For many, politics and entertainment are meant to be in distinct categories and politics shouldn’t enter our areas of entertainment. The way that I’m defining politics in this article isn’t as a policy related discussion or by our political party but it includes the political issues of woman rights, social issues, and race.

The biggest examples of people being upset when celebrities talk about political issues have always been when celebrities chose a platform in which millions of U.S. viewers were watching like the Superbowl and the Academy Awards.Speaking about these issues with a large audience allows for people to listen and hear what the discussion is about.

An example of woman’s rights, more specifically, the pay gap between men and women, being discussed by a celebrity on a big platform is Patricia Arquette’s 2015 Oscar Acceptance Speech. The speech started out normal before finishing with the statement that it was time for women to receive equal rights within America. This speech was received in both positive and negative ways.

Positive reactions consisted of people supporting her remarks and continuing the conversation over the pay gap difference as well as Meryl Streep’s and Jennifer Lopez’s reaction at the actual event itself.

Arquette was able to get the discussion about woman’s rights out on a bigger scale than if she had said these statements in an interview. Even if that interview was on a top talk show it wouldn’t have received the same amount of attention that her 2015 Oscar Speech did. Twitter hashtags were made to continue promotion of her comments on social media.

Negative reactions towards her comments were also abounded as many people felt like Arquette shouldn’t have discussed this at the Oscar’s and others felt like her opinion was wrong.

Arquette was thus able to start a debate about women and their rights as human beings. However, when she was asked to expand on her comments, Arquette made it obvious that she was advocating for equal rights and equal pay for white woman and not all women.

When asked to clarify her comments, Arquette stated, “It’s time for women in America and all the men, all the gay men, the people of color, to fight for us now.” While she was promoting woman’s rights, Arquette failed to realize that being a woman, a person of color, and be a part of the LGBTQ community could all be attributes of a single person. Reactions towards her failure to discuss intersectionality were quick.

Even after her comments, many still applauded Arquette because any discussion was good enough. Since Arquette’s Oscar Speech, many have continued the discussion of woman’s rights and equal pay. While Arquette may not have realized that she didn’t include intersectionality in her speech, many others have.

An example of race being discussed in a popular entertainment event includes Beyonce’s 2016 Super Bowl 50 halftime show.
(Watch it here.Skip to 7:04 to view Beyonce’s performance).

Her performance was deemed political from her song choice, outfit choice, and the entire performance as a whole. Her performance was considered by some to be pro-black and anti-police alongside many other things. Reactions varied from those who supported Beyonce’s support of people of color and were thrilled that someone with her stance in our society spoke out. Others were upset at Beyonce’s support for the Black Lives Matter movement and for what they believed to be an “anti-police” performance.

Reactions against Beyonce’s Performance:

Anna Kooiman, at the time, was the host of Fox News’ “Fox & Friends”:

“Beyonce got a police escort there and then gives a salute to the Black Lives Matter movement.”

National Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jonathan Thompson:

“Art is one thing, but yelling fire in a crowded theater is an entirely different one.”

“At this point, I think the NFL had a serious error in judgment.”

Rudolph Giuliani, former New York City Mayor.

“I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us.” Also stated that he would have preferred a “decent wholesome entertainment.”

Reactions in Support of Beyonce’s Performance

The article titled “Why the Outrage Over Beyonce’s Super Bowl Performance is Completely Ridiculous.” 

Jessica Williams in response to Rudolph Giuliani saying that the performance wasn’t “wholesome’ enough for middle America.”

“Are you saying you can’t talk about race issues to middle America? What are they, so delicate and unaware and maybe so white that Beyonce is too much for them?”

Damon Young, Editor-in-Chief of www.verysmartbrothas.com

“I think that you’re hard-pressed to find that demonstrative an example of performative blackness on stage, on such a high profile stage”

—

While the reactions to both the examples above are split, with some in support and others against. It’s clear that both of them managed to do one thing.

Keep the discussion alive.

The public attention span is very short. Meaning that when something happens, we talk about it for a few days, weeks, or months and then we move on to the next thing. Injecting politics in entertainment whether that be in award shows or sports shows is a good time to get the voice out even if some people are against this.

Politics within our entertainment is a good thing in the sense that it allows for a bigger pool of opinions to be heard. It’s also a way for us to be confronted with the issues that we may not want to discuss. Politics within our popular culture ensures that we are consistently aware of what is happening around us.

What’s your opinion? Do you believe that politics have a place in entertainment or do you feel that politics and entertainment should be kept separately?

Fill out this short survey below and voice your opinion! It’s anonymous!

https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3OEWB9AW4TtvgPj

The post Living in White America: Politics in Popular Culture appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In my very first article of this column, I wrote a story. That story asked you, the reader, to imagine yourself as a child of illegal immigrants who had just gotten deported.

The story wasn’t false.

It has happened to many people over the years and currently, it’s about to get worse. President Donald Trump made it a campaign promise to deport illegal immigrants and many people cheered. They thought it was a good idea and they agreed with his plans for both deportation and the wall.

What these people forget is that the people they are against are human beings, many of whom are trying to escape Mexico. Trump said that Mexico was smart for sending their people to the US. Mexico isn’t sending anyone anywhere directly.

The corrupt government, the drug wars, kidnappings, and a poor community drive people away. My cousin makes about 17 US dollars in one day. I make more than that in two hours.

There isn’t a plan to make the US the next Mexico. Mexicans aren’t here to “take over.” We’re just trying to survive. Yes, there are “bad guys.”

Newsflash: EVERY SINGLE RACE HAS BAD PEOPLE.

It was a white man that charged into a movie theater and a white man that ran into an elementary school and killed innocent adults, teenagers, and children. It was a white man who walked into a church and killed NINE innocent people.

There is no such thing as a perfect race no matter how hard society wants to believe there is.

“Mexicans are bringing drugs…” Okay, but do you know what supply and demand is? Drug cartels bring the drugs because there is a demand for them. And who is a part of the group doing the demanding? White people. So Mexicans could be/are bringing the drugs but white people and others are consuming them.

It’s important to realize that throwing blame at one race doesn’t excuse another. I’m not saying Mexicans are perfect and I’m not saying every single Mexican even wants to come to the U.S.

It’s important to understand that the U.S. is closing its doors to human beings who wish for a better life not only for themselves but for their children. It’s important to remember that not one race is better than the other.

When the Black Lives Matter movement started, All Lives Matter was created in response to that. Most people said that race shouldn’t be a factor. (Yes, it shouldn’t be. But it is.) They also said that every life was important.

So why is it that the people who supported the All Lives Matter movement are, mainly, the ones who are telling Mexicans, Muslims, and Syrian refugees that they don’t matter and that they aren’t welcome?

The answer to the question, “Who Matters?” is simple. Everybody does. Even if certain people don’t believe that to be true.

The post Living in White America: Who Matters? appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In Part 1 of Breaking the Stereotype, I talked about two black male characters from CW shows The Flash and Arrow that I felt broke a negative stereotype in some way or another.

Part 2  featured two black female characters from the CW’s The Flash and ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder.

Part 3 featured a Latino male from the CW show, Jane the Virgin.

Part 4 features a Latina character that I think is a positive portrayal.

Once again, I am only doing one character because a lot of shows I watch don’t feature Latina characters. Which I need to fix that ASAP. But anyway. The character is, once again, from a CW show. Honestly at this point, I should become a CW ambassador because almost every single show I watch is on the CW. Anyway the character is, Rogelio de la Vega’s daughter, Jane from Jane the Virgin. 

Jane Villanueva, Jane the Virgin, The CW

Stereotype Broken: Sexpot and the Harlot

Jane Villanueva, played by the amazing Gina Rodriguez, is a young woman who dreams of becoming a writer. She attends grad school in order to achieve this goal. She is a mother to a one-year old son. The show is basically a telenovela but not as crazy as a typical telenovela and because no matter how I try to explain the show, I will do a terrible job so instead watch the extended trailer below. The main gist is that Jane gets artificially inseminated with some dude’s sperm or as it’s called in the trailer, specimen.

Jane breaks the stereotype of the Sexpot and the Harlot because her sexuality isn’t at the forefront of the show. She’s not seen as an over the top sexual object. The fact that she’s never had sex and ends up pregnant is the main story line in the show but the reason why she breaks these stereotypes is because the show never makes her a sex object.

Often times, Latinas are put into three categories. The ugly Latina maid, the sexy Latina maid, and the over the top sexual Latina. Jane is none of these things and that is why her character is, in my opinion, a strong one. With Jane it isn’t about how sexy she is but rather everything else about her. Rafael and Michael, the two guys vying for her love, aren’t solely in love with her for her looks. They love her because of who she is.

I guess the real reason why Jane is a welcome change from the typical way Latinas are portrayed is because there is so much more to her than her looks. She has real substance and isn’t just a diverse character on a show put there so that the network and the show don’t look racist.

Latinas and other minorities need positive portrayals on television. We need to see that there is more to us than the negative stereotypes perpetuated by the media. The CW does a good of getting these positive portrayals out there. They’re not perfect but they are definitely better than what is normally seen on TV.

This is the fourteenth article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be new articles discussing how minorities live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns the under-represented groups of White America. This could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss cultures of different groups and interviews with a variety of people including those of the racial majority. Discrimination against everybody but the racial majority has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into the worlds of those they dislike so much. 

The post Living in White America: Breaking the Stereotype Part 4 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In my last two articles, titled Breaking the Stereotype Part 1 and Part 2, I discussed four characters who I feel do a good job of representing black males and black females in shows that I watch. Now, the characters portrayed aren’t perfect and free of stereotypes but they’re a welcome change of pace from what is usually seen on TV aka negative stereotypes.

For Part 3, I will be discussing a Latino character that I think has positive characteristics. This is another character from the CW. I probably should mention that I don’t endorse The CW, I just watch shows from that network. A lot. Anyway, on to discussing positive portrayals of characters.

Rogelio De La Vega, “Jane the Virgin”, The CW

Stereotype Broken: Latin Lover

Rogelio De La Vega, played by Jamie Camil, is dramatic and generous. He’s a lot more than that but describing him in full detail may take some time. He portrays a telenovela star in the show. Which is great because Jamie Camil is actually a telenovela star.

Anyway, Rogelio had a daughter with Xiomara named Jane. They end up together after years of not seeing each other. Rogelio in his drama and general awesomeness is also very vain, but omg he’s so fab and hilarious.

Anyway, the Latin Lover stereotype consists of a man always being romantic. Which due to Rogelio being “charmingly vain” he’s only really romantic with Xiomara not with every single woman he meets. Another part of the stereotype is that they are usually up to no good. This is the farthest thing about Rogelio. Not only does he give Jane a fake scholarship so that she can go to grad school, but he is always giving Xiomara support to pursue her dreams. There’s a lot more to the Latin Lover stereotype, but that would also take a lot of time to go over, so not going to do that.

The whole reason I’m bringing this up is because Latino men tend to fall into two main categories in television. Either the extremely macho man or the not so manly macho man. Rogelio falls somewhere in between, and that’s a good representation about the Latino male compared to all the negative representations in television.

Okay, so I’m going to be honest. Most of the shows I watch don’t have a lot of Latino men. Unless I head over to Univision and watch some awesome telenovelas like Tres Veces Ana. Some shows that I watch have Latino men but they make them so racially ambiguous that I honestly couldn’t tell you what their race was.

For example, Blake Jenner–not related to those Jenners–is Cuban-American. But in the all the shows I’ve seen him in, (Supergirl and Glee), never once has his Cubanness (is that a word?) shown through. Sure, it doesn’t “need” to, but that’s the problem.

Latinos and other minorities have the blessing or curse, whichever way you want to look at it, of being racially ambiguous. Meaning you honestly couldn’t tell what race we are just by looking at us. Maybe we’re Latino, maybe we’re white, maybe we’re Black, or maybe we’re Asian. Some people may say that’s a good thing. Others may say not so much.

Let’s be real, racism isn’t going away in the next few years, maybe not for centuries, and maybe it will never disappear which is precisely the reason that we need Latino representation on television. And not the typical negative representations. No. We need positive portrayals. Latino boys need to be able to see someone like them on television in a positive light.

In both Part 1 and Part 2, I discussed two characters but when going over the shows that I watch, there are either no Latino men or they are so racially ambiguous that I don’t even know if they are Latino. So, I leave you with Rogelio. I hope to find more positive portrayals of Latino men soon. And when I do, I’ll write an article about them.

This is the thirteenth article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be new articles discussing how minorities live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns the under-represented groups of White America. This could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss cultures of different groups and interviews with a variety of people including those of the racial majority. Discrimination against everybody but the racial majority has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into the worlds of those they dislike so much. 

The post Living in White America: Breaking the Stereotype Part 3 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In Part 1 of Breaking the Stereotype, I discussed two characters in TV shows that I have seen that I think are positive portrayals of black males. Moving along with the theme of characters breaking the stereotypes given to their race by society, this article is going to talk about two shows that have positive portrayals of black women. This article will discuss Iris West from The CW’s “The Flash” and Annalise Keating from ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Iris West, “The Flash“, CW

Stereotype Broken: Independent Black Woman

Now I know the name of the stereotype may be misleading and you’re wondering if I just pushed the feminism movement back but if we look at the stereotype, it’ll make sense.

Often times, the independent black women is shown as narcissistic, overachieving, financially successful, emasculates black men, and has virtually no love life. (Thanks Wikipedia. Sometimes you are very helpful.) Iris West, portrayed by Candice Patton, is a journalist at Central City Picture News and the daughter of Joe West, who I wrote about in my last article. She is a member of Team Flash meaning she helps Barry Allen/The Flash beat the bad guys.

Iris is independent in the sense that she doesn’t need guys to support her and she is not narcissistic as she tends to care about the well-being of others before herself. She is an overachiever in the sense that she wants to succeed at her job which includes putting her life in danger in order to get the truth behind a story. Iris doesn’t emasculate men. Sure, the black men she deals with in the show are her father, (spoiler) her brother, and her new boss, but she doesn’t even make snide comments about them.

Her love life is doing great/not so great. Let me explain. Spoiler ahead if you haven’t seen season 1. Her finance, who was white, dies at the end of season 1. She grieves for him during the entirety of season 2. So her love life is explained as she is grieving the loss of her first love and can’t move on. Her single life has nothing to do with her being narcissistic and overachieving but rather with the fact that her finance died.

The way the show displays Iris as not a damsel in distress and not as narcissistic, overachieving, emasculator of black men is a breath of fresh of air compared to how black women are usually portrayed in television. Iris definitely has her flaws, but overall she is a positive portrayal of the black female.

Annalise Keating, “How To Get Away with Murder”, ABC

Stereotype Broken: Jezebel

Annalise Keating, portrayed by Viola Davis, is a criminal law professor and a ftc defense attorney. Discussing more about Annalise will give spoilers away and I don’t want to be that person, so I will try to give as little away as possible. Often times, black women are seen as extremely sexually promiscuous.

The show has created a character that is about much more than her sexuality. She is a bad ass. She is shown without her wig/weave. She is successful and married. There were a lot of talking points that I could have chosen but I chose Jezebel for a reason. I don’t know if you would consider the following a spoiler but I warned you regardless. The show starts off with Annalise being married to a white guy, Sam. She then cheats on Sam with her boyfriend Nate.

Then, after a series of events, her past lover returns and it’s a woman, named Eve. They get it on. Now, sure you might be thinking, “Damn. Why did I chose the Jezebel stereotype?” Well, like I said before, Annalise is more than her sexuality. She’s queer, black, female, and the lead character on a TV show. She doesn’t desire sex 24/7. She owns her sexuality.

Annalise being seen as more than a sex object is nice to see on TV. Once again, there are issues with the character of Annalise but for the most part, she is a positive portrayal of the black women.  Which is always a good thing to see.

Seeing positive portrayals of any minority member is a good thing for today’s youth because we need to be able to look at mainstream media and say, “That could be me.” We don’t have a chance of doing that when almost everybody in mainstream media is white and even characters who aren’t white are portrayed by white characters. It’s important to know that not everything displayed is negative and that there is such a thing as a positive portrayals for minorities.

This is the twelfth article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be a new article discussing how minorities live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns the under-represented groups of White America. This could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss cultures of different groups and interviews with a variety of people including those of the racial majority. Discrimination against everybody but the racial majority has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into the worlds of those they dislike so much. 

The post Living in White America: Breaking the Stereotype Part 2 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

It’s no secret that the media tends to portray negative stereotypes about minorities. That being said, it’s important to give acknowledgment to parts of the media that gives a positive portrayal or at least spins the negative stereotype around.

Recently, a lot of the shows that I have been watching have one thing in common. They have positive portrayals of certain minorities. So I have decided to give credit where credit is due. Now the portrayals aren’t perfect as there are still some issues with the characters but the fact that TV shows are even giving these positive portrayals is a good thing.

For the next few articles of this column, I will be looking at gender and race and highlighting a few characters from different TV shows. First up, I will be looking at the black male. Click here to see some stereotypes.

Joe West, The Flash, CW 

Stereotype Broken: The Absent Father

Joe West, portrayed by Jesse L. Martin, is a police man at the Central City Police Department. He is the father of Iris West and the foster father of Barry Allen. Joe and his daughter were left by Iris’ mom and Joe’s wife leaving, Joe to raise Iris alone. He then becomes the foster father of Barry Allen after Barry’s dad goes to jail. (Not a spoiler, you find this out in like the first episode.) The show flipped the role of the father leaving by having Joe be the one to have to take care of his daughter.

Then they did another solid by having a white kid see Joe West as a father figure. Barry’s dad is alive and he doesn’t need to see Joe as a father but he does. Joe isn’t the absent black father instead he’s just a father. Which is a good thing to see especially since on most shows with black families, the father is excluded from the narrative.

John Diggle, Arrow, CW

Stereotype Broken: The Black Best Friend

John Diggle, played by David Ramsey, is a former bodyguard and best friend to Oliver Queen. However, he isn’t the “black best friend.” The black best friend is someone whose entire existence revolves around their white counterpart. John Diggle is not that. Not only does he have his own storylines apart from his storyline with Oliver but he isn’t there to solve all of Oliver’s problems and he doesn’t drop everything the second Oliver needs him. The reason this is important is because a lot of times the black man is simply there to be a helpful guide for the white person. To lend a hand when the going gets “tough.”

The relationship between John and Oliver is generally equal. John does help out Oliver more than Oliver helps John but that has more to do with the fact that Oliver is the main character and all the villains want to kill him. Seeing a black man as more than a BBF, black best friend, is refreshing to see since pretty much anything you watch involves a black best friend so that the white main character doesn’t seem racist.

For all the shows I watch, these were the ones that stood out to me as positive. I’m sure there’s many more and I really do hope that there is. However, for all the positives that I see there are at least three negative that I see. The point of showcasing these positive portrayals is because it’s important to know that not everything displayed is negative and that there are people who are trying to make a difference by displaying positive portrayals.

This is the eleventh article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be a new article discussing how minorities live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns the under-represented groups of White America. This could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss cultures of different groups and interviews with a variety of people including those of the racial majority. Discrimination against everybody but the racial majority has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into the worlds of those they dislike so much. 

The post Living in White America: Breaking the Stereotype Part 1 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Racism is one of those topics that people want to slide under a rug and not talk about, withstanding workplace bias challenges. Usually, it’s white people. In general, white people aren’t aware of their own privilege simply because they don’t need to be. White people don’t have to face the racial discrimination that people of color have to deal with, and even those who are aware of their privilege don’t ‘help’ out people of color.

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum writes in her article titled, “Defining Racism: ‘Can We Talk,'” that there are three forms of racism: active-racism, anti-racism, and passive-racism. She writes:

“I sometimes visualize the ongoing cycle of racism as a moving walkway at the airport. Active racist behavior is the equivalent to walking fast on the conveyor belt. The person engaged in active racist behavior has identified with the ideology of White supremacy and is moving with it. Passive racist behavior is equivalent to standing still on the walkway. No overt effort is being made, but the conveyor belt moves the bystanders along to the same destination of as those who are actively walking. Some of the bystanders may feel the motion of the conveyor belt, see the active racists ahead of them, and choose to turn around, unwilling to go to the same destination as the White supremacists. But unless they are walking actively in the opposite direction at a speed faster than the conveyor belt — unless they are actively anti-racist — they will find themselves carried along with the others.”

Active racism is behavior that would be deemed racist such as violence and overt discrimination. It’s typically fairly easy to see when someone exhibits racial behavior. These are the people who go out of their way to be racist.

Anti-racism is the exact opposite. These are the people who go out of their way to make a difference. To be different. They are the ones who are AWARE of their privilege and who do whatever they can to dismantle systematic racism. The reason these people are praised for supporting the ideas and general lives of people of color is that they are working AGAINST the system. They are going against social norms and everything that they have grown up listening to.

Finally, if you aren’t a racist who is happy for the oppression of minorities but you also aren’t doing anything to support them in escaping their oppression then you exhibit passive racism. Think back to the conveyor belt example. Just because you are facing in the opposite direction, you are still going in the same direction. You are still going the same direction as those who exhibit active-racism. Being aware of the system in which you benefit from and doing nothing about it doesn’t mean you are helping in any way. You are simply content with continuing to benefit from the oppression of others.

Choose which form of racism you want to exhibit. Putting the topic of racism underneath a rug is something we can’t do anymore. Something we should never have done. Racism is alive and that doesn’t change even though there are people who don’t believe that it still exists.

It’s obvious to see. We see it when a black football player exhibits his first amendment right and gets told to shut up and to be grateful for the fact the he was raised by white parents, we see it when unarmed black men are shot, and we see it EVERYWHERE. Racism exists wherever we look. From the people who insult and attack those of other races to the people who protest social inequality, and to the people who sit down and do nothing.

Who are you? A racist, a supporter of social equality, or someone who does nothing?

This is the tenth article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be a new article discussing how minorities live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns the under-represented groups of White America. This could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss cultures of different groups and interviews with a variety of people including those of the racial majority. Discrimination against everybody but the racial majority has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into the worlds of those they dislike so much. 

The post Living in White America: Three Forms of Racism appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Here’s the thing. Up until a month before I started college, I had no idea that there was a Hispanic Heritage Month. Zero. Zip. Nada. Not a clue. I found out because somebody, who is white, brought it up. The conversation that happened is the one below: (WP stands for White Person).

WP: What is it that you do during Hispanic Heritage Month?

Me: What?

WP: You know, how do you celebrate it?

Me: What?

After this interaction in which a white person told me there was a thing called Hispanic Heritage Month I googled it and a whole bunch of info popped up like the stuff I mentioned above. I was surprised that Hispanics got a whole month “dedicated” to them. However, then I realized that nobody really talked about it, which was upsetting. Here I was, trying to figure out who I was and yet nobody really talked about what it was like to be Hispanic in American society. (Or maybe they did and I just didn’t have the resources.)

So, what is my whole point?

Some minorities, to use the politically correct term, are given a time frame throughout the calendar year that is “dedicated” to them. Nothing really gets accomplished though. They don’t really do anything for our groups (the ones we have been placed in due to the color of our skin and our heritage).

I googled other heritage months and these are the ones I found:

Black History Month: February (Oh, shocker. They get the shortest month.)

Irish American Heritage Month: March

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: May

Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15-October 15

Native American Heritage Month: November

Now, some people would say, “We already give you a month! You want more?”

Why yes. Yes, we do. Aside from the fact that a single month is not enough time to celebrate an entire cultures history and traditions, let’s also think about the fact that someone who doesn’t have white skin is immediately thought to be less than (not by all, but by enough).

I want to be able to walk down the street on Mexico’s Independence Day with my Mexico soccer team jersey and not have a white male come up to me and yell, “MURICA” in my face. Like, great buddy, good for you. Fun Fact: I AM AN AMERICAN.

Why was this white man screaming the mispronounced name of my home country in my face?

Oh, right. My Mexican jersey and my brown skin color. My skin color doesn’t scream white American citizen and since I decided to join in the celebration of my parents’ home country it garnered a reaction. The reaction of a white male yelling in my face. You could argue that if I hadn’t had the jersey then he wouldn’t have yelled in my face. Maybe. But that’s the point. Am I, a citizen of the United States, not allowed to show appreciation, nay, pride for the place that my parents were born and the culture that I have grown up with? Am I supposed to disallow the culture that is responsible for the person I am simply because it makes others uncomfortable?

I shouldn’t have to hide my Mexican culture to please anybody. I don’t think a month is enough for cultures to truly celebrate the history and traditions that they have but I do think the months are good for one thing: reminding us that we shouldn’t be ashamed of who we are. At least, that’s what Hispanic Heritage Month does for me.

These months do one thing that is a positive. They get people talking; about race, about inclusion, about equality. And in this time and age, that is a stepping stone in the right direction. These months do something else and that’s getting people to ask about White History Month.

Like, why isn’t there a month for white people? Um. Maybe it’s because, and I’m just guessing here, every month is White History Month. We go to school and learn about dead old white men and how great they were. (Which in reality, a lot of them were actually really terrible.) Even in college, I have to hear about how white people are so great and we could learn from the past white leaders. Like yes, I as a colored woman totally relate to the rich white man. I mean, we’re twins.

Having heritage months for racial minorities doesn’t mean that the contributions of the white men aren’t talked about. We just need some time to remind people that you don’t have to be white to be a contributing member of the United States.

So for the dates of September 15 to October 15 and beyond, get the conversation going. Learn about cultures other than your own. Learn about the contributions of those who share a different skin color than you. Get to know someone from a different racial group. Let yourself be open to new possibilities, new friends, and new cultures.

This is the ninth article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be a new article discussing how minorities live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns the under-represented groups of White America. This could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss cultures of different groups and interviews with a variety of people including those of the racial majority. Discrimination against everybody but the racial majority has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into the worlds of those they dislike so much. 

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The game itself is quite simple. You and your team have 90 minutes to score a goal. No hands, except for your goalie but he/she is there to stop the ball from going in. You and your team have to pass the ball to each other in order for someone from your team to score. A total of 11 play at one time, this number includes the goalie.

Soccer also includes no timeouts. Your coach can’t call a timeout in the middle of the game to tell you what you’re doing wrong or to give you a quick breather. Nope. He/She has to wait until 45 minutes have gone by and its halftime or the game ends. As for substitutions? Most competitions allow for only three substitutions.

From June 3 until June 26 the Copa America will be taking place. The hosts? The good old USA. (I sadly could not get any tickets for any games). The Copa America brings together every country, who qualifies, that belong in either North, Central, and South America. Due to being hosts, USA automatically qualified. Mexico also automatically qualified. There are a total of 16 teams who will be attempting to win the trophy.

You see, like any sport, winning a trophy gives you pride at the fact that the team you supported won. At the international level in soccer it’s more than just team pride. It’s national pride. Nothing feels better than telling people your team is better than theirs. Bet on your team at fun888asia. Actually, one thing does and that’s telling people that your national country is better than theirs. No matter the topic.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because there is a stereotype that all Latinos are obsessed with soccer. This stereotype is both true and false. While you can find about 30 Latinos sitting around watching a game. You will also find about 30 other Latinos who couldn’t care less. The enjoyment of soccer has nothing to do with race, culture, or family. It has to do with personality. My mother hates when I spend all day watching soccer games but my uncle will be seated right next to me.

There are may reasons why some people choose not to watch soccer and the main one is that there are times when neither team is able to score and the game, if it’s not a championship game, will end in a tie. This leads many people to say, “Soccer is boring because sometimes it ends in a tie.” Well yes and no. Matches sometimes do end in ties but that’s not boring. That’s the beauty of it. In basketball, you know that scoring will consistently happen. In soccer, you don’t know. It’s the suspense of knowing that the game could go on for 89 minutes and then someone scores. Your team could lose the game at the very last minute. On the flip side, your team could win at the very last minute.

In honor of the 2016 Copa America I wanted to show not only amazing talent done by these soccer players but also the goals in an attempt to convince people to watch the Copa America and cheer on their national side. (Or just pick the team with the hottest players).  I will of course be cheering for Mexico and USA.

The 2015 Copa America was hosted by Chile. The final came down to Argentina and Chile with the winner of the tournament being Chile due to penalties. Hopefully the host’s winning will be repeated this year.

If neither USA or Mexico wins, you will find me crying in the corner.

Here’s a video of moments that made up the 2015 Copa America. Some moments are goals and skills and others are fights and arguments. (Which to be honest, are probably my favorite part).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPzhXwm8184

As I said before a total of 16 teams will be playing in the tournament. I have decided to include those teams here as well as how they did in the 2015 Copa America and their current FIFA Ranking. From these, you can go to the Copa America website and create a bracket. If you so wish.

If you don’t care to watch, that’s fine. You can join my mother in her judgment of me. If you would like to see what the big deal is then I highly recommend you watch. You can watch on ESPN, Fox, find the matches illegally online, find the matches legally online or you can watch on the Spanish channel, Univison. Even if you don’t want to watch the actual game, just listen to the commentary. It’s hilarious.

Soccer isn’t something that every single Latino loves and it isn’t a boring sport. I would rather watch a 90 minute scoreless soccer match than a basketball game and basketball is my second favorite sport.

Regardless of whether or not you want to watch:

Here’s a video of fights that happened in 2015. Because they always make me laugh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fFABx6mAy4

Here’s a video of goal celebration fails. Because these always make me laugh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5sF4PUtnpQ

Here’s a video of some goals from 2015.  If you don’t want to see all 100, skip to 14:58 to see the top 20. 16:37 to see the top 10 and 17:30 to see the top 5. (Order is subjective).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UCGGpQCszQ

My point is, watch soccer. It’s eventful, suspenseful, blows your mind, and at times, hilarious.

UPDATE on 2016 Copa America:

Group A: U.S. and Colombia advanced to Quarterfinals. Costa Rica and Paraguay knocked out.

Group B: Peru and Ecuador advanced to Quarterfinals. Brazil and Haiti knocked out.

Quarterfinal Matches: June 16: U.S. vs Ecuador

June 17: Peru vs Colombia

Group C: Current leaders are Mexico and Venezuela.

Group D: Current leaders are Argentina with Chile and Panama.

Quarterfinals take place June 16,17, and 18.

Semifinals take place June 21 and 22.

Third place takes place June 25.

Final takes place June 26.

Click here for easy to read schedule.

This is the eighth article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be a new article discussing how one immigrant group, Latinos, live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns Latinos, this could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss a culture of a different Latino group and interviews with a variety of Latinos will be added as well as interviews with non-Latinos asking for their opinion. Discrimination against Latinos has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into a world they dislike so much. 

The post Living in White America: Soccer appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Due to the lack of Latinos who have made been recognized for their talent I want to use this article to acknowledge the Latino actors, actresses, directors, composers, and cinematographers who have won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Primetime Emmy or all three.

The Academy Awards

The honor of being the first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award belongs to Puerto Rican Jose Ferrer. He also was the first Hispanic actor to be nominated more than once. He won Best Actor in a Leading role in 1950 for Cyrano de Bergerac.  Mexican-American Actor Anthony Quinn won Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1952 for Viva Zapata! thus becoming the first Mexican actor to win an Oscar. He also won this category in 1956 for “Lust for Life“.

Javier Bardem, a Spanish actor, won an Oscar in 2008 for Best Supporting Actor in the film No Country for Old Men. Another Puerto Rican to win an Oscar was Benicio Del Toro who won Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2000 for the film Traffic.

Emile Kuri, who was born in Mexico, was nominated for Best Art Direction eight times and won twice. He won for The Heiress (1949) and for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). In 1995, Argentine painter and film set designer Eugenio Zanetti won Best Art Direction for Restoration. 

Emmanuel Lubezki is a Mexican cinematographer who has been nominated in the category of Best Cinematography a total of eight times. He won for Gravity in 2014, Birdman in 2015, and this year, 2016, he won for the The Revenant.  Another Mexican to win the award for Best Cinematography is Guillermo Navarro who won in 2006 for Pan’s Labyrinth.

Mexican production designer Eugenio Caballero and Spanish film set decorator and art director Pilar Revuelta won Best Art Direction for Pan’s Labyrinth in 2006. Chilean-born cinematographer Claudio Miranda won the award for Best Cinematography in 2012 for his work on Life of Pi.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, a Mexican Director, has won Best Director a total of two times, the first in 2015 for Birdman and the second in 2016 for The Revenant.  He became the third director to win this category back to back and the first Latino to do so.  Alfonso Cuaron, a Mexican director, won both the Best Director and Best Film Editing awards for Gravity in 2014 after having been nominated in the categories of Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Luis Bacalov, an Argentinian-Italian composer, won the award for Best Music-Original Score for the film The Postman. Argentine composer, Gustavo Santaolalla won Best Music-Original Score in 2005 and 2006 for his work on Brokeback Mountain and Babel.  Uruguayan musician Jorge Drexler won Best Music-Original Score in 2004 for The Motorcycle Diaries. He was the first Uruguayan to be nominated and the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award.

Rita Moreno, a Puerto Rican actress, won Best Supporting Actress in 1961 for the film West Side Story. She was also the first Puerto Rican to be nominated for this category.  In 2008, Spaniard actress Penelope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona becoming the first actress from Spain to be nominated and win this category.  Another winner of the Best Supporting Actress category is Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o for her role in 12 Years A Slave in 2014. Brigitte Broch, a German-born Mexican, won Best Art Direction in 2001 for Moulin Rouge!. Mexican make-up artist Beatrice De Alba won Best Makeup in 2002 for her work on Frida. 

Counting up all these Latinos results in a total of 21 Latinos who have won an Academy Award in the categories of Best Art Direction, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Music-Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography and Best Makeup.

For a look at Latino/as who have been nominated for an Academy Award click here.

The Golden Globes

Rita Moreno, the Puerto Rican actress, won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for West Side Story for her role as Anita in 1961. Luis Puenzo, an Argentine director, won a Golden Globe in 1985 for the film The Official Story.

Edward James Olmos, a Mexican actor, has won two Golden Globes. The first in 1986 in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for his role in Miami Vice and he won the same award again in 1995 for his role in The Burning Season.

In 1990, Cuban actor Andy Garcia won a Globe for the category of Best Supporting Actor for the film The Godfather Part III for his role as Vincent Mancini. Nuyorican actor Jimmy Smits won a Globe for Best Actor in a TV Drama Series for his role as Bobby Simone on the show NYPD Blue.

Pedro Almodovar, a Spanish screenwriter, producer, and director, has won two Golden Globes in the Best Foreign Language Film category. One in 1999 for All About My Mother and another in 2002 for Talk to Her. Benicio Del Toro won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Traffic (the film which also earned him an Oscar.)

Alejandro Amenabar, a Spanish-Chilean director, won a Golden Globe in 2004 in the category of Best Foreign Language Film for The Sea Inside. (Which featured Academy Award Winner Javier Bardem). Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu earned a Golden Globe in 2006 for Babel. He has also won Golden Globes for Best Screenplay for Birdman and Best Director for The Revenant. 

In 2007, America Ferrera took home the Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series for her role as Betty in Ugly Betty. Continuing with Latino winners at the 2007 Golden Globes, Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor for his role in  No Country for Old Men. (Which also earned him an Oscar.)

Last year, in 2015, after eight years of no Latina winning the category of Best Actress in a Television Series or Comedy, Gina Rodriguez took home the Globe for her role as Jane in Jane the Virgin. (A show that has good representations of Latinos.)

This year Oscar Isaac, a Guatemalan actor, won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in A Limited Series or Motion Picture for his work in the HBO movie Show Me A Hero. Gael Garcia Bernal, a Mexican actor, won the Globe for Best Performance in a Television Series Musical or Comedy for his role in Mozart in the Jungle. (The show won Best Comedy Series.)

Counting up all the Latinos and Latinas only a total of 14 have won a Golden Globe.

The Primetime Emmy Awards

The talented Rita Moreno has two Emmy awards to her name. She won the Individual Performance – Variety Or Music Program award in 1977 for The Muppet Show and in 1978 she won Outstanding Lead Actress – Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series for The Rockford Files.

In 1978, Ricardo Montalban won an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series for How the West Was Won. In 1985, Edward James Olmos won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in Miami Vice.

Jimmy Smits has been nominated for an Emmy 12 times but has only won once. He won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role in L.A. Law.  Colombian actor John Leguizamo won the award for Individual Performance Variety or Music Program for his one-man show Freak in 1999.

In 2002 Kenny Ortega won Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program for his role in the XIX Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. In 2006, he won Outstanding Choreography for the film High School Musical. In 2007, America Ferrera won in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Ugly Betty.

In total, there are 7 Latinos who have won a Primetime Emmy.

Combining the numbers results in only 42 Latinos  who have won either an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, an Emmy or all three. Comparing that to a total of 117 (30 Golden Globes, 31 Oscars, 56 Emmys) people who identify as either African American or Black who have won one, two, or all three of these awards. When researching the number of Asians and Pacific Islanders that have won these acting awards, I couldn’t find any information for the Golden Globes or the Emmys but a total of 38 have won Academy Awards. The majority of all the awards won by people of color are typically behind the scenes.

A total of 2,947 Oscar statues have presented meaning that only 90 awards have been handed out to non-white people. With an estimation of about 1,898 Golden Globes having been handed out means that only 88 (excluding number of Asian people since I couldn’t find number of Asian winners) awards have been handed out to people of color. About 1,742 Emmy Awards  having been handed out that means that only 63 (excluding number of Asian people since couldn’t find a number for Asian winners) have been handed out to non-white people.

If we add everything up means that 241 awards out of 6,587 have gone to people of color. People of color aren’t winning acting awards because for some reason Hollywood still believes that the white man should portray a person of color. Just take a look at this article which describes multiple times in which white actors were cast as a different race.

Latinos, African-Americans, Asians, and other minority groups need opportunities to portray intellectuals instead of criminals and maybe white actors shouldn’t accept roles meant for people of color. If we aren’t given the chance, how will we ever succeed?

Check out the Huffington post’s article 16 Times Latinos Were Honest Hollywood’s Lack of Diversity to get some perspectives from talented Latinos.

This is the seventh article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be a new article discussing how one immigrant group, Hispanics/Latinos, live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns Hispanics/Latinos, this could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss a culture of a different Hispanic/Latino group and interviews with a variety of Hispanics /Latinos will be added as well as interviews with non-Hispanics asking for their opinion. Discrimination against Hispanics and Latinos has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into a world they dislike so much. 

The post Living in White America: Award Winning Latinos appeared first on KRUI Radio.