Media Influence On Latinos

Over the past years, the media within the United States has been stereotyping our Latino communities at unprecedented levels to which threatens the security of our citizens. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the laughing at a television screen.

This moment calls for public discussion, and we need to make sure our people around the country understand what is the risks of continuing targeting our most valuable society.

The Need to Speak Up
Latinos, which reside in the United States, have become crucial assets to this country. They bring culture and diversity, they help create jobs, they are doctors, heroes, teachers and form a big part of our community which can have potential impact in elections. Whether from Bolivia or Cuba, these people give more than they receive; thus that attitude should be respected.

These communities need to be protected, from those who remain patriotic and do not want others to have a chance to be successful at life, others who want to have them deported without our knowledge or permission, when, the majority of us want them here. We as a organization are expected to point out the faults in the system; and the media has given us

the power one more time to speak up about what they are doing and the effects their actions are having.

For many years our goal has been to protect the Latino community in the United States, and this time, we believe speaking up is the only way to keep these people safe.

We have selected three examples of the way the media has stereotyped Latinos in outrageous ways: Alienated, Unstable and Poor. These stereotypes are evident that the media sees Latinos as people that do not belong in the free country that swore to protect the people that live within it.

The Media Stereotyping
We were shocked and moved by the way Latino communities are shown in the media over the past couple of years. We saw the devastating ways the media scattered the information throughout the nation and we demand justice for those that were affected and insulted because of this. The vital examples that we consider that have abruptly affected the community are Sofia Vergara’s ‘Gloria’ (Modern Family), Consuela (Family Guy) and Felipe (Jack and Jill). We have no sympathy for stereotyping or discrimination.

To begin, when we analyzed into Television Series Modern Family; we specifically identified a highly stereotyped Latina actress, Sofia Vergara. With the resources within our possession, we led an investigation to see how the media portrayed a Colombian character in the United States in the twenty-first century. Specifically, it wa identified how Gloria was shown to have a mixture in her accent when speaking english; in other words she combines English and Spanish to show her as profound person. Her constant threat to kill people and cause public chaos is a constant reminder in the Television Show, for example: “You put an egg on my house, I kill what you love.” and “Dammit, If I lose I burn this house down.”

The media may use different words to describe this atrocious attitude, but make no mistake: exemplifying that kind of attitude is undeniably leaving a mark in Latino communities as they would be related to this character that over 12.3 million people watch. And while the media may argue that its use limits the stereotypes of Colombians, there is no way to guarantee such control when the evidence is stapled on Television.

Secondly Consuela, a Mexican inspired character that is played in Family Guy. In relation to Gloria, Consuela is resembled as a cold and monotone female character. She is dressed as a maid where she sophisticatedly, is constantly cleaning dirt from windows and other surfaces. Her english is heavily limited as the word she is most related by are ‘No’. Consuela’s way of communication since it reinstates the obstacles that Latinos may face when trying to learn english here are exploited in stereotypes like: “ I wait for rain to stop, I stay here.” We could find no precedent of an American being stereotyped in such way, exposing our community to greater risks of attacks.

Rather than using the Television to inspire awareness about Latinos, the Media justify their actions for ‘laughs’.

Famous Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez named Felipe in the movie Jack and Jill; shows that the media's demand are chilling. Felipe makes jokes about immigration and stealing: “When Immigration shows up, I do a great impression of a tree.” “In our parties we eat, steal of white people’s wallets [JILL] What Did you say?” Immigration is a very delicate topic for our country as hundreds of families have been separated in the border and people have died to try and find a new life in America. In the wrong hands, Jack and Jill insulted our fellow Mexicans by showing their ‘Fiestas Familiares’ and stereotyping the Mexican family overall by naming his son ‘Juan, Juan Jr and

Josefina”.

The image the media leaves of Felipe is he can be a criminal, even though he is attributed as a gardener. The representation of these people who in reality are hard workers get dismantled from part of the media, which, ironically weakens the protection and make the community feel less safe as they are shown to “not belong”.

The Threat to Our Country
Some would argue that the media are just portraying characters this way for the entertainment of a nation, clean-cut solution. But it ignores that both the basics of our humanity and the significance of our actions is demanding in this case.