The film A Day Without a Mexican portrays the plight of California when it suddenly loses its entire Latino/a population. It is difficult not to cringe at all the blatant stereotypes that are addressed. In my own experiences, I have found that many white Americans view all Latinos/as as Mexicans, neglecting not only their cultural heritage, but the uniqueness they hold as individuals. Even in Goshen, I have heard the word “Mexican” used in a derogatory manner to emphasize underlying problems of drugs, crime, lower-class status, language boundaries, or educational inferiority. Another common stereotype in the film is that all Latinos/as in the United States are undocumented. This offensive label creates walls of distrust and anger.
While watching this movie, I attempted to imagine what Goshen would look like if all of the Latinos/as disappeared for a day. Besides the shutting down of authentic restaurants, there are many areas where I personally would be affected. We would lose professors, faculty, and students at the college who serve as mentors, leaders, and close friends. Many of the people I work with would be dearly missed and crucial jobs around the entire community would be open. This loss of kindness, brilliant ideas, cultural richness, laughter, passionate faith, and love would be devastating (to say the least).
In 1965, playwright Douglas Turner Ward explored a similar plot with his play “Day of Absence.” In this play, a small Southern town experienced the disappearance of its African American population. The town becomes paralyzed in the same way that California finds itself susceptible to food shortages and other chaos. The repetition of this theme highlights our ignorance of living in a community with people who are “different than us.” It seems as though we do not appreciate or perhaps even recognize the value of others until they are no longer around.
Though this film is a good discussion starter that allows us to analyze our own perceptions and stereotypes, it seems as though something is missing. What action can we take to move beyond ignorance and inequality toward Latinos/as? How can we not only accept, but fully embrace the cultural values and heritage of each person? We can start taking action with basic steps: listening to and learning from others, working to move beyond assumptions, signing the Dream Act, and actively conversing with our neighbors.
It is so true how many times, Latinos are generalized as being Mexicans, and sometimes in a negative light. As I mentioned in my comment to Nate's blog, how are Americans so oblivious? In my cross cultural experiences, the people either know where you are from or they are more than happy to ask where your from and get to know your culture. They don't simply assume I am from the United States and not inquire anything about it. So, how did we become so oblivious and uninterested in other cultures?
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to think what Goshen would be like if this happened... There are so many things that would not function, including many of the delicious restaurants, grocery stores, classes, and I'm sure more than I can imagine.
Thanks for the comparison to Ward's play, _A Day of Absence_. It's interesting to know that the premise of _A Day without a Mexican_ has a precedent in socially conscious theater. Clearly you've experienced the rich contribution of Latino culture/s to Goshen, as well as overheard some of the negative comments. I agree that the film is a discussion starter--and that a great one to have next would be: Where do we go from here?
ReplyDeleteThinking about what the United States, or any smaller section of the country for that matter, would look like if the Latino/a population suddenly disappeared is almost unfathomable. The Latino/Latina population has become prominent members of U.S. culture, even to the point where we have a class focused on Latino Literature! I, too, cringe whenever I hear the label "Mexican" used in a derogatory manner to refer to issues revolving around drug abuse and crime. Using the term "Mexican" this way, as you mentioned, contributes to mistrust.
ReplyDeleteWhat now, though? Even though this film revealed the stereotypes and prejudices held about Latinos, especially those who are undocumented, how can we begin to break down these walls? Taking intended action to move beyond our comfort zones is definitely a good first step.