Stereotypes In Los Vendidos

In her essay “Se Habla Español,” Tanya Maria Barrientos discusses her struggling as an English speaker with Latino heritage on self-definition and ethnic identity in the multi-cultured American society.

Ms. Jimenez is the "sell-out" or white-washed Mexican-American. This is displayed just as the play begins when she introduces herself. Sancho hears her say her name as "Ji-mi-nez" and realizes she is a Chicana. Excitedly, he starts to speak Spanish to her and pronounces her name in Spanish, "Hee-me-nez," stressing the second syllable. She corrects him saying that the Spanish pronunciation is not how her name is pronounced. She quickly makes it apparent that she does not speak Spanish and does not even want to be know as a Chicana. She rejects her own ethnicity, which is one example of how she is a "sell-out." In any instance of such widespread oppression there has always been people who attempt to hide or reject their own identity so that they might succeed or better survive in the environment of their oppressors. Many times the oppressed people are taught to feel shameful of their heritage because the racism is so ingrained in everyday life and culture. In 1924 a Chicano assistant assessor to Reverend McLean in reporting on Colorado Mexicans, named J.B. Guerrero, reveals his own resentment towards people who share his own ancestry, "The Americans think we [Mexican-Americans] are no good; they class us with this trash that comes over from Mexico; we are greasers and nothing more. We have suffered much from these

Stereotypes are the shackles that keep masses of people unable to be free in the world. One of the main themes illustrated through the play is the basis of stereotyping in America and how it has and continues to affect chicanos. Valdez’s definition of actos is “to inspire others to take social action”, the playwright successfully fulfils his definition through the dialogues and events he describes. The dehumanizing way that Valdez introduces all of the characters in the play solidifies the pressure they feel to assimilate and why many resist assimilation. In the play Los Vendidos by Luis Valdez, the author fulfills his own unique definition of actos in the play by showcasing some of the stereotypes and prejudices held against Mexican Americans to illustrate the real social standards that are placed upon them.

Drugs and violence are universal. Although not all drugs cause violence some drugs like alcohol, methamphetamine, and crack cocaine do and can have horrible results. Some of the behavior that these drugs can cause are: domestic violence, sexual assault, homicides, and property crimes. Although horrible things do happen people still use them and crimes like these happen too much. This is a social issue because people see this as a norm. This shouldn't be a norm and people need to start realizing that.

Despite Hispanics owning land dating back to the 1500s, hey are wrongfully snubbed by white settlers. Courts would refuse to recognize the Hispanics claims, and masses migrated to barrios, or Hispanic ghettos. They were created by lively communities who were determined to keep tradition strong. “The country was full of lawless and desperate men, who bore the name of Americans but failed to support the honor and dignity of that title.” (“The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta” page 233 American Studies.) The Americans were desperate to continue finding ways to earn money, and the article argues they do not deserve the title they have. For that reason, they’re wreaking havoc on other cultures and other properties and other people. The Hispanics were unfortunately crowded into barrios as they attempt to keep their tradition high. However, it is tragic how these people lost what was once theirs, because the Americans wanted to get their hands on anything that would help push the agenda of the American dream. Segwaying into individual stories of oppression is Joaquin Murieta. He was a rather interesting character from the province of Sonora in Mexico. What is rather odd is the difference from when he was growing up, and fast-forwarding to him residing in California, as he was known to be generous and mild, not “evil” and “barbaric.” Following the Mexican War was

Poor Mexican American. Female child. We all look alike: dirty feet, brown skin, downcast eyes. You have seen us if you have driven through South Texas on the way to Mexico. We are there – walking barefoot by the side of the road. During harvest time there are fewer of us – we are with our families in the fields. (prologue)

The play opens with the storeowner, Amano Sancho addressing the audience. Shortly thereafter a women from the governor’s office walks in looking for a young Mexican to be placed in the audience at the governor’s press conference. Immediately the audience is made aware of some of the social differences amongst Mexicans. Amano has a very thick accent, the woman from the governor’s office introduces herself as Miss. Jiminez, but insist that it be pronounced with an American accent, when Amano tries to pronounce it the way it suppose to she retorts with "can’t you speak English?" It is somewhat apparent that Miss. Jiminez does not recognize her Latino, most likely Mexican, heritage even though it is all over her, her brown skin to be exact. Luis makes the audience aware of this at a key point near the end of the play. Miss. Jiminez wants to take her newly bought Mexican American straight to the governor’s press conference so a brown face can be seen in the audience. Amano replays, "you outta know", again pointing to the fact that this woman is Latina and completely unaware of it.

In The Woman in the Zoot Suit: Gender, Nationalism, and the Cultural Politics of Memory, Catherine Ramirez discuses the invisibility of the Chicana women in Chicano movement. For instance in 500 Years of Chicana Womens History, Elizabeth Sutherland Martínez, gives us an example of how important Chicanas were to not only the Chicano movement, but to the United States Military as well. “The largest number were in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC)” (Martínez, 81). Ramirez argues that U.S culture and wartime, as well as Chicano movement have excluded the involvement of pachucas, due to the intimidating gender roles. According to Ramirez pachucas test the leading philosophies of Mexican-American identity.

As we have read in Healey’s (2011) textbook, the term “Hispanic” has been used to describe all different kinds of minority races, such as, Puerto Ricans and Cubans , etc., under the same token (pg. 318). The government identifies Mexican Americans and other minority races that have similarities in both appearance and cultural characteristics under one term (Healey, 2011, pg. 318). This causes the perception that they are all the same, taking away the individualistic origins of their place, culture, beliefs, etc. Most of all, this classifies false/mistaken assumptions that they are all immigrants, poor and same language speaking individuals, damaging each race’s individuality. Socially, the term Hispanic technically only classifies groups as

She is a secretary working for the governor’s office that maintains a proper yet pompous American accent, and her hair is dyed a shade of platinum blond. She personifies the American aspiration to de-Mexicanize the Mexican-Americans. As she shops for a suitable used Mexican model the civic indifference and racism that the Mexican-Americans have been forced to combat becomes progressively more apparent.

The story illustrates the overlapping influences of women’s status and roles in Mexican culture, and the social institutions of family, religion, economics, education, and politics. In addition, issues of physical and mental/emotional health, social deviance and crime, and social and personal identity are

Outside in the world one will find many stereotypes, and those stereotypes will be based on the bad people of a minority race and those who are good will have to suffer because of it. In the poems by chinese immigrants in angel island. The immigrants were just trying to get into the United states and they were put into jail. In jail they wrote poems and from those poems one can see what they felt. In one of the poems it said, “ In prison we are victimized as if we were guilty. Given no opportunity to explain, it was very brutal” (chinese immigrants 22). This is showing how the immigrants felt inside of the prisons. They felt victimized and were given no chance to explain. They had it very hard inside of the prisons. In the quote it says we

When people first hear Hispanics or Mexicans people first think Spanish music or Mexico for one. Some people may have different opinions on stereotyping Hispanics in saying that all Hispanic people love tacos and speak fluent Spanish and only Spanish. Not all people who come from a certain race, religion, or ethnicity fall into the stereotypical categories that people put them in. Placing people in stereotypical categories is wrong because it causes for misjudgment amongst people in society. It is dangerous to define a person based on stereotype because one person does not define a whole race and who an individual person is.

The racist connotation that Miss Jimenez associates with who she thinks would “fit in” society’s box is a definite reflection of the hardships Valdez witnessed in his community. For example, the Zoot Suit Riots that occurred in 1944 was rooted by a reaction by young Mexican-American males against a culture that did not want them to be a part of it. Stuart Cosgrove examines this issue when he states, "In the most obvious ways they had been stripped of their customs, beliefs and language.” (*Vargas 317) These youths were going through an identity crisis because they did not know which culture they could identify with. Miss Jimenez is a character that embodies that repression Valdez explains in “Los Vendidos.”

What comes across your mind when you think of Latin America? Latin America consists of many different cultures, people with ethnic backgrounds; Mexico, Central America, South America. Latin America has the diversity in its people, and succession has brought along what makes Latin America what it is in modern times. In the article “Latin America: Myth and Reality,” the author mentions that “stereotypes spring from ignorance and bias,” which I think is significantly appropriate to bring up in this conversation (“Latin America” 3). Latin America is united by their differences, and I think most of the stereotypes are disappearing, while people are becoming more educated. But to comprehend what lies behind the mask, we all must disregard labels, and instead appreciate Latin America for who they all are. To mention a few, let’s dive into the article to understand some common stereotypes that someone might have.