Over the 4th of July weekend I went into a good old American Target store to pick up some stuff for the family. Hot dogs, buns, soda, that kind of thing. Practically as soon as I walked through the door, I was confronted by an incredibly offensive wall of piñatas.
Piñatas at Target=bad
I get it that some people might want to buy piñatas for their kids. They don’t understand the potential dangers. Fine. But selling these atrocities on one of the most important days of the year, when we celebrate Americaness? Come on Target? Why not just start selling French stuff too? Make a mockery of what the 4th of July stands for?
I went to the manager and asked him what our Founding Fathers would think about him selling piñatas on the 4th of July. Mister Gutierez (did I spell that right?) barely listened to me, even though I very calmly explained to him the dangers of piñatas and how inappropriate it was for him to sell them on this particular holiday. He just kept looking at his watch and finally made an excuse to go do something else.
All I can say is I will now be taking all of my business to Walmart, where they truly understand what it means to be an American company!
You must be “white” and under educated. The potential danger with pinatas i get. The whole “Americaness” I don’t. America does not have one ethnic background rather a collective number of traditions and history that inevitably created American culture. Your offense of something so minuscule is the key to your personality, the part where you actually took time out of your day to bring up the issue to the manager, Mr. Gutierrez, is rather pathetic and one can see your rant is merely one in many I’m sure against things that are “un-American”
The History of Pinatas—
Most of us associate the pinata with Mexican fiestas and fun. Children try to break the bright treat-filled container with a stick, hoping to puncture it so they can rush to gather treats. But what is the history behind
the pinata? What does it symbolize? Where did it come from? Although the pinata is largely associated with Mexican/Latin American culture, this practice does not originate in Latin America, but in Africa!
The pinata today is practiced as a Christian celebration in Latino cultures. It symbolizes the struggle of man and his faith. The traditional Mexican pinata looks like a sputnik with seven points that symbolize the seven deadly sins: greed, gluttony, sloth, pride, envy, wrath and lust. The person attempting to break the pinata represents the good overcoming the evil.
It was the Spanish conquistadors that were credited for bringing the pinata to Mexico. The Spanish missionaries used the pinata as a tool to help them get the attention of the indigenous people and convert them to Christainity. In Spain, the pinata was brightly colored so that it would grab the attention of a innocent person. The candies and fruit inside were seen as the temptations of the Devil. The blindfolded person hitting the pinata represented the “blind faith”, and the stick he/she was using represented “goodness”. After the pinata was finally broken, the candies gathered were seen as a “just reward”. The moral of their ceremony: “all are justified through faith”. Originally, the Spanish pinata was a clay container called “la olla” (pot) and was not decorated.
The Spanish pinata came from the pignatta of Italy. The pignatta, or “fragile pot”, was made of clay and filled with trinkets, jewelry, or candies. It is said that it was Marco Polo who first brought the pignatta to Italy.
The Italians, in turn, developed the pignatta from the Chinese “pinata” of their spring agricultural ceremony. The Chinese designed their containers in the shape of animals (cows, bulls, etc.), and the colors used were
representative of the conditions that were going to occur throughout the year. The pinatas were filled with seeds. The Chinese used sticks of various colors to break the pinata, and after it was broken the decorative paper that covered it was burned. Those present would rush to collect the ashes, as they brought good luck for the entire year.
The Aztecs had an important spiritual ritual that included a pinata. To celebrate the God of War, Huitzilopochtli, priests put a clay pot on a pole inside the temple. The pot was filled with tiny treasures, and the pots were decorated with beautiful feathers. They used a stick or club to break the pot, and the treasures that fell to the feet of the God’s image were offerings.
The original ceremony, however, has its origins in Africa. It was originally called the “Sala” or “Sara” ceremony, and is practiced throughout Africa until today. Djefa, or abundance, is a key component in this ceremony. A large number of people gather while the host carries a large bowl of food over his head, avoiding his guests who try to get the food while he is carrying it. As the host presents the food, the guests all dig in, chaotically eating from the same bowl. This, of course, creates an energy of disorder and chaos, and the bowl usually ends up falling on the ground. The food spilled on the ground symbolizes the Gods’ happiness with the energy created.
People of today enjoy the pinata during many celebrations, such as Christmas and birthday parties. Most schoolchildren have had the experience of creating a pinata, and most adults have attempted to hit one at least once in their lives. While pinatas of today are considered a fun game in western culture, the spiritual aspect of the traditional ceremony continues to play a role in indigenous societies.
Since when is Target strictly American? Im sure u still go to Target and im glad Mr. Gutierrez didnt give a damn about ur concerns on him selling pinatas on 4th of July. What would “Our Founding Fathers” think if they saw this, an “American” being so damn’ IGNORANT like yourself. Your ridiculous for ever posting this obnoxious story of yours.
no duh pinatas are dangerous, but then so is everything else. Look around you right now, everything in the room has the potential to kill you. Humans are very fragile, just the tiniest blow to the skull and we can die. And really it seems more like the danger would be in the baseball bat you are using to break it open. Of course there are accidents, but that is all they are: accidents. The pinata was made as a game on birthdays, not as a weapon! I find it hilarious that there are dangers out there like guns, and drugs, and criminals, and you decided you would make a website that warns people of the dangers of paper mache animals on strings!
We have Target in Australia… They are a global retailer.
Hay muchas cosas ofensivas en el mundo. Pero que alguien culpe a una tradición porque no supo enseñarle a su hija que su papi no es una piñata… es simplemente ridículo.
Cuidado con lo que publicas, porque tus “Padres americanos” seguro se estarán retorciendo en su tumba con las estupideces que escribes.
Saludos imbecil!
to Benjamin–
No todos los padres americanos estan como te describe. Claro, unos son asi, pero eso ocurre por todo el mundo. Ademas de esto, estoy de acuerdo que este hombre es particularmente estupido y tambien es racista.
(Escribiera los acentos y cosas como eso si supo como hacerlo, haha)
You are clearly a crazy person
Aisle b13 is the birthday/party section of Target and is NOT ” practically as you walk in”…… and talk about DRAMATIC saying there was a “wall of pinatas” Looks to me like there are 5 or 6 located on the top shelf behind an endcap…… All i can say is if THAT offends you, i feel sorry for you.
I really hope this is a sarcastic article parodying all of the ridiculous ‘immoral’ outrages nowadays.This is utterly ridiculous.
O…M…G… I had felt a bit sorry for you being accused of racism in other posts here, thinking you were merely not explaining yourself very well and your comments about Mexicans were innocent, but now you’ve posted this I take all that back! You openly state, and go to the trouble of complaining to the manager, that you find it “offensive” that Target sells Pinatas on 4th July because they’re not “American” enough?!! What the hell is wrong with you?
I find it amazing that so many Americans completely fail to realise that you are an entire nation of immigrants (except, obviously, for the native peoples)! American culture is made up of a blend of many, many different cultures – in fact if you want to celebrate what makes America great then you should be taking in as many different cultural influences as possible. But apparently for you it’s only “American” if it comes from a northern european cultural background!
I’ve just noticed something in the picture that makes your complaint even more ridiculous – the spanish writing on the aisle sign!! Clearly this branch of Target is in an area with a significant hispanic population, who are likely to want to celebrate the 4th July in their own traditional way, i.e. with piñatas!
I can’t believe you actually think piñatas are the problem, while your kids grow up believing it’s ok to beat people up and judging others because of their ethnic background.
OMG…you are one stupid white man. First of all, stating that Target should not be selling pinatas on certain days (4th of July in your story) is so ridiculous that I could not believe I read this mess. And then saying you are going to Walmart instead, you fool, nowadays – all of these retailers are global. Buy and sell from all over. So calling something strictly American is foolish. Another thing, then when Cinco de Mayo comes around your @ss better not be buying margaritas or buying an American flag because that is “offensive”.
Shut up and grow up!
Walmart? Americaness? Seriously? Find a product in Walmart that is made in America. Also, maybe the problem isn’t the pinata, but your parenting skills. If you taught your daughter, especially at 4, that hitting, of any kind, isn’t proper behavior, then you wouldn’t have had the incident happen in the first place.
The Walmart here in a predominate anglo city off Torrance CA sells pinatas.