luisangelsantacruz

[luisangelsantacruz]

Warning!: Graphic photo. 

Pictures like these of tragedies that occur in the souther border due to irregular crossings is very common. The amount of lives that have been lost due to the lack of government reform and action is disgusting. What is also disgusting is that popular media uses these images to gain more traction and get more views, instead of actually creating meaningful dialogue over the systematic issue. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Narcos

This last chapter hits you in the face with true stories of horrific events that occur because of migration. these stories are all too common in popular media, ‘true story’ docs and in real life news. It was normal to see bodies washed up by a river or laying lifeless on the dessert floor on news channels, they never really filter it for you. Instead the latin community becomes desensitized to these horrific accidents of the poor naive immigrant who faced tragedy in their pursuit of happiness.  When you look at the southern border there is almost always a culture of the Coyote that surrounds the stories told by immigrants. In my community there have always been mixed signals of this elusive coyote. They can be revered as saints who help poor immigrants achieve their dreams and help unite families that have been separated by the white man’s politics. At the same time there were also stories of immigrants who died at the neglect of these men. Both were valid. Each immigrant came with their own story and their own coyote or way of coming. Each different with different outcomes and experiences. 

Tv shows like Narcos and La Reyna Del Sur have all used the stories of immigrants to enrich their fictional narratives that reflect the very true horrendous nature of the immigrant and the narco culture surrounding them. Shows like these, who glamorize the very real tragedies and stories of immigrants. In doing so they enrich the violent nature of the culture and help spread its normalization into latinx communities. Another thing this type of representation does is that it creates false representation of the Mexican Immigrant in the US.The show helps justify the criminality and drug related nature of the immigrant that is far from true. There are very little good and positive representation of Latinos to begin with. Shows like these help reinforce negative stereotypes of Mexicans and leads to the continuation of action taking my government to fix the issue of immigration. Instead they can now victimize Mexicans as they have justifiable references to do so. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Latinos and the American Sports Landscape

This chapter talks about Latinos inclusion and history in the matter of sports in the American landscape. They emphasize the contributions that specific Latino athletes had on the culture of sports during a time that latinos and other athletes of color were not allowed in sports. The chapter talks about how coaches like Adolf Rupp who held deep beliefs (popular in his time and region) that the all-white basketball team will always be superior. This belief was shattered when Don Haskin’s team, an all black team from western Texas, easily defeated the all-white championship team. After that, the inclusion of blacks was normalized and allowed in teams across the country, becoming majority black. This trend was similarly seen through other sports where athletes of color had to work double the time and bust their butts off to prove to that they could be seen in the same playing field, if not better, as their white team players. This was much easier said than done as Latino players had to face the challenges of poverty and living in an oppressive society, while putting themselves through an education so that they could also join professional teams. 

Sport’s teams have increasingly become more and more diverse.Where teams once avoided any melanin in their teams, they now seek out Latinos and other POC. This is awesome because it allows for Latinos to be seen a different light and to make a difference in the cultural arena as well as the sports arena. This being said, equity hasn't yet reached the playing field as there is still exploitation of players through money and their disposable nature to larger drafting and sports personnel that still work through a power system where white men belong at the top. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

“La Migra!”

When I was a kid, my friends and I would find exciting ways to entertain ourselves in our neighborhood. Sometimes we would prank and scare people along the river path that was behind our apartment complex, and sometimes we would play ‘la migra!’. This was a game, kind of like tag, where one kid had the unfortunate task of being la migra (ICE agent), they would hide and look for us and when they were spotted we would yell “la migra!” and run the opposite direction. It was quite thrilling. Looking back at this, I can see how it would train young generation of low-income brown communities to have such terrible relationships with authority. But history has proven to be right. It isn’t brown children that are afraid of cops and authority that are the issue, It is the system that has made and increased this distrust in authority. And because there is a large group of privileged individuals that are not effected by the corrupt negligence of authority, there is a debate whether the issue relies on the ‘brown corrupt communities’, the cops and agents, or the legal system. When you think about it, who really has the power to decide that? Who has the power to shape the minds of the public? who has the power to educate themselves on the issue? it all comes down to power. Who has the agency when it comes to these issues? The chapter that I read this week touched on topics of migration and narco culture, and the very monsters that define the reality of those cultural occurrences. I face and often define my reality and self through these depictions. For one, they are already ingrained in the public. My freshman roommate’s first response to me telling him im Mexican was asking if my uncle was a narco. During this time Narcos was a popular hit in American television, and it seemed that people who watched it somehow knew more about my Mexican identity than what I knew from own experiences. He asked this question with the intention of being humorous, kind and in attempting to connect to my cultural side. I tried to teach him as much as I could about my real culture, constantly redefining his understanding of the culture, but open and excited to learning more. This type of interaction isn’t new. People, unaware with the culture are constantly defining their understanding of us from popular media and tv shows. This is nothing new. Companies producing these narratives do not care about their implications in society, they do not care to teach and educate when they very easily have the opportunity to do so. The issue of how the immigrant is perceived comes from the views that popular media frame, consequentially effecting politics that are framed by narratives in which commodity and power are the goal. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Day of the Dead

I found this chapter to be very interesting when reflecting my personal views and experiences with day of the dead. When I was a little kid I would look forward to this day. Where I was from we still participated in trick or treat and would dress up on the day of halloween. It was nothing like your average halloween in the US, most houses didn’t hand out candy and the trick was emphasized. I remember going to a little market store to buy eggs and the cashier giving me a look and almost hesitating in selling me the eggs. I dressed up as a devil that year. The next day would be filled with colorful paper banners, bright delicate orange flowers adorned the sides of the hard worn out concrete of the streets and dancers adorned with colorful makeup and costumes dances through streets. It seemed as if the entire town came to life breathing in the music and cheerful smiles from its people. Even the cemetery, where symbols of death gloomed through the very landscape were filled with life. Live flowers and people, lively colors, and lively music all juxtaposed my very understanding of death. 

To Mexicans day of the dead is a celebration of the lives of those who have already passed, their lives and essence are brought back through the people and their customs. As seen through movies like the Guillermo de Toro’s Book of Life and Coco. They both show the relationship that Mexicans have with Santa Muerte. They show how Mexicans spiritually connect with ancestors and how we view death as a natural part of life and that there is something once we are gone. In contrast with western views of death as seen through movies like the walking dead, dawn of the dead, World war Z, the Final destination franchise all show how how negatively death is viewed in these cultures. I feel like I have been so engrained with this culture that I almost forgot my very own culture’s views on it. This chapter has helped me understand the holiday and my connection to it much better. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Modern quinceañeras, like most other traditional rituals have become capitalized in our society. Traditions like the quinceañera making her dress and working with other women to build it are gone. Companies have found ways to make money, and from my past knowledge of quinces I know that family break the bank in order to afford such lavish parties. Pardons are a necessity, people who are connected to the family in some fashion that donate to the party. While it does become a community activity, strengthening the community and supporting local businesses I feel as though larger companies are going to find ways to profit off of them, putting small businesses out of business and turning the tradition into a profitable popular culture norm. Latinos are already the largest minority and becoming larger each year and companies are going to find ways to profit out of that. Changing the culture and traditions of quinceañeras. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Quinceañeras

This chapter was highlighting the transaction between quinceañeras being a catholic and religious ceremony, to being one about the popular culture surrounding the tradition. When I was reading this, they talked a lot about how this ceremony marks the transition from girl to women. My little sister is 14 and I simply refuse to accept that she will be considered a women, in Mexican tradition standards, by this next year. They grow up so fast! Anyways, it seems to me that discussing a girls sexuality and having a ceremony around it is rather adverse in the psychology of the girl going through ritual. In my chicano history class, I remember learning about how the Spanish conquerers would use Catholicism to justify the exploitation and enslavement of the native people. Comparing them to savages to make themselves feel okay about all of what they were doing. The catholic religion sticked with Mexico and Mexicans actually used the symbol of la Virgen de Guadalupe for the revolution of Mexico’s independence. This idea of taking the conquerers ideas, making them our own and using it against them is wonderful. A new identity and Mexican was born-the Mestizo. The Conquerers kept using the religion to make work camps, exploiting labor and resources and eradicating a whole culture during this time. One way to maximize profit was to have young Mexican girls have children when they were younger. That way they could add bodies to the workforce, again, maximize profit. They would have them bare children as soon as the girls would hit puberty and they were able to reproduce, some baring children at age 12 or 13. This practice held long and strong and rates of women baring children in Mexico are rather high in comparison to other countries. The rates of teen pregnancy in the US are also much higher in Latinas than other groups. And when I think about it, the idea of teen pregnancy is not seen as a bad thing in my community. A few of my friends became pregnant in high school and I would remember that not being a big deal within my latin community, but my white friends would always see it as a horrible thing. This cultural difference may be rooted in racist and capitalist values and I feel like it has made it so that Latin women have an additional layer of oppression, making it harder for them to get out of poverty, get an education and other forms of furthering ones sense of being. This idea of the quinceañera, while it is a sign of our culture does more bad than good to the common good, especially that of Latinas. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Farmworker to Table

“Following the pattern of extraction and ownership described by Tuhiwai Smith, native knowers are unnamed and unsung, and native ways of knowing are reproduced by the colonial researcher while the people who developed these foodways are simultaneously rejected.”, This sentence encompassed the basis of the chapter. This chapter talks about the acceptance of Mexican food and its popularity within American people while politically and socially the people that this food comes from are not accepted o challenged. In these chapters and in this class I repeatedly keep seeing the theme of capitalism. It is the very values of what makes a capitalist society work that is destroying and oppressing certain groups in society that are socially and economically challenged. In this case it is Mexicans. Both Farmworkers and and the Mexican identity and culture in America are challenged when it comes to stigma around immigrants. Politics have scapegoated Mexicans blaming them for problems in society. High crime? Mexicans. High unemployment? Mexicans. Poor school systems? Mexican are sucking out all the resources. These highly stigmatized and racist antics and ideologies have always circulated around immigrants. I am sure it easier for politicians to blame a minority group then to actually own up their lack in the political system. Capitalism, by definition means that industry and trade are controlled by those private companies instead of state. This means that the economy and, because large corps can donate to politicians, basically run th country. Or they hold the most power in terms of the political climate and condition of the country. In immigrant communities, that means exploiting the labor to maximize their profits. Whether that mean that they sacrifice the health and well-being of their workers. It’s all for the economy right? Apparently a healthy economy is important than the well-being of lives. This has been proven time and again. When we buy products made outside the country, it is very likely that the people that produced that were not treated fairly. Corps take their business elsewhere to, again, maximize their profits. Taking jobs elsewhere, polluting other countries and making it so that the developing countries that they take their business to rely on them for their economy while treating the workers as money machines. The more labor laws we make here in the US the more the jobs leave the country. And it is not the fault of the immigrant, but of the large corporations that are hiring them. Yet they know hoe to make it so they don’t have the blame and while at the same time add to the concept that food, ideas, culture are all widely accepted and highly valued in American culture, besides the people that those cultural customs come from. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

This is a portrayal of one of the Mexicans in the video games series Red Dead Redemption. As you can tell they make him look less heroic by giving a broader body, implying that he is lazy. They place in a position of holding a lot of weapons and ammunition implying that he is dangerous and up to no good. Or that he is involved  foul play. They also portray him in a very racist manner by giving him a sombrero, mustache and bottle of alcohol. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Video Games

It was harder for me to connect my personal experience with video games and latino/a representation because I have such limited experience with them. Growing up, I always preferred arts and crafts over video games, which I think my parents loved all the money they saved from not having to buy me expensive tech. Despite this, my brothers did play video games all the time. I remember them playing racing games, FIFA, and first player games like Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto. I would sometimes like to play the first player games with my brothers because I enjoyed just existing and and exploring the game world. I never really played out the video games, mostly I would look for animals if i was playing Red Dead Redemption or customize my character and car in Grand Theft Auto. When I did play I noticed my Latino identity and when I recognized it would be like a little easter egg. “Hey1 They are speaking Spanish!” as the backdrop characters in the bar fooled around and blasted Spanish curse words. Or in Grand Theft Auto when I would go into customize my car and some lowrider Mexicans were around the shop, again, talking vague words in Spanish or with Mexican accents in english. At that time I would see these things and be happy that I found a sense of my identity in them. I think it was rare for me to see myself in media and pop culture that when i did find representations I would be so happy, even if they were stereotypes. It is kind of sad that I would be so happy to see representations in myself in video games, a medium i hardly touched. And when I did they were enforcing negative 2d stereotypes of Mexicans. We are either in the ‘hood’ or in the bar getting drunk and creating a ruckus. With the video game industry growing, surpassing other forms of entertainment it is crucial and important to have meaningful Latinos characters that serve as educational representations of culture and identity. Giving them more protagonists roles and straying away from negative and harmful portrayals that feed into common ideologies. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Beyond The “Digital Divide” And Latina/o Pop

This chapter highlights how as Latinidad is represented in a more technology driven society. The chapter talks about the relationships that Latinos in the US had with technology in relation to their white counter parts. They highlighted that as technology was first becoming accessible to the mainstream LAtinos were less likely to spend time online. Now after other studies through the Pew Hispanic center show that in more recent years (2013-15) that Latinos were actually more likely to own phones and stream services like youtube ad twitter. When they discussed this, I thought about how in some poor families, technology like the internet and TV were used as ‘babysitters’. Poor families usually have to work for longer hours and are less likely able to afford child care, siblings and the TV were responsible for taking care of the kids. I believe this kind of relationship creates an uneven percentage of internet and streaming usage with Latino and Black youth. 

The transition from tv to digital was marked by both positive and negative things in representing the Latino/a culture. The reading talked about influencers like Perez Hilton and Dulce Candy who both run forums online for the masses. The chapter discussed how they were initially represented vs how their representation changes as they become more influential and get grasp of a larger audience. At first, because they are simply making videos they are less aware of their audience so more of the real mixed culture identity is represented through language, references and content. and As they both begin to become more popular they begin to adjust to their largely white audience conforming to western ideals and downplaying their own cultural identities. This did not come to me as a surprise at all, you see this everywhere. In music, for example, we see hoe Micheal Jackson in his early music videos appreciates and connects with black culture through music and what is being represented, but as he becomes more popular he begins to conform to western ideals through his music and overall how he decided to show himself. He literally became white, Being white sells. The more they conform to the larger audience and hierarchy of white dominance the more likely they will reach the broader audience and therefor broader profit margin. Leaving behind their cultural identity and relevance for their original brown audience, leaving them to conform to the those ideologies that have been normalized in society. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

This was such a special show growing up, and reading about it now makes me appreciate the values and culture that mirrored my identity. Reminding of the few years that I did spend in Mexico and bringing me back to my roots that are so easily lost in this sea of white-washed popular culture. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Canta Y No Llores- Life and Latinidad in Children’s Animation

When you watch a show like Dora the Explorer you expect for the poeple who are writing it have some connection or understanding of the identity she is representing. But it’s not. The show, like many other films where Latino/as are represented are written and directed by white people. Which puts into question what their real purpose for making the show was. Was it to have a positive Latin character? Was it to show people the positive things from Latin America? Perhaps teach us about different cultures? It is none of these, while they might claim that this is what they were doing it for, the show had ultimately adverse affects downplaying and stereotyping Latin culture. Placing Latinos into this huge umbrella where we can all fit in. And while some might think this was done in an effort to include all Latinos, it was much more harmful in reinforced common dominant ideologies surrounding Latinos. Again, they cater to the white male hegemony in order to increase their profits. 

They also discussed shows like El Tigre: Adventures of Manny Rivera, which was very nostalgic as I remembered watching that show in my youth. I remember being so excited because the animation style and the content was so close to home that I could not help, but be in love with the show. When I still lived in Mexico as a kid I would collect these small tokens that came in chip bags. They were collectables and were very popular in the part of Mexico that I grew in. They were full of awesome designs that were very reminiscent of the that Tv Show. I also remember my mom sometimes watching it with me because, she too, would love the connections to our culture that would lead to conversations about her home land. But then, out of no where, the show stopped. And after reading this chapter I can see why. The show was too unapologetic about its Mexican culture. It was too much for the hegemony to handle and therefore it did not survive the test of time. But maybe it was much more relevant to me because it was actually written by two Mexicans. “And unfortunately the one show created by Latina/os, El Tigre (created by Jorge Gutiérrez and Sandra Equiha) had the shortest shelf life.” 

I have never seen the Book Of Life, but after reading how the portrayal of Latinidad in this movie is much more appropriate as it is not trying to encompass Mexico into one box, but more like a Mexican artist expressing his magical view of his Mexico. This made me very interested and intrigued to see a representation that is not trying to be something that is not, It may still be working around a capitalist culture for profit, but at least they were critically conscious of how Mexico and its culture were represented for a mainly western audience. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Much like the 2000′s TV show they continued the same ideologies and stereotypes in the movie. They never talked about where Dora was from, bringing in the ambiguity of culture and maximizing profit through that. Although they did mention specific countries and cultures like the Inca, they still missed opportunities to reflect real cultural values and customs from one specific culture, painting a more real picture of the Latinx experience. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

“Latinohood” Juan Bobo, And The Commodification Of Dora The Explorer

I used to watch Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go all the time as a child growing up. It was literally the only cartoon where i found my Mexican identity being represented. I used to look up to Dora because she was able to explore the jungle with nothing but her backpack, a map, and her monkey Boots. As an animal loving child, how could I not love that. One of my favorite parts in this show was when they showed Dora at her grandmas house, this is where they would actually pull in a cultural reference to Latino culture, like the food or language. But how representational was it of my culture? I used to think, “Wow!, I would love to explore like that!, but what Latina mom would let their child do that?”. I might just be thinking of my own personal experience here, but that got me thinking, how representational is she to my culture? From what I remembr they never specified where she was from, based on the jungle I would say somewhere in central America, but that can be from many different cultures. I now see that they were trying to appeal to wider audience, meaning that the reason this show was created, again, falls under a capitalist popular culture society. The number one reason for making it? - money. Money, of course, runs the world and it is the fundamental component to capitalism.  Also, they were still catering to their larger audience which is white families. This is troublesome, because by doing so they were reinforcing hurtful stereotypes, through cultural ambiguity and through characters like Swiper (A kleptomaniac). Because young children are easily receptive to new information, shows like this can reinforce common dominant ideologies that are hurtful to brown people. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

“¡Vámonos! LET’S GO” Reflection

I found it interesting, yet not surprising, that it is parents, educators and policymakers that are the stakeholders for what is being aired for children. This makes it clear and obvious how it is that stereotyped characters like Speedy Gonzalez were part of this main media shows that have become a staple in cartoon history. Cartoons and kid’s shows, like any other form of expression, is a representation of the times. And it is clear that before the 60′s racism and other forms of discrimination were so bluntly expressed through the film industry. Popular shows like Looney Tunes and Mickey Mouse Club were some of the big names in that time that had characters that were stereotyped to represent certain minorities. They also had a lot of influence in portraying what American values really looked like, making it very heteronormative white anglo american. 

The 60′s were where characters became more anthropomorphic and became more real representations of people in shows like the Flinstones and Fat albert. One of the shows that was most influential for its representation of people of color and aiming in shifting the common narrative for children’s shows at the time was Sesame Street. Their main purpose was to reach a large underserved portion of children who did not have access to preschools. For its time it had a great representation of the working class as it was directed at their kids, it was also funded by the government as a reaction to the civil rights movement. Despite that they still had issues of stereotyping certain people and currently have inaccessibly issues, making it unreachable to the wide audience it was initially directed towards. Today we are able to find kids shows that show positive Latino characters as the protagonists like Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go. 

[luisangelsantacruz]

Routledge to Latino/a Culture  Latino Film in the End of Times

Raíces de sangre is one of the films that was highlighted and first brought up in this chapter. It signals a change in culture and society that endows more power to those at the ‘bottom’. Before this it was common to see Latinos misrepresented by large medias, but this allowed for another genre to represent latinos that was revealing and true to the personal narrative of migrant workers at that time. It gave power to migrant workers and immigrants in general to show their true life and not the one that was being represented by media where they were seen in a more negative light.

The chapter also discussed how that film had inspired a shift in representation of latinos in film. Where instead of representing Latinos as simple workers and as being part of this large system they also began to show how Latinos were actively participating in social change like in Cesar Chavez and the Maquilapolis. This allowed for Latinos themselves to hold the power in forming their own narrative and where large media places them.  

I find this interesting because as an artist I can appreciate all of the different components that go into making a film, music, sound, lighting, content, videography, storytelling, and much much more. And I always felt that as an art form, producers have the ability to shift focus and narrative and make the film their own, but at the same time it makes me question how much power they really had. Or what privileges they may have had that creates all these negative stereotypes. So this made me question who holds the ultimate power when representing Latinos, or other minorities for that matter, in TV and other media.