Pan Dulce Pandering: The Call For Reform in Latino Media

Vic Diaz
Vic Diaz
Jul 20, 2017 · 4 min read

Imagine you’re a Latino. Imagine yourself turning on the TV, and you’re watching a TV show featuring larger-than-life characters adhering to what many people perceive as negative stereotypes. You decide to change the channel and you put on the news, which is almost exclusively reporting on the latest change in immigration policy, including stories of families being separated due to deportation. You know this is a scenario commonly found in 2017. But what if I told you that I’m talking about 1995?

As a child, I lived in a two-bedroom apartment with my mother, my aunt, and her two children. My family knew how to stretch a dollar to make sure we had everything we needed. Because of this, certain sacrifices needed to be made, one of which was entertainment; we didn’t have the luxury of cable television growing up, so we were limited to whatever could be caught on our antenna. As a Latino family, this meant that family time was time to sit down and watch TV together. Like most Latinos in my generation, I grew up on shows like “Sabado Gigante,” “Cristina,” and “Bienvenidos.” The time spent consuming this entertainment helped make me the individual I am today, and has even played a role in my upcoming marriage; one of the first conversations I had with my fiance was discussing the antics of Loco Hugo, a character on the sketch comedy show “Bienvenidos” who enjoyed opening his bathrobe and exposing himself on unsuspecting people. As a kid, I thought nothing of Latino media’s portrayal of our people; I dismissed it as simple entertainment, and that this was simply the culture at the time.

Fast-forward to 2017. Replace TV characters like Loco Hugo and Don Francisco with YouTube sensations like “Juan” and “Tiburcio,” update the immigration stories to include Trump and the wall, and throw in broad generalizations of certain Latino interests, and this is what Latinos consume today. Before I go any further, I would like to include that immigration reform is of vital importance to our culture, and is very deserving of being a hot topic of discussion in media, regardless of the demographic it is being shown to. However, Latino media is doing a disservice by limiting our people to one issue, when there are myriad others that need addressing, and here’s an example: mental health.

For generations, addressing mental health issues in Latino families has been taboo; no one mentioned the idea of seeing therapy to treat a mental health disorder out of fear of criticism from your family (e.g. “Tu no estás loco, te la estas inventando”). Depression translated to “Es que es huevón,” social anxiety became “Es que no convive,” and codependency became “Es que me tienes que ayudar!” Take a minute to think about that last one.

The issue of codependency has been so grossly overlooked by previous generations of Latinos, that there’s no true way to describe the condition in Spanish. Psychologists have even written that the idea of codependency doesn’t apply to Latino families, because “European-Americans” (a.k.a. White people) don’t understand the concept of collectivism, or “familismo.” Our own people have come to accept this as fact because there hasn’t been anyone to tell them otherwise; this is where our media fails us. Instead of making cute videos like, “Ways that Mami loves us too much,” why not make videos about the ways Latinos can feel codependent on their parents?

Now, I’ll give credit where it’s due; there are some Latino media groups that have begun to address the apparent mental health stigma. Pero Like, Buzzfeed’s Latino affiliate, put out a video breaking the misconception that Latino men should not be emotionally vulnerable. Once you’re done here, give it a watch and have a cry afterward. They also do a very good job at addressing other issues that Latinos should be concerned with, such as climate change and politics in Latin American countries, while other sources are focusing on addressing stereotypes and perpetuating them at the same time.

Possibly the biggest culprit of this offense is the popular WeAreMitú, a page similar to Pero Like in its use of humor and social commentary. Mitú, however, feels the need to address more trivial and stereotypical issues, such as, “Which pan dulce are you?” and “How much of a chismosa are you?” (another issue among Latinos that is never addressed but needs to be resolved). If this was all the content Mitú provided, you could say, “It’s harmless entertainment!” However, they also feel the need to take issue with certain topics that have never, and should never, be the cause for concern, such as the need to stop showing the movie “Stand and Deliver” in schools because it’s “old, cliche, and downright offensive.” Fun fact: In August of 2015, Mitú posted an article listing 15 reasons why we should watch “Stand and Deliver” again. What changed? In short, Mitú’s content is contradictory, sensationalizing stereotypes while taking offense with issues that are non-existent.

It’s one thing for Hollywood to reduce our people to a stereotype or one common interest, but when we start doing it to ourselves, that’s when we need to call for change. My vision is to one day see media by Latinos, for Latinos, specializing in EMPOWERING Latinos. As a Latino working on completing my Journalism degree, I hope to one day do my part in contributing toward this goal. However, this goal does not start or end with me; it needs all of us to succeed. We seem to really like saying “Si se puede” a lot, now let’s put it in practice.

)
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade