Wednesday

CNN presents: An Updated and Revised Consumer’s Guide to Latinos in America.

CNN presents: An Updated and Revised Consumer’s Guide to Latinos in America. A Toolkit for Diversity funded by the Whitewashing Media Professional Association, the Latinos Who Live in a Great Country Club and the Power and Privilege Sustainability Network?

On Wednesday, October 21, I watched the first session of CNN’s Latino in America, hosted by Soledad O’Brien. As I viewed this ‘exclusive and special report,’ I experienced numerous emotions, including excitement, pride, solidarity, sadness and anger. At times, I found talking back to the TV saying things like “That’s right!” “No way!” “Si Se puede!” “That church lady did not just say that!” and “Don’t tell me she gets pregnant!” Aha! The power of narratives in the media. I must admit, I was caught in the drama of it all.

Overall, I was excited because I was viewing and listening to diverse accounts of Latinos, who (cleverly) share a common Spanish last name–García–and are living in the United States. I felt that the program did an adequate job of showing the nuances related to sociocultural factors of what it means to be a part of this “umbrella” social category in the United States. I also saw a lot of research data “enacted” in the stories. At times it felt like I was watching a strange combination of data driven reality TV! Yet after watching this program, I wondered, how does my “academic side” shape my interaction with, and my consumption of, the narratives presented on CNN?

As a Latina, Puerto Rican, DiaspoRican, Gringa-Boricua doctoral student at The Warner School, I wondered: How are Latinos framed or positioned in these accounts—both as individuals and as a collective? Why is it important to hear the experiences of Latinos in America? In what ways do the narratives speak to tensions between cultural pluralism and the quest of a common American culture? To what extent does it give viewers a better understanding of diverse Latino experiences in the United States? How might this program reinforce deficit views and/or reify stereotypes about immigration, education, parental involvement, and linguistic differences? Does it consider the power and limitations of social class? According to this program, how do notions of egalitarianism or meritocracy relate to what it means to be Latino in America? How might the narratives perpetuate “Us Vs. Them” dichotomies without explicitly taking into account underlying historical and political realities that result in asymmetrical power dynamics? How might we deconstruct and reconstruct the narratives and interviews using different theoretical frameworks? What is missing? What underlying ideologies are at play? How do issues of race/ethnicity, class, gender, immigration, ability, language intersect when it comes to every different García? So what? What are the implications of keeping up—or not–with the Garcías?

Okay, enough with the questions. Simply put: What was your experience while watching CNN’s Latino in America? What did you think of it? I’d love to hear your perspectives of watching the first, second, or any part of this programming.

Perception of Latinos in America?

On, Thursday, November 12, 2009, The Warner School will host a public forum on Latino youths in urban schools.