Hispanic Violence. A Familiar Sight.
As a young child, we are taught to interact with one another kindly. “Treat others as you want to be treated”, parents would tell their children. But what if one experience with a certain child from a different demographic would affect your perception of them. When we picture race, we often like to categorize every single one there is and say, “Americans are like this, African Americans are like that..” and so on. This is very prevalent in the depiction of hispanics in our society. The show Ozark depicts Mexicans as killers drug dealers who run the world. This is especially dangerous today, considering the attention the media gives to immigration laws and illegals, who are being called rapists and murderers. This show enforces the norm that hispanics are dangerous people who tend to be going down the wrong path.
For starters, Camino Del Rio, commonly known as Del, is the so called “top dog”. He runs the Mexican drug cartel and has been laundering money for years. He is a fearless man who is always in control. In the pilot episode, Del finds out that the people whom have been helping him launder millions of dollars, have been skimming money for themselves. In furious rage, Del kills five of his workers with absolutely no remorse. This shows Del fits into the stereotype of hispanics being violent killers who do not give a damn about anyone but themselves and their money. Right from the beginning of the show, the message is clear: Mexicans are dangerous.
Adding on, the way the show chooses to have Del speak is very different than the other characters. When Del decides to give Marty a second chance at laundering money for him, he says to him in a very assertive and threatening tone, “If I think you are trying to f*ck me, I will have to kill you… and Wendy.. and Jonah… and Charlotte.” This form of intimidation makes Del appear to be a cold blooded murderer. If he does not get what he wants, he will make sure someone pays a price.
Ultimately, this episode of Ozark enforces a norm that Mexicans are drug smugglers, murderers, and simply awful people. This could damage the relationship with young adults who happen to be Mexican, as they could be judged based on their appearance. It is essential that the viewer realizes that people should not be limited to a stereotype, but be given a chance to become something in the real world. In a society where social media and tv has such a huge influence, it is vital that we teach people that not everyone in a certain demographic is how they are depicted in the media.
