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On your way home from your Latin
dance lessons, do you pop a Carlos
Santana tape into your car stereo
before you pick up a few burritos
for dinner? Nearly everyone is
shaking their “bom-bom” to the
sounds o f Ricky Martin, Enrique
Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez. Latino
culture is the latest rage. It seems as
if many o f the same people, who
just wanted Latinos to “go home,”
now just can’t get enough o f our
food, music and dance. W e’vegone
from nuisance to entertainment, but
in neither case are we granted much
respect as a culture o f people.
Latinos have been around for five
centuries, and the European, African
and indigenous cultures that gave
birth to Latin American culture has
been around for centuries more.
Are we really living la Vida Loca?
Why is it then that Latinos have
only recently been considered
fashionable? Why is Latin culture
considered the latest fad?
First o f all how can a culture be a
fad? A culture is the food, dress,
dance, music and essence o f a
p e o p le .
It is n o t a p a ir o f
bellbottoms, a lipstick shade or a
new type o f car. A person’s culture
creates for them what they are. How
can a person be a fad?
Latin A m erica is comprised o f
several cultures. Just like the United
States, from region to region we
speak differently, we eat differently
and we dance differently to different
music. Latinos are black, white,
yellow, red and every mixture in-
between. This new fad has forgotten
our uniqueness. It has turned us
into the American ideal ofa Latino,
not who we really are.
Ricky Martin has been world famous
for years, but he didn’t make it in
the United States until he started to
sing in English. He could not be
recognized for his talent until he
hom ogenized it for the N orth
American ear. Some o f the most
beautiful classic Spanish songs just
don’t translate well into English.
Most o f the country misses out when
they are unwilling to sample styles
that are foreign to them.
Latinos are the largest growing
minority group. We are growing
fast, and we are finally getting some
recognition for some o f our“cooler”
traits. There are many Latinos
who are even happy about our
c u rre n t g lo ry , b u t th e re is
something that they are forgetting.
This fad, like all other fads, will
one day go the way o f the hula-
hoop.
This will not mean the end for
Latinos, because we are not a fad.
Film center announces 27th Northwest Film &
Video Festival call for entries
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A juried survey o f new moving
im age a rts b y in d e p e n d e n t
Northwest film and videomakers,
the N o rth w est Film & V ideo
Festival draws over 300 entries in
all genres each year and is judged
by a prominent filmmaker, curator
or critic (last year’s judge was
Simpsons creator Matt Groening).
The Festival provides a forum where
outstan d in g independent w ork
receives public recognition, critical
Happy
Birthday
Larry
Gibson
from
family &
friends
appraisal and an engaged and
enthusiastic regional audience.
Generally, 30-45 shorts, features
and documentaries are screened
during the Festival, after which 10-
15 shorts are selected for the Best
o f the Northwest touring program
which travels the following year
throughout the N orthw est and
beyond to art house cinem as,
m u se u m s, a rt c o u n c ils and
universities. Total audience exceeds
6000. $15,000+ in production
service awards are awarded to
Festival filmmakers. Entries are
accepted in all genres from
permanent residents o f OR, WA,
MT, ID, AK and British Columbia
as well as from students attending
school in those states. W ork must
have been completed after August
1,1998. Formats accepted are '/j”
V H S ,’/«” NTSC, Super-8,16m m ,
35mm. No entry fee, but $15 for
return shipping costs per entry
(US $20 for Canadian residents).
Entry form required. Contact:
Northwest Film Center, 1219SW.
Park Avenue, Portland, O R 97205,
503/221-1156,www.nwfilm.org.
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As always, we are being judged by
a series o f stereotypes. The current
wave o f stereotypes happen to be
“positive,” but even “positive”
stereotypes are harmful. They
assume that all people are the same.
T h e y a g a in d e n y us o u r
individuality.
You may say that Latin men are
sexy. Does that mean that a less
attractive Latino is not really a
Latino? Is it fair to compare Edward
James Olmos to Antonio Banderas?
If a Latin man is sexy, he is not
allowed to be much more. What
kind o f sense does this make?
Any minority community knows
what it’s like to be stereotyped and
to n o t be re c o g n iz e d fo r its
contributions to society. I am
hopeful that this fad is more than
just a fad. I hope that it is a
m isguided attem pt to begin to
recognize the beauty and complexity
that Latinos contribute to this
country. I hope that this misguided
attempt will mature. Maybe then
we can be looked at as individual
Americans that come from a rich
and diverse Latino heritage.
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