Race, Gender and Media Class Reflection Part 8

For our class this week, we addressed the ways Latinx people and their stories are framed in mass media and considered how to make these portrayals more equitable and inclusive.

This topic is especially important to me as my girlfriend is of Mexican descent. Her culture and heritage are very important to her and I have gotten to learn so much more about Latin/Hispanic culture through her.

There are a ton of stereotypes of Hispanic people in the media, some being good and some bad. A very common frame is that Hispanic workers are usually agricultural and work low-paying jobs. While that is true to an extent, it tends to be portrayed across mass media so much that many people develop an identity of Hispanic people in that lens. Another common and unfortunate frame is that they are immigrants who came to American illegally, don't speak English and are involved in some sort of drug trade, which leads to negative views of Hispanics altogether.

My experience has been very different. I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic area and went to schools with >80% Hispanic population, and those negative stereotypes could not be further from the truth. Some of my best friends have been Hispanic, and the positive notions of their culture shine through when I talk to them.

Positive portrayals of Hispanics, in mass media and in reality, are their strong sense of family and tradition. They have celebrations like Quinceañeras, carne asadas and throw huge parties for birthdays and weddings. I will get a good taste of won on Black Friday at my girlfriend's cousins wedding.

These values are something I have learned from both my girlfriend and friends. The loyalty and companionship I learned from them was life-changing, and is something I wish everyone knew about the Hispanic community if they have heard different.


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