Latinos In The Media Essay

The portray of Latinos in the media has had negative effects on the Latino community. Historically they have not only been portrayed negatively through stereotypes but also been largely ignored and excluded from most American media. When Latinos are actually present in different forms of media a very consistent type of Latino is portrayed. Usually it is a person who has darker features, tanner skin, and an accent. The quest for a heterogeneous type of Latino completely overlooks the diversity that is included under the umbrella term. The lack of range in how Latinos are presented phenotypically also helps to polarize the community by showing usually either rich Latinos or poor Latinos. This phenomenon is reminiscent of the movie A Day Without

Although Latinos are a minority community not all Latinos like each other or share the same values. As a result it is more difficult for Latinos to come together to fight the created labels and false cultural propaganda that work against them. One way in which Latinos have started to fight against false perceptions created by the media is through creating their own documentaries. From Dr. Benamou’s presentation she showed that through the past fifty years Latino documentaries have included the issues of border control, farm work, feminism, media activism, gay and lesbian documentaries, and globalization. These documentaries were created in an effort to educate, be used as self reflection, and create opportunities where there were none. In Lilian Jimenez’s article examining Puerto Rican Cinema in New York she refers to Puerto Rican video and filmmakers as “ ‘picking up the gun’ in defense of civil and human rights in the United States after the Civil Rights movement”. Puerto Ricans also looked at their own takeover and entrance into the video and filmmaking industry as an affirmation of their own history and place in the United