Wired Latinos

This is the popular picture of Dora the Explorer with is being circulated by wired Latinos and others on the internet and through texts.

Why the mugshot and the alleged crime? "Illegal Border Crossing and Resisting Arrest."

It's just one of the doctored images of the Nickelodeon star floating around online, questioning her immigration status in much the way Tinky Winky the Teletubby's sexuality was questioned.

"Dora is kind of like a blank screen onto which people can project their thoughts and feelings about Latinos," says one sociology professor. Nickelodeon won't comment on Dora's background, which has never been made clear. She has brown skin and speaks Spanish, but with an American accent. She seems to live in an unnamed, borderless world, able to travel anywhere without consequence. "It's symbolic of the way many Latinos live ambiguously in the United States," says one Arizona gender studies teacher.

Source: newser & AP