Backgrounder On Gustavo Arellano

The "Ask A Mexican!" columnist:

Ever wondered why Mexicans swim in the ocean with their clothes on, but were just too damn politically correct to ask? Well, OC Weekly columnist Gustavo Arellano is neither afraid of the question, nor afraid to give you a truthful, well-researched, and often hilarious answer. A compilation of his nationally syndicated “¡Ask a Mexican!” columns has just been released as a similarly titled book and should be required reading for every gabacho who thinks he knows just where he stands on immigration, burritos, and the Virgin of Guadalupe. Beloved for its bravery and derided for entertaining patently offensive notions of cultural stereotype, Arellano’s refreshing approach is to accept any question and research an answer that is rooted in history, etymology, and the best scholarship available. The effect is one of brilliant detournement, rendering explosive, hate-filled suppositions into lessons on culture and habit. Oh, and he might rip you a new culo while he’s at it.

And the reason you see all that denim at the beach? Arellano writes: “Unlike gabachos, Mexicans respect the public when it comes to flashing our flabby chichis, pompis, and cerveza guts – so when we’re out near the pool or by the beach, we cover up. It ain’t Catholicism, machismo, or an homage to our swim across the Rio Grande. It’s good manners.”