Media images of young Hispanics vary from their own concept
By Jordan Levin
McClatchy Newspapers
MIAMI--Several recent marketing studies of teenage and 20-something Hispanics showed that many
 |
|
Al Diaz/Miami Herald/MCT |
|
Latinos
should come out more "cause most Americans think all Latinos
are Mexicans, which is not true," says Freddie Rojas, 12,
whose parents are Honduran during the Summerbridge program
at Ransom Everglades School, in Miami, Florida, July 11,
2006. |
of them are frustrated and puzzled at not seeing themselves
reflected in the media or broader U.S. culture.
Since so many of them live in cities with a high
percentage of Hispanics, they often believe thatthey are
half of the U.S. population, instead of the 14percent that
is the reality. “In their hearts and in their bubble, they know
who they are,” says Antoinette Zel, senior executive vice
president of network strategy for Telemundo. “But in
media and in public, they have to navigate. It's
not easy for them. There is a hunger to give clarity
into how they fit into the fabric of American culture.”
In their own realm, younger Hispanics are largely
confident, proud, and at ease slipping back and forth
among being Latino, American, or part of their parents'
specific culture, speaking Spanish at home and
with friends, English at school and work.
“They're not just OK with being Latino, they want to
flaunt it,” says Lucia Ballas Traynor, general
manager of MTV Tr3s. “What we keep hearing is they
want the best of both worlds.”
To hear firsthand about some of this younger generation's concerns, the Miami Herald sat down with
a group of Hispanic middle school students and their high school and college-age teachers at
Summerbridge, a program for gifted students at Ransom Everglades School in Miami.
A group of Hispanic 20-somethings from Miami's music/club/art worlds were also asked about
how they saw themselves and the way their generation is portrayed.
All were frustrated by stereotypes that they say don't fit them or reflect their diverse backgrounds,
which ranged from being born in the United States with one Hispanic parent to growing up in two
countries in multicultural families.
The Summerbridge kids said they were often subjected to racist comments and stereotypes.
“Latinos should come out more 'cause most Americans think all Latinos are Mexicans, which is
not true,” says Freddie Rojas, 12, whose parents are Honduran. “I don't like to be called
Mexican when I know what culture I am. It makes me really mad.”
The older group often felt that their Latinidad was questioned.
“'People of our generation are constantly having to prove themselves to the lady making coffee,
to the older generation,” says Arielle Castillo, 22, an editorial assistant whose father is Cuban.
“You're not Latin enough.”
“When my cousins would come from Ecuador to visit, they would be into Latin pop culture
down there, which I just thought was silly. ... It was a big culture clash,” says Pedro Mena, 30,
who produces club concerts.
“My cousins would say, ‘Oh Pedrito, he's gringo puro.’”
And yet they feel Latino--the term they prefer over Hispanic. “'I feel it, I know it,” says
Manny Prieres, 28, a Cuban-American artist. “I haven't experienced what my parents
experienced. But we do have the culture. It's almost like a different type of Latino.”
They want to define what that type means.
“I don't want to be told what to listen to based on what percentile of the population I am,”
says Nicaraguan-born Melissa Martinez, 21, who works in public relations. “I'd rather gravitate
towards whatever I want, whether it's Spanish or English.”
“I don't feel like my driving motivator is I'm carrying the Latino flag,” says Mario Garibaldi, a
Peruvian-born musician and TV producer. “I hope that whatever I do, people accept it
because of who I am and not because I'm Latino.”
|
