped jeans with designer belts, for men the stereotype is to have beard, use skinny jeans and again, the designer belt. It is expected for these people to have a child and replicate the same stuff on them.

O.K. then. Buchón?

Literally, the word “buchón” describes the action of a pigeon when it inflates or bulges its crop excessively. The term was adopted for a group of people who tend to squander money on clothing, consumer goods such as cars, motorcycles, and even the classic bouquet of flowers for their partner, all in an attempt to show off their purchasing power (which may come from organized crime).

Puffed up and preening

According to Alvarado Vázquez “buchones are an important part of the social fabric of Mexico, not just Sinaloa (1), as they become an attractive image for new generations seeking luxuries and spending money to feign a different level and quality of life.”

  1. The Northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa is best known for its rich agricultural lands, delicious seafood, and the traditional music of Banda Sinaloense. The state of Sinaloa has long been a center for the cultivation and smuggling of marijuana and heroin poppy in Mexico. Many of the country’s drug trafficking organizations originated in the region. Both the American and Australian governments consider the region dangerous. The U.S. – “Sinaloa state – Do not travel due to crime. Violent crime is widespread. Criminal organizations are based in and operating in Sinaloa.” and Australia – “Criminals have attacked tourists on toll roads and highways. The Sonora, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and border regions are high-risk areas. Exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico overall due to the threat of violent crime. Reconsider your need to travel to North-western Durango, Sinaloa State (except Mazatlan and Los Mochis if accessed by air, and the Copper Canyon rail route)”. Australia seems a little more game though…“Yeah, it’s dangerous but, meh, try these areas in the region”. Please do not be afraid of Mexico. I’m sure any one of your own capitol cities is just as dangerous in the blackness of the night or the wee small hours of the morning.
Buchón

Ill_Athlete_7979
It’s similar to the word Naco (1). Which is an individual who trashy, low class, ill mannered, and uneducated. This type of person exists in every culture, like if you’re American this would be like “trailer park trash”.

  1. Naco? More on this in a bit. The word does fall into this family though (shrekxican, croodxican, whitexican, and now naco)

So it appears status is the key?

I’ve investigated whitexicanismo as I’ve encountered it in Australia (and it was a blast I can say) (1) but I have been seeing of late (and without understanding that I was witnessing the genesis of a cultural phenomena) Mexican Shrek memes.

  1. Whitexicanismo in Australia.


Another random Googling of something and I encountered this image
Americanized Mexican family starter pack

And again the commenters had plenty to say……

[deleted]
The Shrek edits of racial stereotypes never fails to get a laugh outta me.

[deleted] OP
in mexico memes where shrek and the croods are stereotyped as lower class families and human shrek as an upper middle class family became very popular.

honvales1989
I think the pack refers to upper/upper-middle class people in Mexico. I grew up there and this is very accurate lol. It would only be missing some pictures at a Pueblo mágico or trips to Europe

[deleted]
Those are the whitexicans that make fun of you for being prieto at school 💀

But, as is usual, poor is poor and it crosses borders, both cultural and literal.

AESguy0909
Bruh, that’s literally just american culture XD It looks more like the cast of Modern Family than americanized mexas lol

Cold-Chapter-355
As a Mexican-American from LA, this basically applies to most Mexican families east of the 710 or east of the Eastside.

Irlydntknwwhyimhere
How does this differ from the “basic white American person” starter pack?

And, like “Black Lives Matter” being subverted into “All Lives Matter”, things get turned around

skybluegill
ironically this was intended to be about families in Mexico, not mexican-americans

kilimanjaaro
Americans = automatically asume this is about mexicans living in the USA, proceed to comment how it makes/doesn´t make sense.
Everybody else = understands this is about upper-class people from Mexico.

It has been studied. Papers have been written…

Shrexicans, un proceso de blanquitud fallido : El humor y la discriminación múltiple en los memes mexicanos basados en las películas de Shrek.
Shrexicans, a failed process of whiteness : Humor and multiple discrimination in Mexican memes based on Shrek movies.

…and articles posted….

Adyari Guillaumin : Shrexicans, el nuevo término clasista para gente ignorante : “Shrexicans, the new classist term for ignorant people” Clarin Veracruzano

There is also a Facebook group which is kind of surrealistically ironic in a very Mexican way as Facebook is considered even too naco (1) (comments reference the “Americanised Mexican family starter pack” image)

  1. Naco (fem. naca) is a pejorative word often used in Mexican Spanish that may be translated into English as “low-class”, “uncultured”, “vulgar” or “uncivilized “. A naco is usually associated with lower socio-economic classes. Although, it is used across all socioeconomic classes, when associated with middle – upper income people, it means “vulgar”, “bad taste”, and “pretentious”.

[deleted]
Why no Facebook?

[deleted]
In Mexico, usually only middle class and lower class use Facebook, it is used less and less, the Upper middle class and upper class people prefer to use Instagram or Twitter.

owleaf
Same could be said anywhere in the world tbh. Facebook has become filled with the lowest common denominator, and their voices are amplified.
Wealthier/successful people are generally better educated and have less tolerance for that.

ArchonsFr33
everyone uses instagram

True_Willingness9075
And the mexican GigaChad class prefer Reddit.

For reference : Gigachad – A “giga chad” is an internet slang term used to describe a man who is perceived as exceptionally attractive, confident, and physically fit. The term is often used humorously or ironically to exaggerate someone’s desirable traits, and it originated from various memes and online communities. The “giga” prefix emphasizes the extreme level of these attributes, making the person an idealized version of a “chad,” which itself is a slang term for a stereotypically handsome and confident man.

We all dream of owning our own place.

You know what we need now? Kids.

Family life

A strong father figure

and…Oh Mama.

I like big butts (??)

During my Shrekxican research this clown kept popping up (am seeking relevance)

She looks kindly here; she was anything but

So I gloved up and entered the internet.

Eeeewwww. Sticky.

A Google Images search led me to these images…….

…which led me to newspaper (and other articles) commenting on the incident 5 years after it occurred. The story goes…..

Don Gustavo, (better known as)  “el señor de la combi” became a viral sensation when in 2014 a video of him was taken insulting a woman on a Mexican Combi going the full Karen on him because as he explained she was “una mujer robusta” (a robust woman) who was demanding more space in the Combi and was throwing her weight around (so to speak) in a haughty and self-important manner. None of this is usually seen in the video, only the man insulting the “robust” woman is seen. Don Gustavo from the municipality of Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, in the State of Mexico at first tried resisting the urge to be rude and told her (1) ‘‘a mí no me tiente, señora, porque yo soy muy grosero’. Y siguió chingue y chingue” (2) but he became incensed when she referred to him (and others on the Combi) as “nacos” and that she should not even be mingling with people of this “class” (or rather classless). He then laid into her (as only a naco can) and what followed was an elderly man comedically (and quite rudely) insulting a classist and self-absorbed Karen (who gave as good as she got?)

  1. ‘don’t tempt me, ma’am, because I am very rude.’ And she continued to screw and screw,” Don Gustavo in a later interview noted that “his rude character is because he is originally from Alvarado Veracruz and everyone there is angry.” (su carácter tan rudo es porque él es originario de Alvarado Veracruz y pues allá todos son enojones.)
  2. Chingue is an interesting word. Google Translate denotes “screw” as its meaning. A direct translation (Mexicanally speaking) is “fuck”. It’s part of a phrase, “No chingues” or “No me chingues”. This can translate on a scale from “you’re kidding me” to “don’t mess around” to “stop being a pain in the ass” and up to “don’t fuck me (or with me)”. In this instance, “she kept screwing and screwing” (until Don Gustavo popped) and is an apt analogy.
Combi in el Estado de Mexico

A pesero, combi, micro or microbús is a form of public transport, most commonly seen in Mexico City. It is “essentially a fifteen passenger van with the seats taken out and replaced with small benches which line the edges of the van so that passengers sit facing each other with their bags and packages in the middle or on their laps”. Working class Mexicans in small communities use this mode of transportation. (Medium)

Space is at a premium in a combi and there is no room for pretension.

A pesero in the CDMX (slightly bigger than a combi but serves the same purpose….cheap public transportation)

There is also the cheeky link to the Aztec monkey trickster Ozomatli via the comparison of Don Gustavo to what appears to be a terracotta effigy of Ozomatlis face.

In Nahuatl, the monkey is called Ozomatli.

The eleventh trecena (13-day “week”) of the Aztec Tonalpohualli (ceremonial count of days) is called Monkey for its first numbered day, which is also the 11th day of the vientena (20-day “month”). Anyone born under the calendar sign ‘1-Monkey’ was predicted to have a cheerful and friendly character in life. In some codices, birth almanacs indicate that a child born on a Monkey day would be ill-favoured, though dramatic, clever, and charming.

The good-natured spider monkey was seen by the Mexica/Aztec as one of the most lively and playful in the animal kingdom, and was associated with pleasure (in general) and through this was linked with the god of music, dance, song, poetry and games, Xochipilli – Macuilxochitl (‘Prince of Flowers/5-Flower’). Ozomatli as the Aztec monkey god was the companion spirit (‘nahual’) and servant of the god Xochipilli. Monkeys were also viewed negatively as tricksters, for their child-like behaviour and magical stratagems. As tricksters they were associated with drunkenness, capriciousness, and licentiousness, behaving sometimes with reckless abandon.

Spider Monkey with Wind God Regalia
Aztec Sculpture of a Spider Monkey with Pre-1970 UNESCO-Compliant Provenance
Deity as Spider Monkey

Seems apt if we take Don Gustavos behaviour into account

So. That’s one mystery solved. Ahhhh. Culture.

Media outlets reported the passing of Don Gustavo in July of 2022

The class divide between whitexicans and shrekxicans

I probably don’t really need comment on this……

……..I think the memes do it quite effectively.

Where do these guys fit though?

References

Websites/Images

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