When truth is stranger (and more racist) than fiction: i.Beat blaxx and Pedroland
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
What do an MP3 player and an amusement park have in common? Both were so over-the-top that I was convinced they were hoaxes. Until I found out otherwise.
TrekStor is a German company that manufactures MP3 players and other small electronic gadgets. They decided to name their latest MP3 player i.Beat blaxx. No joke.
(hat tip to Stereohyped and Eric R)
Pedroland is an amusement park in Dillon, South Carolina whose entire theme is a racist caricature. No joke. This is the copy on the homepage:
BUENS DIAS, AMIGO! pedro VER’ GLAD YOU COME!!
pedro got 112 meelion amigos, who stay weeth heem, opp teel now all satisfy come back, send frans…thees make pedro ver’ HAPPEE…like for frans come back all time…pedro hope YOU make 112 meelion and wan happee amigos! you come back soon, too, yes?
Holy crap.
Oh and don’t forget to check out the Sombrero Tower.
(hat tip to Laura Martinez and Carlos)
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
Lloyd Webber wrote:
But Carmen, don’t you know racism is dead? There are no more racismz. it are dead, dead, I tellz you.
But Seriously, I have no words
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 1:59 pm ¶
Mimi wrote:
Trekstor’s website does not actually have the i.beat and blaxx words together. I don’t know if blaxx is not a part of the i.beat line or if they changed it later on.
http://www.trekstor.de/en/products/detail_mp3.php?pid=74
I am completely speechless and ashamed about Sombrero Land.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 2:00 pm ¶
egypt4 wrote:
Have you ever driven across the NC/SC border on I95? Anyone who has will recognize Pedroland as being part of the monstrosity that is “South of the Border,” a huge campground, dynamite store, truck stop, etc, just “south of the border” of North Carolina. (Get it?)
Both sides of I95 are full of billboards advertising this place. And I can assure you it’s NOT the locals going there, but tourists from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, etc headed down to or back from Florida.
Anyway, yeah, I can get why they started this joke 30 years ago. But obviously enough people are stopping there to make this place work. Ugh.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 2:33 pm ¶
gatamala wrote:
ahhhh yes South of the Border. I remember passing their signs on road trips with the fam..
I was wondering how long it would take for someone to notice it.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 2:38 pm ¶
hoo_boy wrote:
As always, the story has more to offer than the surface lets on. I went when I was a kid knew something was up. Twisted, but then again like everything (including me), what isn’t?
Read “South of the Border” owner’s obit from 2001:
http://www.sptimes.com/News/072101/Worldandnation/Roadside_legacy_.shtml
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 3:11 pm ¶
Chris wrote:
So engadget says “i.beat blaxx” and sites their source as dapreview.net, who has the same words, but with i.beat crossed out, but still displayed, and a link to Trekstor, the company making the mp3 player, who doesn’t even have the word “beat” on the page for the blaxx player. The words “i.beat blaxx” are a horrid combination, but I’m not sure the company is at fault here. It seems like, once again, people need to track down their sources a little better.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 3:35 pm ¶
Mike wrote:
The german company i dont know about but the pedroland is dead wrong. How did that not make the headlines? Oh wait they were to busy grilling Mike Vick.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 4:11 pm ¶
Mimi wrote:
South of the Border has been around for 50 years.
“South of the Border has a history as colorful as its lights at night. It actually started as a beer stand. Alan Schafer and his father were in the beer and wine business in North Carolina, but when the area went dry, they moved across the border to South Carolina to set up shop in 1949.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20061120/ap_tr_ge/travel_trip_south_of_the_border
I don’t think that this not being brought to Racialicious’ attention sooner has anything to do with Mike Vick.
On the other hand, how in the heck do you get away with operating a business like that for 50 years?
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 4:38 pm ¶
Steve Wingate wrote:
re: On the other hand, how in the heck do you get away with operating a business like that for 50 years?
It wasn’t politically incorrect until the last ten years or so and by then it was too late.
I grew up passing by the signs for that place on the way to Grandma’s house and I never knew WTF it was until now…and I’m 43.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 6:48 pm ¶
hoo_boy wrote:
I guess no one wants to know about the dee-luxe hotel rooms with the heart shaped beds then. This was actually renovated and upgraded some years ago to make things *less* tacky…
Besides in the grand scheme of craptastic cultural theme park abomination-type things, you can’t give a pass to, say, oh
Migrant Mountain (Mexico)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6390297.stm
Fantazy Land (Egypt)
http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24518
The hell on earth gateway to heaven that is the Buddhist amusement center Suoi Tien Park (Vietnam)
http://www.vietnamhost.com/suoitien_park/main.html
I just wish Mukluk Land (Alaska) had a website that worked. That giant mosquito’s worth the price of admission to Tok alone…
http://www.muklukland.com
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 7:40 pm ¶
Kimi wrote:
Actually…..I am originally from North Carolina, and I beleive the amusement park you are talking about is located on the boarder between the Two Carolina (on the state line). It was once called “South of The Boarder” and it is a huge attraction for those traveling in the South East who cross the NC to SC boarder and visa versa. You can see the Sombraro from miles away. I had a chance to visit the park a couple of times and I totally agree that it is filled with racist charicatures. It has been there for a while and it is listed as a State Attraction on SC visitor’s sites. I didn’t like the original name but I HATE the new one.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 8:33 pm ¶
Brian wrote:
Ah - South of the Border. I’ve stopped there once - for gas. It’s in a good place for that - miles from anywhere if memory serves.
I thought everyone knew about South of the Border.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 8:56 pm ¶
severus wrote:
I’d be afraid to stop here for a visit. Odds are, I’d come out and my car would be sitting on blocks, my dog would be on the menu in the nearest burrito stand, I’d be forced by a press gang to pick alfalfa, and worst of all, the only available refreshment would be Corona! No, I think I’ll keep going to Idaho and/or Montana for vacations, thank you very much.
Posted 29 Aug 2007 at 10:07 pm ¶