ASK A MEXICAN?!: Racialization in Public Discourse
I have gained sole and full access to all write-in questions from the “Ask A Mexican” column by Gustavo Arellano. This column originated in Orange County, and is now nationally syndicated, with a circulation of over two million readers. Letters are sent in by whites across the nation and represent an alternative data source from which to examine the narratives whites have about Latinos. I found that most drew from racial stereotypes as the basis for their questions, and most importantly, they collapsed Latinos across national origin and citizenship status. I read the column as a cultural text, and analyze how racial ideology is produced and disseminated. This column’s public format along with an increase in social media creates an environment where many whites feel comfortable publicly addressing Latinos as problematic. Thus, backlash against Latinos and disapproval of them by whites is reflected in everyday language and in popular culture, as is seen through the Ask a Mexican column. Thus, I argue that the hybrid of an elite newspaper circulation with the access to user generation media component allows whites' racist views of Latinos to become public and possibly gain more acceptance.
"ASK A MEXICAN?!: Racialization in Public Discourse" Latino Studies (Revise and Resubmit)
I have gained sole and full access to all write-in questions from the “Ask A Mexican” column by Gustavo Arellano. This column originated in Orange County, and is now nationally syndicated, with a circulation of over two million readers. Letters are sent in by whites across the nation and represent an alternative data source from which to examine the narratives whites have about Latinos. I found that most drew from racial stereotypes as the basis for their questions, and most importantly, they collapsed Latinos across national origin and citizenship status. I read the column as a cultural text, and analyze how racial ideology is produced and disseminated. This column’s public format along with an increase in social media creates an environment where many whites feel comfortable publicly addressing Latinos as problematic. Thus, backlash against Latinos and disapproval of them by whites is reflected in everyday language and in popular culture, as is seen through the Ask a Mexican column. Thus, I argue that the hybrid of an elite newspaper circulation with the access to user generation media component allows whites' racist views of Latinos to become public and possibly gain more acceptance.
"ASK A MEXICAN?!: Racialization in Public Discourse" Latino Studies (Revise and Resubmit)
