Media is the means of communication which distributes information worldwide throughout radios, T.V., advertisements and magazines. Media is influential and contributes to the way we see people and their culture. However, does the way the media portrays the Hispanic culture beneficial for the Hispanic community? Media has constructed a dominant discourse towards Hispanic society, characterizing them as inferior people. In film and advertisements they are often labeled as low class, most of the time playing roles of servants, who do not speak English, gang members who have very little education, and Latina women who use their sexuality to obtain things. What consumers are lead to believe is that all the members of the Hispanic community are the same, as those portrayed in the media.
For instance, the Oscar award winning film “Crash” (2004) brought to light many issues on discrimination and racism. In the movie there is a character named Jean Cabot who comes across a locksmith named Daniel, who is fixing the locks at her house. In a discussion with her husband, she furiously, describes him as a ‘Mexican gang member’ because of his appearance. She assumed he would make copies of her house keys and come back to rob her house. Little did she know that he was a hard working family man who was simply doing his job. This shows how quickly people can come to an assumption based on appearance.
The media also portrays Hispanic women as being sexual. An example of this is seen in the movie “2 Fast 2 Furious”. The character Monica Fuentes is an undercover FBI agent who plays a mobsters girlfriend and a cop’s lover. Her only purpose was to capture the antagonist using her sexuality.
In conclusion, there are many Latino countries, that although they share the same language they are also very different. They are each unique and rich in their own cultures with diverse characters from many different social classes. Therefore the media should stop portraying an image of a Hispanic person ‘should be’ and let people make their own conclusions. 
Questions:
ReplyDelete1 – How does the image, of Latinos in the media, make you think when you come across one?
2 – What do the media lead you to understand about a Latinos capacity?
3 – How many films can be mention where a Hispanic is an important figure throughout the movie?
My short answers:
1 – It varies for me because I’m Hispanic, but what I think about the most is ‘Cholos’ Mexican gang member who sell drugs and a tuff (Not completely true). I met this really nice guy who told me about his Cholo friends and they are not like the one seen in movies.
2 – Truly what the media shows is that Hispanics are drop-out from school, who work at a Taco restaurant and waitress and never seem to own there own business. So not true!
3 – The only one I can think of is Jennifer Lopez, The Wedding Planner. But she ends up stealing her friends fiancé, so that is not a good look.
1) When i come across a Latino, first off i do not even know if they are Latino or not.Secondly if i do know , i personally don't think of anything but the language Spanish.I really don't see Latinos based on stereotypes.
ReplyDelete2)The media allows me to understand that a Latino has the capacity of bringing in their mafia and just shoot anyone that causes them trouble (I dont believe that), that is basically how the media portrays Latino's.
3)I cant think of a specific movie but i do know that there are many movies out there that a Hispanic is an important figure throughout the movie.
The images of Hispanics presented in the media is they're unintelligent and generally work as maids or any other type of hard labor occupation, they don’t usually know much English, they smuggle to get into countries, also they’re often associated with gangs. Numerous television shows, portray Hispanic women to be sexy and hot tempered. How they’re portrayed in the media doesn’t affect how I view a Hispanic person.
ReplyDeleteThe media portrays Hispanics as uneducated, illegal immigrants who are very hard working. Hispanic men are usually portrayed as tough gangsters, who take that role very seriously. Hispanic women are shown as maids, for example Consuela from Family Guy and Jenifer Lopez in the movie Maid in Manhattan. They aren’t portrayed as highly successful people in media.
I honestly can’t think of any movie where a Hispanic person is an important figure throughout the whole movie.
When it comes to stereotyping Latinos the media tends to translate everything negatively. Comfortable sexuality is labelled as prostitution or being vamp-ish, having a lot of kids is associated with being impoverished and acting assertive is viewed as ‘macho’. Viewers’ unrealistic view of serious problems and lack of understanding of Latino culture allows Media portrayals to cultivate and reinforce myths about the Latino community. These negative views also lend themselves to negative propaganda against Latino communities. This are just stereotypes and not all Latinos are immigrants and there not all poor. Another thing I hear all the time is that Latinos all like each other. Not all Latinos like each other or share the same values. I know many movies, but no movie comes to mind right now except Crash which was mentioned. Fast five is a movie where two Hispanic man Don Omar and Tego were two man who went to jail and are being followed by the law.
ReplyDeleteWhen I come across a Latino I usually don’t really think anything about them. I agree with Kiran, that I think of them to be Spanish or Mexican even, but other than that I don’t judge or think about them in any particular way.
ReplyDeleteThe media leads me to think and understand that Latinos are all involved in gangs and are pretty violent. I also think of SOME of them to be immigrants (no offence intended). That is just how I see Latinos to be portrayed in the media. If I see them in person, I wouldn’t be able to judge them like that because I personally am horrible at judging where someone is from so I would judge them based on their personality, not where they are from.
As for films, I can’t really think of any that show a Hispanic person as an important figure throughout the whole movie.
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ReplyDelete1) I am able to spot Latinos only sometimes out in the public and that too because of their accent (when I hear them speak). Most of the Latinos are fair or have brown-coloured skin. Some of the males I know wear loose clothes (in fact, baggy ones) and put their pants below their waist-line just as some black teenage boys do. The males also have some of their hair tied up at the back of their head or mostly gelled hair, which stands up a bit. As for Latin females, I really cannot differentiate any specific features that distinguish them from other females.
ReplyDelete2) The media lead me to understand that Latino men in Mexico (a lot of them) are drug-dealers. Another stereotype the media present to me is that many people love the sport of soccer in Brazil
(they worship the sport and play it for most of the time). I have even read an ethnography two years ago that was about Puerto Rican farmers who immigrated to the state of New York in the United States of America about a century ago and are now below the poverty line. They live in the ghetto parts of the New York city and run adult video shops, deal with drugs, run an escort service, things such as those (I read the ethnography for a course in anthropology). This is how Latinos are portrayed by the media for me.
3) A movie in which the protagonist is an important figure and a Hispanic would be Jennifer Lopez’s Selena. The movie is about the Latin female popstar. Another movie would the James Bond’s Quantum of Solace in which the antagonist is Latin. Finally, The Fast and the Furious 4 is another movie that also involves antagonist(s) who are Hispanic. The antagonists mentioned in the last two movies in the list approve the dominant discourse about how Latin gangsters are (weapon-trafficking, drug-dealing, etc.). I got it right this time!!!
1. To me the media has made me see that Latino’s are all about gangs, drugs and low riders. When I come across one they are nothing like what the media portrays them to be.
ReplyDelete2. To me they seem like people who don’t do well in school and who are going to have a poor life.
3. There are a lot of movies were a Hispanic is important but its all for the wrong reasons and that is not a good thing.
1 – How does the image, of Latinos in the media, make you think when you come across one?
ReplyDeleteWell, I have 3 freinds who are latinos, so really I dont have any view on how Latinos behave, or any opinion on all this. Its been my habbit I meet people, I dont ever judge them, like even when im watchin movie or any kind of thing, I dont have a habbit of making assumptions on how the person may turn out to be. Last year I had a teacher who was Latino, he told me about gang and stuff,, and the reason why he doesn't like to visit his country because he is afraid of all the violence and stuff, but even after that there is no image that I have in my mind about Latinos.
2 – What do the media lead you to understand about a Latinos capacity?
Well, as far as I know I have never paid much attention to Latinos, in my opinion if I just make up an image I would just say they are normal people like me, only some are bad, like the people who join gangs and do bad stuff.
3 – How many films can be mention where a Hispanic is an important figure throughout the movie?
There are many films where a Hispanic is an important figure throughout the movie, but most of the times, what I have noticed is that they are but for wrong reason, just like Sergio has said earlier.