Quick summary: If you wear anything even remotely tied to Mexican culture you are a racist.

Via Daily Beast:

In the grand tradition of St. Patrick’s Day and…well, that’s it, we find ourselves on the brink of that uniquely American phenomenon, the Secular Drinking Holiday Celebrating a Culture You Are Not a Part of by Co-Opting Random Bits of It.

We get it: Salsa—delicious and fundamental! Margaritas in vast quantities—seems like a phenomenal idea at the time, every time! (Omitted for space reasons: the 2,378,947 other incredible aspects of Mexican culture that we are grateful for, including but in no way limited to Norteño music, the works of Octavio Paz, mole poblano, rebozos, la Guelaguetza, the Mayan civilization in general, and those incredible dioramas of skeletons having the best time ever in the afterlife.)

And yet Cinco de Mayo can veer so, so quickly into Cinco de Weirdly Racist Douchebaggery. […]

So here, as a public service, we present a Q&A about how not to be awful this Cinco de Mayo:

Q: Does any of the following apply to people who are Mexican-American or have significant and ongoing ties to that community, or are genuinely looking forward to a chance to respectfully witness and enjoy folk music, dance, and art?

A: Nope!

Q: What’s wrong with drinking Modelo until the fabric of the space-time continuum seems to rip and/or I accidentally sext my aunt?

A: Not a damn thing. Well, until the aunt part anyway. But call a spade a spade: You’re not celebrating Cinco de Mayo or some higher cultural good. You’re celebrating the latest victory in the long war of attrition you wage against your liver and your boss’s good graces.

Q: Wait. Are you saying that it’s inappropriate to celebrate other cultures?

A: Not at all! Mexican culture is well worth celebrating. However, the Venn diagram between “appreciating the art, music, cuisine, and countless intangible contributions of a group that is fundamental to the American tapestry” and “shouting ‘Olé!’ after taking a shot of Sauza” is just two lonely circles, miles and miles apart, never to meet.

Q: May I dress up like a Mexican?

A: What…what do you mean by that? Like…wearing pants and a shirt?

Q: No! You know, like, throw on a sombrero and a poncho, maybe draw a mustache on my face?

A: May you dress up like a racist caricature? No. No, you may not. Hot tip: In general, dressing up as an entire ethnic group is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad plan. Every time.

Q: So…so what can I do?

A: I don’t know, man. Just be a normal human being. Support a local restaurant or business you love, eat some chips and salsa if you’re so moved.

Q: What does it say about the American character that we feel a need to dress up a random drinking day in cultural veneer and offensive mimicry in the service of frat bros and sauced-up suburban moms everywhere?

A: Oh, man, I wish I knew.