https://youtu.be/Jaz1J0s-cL4?t=11s
https://www.facebook.com/davidlopezfilms/videos/1702393763351881/
Artifact one, the Spanish word of the day. This combination of stereotypes demonstrates a common single story for hispanics and Mexicans. One element of that story being that in the United States being hispanic is almost synonymous with being Mexican. That is, if there's any truth to the old adage "perception is reality." This meme plays on a mispronunciation for a pun, which can be offensive and stereotypical. More limiting is the implication that a lookout phrase for committing crime is a necessary phrase for hispanics learning English.
In this second artifact America's sweetheart, Donald Trump, says he loves the Mexican people. More memorably, he generally characterizes immigrant Mexicans as rapists and "not the good ones." This is offensive on at least four levels. One: Donald Trump said it. Two: theres a connotation that Mexicans in this country are all illegal. Three: Mexicans come here illegally AND are of questionable moral character. Four: Trump paints a picture of the Mexican government conspiring to send their worst citizens to America.
The last artifact is the most obviously satirical. The single-story portrayal is more obvious because of star of the video being hispanic and portraying an exaggerated character. Again the message is carried out that hispanics in this country are illegal, as his friend Pedro was chased down not for blood, but for papers. Factor in the stereotypical music, accent and arguing about who is better at the manual labor task of gardening and Pedro didn't stand a chance at multi-dimension.
Just because Donald Trump said something doesn't mean that it is offensive. But I do get what you're saying. The comment overall was offensive to a lot of people because of what he implied. It is important to remember that many Mexicans come here legally and work hard to be here. We have to be careful not to one-story a group of people, like Donald Trump did.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a heavily hispanic neighborhood. Honestly, it was never the parents that came over that I had trouble with, it was their kids, the wannabe gangsters. The parents were usually hardworking and just trying to make ends meet.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you like The Donald so much Merri? I love Hispanic people! They're great.
ReplyDeleteI guess there's a fine line between talking about the issues of immigration and being offensive. Instead of being adults, some people forgo the facts about a situation and stick to the emotional part--that's what makes the news. Sure, do people come here illegally? Yep. Is there a way to solve it? Sure. But I wish people would leave out their emotions more often and choose not to label. Obviously, not all latinos are illegal immigrants--that's where the labeling issue comes into play. I liked your points! Sorry if mine were scattered.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that most people view hispanics in general as Mexicans. This just shows how little attention actually pay to people and their habits and culture before we categorize and make assumptions.
ReplyDelete