Digital comedy network Flama, produced by and created for Latinos, put together a sketch in honor of US Independence Day entitled, “What if Mexicans celebrated the 4th like Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo?”
The resulting clip is slightly over three minutes of white-hot cultural satire, skewering the fact that many Americans use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to get drunk while perpetuating incorrect and insulting stereotypes about Mexico.
“Let’s make some apple pies and hotdogs!” one of the actors exclaims, decked out in a 10-gallon hat and wraparound shades. A comrade in a tri-corner hat and George Washington-style powdered wig adds, “Let’s put some traditional ketchup on everything!” There’s also plenty of bellowing and clinking of beer cans as three white Americans look on in apparent disgust: “So offensive.”
Tri-corner hat dude explains that he’s just happy to be able to celebrate the “Great Battle of Fourth of July.” It’s one of the seminal moments in American history, he insists, along with “World War I, World War II, South Korea, North Korea, East Coast vs. West Coast, Clone Wars, the Battle of Hoth, the Battle of Blackwater;” the latter three being Star Wars and Game of Thrones references, respectively, undoubtedly a mockery of your typical American reveler’s knowledge (or lack thereof) regarding the origins of Cinco de Mayo.
In an explainer accompanying the clip, Flama writer Henry Pacheco notes that there’s nothing more amusing that watching people celebrate holidays they clearly don’t understand.
“This group of Mexicans have decided to flip the switch on some Americans by celebrating the 4th of July just like Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo,” writes Pacheco. “Oh how the tables have turned!”