You know you are Mexican if…

 

I can’t say I really blame people for the stereotypes they create about certain ethnic groups because to a certain degree they are partially plausible or at least derive from an experience or situation. If I was to tell you an Asian American person ran me off the road many would easily believe it, even more if it was a women. If I was to mention how I went to eat at an African-American’s house you might assume we ate fried food such as friend chicken. Also, if I was to tell you I went to a Mexican-American party you might ask me if I drank a lot and ate tacos. All of these assumptions deriver from stereotypes that media portrays and some we personally have experienced.

Eric G. Ochoa, better known as eGo, and Alex Arredondo, better known as Sleepy Brown, make youtube videos about the stereotypes on Mexicans and replicate them with over the top portrayals. There most know works are, “You know your Mexican if…” and “The adventures of Chola girl.” The videos identify the stereotypes on Mexicans while also incorporating humor. In “you know your Mexican if…” eGo and Sleepy Brown give nine main qualifications for viewers to self diagnose if they are truly Mexican. The assumption is that if you do these things you are a “true” Mexican. Ask yourself, are you a true Mexican? Not sure, no worries theses questions should help you identify yourself. Do you have a lemon tree? Do you steal from your neighbor lemon, tree even if you have one? Do you have a furry “swap meet blanket” with a picture of an animal on it? Do you add water to your dishwashing soap? Are you scared of El Cinto (The Belt).?Does your mother collect Princess House collection? Do your parents have a conversation with you while they are using the bathroom? Is your house still under construction even after you have been living there for ten years? If you run out of toilet paper do you resort to napkins? Did you say yes to all of these, if you did congratulations you are MEXICAN.  To be honest I was surprised that most of these where stenotypes yet where also true for myself. I answered yes to every question and found it very amusing because I am Mexican.

This video presents stenotypes yet also some are real, at least for myself. I asked two of my other friends that where Mexican and they also agreed for a majority of the questions they answered yes. Some stenotypes did hold value and demonstrate that some generalizations might in fact apply to individuals from that given group. On the other hand, I asked two other individuals (both African-American) and they also answered yes to more then half of the questions. This new information demonstrate that maybe some of the questions are not only limited to Mexicans and may apply to multiple groups. Sometimes stereotypes can be true yet they can also apply to other cultures and ethnicities.

eGo blogged that he wanted to draw attention to stereotypes that impacted his culture yet also become a rold model. I believe the videos are more of a satire to draw attention to how media portrays certain ethnicities and how some stereotypes are complexly absurd to limit to one group alone. The videos made me aware of my own beliefs about other groups and if some of those stereotypes apply to my own culture as well. The one note that I do make is that while these videos help viewers become more aware of medias stereotypes, they also promote the negative images and reiterate common western views of minorities. Watching these videos was really funny and I didn’t believe I was this Mexican until I said yes to every single question. I would suggest everyone look up a few videos about their own ethnicity and see how “Mexican” they truly are. I do provide this caution though, while we may fall into some general stenotypes, not all stereotypes apply to each individual or define us.

BIO:

According to my parents I am Mexican and according to eGo and Sleepy Brown I am a true Mexican. My name is Amanda Sarai Esquivel and I do not have 8 first names but I do have about 8 siblings. I was born in Oakland, California but was raised most of my life in Richmond, California. I am currently attending San Francisco State University and am pursuing a major in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice. I choose both paths because they provide insight into other peoples lives and different cultures while also being able to impact others in a positive manner. As a child in a large family my biggest fear was that I would grow up and become invisible to everyone else, and never truly make an impact on the world. To prevent from realizing my childhood nightmare and most importantly impacting society, if I help others I will fade, yet my impact will not. I really have a passion for helping others and improving individual’s life chances for success. I want to be able to help people accomplish their goals even if society labels them as a lost cause.

On a more domestic level that is stereotypical of Mexican women, I do love cooking and baking.  Yet unlike the Mexican culture I cook for the joy I bring to others rather then the pressure to be a good housewife and attract men. If I was to place myself in categories they would rage from Mexican, American, Women, Feminist, Student, Daughter, Waitress, Artist, Cook and plenty of other, yet a 4 wall check box seems too simple to box me in. I allow myself to spilling in these groups yet never prevent myself from leaking into others.

 

-Amanda S. Esquivel

 

 

The Vegas Joke

From my experience of going to Vegas, what DJ Cooch was talking about Latinas is so true. For example, my mom thinks she is a 21 year old at heart, but she is 41 years old in real life. She goes out with her friends to Vegas after a tough week at work and she will go out and party until the next afternoon. At the beginning of DJ Cooch’s joke, he talks about how he portrays most Latina women as wanting to party and not caring about their kids. From this stereotype, it makes Latina women useless to their family and to their cultural value of being a mother and taking care of their family. When DJ Cooch says that a pack of two girls is okay, he refers to two friends just having a good time with one another. When he says that a pack of three girls go to Vegas, then that is borderline. When he says that a pack of four go to Vegas, then he calls them whores, which this stereotype refers to girls who just want to party and rely on other girls to take care of them. He also talks about how many Latina women rely on their paychecks to party instead of using their checks for stuff that they need such as: groceries, clothes for themselves and children, food, gas, rent, etc. He also stereotypes the music party people listen to on the way to Vegas such as Let’s Get Crazy by Pitbull ft. Lil Jon and Shots by LMFAO and other club hits that make you want to get out of your seat and party all night long. He also stereotypes women on how they act when they hear this music such as dancing crazy and making themselves look like they are drunk when they are dancing. During his joke when the music was playing in the background he was doing actions that most women would do such as lifting their shirts off, licking the microphone, and taking pictures with their friends. He also talks about how women get so drunk in Vegas that they do not know what they do such as their actions and that they will probably meet guys and not know what to do with them. He was stereotyping how Latina women do not make much money and that they rely on black men to have money and buy them drinks and when women are drunk they think that they have money, but in reality they have unleaded gasoline. This stereotype comes from R. Kelly on how he poured unleaded on a underage girl in real life. He also talks like a black man and tells the girl, “This is expensive shit, SKEET, SKEET, SKEET!” This means that black men rely on sex and that pouring gasoline on a woman means that he has control of the sexual acts and on the woman as well. He also talks about how many Latina women like to use money off of their man or men in general such as using their money for gas, clothes, shoes, food, drinks, etc. He also talks about how women use their money at the clubs and in Vegas so that they don’t have to use their own money to spend on gambling and other stuff in Vegas. He also talks about how women wear the shortest skirts and that women wear half a tit and half a clit. He calls this stereotype a CLIT because of the fact that women wear their boobs higher than usual than what they were when they were home with their families and that their skirts are super short to where they are showing their cooch. He also talks about how women are at the clubs and that their boobs are super high and that they bounce on their face like a babosa. I thought this was super funny because of the fact that when I go to the clubs I see so many women that have push up bras that push up their boobs super high to the point where they easily touch their face or their chin. He also talks about how many women wear fake eyelashes and that he stereotypes them in being fake and not seeing what they are doing because of the fact that they are useless in wearing fake eyelashes to impress men in Vegas. He also talks about how women compliment on themselves on how they look with their fake eyelashes to make them look good to others and to make them feel sexy and make their insecurities go away. He also does this action where he plays a woman pulling up her fake eyelashes to see because he feels that womens’ insecurities are so big that women want their looks to be hidden not only to others, but to themselves. He says that many Latina women party all weekend long and that they just like to have fun. He also makes fun of women when they come back from their hotels in Vegas during checkout time and he tells men to wait in stateline and see how many cars do the drive of shame where one girl is in the back seat with sunglasses and a hoodie covering her while she looks hungover and the passenger is with the digital camera deleting pictures from the whole weekend and the driver is telling the girls what they did this weekend while the other girl in the back keeps crying from the actions she did in Vegas. He also talks about how the mood of the car ride back from Vegas is very sad because of all the sinful actions that they did in Vegas. He says that he thought women would act crazy and party hard, which they did, but that they feel guilty of what they do. He also says that the women scold each other when they are hungover and when the dirty deeds have already been done. I would know how these stereotypes come into place because I know many of my friends and their parents who have dealt with the same situation and have had the same series of events happen to them. This is why I thought this was a perfect piece to do a blog on stereotypes because from people that I know, this has happened to many of my Latina friends and their parents.

 

My name is Erica Corona and I am originally from East Los Angeles but I moved to Covina, which is in Southern California, when I was five years old because my hometown neighborhood was super bad to the point where there were a lot of drive by shootings. Still ‘til this day, that neighborhood is getting worse and worse. I am attending school at San Francisco State University and I have attended this University since Fall 2008. The things that influences my writing is the truth and honesty behind my writing because I like to cover things that speak to me and that I feel strongly about. Some of the issues that I am worried about is how we are affected by the budget cuts along with others in the CSU system and the UC schools.

 

–          Erica Corona

The Starbucks Rant Song

Coming from a totally biased standpoint, I would like to present to the world “The Starbucks rant song.” There is a wide cornucopia of feelings that people will have in response to this catchy little jingle and my response is that of vindication. I feel like someone understands my frustration and it is just incredible how the author of this song so eloquently describes all these feelings that are trapped inside me. It is so liberating. I can only liken the experience of watching this video to that of someone who had newly acquired forensic DNA testing prove their innocence after having been incarcerated for a crime they did not commit. It feels that good.

So what am I talking about? Well, “The Starbucks rant song” which can be accessed here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTrJW-0xtc. This nugget of solid gold is one Starbucks barista’s response to the daily frustration and anguish that he (and I) experience at work. As a Starbucks barista myself, I am so totally on his level. It blows my mind that he is able to sing exactly the lyrics I would have composed if God had chosen to bestow me with such musical gifts. He did not, however, so I am reduced to grumbling about the daily sh*t that customers do and/or request to my fellow coworkers, who also grumble in return. It’s therapeutic. I realize now that it is good to get these things out rather than—heaven forbid—explode on a customer about their trivial, insignificant complaints about a beverage.

Anyways, I lament to tell you that the author of this barista anthem was in fact, fired by Starbucks after the video went viral. So where did he go wrong? All though he mentions a stereotype about Latinos—we will touch on this later—I think his fault was most likely in detailing the short cuts baristas take in making cumbersome beverages. Perhaps it was his reference to diarrhea in describing the whip cream he placed on someone’s beverage? Yea that could have been it. I’m also absolutely positive that regular Starbucks patrons were horrified to learn that baristas can, on occasion, pour you a cup of decaf when you’re really in need of a caffeinated kick. Perhaps a line best put in the movie Waiting sums it up, “Don’t fuck with the people who handle your food.” That clip can be found here;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnfOnueJ8SQ. Ok, ok. I know I sound evil now. I would never do those things, sincerely. I just applaud this young man’s courage and lack of any kind of moral conscience. What a burden a conscience can be, I tell ya’.

So now that I have unloaded all of that (it felt great, thanks for listening), let us move to the real issue at hand; stereotyping. In the very beginning of the song Chris throws white women under the bus by suggesting that they are—stereotypically—rich and snooty and unwilling to work for what their husbands, presumably, bought for them. Now I am not one to take up a white woman’s cause as I feel they have historically been the women empowered enough to do that for themselves, but I do feel that statement is grossly unfair. As a woman, I can bemoan the irritation I feel when I hear women stereotyped as money-grubbing gold-diggers. While this may have some historical merit as women had to find the most financially secure spouse possible given that they were barred from the work force, this is the 21^st century. In the present day, woman are achieving far more than men scholastically and are ascending in society overall. In an article on CNN hilariously titled “Why Men are in Trouble,” William J. Bennet puts it best when he says “For the first time in history, women are better educated, more ambitious and arguably more successful than men.”

So how does this make me feel? Well, I wish I could have had a copy of this article in 1^st grade when the debate of which gender was better ran rampant through out the classroom. Otherwise, I am proud. I am by no means a man-hater I am just proud of women as a whole and resent that women are so easily stereotyped as having money but not having worked for it. I know that at my job I work hard for my money. I will go so far as to say that I have an incredible work ethic that is matched by many of my other female coworkers. Women are ambitious these days and I assert that based on my first hand observations.

The second stereotype addressed in this video is that of Latino’s having an affinity for Caramel. Well, I don’t even know where to start with this one. First off, it is true. Having worked at Starbucks for 3 ½ years, I can attest to this being true. It is not guaranteed that a Latino customer will order a caramel Frappuccino, it is just statistically more likely that when a Latino approaches the registers the barista on bar will probably need to grab the blender pitcher and the caramel bottle. Even in class when I suggested this to my group, Erica was the first to confess that she indulges in a little caramel/coffee goodness from time to time. That being said, I really don’t see this as a bad thing. Caramel is delicious. In my opinion, it could be considered a gift from the Latino culture to the American culture. With the Latino population representing the largest ethnic group in the US, manufacturers are scrambling to create caramel inspired “dulce de leche” products to appease that Latino thirst for caramel. And what is so bad about that? With caramel being more accessible in the grocery aisles now everyone can broaden their taste buds and share in the goodness. An article on Just-Food.com suggests that US confectionary giants such as Mars (producer of M&Ms) can no longer afford to ignore the importance of ethnic groups such as Latinos—whose purchasing power topped $450 billion in 2001. These companies must adapt to the fact that Latinos have had an influence in changing Americans’ tastes.  Changing for the better, I say!
Bio

I am from Fremont, California where I attended Catholic schools my whole life and absolutely loved it. I am very proud Californian and love the moderate climate. I am attending San Francisco State University and working towards by B.A. in both Communications and Latina/os Studies. My writing is heavily influenced by my odd sense of humor and no bull kind of personality. I am passionate about a great many things, specifically issues pertaining to the Latino Community. Empowerment and serendipity are my two favorite words and are two words that I feel are crucial to a happy life. I hope to one day be a Supreme Court Justice or something of that nature as I love nothing more than to impose my will upon people. However, I am morally and ethically sound so there is no need to construe that as a bad thing.

-Sabrina Hernandez

Common Mexican Stereotypes

Throughout the years, Mexicans in the United States have been stereotyped. Some common stereotypes consist of: laziness, being illegal immigrants, unable to speak the English language, drunks, gang members, among others. These stereotypes have been transmitted not only from person to person, but across the media. These stereotypes have been channeled through all different avenues of the media; from the internet, movies, television, and to the radio, etc.

Comedian Carlos Mencia has stereotyped Mexicans in every single one of his comedy scripts making Mexicans the main targets of his scripts. His scripts are very popular and are viewed in many different countries, making other ethnicities aware of the common Mexican stereotypes. Carlos Mencia, who is a writer, comedian and actor, was born in Honduras on October 22, 1967. His mother was of Mexican descendants and his father of Honduran; his ancestors were from Germany, England, and the Cayman Islands. Mencia’s comedies’ include: politics, race, culture, and social class. A common stereotype that Carlos Mencia says is that “all Mexicans are lazy people”. In one of his comedy scripts, he mentions how his family wishes they lived in the United States and he counters back saying they are not here because they are too lazy to run and cross the border. He also mentions that all his Mexican relatives ask for money and for financial support; basically free loading off him. The video can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bqzWsmq7mw. In my opinion, Mencia has forgotten his roots and where he and his family originally come from. I can assure that his family, like others, came to this country in search of better opportunities that were not offered in Honduras. It is obvious that Mencia lacks knowledge of the sufferings and challenges families overcome when leaving their families behind in search of a better job and life opportunities.

Many Mexicans who come to this country take on all the dirty jobs that American people refuse to do. Are those Mexicans who work long hours, underpaid, with no overtime considered lazy? To my point of view, they are not! If any case, those Mexicans take on those unwanted jobs from Americans. What I have heard them say is how grateful and blessed they are to have a job and to be able to put bread on their table to feed their family. In my opinion, Mexicans are hard working people. It is true that several Mexicans stand on street corners, or in front of Home Depot, and many people perceive them as lazy and not wanting to work, but how many of those who stereotype them know the real reasons why they are standing in that particular place? Maybe not many people know the reason why Mexicans stand there but it is to search for job opportunities. They do not care what type of jobs they take. Some jobs consist of anything from gardening, sweeping, or even painting. All they are concerned about is earning a couple of dollars to make ends meet. On that note, I do not think it is fair for Mencia to degrade and offend Mexicans as lazy people. Give them some credit for trying to earn decent money and Americans should not see them as inferior people, but instead like themselves.

Another common stereotype made about Mexicans is that we are considered lower class who take advantage of government programs such as social security, welfare and unemployment. However, in order to obtain social security benefits or collect unemployment you must have proper identification, which, illegal Mexican immigrants do not have. And in that case, Mexicans who do not have proper identifications are unable to take advantage of the system. So next time someone talks about this stereotype, it would be best to do research and be aware of what is required to obtain government services.

A very popular Mexican stereotype that I personally relate to is that Mexican families are big, having up to 6 or more children per family. Patricia Zavella, in here journal, Reflections on Diversity Among Chicanas, states that, “Assumptions that I’ve heard include that Chicanas have such loving, big families”. The journal can be viewed here: http://www.jstor.org/pss/3346849. The reason why I relate to this stereotype is because I come from a big family. This particular stereotype does not offend me nor does it bother me. I love the fact that I come from a big family. I must say that it may be hard growing up in a big family due to the lack of attention from parents, but there are other important values that are highly appreciated coming from a “big  loving family”. On the other hand, I have heard the stereotype that all Mexican women are uneducated and are only good as housewives and to give birth to many children. This stereotype does bother me and really offends me because being a Mexican woman myself, I am educated, I’m not a housewife, nor have any children. As a matter of fact, many Mexican women my age that I know are well educated and have degrees in various important fields, and the number of Mexican women who attend colleges have slowly increased over the years. It may be a slow process, but we are making important progress. In the case that all women are only good as housewives, this is not true at all. Many women do have families, but are not fully housewives. They attend school, have a job and raise a family. Today, Mexican families are actually reducing in size. Some women explain it is due to hardship times and life is extremely expensive in the U.S., and others because they would like to dedicate more time to each child instead of their experiences growing up in a big family.

It is interesting to see and hear comedians like Carlos Mencia stereotyping Mexicans. Many of the stereotypes are true which make you relate and laugh about them, but there are some that really offend people and degrade them also. According to the article, Exploring the Negative Consequences of Stereotyping,research shows that stereotypes do have a negative effect on those who are being targeted by them. The article can be viewed here:http://uanews.org/node/8818. The negative effects of these stereotypes are that people make assumptions that all Mexicans are lazy, illegal immigrants, housewives, and uneducated among others.

It is not a good feeling when a non-Mexican individual asks a person what their ethnicity is, and they respond, “I am Mexican”. I can already assume that the non-Mexican individual is thinking of all these stereotypes responding, “Oh yeah I have heard how Mexicans are”. Personally, I have experienced this and you begin to question yourself; is it a bad thing to be Mexican?.

-Maritza Guzman

Group Proposal

LTNS 410

Oct 11, 2011

Group 3: Pop Media

Group 3 Members:

 

• Erica Corona

• JD

• Amanda Esquivel

• Maritza Guzman

• Sabrina Hernandez

Mission Statement:

Our group will be viewing stereotypes through social media and add our own ideas on how we view them. We will also incorporate our life experiences and views on the videos we will be critiquing about. Some of the videos that we will be incorporating with our blogs are comedic videos, comedy sketches, and stereotypical songs. Erica will be doing a blog about how a comedian, DJ Cooch, portrays and views women on how they act when they go out with their girlfriends and go to Vegas. Joshua will be doing a video on a Mexican-American comedian who portrays her own views on Asian Americans. Amanda will be doing a video on a comedic sketch on how two Mexican-American individuals stereotype on being Mexican. Maritza will be doing a video on a comedian, Carlos Mencia, who tells his audience his views on stereotypes made of Mexicans. Sabrina will be talking about the starbucks rant song which talks about how Starbucks baristas view customers through stereotypes. More information about each video and their urls that each member will be doing can be seen below and on the wordpress website.

Videos & Idea

Erica Corona

Video: “The Vegas Joke”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsUAbD6Ke30

Blog: So I will be doing my video on a comedian, DJ Cooch, who talks about stereotypes of all women who go to Vegas to party using social media! This is so funny yet so true about all women, especially Latina women. I will be talking about how many women may feel offended by this from DJ Cooch’s view on how women are portrayed when they go out and party, especially in Vegas,and why they are affected from the actions that come from it.

J.D.                         Video: “Nail Salon”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o

Blog: Anjelah has offered up quite a number of videos that mock ethnic groups and perpetuate stereotypes, but I chose this clip because it had the most views on youtube. While this is a clip of stereotypes aimed at Asians immigrants, Anjelah is of Mexican-American and Native-American descent. My discussion will be directed toward the audience that views this video as harmless. I will attempt to deconstruct the argument that since Johnson is a woman of color her comedy routine is less offensive. This is also in line with the point that comedy is meant to be offensive and that “everyone needs to lighten up.” I will further my discussion by pointing out that people of color are not exempt from making offensive or racist comments which continue to degrade the lives of women and undocumented people.

Amanda S. Esquivel:

Video: “You know your Mexican If?”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qc_hgpe6eA

Blog: For my video I want to blog about the general stereotypes that are placed on Mexicans and how it really does affect how others view Mexicans regardless if the stereotype is true or false. I also want to incorporate how some stereotypes are true do not solely apply to Mexicans.

Martiza Guzman

                        Video: “Carlos Mencia Mexicans”

http://youtu.be/8bqzWsmq7mw

Blog: I will critique how his jokes insult Mexicans. I will point out that in most of his comedy shows the main target are Mexicans and how he is not a Mexican. I will point out how I personally do relate to some of his stereotypes.

Sabrina Hernandez

                        Video: “The Starbucks Rant Song”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTrJW-0xtc

Blog: As a fellow Barista I will explain what makes this video truly so fan-fucking-tastic. I don’t plan on criticizing this video so much as I plan to criticize the negative reaction to the video. What makes the video so great is its all TRUE. Generally speaking, what this barista sings about is right on point and its interesting that Starbucks baristas can identify with these stereotypes are addressing. So, while stereotypes can be bad and harmful, they can also be hilarious. There is nothing especially harmful about these stereotype and I think this video illustrates that mankind needs to work on developing an ability to laugh at ourselves.