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Zoot Suit Riots
Media influence on ethnic stereotyping
Zoot Suit Riots
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Even though Mexican American youth of Los Angeles during the mid-20th century were rambunctious adolescents rebelling against both traditional Mexican values and American values, several extraneous factors culminated to ignite one of the worse racially motivated riots in American history; the Zoot Suit Riots. Because of lingering social strains between Mexican Americans and Anglo American a separatist atmosphere had been forged in Los Angeles. The media aggravate tensions between Mexican Americans and Anglos Americans resulting in vicious rioting in the city of Los Angeles. In addition, America's entry into World War II heighten preexisting hostilities between Anglo Americans and Mexican Americans as Anglo American’s nationalist enthusiasm …show more content…
The dehumanization of the Mexican people in media outlets encouraged the Anglo American populace to treat the Mexicans with distain and violence. Mexican youth were often label delinquents and target as threats to civility. Most Mexican American youths were guilty of no greater crimes than their equally young and rambunctious Anglo American counter parts. However, the constant vilification of Mexican people created an environment where the actions of children threated adults, who should have possessed the maturity to redirect inappropriate …show more content…
A staple of the culture was the zoot suit, mark by ballooned pants and long coats, the dress was a flamboyant statement piece. The suit also symbolized something the Mexican youth were familiar with, rebellion. The second World War had led to a state of American rationing. Citizens and industries across the country were committed to the efforts of The War Production Board as they encouraged the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods and services. The production of “streamline suit by Uncle Sam” was adopted by most tailoring companies in an effort to cut back fabric usage by the population by twenty-six percent, leaving zoot suit production in the hands of bootleggers.
Tensions between the opposing Anglo and Mexican communities rose. Eespecially frustrated were the military members stationed on the Pacific Coast. The zoot suit was viewed as a direct affront to their current mission of preserving traditional American values. In addition, many of the young and newly enlisted soliders who were not from California and were not accustom to Mexican people or displaying tolerance for
However, in Los Angeles and throughout the southwest, the Mexican population had shifted from heavily immigrants into United States-born citizens. These new English speaking, young generation no longer thought of themselves as “Mexico de afuera” but, started to embrace the American clean-cut style at the time. Resulting in new Deal youth programs...
The English immigrants are given a brief introduction as the first ethnic group to settle in America. The group has defined the culture and society throughout centuries of American history. The African Americans are viewed as a minority group that were introduced into the country as slaves. The author depicts the struggle endured by African Americans with special emphasis on the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. The entry of Asian Americans evoked suspicion from other ethnic groups that started with the settlement of the Chinese. The Asian community faced several challenges such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the mistreatment of Americans of Japanese origin during World War II. The Chicanos were the largest group of Hispanic peoples to settle in the United States. They were perceived as a minority group. Initially they were inhabitants of Mexico, but after the Westward expansion found themselves being foreigners in their native land (...
In an article written by a Senior student they discuss a monumental moment in Mexican American history concerning equality in the South. The student’s paper revolves around the Pete Hernandez V. Texas case in which Hernandez receives a life in prison sentence by an all white jury. The essay further discusses how Mexican Americans are technically “white” americans because they do not fall into the Indian (Native American), or black categories and because of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848. The student’s paper proceeds to discuss the goals connecting the Hernandez V. Texas case which was to secure Mexican American’s right within the fourteenth amendment [1].
After having viewed a few films in Chicano History class like A Class Apart, A Struggle for Educational Equality, and Latin and African Americans: Friends or foes, one cannot help but wonder how it is possible that you might be learning about the intense racism towards Latinos in the United States for the very first time after having devoted your life to the American country. I, myself, was born and raised in Arizona, a state south of the United States, in the city of Tucson that lies only about an hour away, or around 68 miles away from the Nogales, Sonora, Mexican border. One would assume to know a sufficient amount of history of the neighboring land or at least be aware of some fundamental facts about America and Mexico’s relationship throughout time.
This paper will utilize research-based data presented in the scholarly article "Associations Between Ethnic Labels and Substance Use Among Hispanic/Latino" by Daniel Soto Wood, Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, James Thing, and Jennifer B. Unger to explore the relationship between ethnic labels and an increased chances of substance abuse among Hispanic/Latino adolescents in the Los Angeles area. I will analysis and investigate how War on Drug propaganda has contributed to the creation of ethnic labels that stigmatize and oppress Mexican/Hispanic communities today. The topics presented in this paper are controversial and serve to call attention to the ways the Hispanic/Latino individuals continue to be discriminated against and marginalized in the United
The zoot suit symbolized several different things for the Mexican American population in the Los Angeles community. Not only was it a symbol of pride in their Mexican heritage, but also a form of rebellion from the norms emplaced upon the Mexican teenagers by their parents. These suits were also a symbol of unity, these young men wanted to look different and feel as if they’re culture could be something they could display and be proud of. This whole image was seen by the modern culture of Los Angeles to be “gang” related or distasteful. These “Pachuco” or punks often spoke a hybrid of English and Spanish, this was known as “calo.” However, many of the Mexican American teenagers at the time, spoke only English. The outfit often included pants wide at the knee often 40 inches or more, a broad shouldered jacket, hat, chain wallet and shined shoes called “calcos.”
American minorities made up a significant amount of America’s population in the 1920s and 1930s, estimated to be around 11.9 million people, according to . However, even with all those people, there still was harsh segregation going on. Caucasians made African-Americans work for them as slaves, farmers, babysitters, and many other things in that line. Then when World War II came, “World War II required the reunification and mobilization of Americans as never before” (Module2). They needed to cooperate on many things, even if they didn’t want to. These minorities mainly refer to African, Asian, and Mexican-Americans. They all suffered much pain as they were treated as if they weren’t even human beings. They were separated, looked down upon, and wasn’t given much respect because they had a different culture or their skin color was different. However, the lives of American minorities changed forever as World War 2 impacted them significantly with segregation problems, socially, and in their working lives, both at that time and for generations after.
During the 1970’s, Mexican Americans were involved in a large social movement called the "Chicano movement." Corresponding with the great development of the black civil rights movement, Mexican Americans began to take part in a series of different social protests in which they demanded equal rights for themselves. Composed mainly of Mexican American students and youth, these activists focused on maintaining a pride for their culture as well as their ethnicity to fuel their political campaign. Left out of this campaign initially though were Mexican immigrants.
...types of the Zoot Suit trend. Without El Pachuco’s presence in these scenes, the clarity of the issues would not have been put in the forefront of the play. Zoot Suit is a political play designed to display the Chicano struggle against oppression and injustice. Although Zoot Suit reaches back to a historical event for Mexican-Americans, the play concerns all ethnic minorities in America. The Zoot Suit is a historical image that embodies a form of agency imbued with political power and rebellion for Chicanos and Chicanas alike. This play is counteractive to the prejudice and misrepresentation of Zoot Suiters of the time and is a tool for historical education. Not only does this play educate those who were unable to bear witness to such discrimination, but it also displays the ways in which counterculture can be powerful and makes changes in society.
As long as civilizations have been around, there has always been a group of oppressed people; today the crucial problem facing America happens to be the discrimination and oppression of Mexican immigrants. “Mexican Americans constitute the oldest Hispanic-origin population in the United States.”(57 Falcon) Today the population of Mexican’s in the United States is said to be about 10.9%, that’s about 34 million people according to the US Census Bureau in 2012. With this many people in the United States being of Mexican descent or origin, one would think that discrimination wouldn’t be a problem, however though the issue of Mexican immigrant oppression and discrimination has never been a more prevalent problem in the United States before now. As the need for resolve grows stronger with each movement and march, the examination of why these people are being discriminated against and oppressed becomes more crucial and important. Oppression and Anti-discrimination organizations such as the Freedom Socialist Organization believe that the problem of discrimination began when America conquered Mexican l...
During this trivial time period, “La Raza”—a group of people mainly conformed of Hispanics who expressed their racial pride—outnumbered the whites and somehow were still forced to accept the poor living conditions they were being submitted to. “Most of La Raza owned no property and worked as cotton pickers and were locked out of the higher-paying jobs in foundries, machine shops, creameries, cotton oil mills, and small factories” (Orozco 20). The constant belittling of races would eventually lead to a divided society, a society that would soon become segregated. Restaurants, schools, barber ...
In Punished: policing the lives of black and Latino boys author Rios, victor. Victor Rios grew up in the ghetto in the Oakland, California in the 1980s. Rios, a former gang member and juvenile delinquency. Rios managed to escape this trend of gang violent as a teen; he managed to escape the gang violent lifestyle from his peers. He provides us a with a depth overview of a three-year study of 40 minority youths, 30 of whom were previously arrested. The study was done in Oakland, California. Rios give us a clear overview inner city young Latino and African American. Rios emphasize on the difficult lives of these young men, who are faced with policies in their schools, communities, and policing. Importantly, he gives us a clear understanding
What would it be like to wake up everyday knowing you would get bullied, mistreated, and/or abused just because of where you were born? Discrimination still exists! “Discrimination remains and there is an increase in hate crimes against Hispanics, Latinos and Mexican-Americans, as one of the perceived symbols of that discrimination, the U.S.-Mexico Border Fence, nears completion. Instead of pulling together in these difficult times, we may see a greater polarization of attitudes” (Gibson). But why are hate crimes increasing towards Latin and Hispanic aliens and what types of discrimination are occurring against them? Understanding violence towards the Hispanic and Latin alien is divided into three main classes; the difference between legal and illegal aliens, the attacks and effects, and the point of view of different people towards aliens.
communities and adolescent violence, The Sociological Quarterly, 50, 581-607. http://www.gwu.edu/soc/docs/Kubrin/Immig_Communities.pdf. Feldmeyer, B. (2009). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard Immigration and violence: The offsetting effects of immigration. concentration on Latino violence.
The ethnic- Mexican experience has changed over the years as American has progressed through certain period of times, e.g., the modernity and transformation of the southwest in the late 19th and early 20th century, the labor demands and shifting of U.S. immigration policy in the 20th century, and the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Through these events Mexican Americans have established and shaped their culture, in order, to negotiate these precarious social and historical circumstances. Throughout the ethnic Mexicans cultural history in the United States, conflict and contradiction has played a key role in shaping their modalities of life. Beginning in the late 20th century and early 21st century ethnic Mexicans have come under distress from the force of globalization. Globalization has followed the trends of conflict and contradiction forcing ethnic Mexicans to adjust their culture and combat this force. While Mexican Americans are in the struggle against globalization and the impact it has had on their lives, e.g., unemployment more common, wages below the poverty line, globalization has had a larger impact on their motherland having devastating affects unlike anything in history.