Latinos in America

I would like to open by stating unequivocally that I believe CNN's heart is in the proverbial right place in their attempts to document the lives of Latinos living in the U.S. I say this, however, while acknowledging that the advertisements leading up to the debut this week might easily lead us to a starkly different conclusion. The commercials essentially played on fears of a Hispanic reconquista by featuring the visibly Latino actor, Edward James Olmos, saying something to the extent that "people in the U.S. should be ready, Hispanics are here and we're not going away," while also featuring voice-overs which talk about how it's no longer about "keeping up with the Joneses, but rather keeping up with the Garcias." In other words, if you take CNN at their word, the Joneses have been replaced by the Garcias. This is precisely the fear which xenophobes like the Minutemen, Joe Arpaio and the tea-baggers exploit to gain leverage for their conservative ideologies. So flawed advertisements notwithstanding, I'm willing to take Soledad O'Brian's word about CNN seeing the importance of demystifying Latin@s to the rest of the U.S. Unfortunately, CNN's commitment to a hollow, toothless notion of "balance" ends up devolving, what by all rights could have been an in-depth portrait of the issues, obstacles and inspirations of the U.S.'s largest minority, into a fairly standard and unenlightening fulfillment of mythologies and stereotypes of both Latinos and the United States itself. In the end, CNN's commitment to balance in the form of equal representation of both sides with little context or social theory was troubling instead of enlightening and pedantic rather than productive. For the sake of clarity let me offer a few examples:

I applaud O'Brian's efforts to differentiate between Latin@ groups. The documentary features short shots of the many faces of Latin@s in the U.S. We see people who are dark-skinned and light-skinned, some who have accents and some who don't. This variation goes some way to ameliorate the notion that all Latin@s are "Mexican," a dynamic I will address below. I also believe that the rhetorical use of the name "Garcia" was helpful in that segment one (which aired on October 21) featured stories about different people with the surname Garcia. Since these many Garcia's came from various places of origin including foreign born Dominicans, Mexicans and Nuyoricans, the implicit argument was that not all Latin@s are Mexicans. The problem is that this dynamic, the grouping of disparate and often wildly different social groups under a single grouping, has a name, it is called homogenization and its effects on Latin@ communities has been severe. In part one of the documentary, the two teenage Garcia boys, both of whom completely disidentify with their Latino heritage, talk about what it's like to be Hispanic in the South. The eldest one says that most of his friends are either white or black and that when he says that he is Hispanic, everyone assumes that he is Mexican. He follows this up by saying "I don't like that." Part two features two different Puerto Ricans named Carlos one who lives in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania and one in Orlando, Florida. Both Carlos specifically mention the ways in which white residents use the term Mexican in a derogatory fashion in order to belittle them. O'Brian offers no commentary or clarification to a theme which comes up three different times. Why is the homogenization of Latin@s under the term "Mexican" so damaging?

For starters it ignores that fact that their resistance to being called "Mexican" is all about the process of homogenization and, more precisely, of the fact that Mexicans in this country have been stereotyped in hugely degrading ways. According to the larger U.S. population, to be "Mexican" is to be "illegal;" it is to be associated with illicit drug smuggling, gang violence and dead-end landscaping jobs. When the Garcia boy says, "I don't like that," what he is saying is that I don't want to be Hispanic because, in this day and age, that means being associated with negative stereotypes. It also doesn't do anything to highlight the pervading racism throughout the U.S. which has come to understand the term Mexican as implicitly derogatory thus effectively erasing the huge contributions which Mexicans and Mexican-Americans have made to the United States. CNN doesn't mention any of this and their silence does a profound disservice to the Garcia family and to any other Latin@ families who might see in the Garcia family a reflection of their own struggle to maintain Latin@ heritage between generations.

The Garcia boys' parents place the blame for their sons' cultural alienation squarely on themselves. They mention two pressing regrets when faced with the reality that neither of their two sons has any interest at all in associating or claiming their rich Latin@ heritage. They regret having moved out of Washington Heights in New York, and they regret not having done more to raise their sons bilingually. Both of those regrets are certainly valid and, as a father fighting to raise four bilingual children, I empathize completely with the struggle. However, what CNN fails to point out is the way in which the struggle to maintain both culture and language across generations is a societal fact of life in the U.S. And the reason that it is tough, all over, to raise Spanish-speaking bilingual kids and to raise kids who are proud of their Latin@ heritage is because the U.S. has, in many ways, been a tough place to be Latin@. The U.S. has been a place that has demanded that we make a choice between being Latin@ and being American. It also means that the struggle between generations for keeping language and culture alive is also tied to a significant and powerful social dynamic which also has a name: internalized racism. Second and third generation Latin@s struggle with seeing the value of their heritage because, in large part, they have internalized the racism with which our society has greeted large sectors of our Latin@ populations.

Instead of naming these social dynamics, instead of introducing them as realities which are directly germane to the topic at hand and which help to explain why Latin@s are struggling with these issues, CNN opted for balance in the form of silence. For every Latina actress who believes they are typecast, let's bring out one who is light-skinned and has never played the role of a maid. For every Garcia boy who feels alienated by his heritage let's bring out an uncle who has embraced it. And finally, instead of being truthful about who we as a nation have been in regards to the presence of fifty million Latin@s, let's trot out the tired rhetoric of the U.S. as a land of opportunity. Make no mistake; however, I do believe that the U.S. is a land of opportunity just not for everybody and not in the same way. When former Senator Mel Martinez tours the Boystown detention center where he stayed as a young Cuban refugee, O'Brian's voice over mentions that Cubans like him were greeted with open arms. CNN fails to mention that this welcome mat included free English classes and increased access to home and business loans. What, we might ask, might the fate have been of all the Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and Central Americans who came then, and continue to come now, if we were to welcome them in the same way?

Many have cheered CNN for presenting Latin@s "as they are." These same people (you can read their comments on Latino in America's facebook page) feel an overwhelming sense of pride at having a documentary dedicated to their lives and their people. Many of them are grateful for a program in which they saw themselves and their life experiences accurately reflected. Some, however, have expressed their frustration at representations of Latin@s which fully confirm the stereotypes already deeply in place about us, that we are high school drop-outs, that we are here illegally, that we run in gangs, and that we impregnate our teenage girlfriends. Where, I can't help but wonder, were the positive role models, the Latino success stories that have nothing to do with gangs and guns, drugs and drop-outs? Where were the professors of Latin@ Studies like Juan Gonzalez, Juan Flores or Paula Moya who could have explained these realities and shed light on our shared responsibility? Where were the doctors and the lawyers, the writers and the activists? CNN's mistake was not that they presented the realities of social ills which plague many Latin@ communties; Latin@ communities do struggle and will continue to struggle against these issues. Rather, CNN's sad mistake was to have categorically refused to take the risk of explaining these ills by placing them in a social context which has played an outsized role in creating them in the first place. I believe in and admire CNN's quest for balance. The truth though is that if we genuinely want to be balanced, and if we sincerely want to learn about Latin@s and about the nation which they, and we, inhabit, we need to embrace our mistakes and our failings. We need to name them and talk about them. We need to ascribe to them the true measure of their reality and import so that we can face them, own them, and ultimately, change them.

Comments

[Andon]

Some of us ARE actually Mexican, and the stereotypes Rio talks about can be very hurtful.

My mom has this funny thing happen to her over and over again at the bank she works at. Since we're Northern, white Mexicans, people hear her accent and can't figure out where she's from, so they start guessing.

"Are you from Poland?"
No.
"Are you Russian?"
No.
"Are you from Belgium?"
No.
"Slovakia? Italy? France?"
No sir.
"Well where are you from?"
"I'm Mexican"
"Oh...uh..­. I'm Sorry"

Why are they sorry?????? Is the question we constantly ask ourselves. We are proud of our Mexican heritage!

[Ann Marie Stock]

Riofrio's thoughtful words provoke reflections: 1) media matters; and 2) transparency and dialogue are critical. First, the matter of media. Representation, as we know, helps define who we are and how we see see ourselves, others, and the world. It's critical to our "ways of seeing" (Berger).. Second, dialogue. Open-ness and transparency are essential in addressing issues related to identity--be they stereotyping, "othering," discriminating, ignoring, or embracing and seeking common ground. Honest, candid, look-me-in-the-eye interventions are critical--be they from individuals, advocates, educators, media specialists, or other cultural agents.

[singermuse]

We who are Hispanics from all over South America have been here a long time. I like what Olmos said which is basically: "We're here, we've been here, there will be more of us, get used to it."
I know what it's like to have grown up Hispanic in a white neighborhood, and it wasn't a pretty picture. I know what it's like to be bullied from fellow students and teachers as well. Sadly the picture is getting darker, but the racism has been here a very long time, it's just more visible.
There are plenty of Doctors, Lawyers, Architects, Professionals who are Hispanic, but you won't see this on the mainstream caucasian media. That's why we have the Giant TV corporations like Univision and Telemundo to have a voice. But this is not inclusion, and what we need is more understanding and multi-cultural connection to erase the hate and fear. We didn't need "separate and equal" back in the 50's and 60's and we don't need it now. It is only in un-learning the fear, and anger, and racism that we will make headway as a nation. Otherwise we will go the way of Rome.

[Curandera]

Sorry, but one last quick thing. Many people also don't realize that there are different requirements for immigration depending on the country of origin. So it's no big deal for someone to immigrate from Germany as opposed to Mexico.

[singermuse]

Right! And that goes for the way illegals are treated depending on where they came from. There are plenty of illegal Australians, Brits, Germans, Europeans here and they blend in, no problem. So all the screaming from the right about illegals isn't about the illegality, it's about RACE. I used to live and work on a ski hill where they regularly had INS raids, but wouldn't you know it, the illegal Aussies who were here skiing were not rounded up...go figure!

[Curandera]

There is also an erroneous view that all the illegal immigrant has to do is learn English, pass a test on the Constitution or pay a fee and bing, bang, boom, they could be here legally in about a year or two! Completely wrong!

The language issue is also similar to the European migration schedule. Those who arrived rarely learned the language or only a rudimentary amount, their kids born in the US were raised bilingually and the grandkids didn't speak the mother tongue. Exactly, the way the Mexican migration works. Only 5% of the grandkids speak Spanish. The reason it seems like more is because the Mexican wave of migration isn't for a single decade, pre-war, post-war. It is constant because we share a border and there is relatively more opportunity.

If only people opened their minds just a little bit and would bother to ask themselves, if all you have to do is pass a test, why are they dying of thirst in the desert or suffocation in empty cargo holds?

[Curandera]

One extremely important area that no media program has yet to address is the nitty gritty problem with Immigration laws.

I would like a solid block program of how incredibly difficult and impossible it is for a family from Mexico to migrate to the US.

I would like Soledad to explain that prior influxes of illegal immigrants (Italians, Germans, Irish) didn't have the problem of a requirement of a social security number that could almost instantly be verified in a computer to get a job here. So many say, my grandparents came here legally without any proof whatsoever that they did. It wasn't needed before. First, you didn't need a social security number, just a strong back, then Social Security just gave them out, then they developed requirements but they didn't have it computerized. Now they do.

[tvlong]

I appreciate Riofrio’s questions about the stories CNN left out: He wonders where the doctors, the lawyers … and the poets are. Sixteen years ago the Chicano poet Tino Villanueva published Scene from the Movie Giant. The book, like many others, critiques the nation’s anti-Mexican, anti-immigration agenda. And it asks us to come out of the dark. My guess is that Soledad O’Brian might wish she could do just that. It this is the case, then let, her, CNN. She shouldn’t have to be a quieter, gentler version of Dobbs by virtue of what is left unsaid. –Teresa Longo

[Drodriguez]

I thought it was going to be a different look on "Latino's in America" but I was blown away to know that people really feel that the label Mexican which just so happens to be what I am is a BAD thing to be.... Who other than Lou Dobbs... would have thought. Well now we know, thanks to CNN>

[mmgomez]

Rio,
Very interesting insights, and I agree, I believe much is lost in the way of actually making progress by striving for balance. It makes me proud, as a Latino and Cuban-American, to have CNN talk about our people, but I also feel cheated because the I feel the documentary did not do much to debunk stereotypes about Latinos, and its youth, in particular.

[anitaa]

Rio,

Having grown up Italian-American and in Texas, your essay really hit home for me; actually, it hit twice:

1) the derogatory use of the word "Mexican." I've actually felt myself hesitating to use the word when describing a friend from Mexico because it has become so laden with negative imagery. Your essay reminds me that instead of shying away from it, we would do well to use it in as many contexts as possible.

2) Italian immigrants went though the same process of self-hate and loss, the same process of homogenization, either being shamed into a certain "whiteness" or embracing the cartoon stereotypes of the mobster. Now we have assimilated, I think in some of the worst ways possible. (Anton Scalia comes immediately to mind.) I hope that the Latin@ community is more successful in negotiating the hyphen than we have been.

[2morrowknight - Huffpost Blogger]

Great insight and analysis.

A post like this could prove instructive for a part 2, which is what Soledad O'brien did for the "Black in America" series. She did a part 2 for that series because she couldn't put as much in part 1 as she wanted. So I'm sure her and CNN's producer's see your post as a helpful way to fill in the blanks in a follow-up part 2 segment.

You make some really great points.

[Sophia McClennen]

This post is as much about the failures of today's mass media as it is about CNN's documentary Latino in America. Too often viewers are told that they will hear "in-depth coverage" of "important issues" but soon find that what they are getting is simply sound bites and superficiality.

These practices have devastated opportunities for public debate of crucial social issues. Nowhere is this more apparent than around the sensitive questions of race, inequality, and immigration.

Riofrio's call for balance through asking tough questions, naming difficult realities, and learning how to productively talk about them challenges us to do more than passively absorb the images offered to us on news venues like CNN.

Glad to see this on Huffington Post.

[larome armstrong]

I would like to see a show on CNN about being AFRO-latino in America ,this way people could see how African people in latin america catch hell in latin america in the U.S for being Black ,their is a lot of RACISM in latin america and a great deal of denial, as a matter of fact in may case's worst then the united states.why I am proud of the African descent latino's who I have met ,and who have been very up front about being AFRICAN rooted they also acknowledged that their were a lot of BLACK people mainly (DEMO-REP)who hate bing considered are called Black even though they may be jet Black themselve'­s.I believe this would show how slavery effected AFRICAN'S all over the america's not just the U.S. what a shame.....

[Charmed]

CNN did the same thing when they first did the "black in america" show....th­ere were a LOT of complaints of how it only showed the stereotypes and then the next show they did a better job of balancing the act. As a matter of fact the part I hated most about black in america was the part when the black person finds out they have a white relative somewhere down the line....I'­m so sick of that storyline.

Hopefully, CNN will do a part II but I didn't bother to watch Part I because I figured it was just going to be a bunch of stereostyping going on. My friends husband doesn't reflect any of the stereotypes most people think of.

[Romulus]

My parents immigrated to the US from Holland, via the Dutch East Indies. While I was aware of my Dutch background, my parents never made a big deal out of it. I was raised as and am an American, not a Dutch-American. That's what the US is supposed to be, a melting pot, not a bunch of people divided by where their parents or grandparents came from.

[Okieborn]

Exactly Right !!!!!

[winningticket]

What do you want? A medal?

[Romulus]

Strange comment. Explain. Why would you think that I want a medal?

[kriley19]

The difference is YOU ARE WHITE. The immigrant experience for white people coming from Europe has always been a very different one from people of color. My great grandparents immigrated here from Ireland. They arrived on the west coast at a time when the anti-Irish sentiment was very strong. They changed their name. They laid low. They a assimilated. Maybe they did what they had to do to survive... but the land of freedom and opportunity should not be about homogenization, and assimilation and freakin' melting pots. But rather... the extraordinary beauty and power of our differences.

The term "Mexican" is NOT a pejorative ( I actually find the term 'minority' to be one of the most damaging for kids... think about it....) But it is a sad commentary when our children can not be proud of their Mexican heritage, even as Latinos ascend to the Supreme Court... and even into space!

[Romulus]

And Irish aren't white? Polish isn't white? Italians are fairly light skinned. Yet each of these immigrant groups were treated with disdain but eventually assimilated into the mainstream. Hispanics will too as long as they consider themselves Americans first and Hispanic second. There's nothing wrong with being proud of your ethnic heritage but one should be MORE proud of your American heritage. Unless you don't want to be an American.