1984_03 The Daily Collegian March 1984

              Page 2, La Voi de Aztlan, March 27,1984
A.K.A. Pablo: a.k.a. junk
The treatment of Hispanics and other minorities in
television has for a long time lacked sensitivity: The
recent premiere of "A.K.A. Pablo" on ABC is proof that
the television industry has again failed in its treatment of
Hispanics. The show created by Norman Lear of "All in
the Family" and "The Jeffersons"fame, had Hispanics
hoping that perhaps this show might do away with the
stereotypical trappings of the past. It did not.
Centered around the life of an up-and-coming comedian, the show breaks some new ground with the first all
Hispanic cast, but breaks no new ground in the many
stereotypical references to Chevies and the occupations
which include a gardener, a mechanic and a checker- at
K-Mart. Is being a gardener or a checker at K-Mart
intrinsically funny? It probably isn 't to those who make a
living by these jobs. Does the fact they are Hispanic make
it any more funnier? Lear thought so and so did ABC.
They may have been the only ones.
A void exists in the networks. A void absent of minority actors, writers, directors and the like. Realization is
the first step to solving the problem. By the year 2000 the
Hispanic population is expected to be the largest minority in the nation. Lear can see that and so can the networks. The problem now is, how to portray members efa
minority group so that they don't appear stereotypical.
Not all Hispanics drive Chevies, have pictures of John F.
Kennedy on the walls, wear their hair in a ducktail or
have accents as thick as that of the Frito Bandit o. Yet all
these references appeared in the first episode of" A.K.A.
Pablo."
To say that those people are typical is a farce. The
characters are nothing more than cartoon characters
concocted in the mind of an Anglo writer. Is the network
saying that a show with educated Hispanics who hold
middle class jobs can't be funny. If that is true, then the
only thing television has to offer are more shows like
"Pablo" that perpetuate a myth about Hispanics.
An alternative is to have Hispanic writers and directors
take control of future television projects portraying Hispanics. Or at least have more input into shows that
already exist, like "Pablo. " The networks, it seems have
just awakened to the presence of Hispanics and the only
place to go is up. A line in the shows asks, "How many
Mexicans get on T. V.?" The answer is simple: not very
many. The real question should be, how many networks
are willing to portray a minority family accurately, fairly
and sensitivly? The answer to that is more difficult.
By Robert Rodriguez
La Voz Editor
Media's influence on Chicanos
By Placida Gallegos.
Special lo La Voz
In considering the effect of the mass media on Chicanos in general.it is
first important that we recognize thc profound changes caused by electronic technology on our current society.
No longer do we as Chicanos have the "luxury" of living in isolated
barrios surrounded by comadres and compadres, raising our children
under the protective gaze and support of the exte.nded family.
More and more. Chicanos are forced by economic and professional
realities to leave their families of origin and migrate to other locations.
The worlds wc encounter and the issues we must deal with are radically
different from the lifestyles of our ancestors.
The advanced technology and rapid pace of this country and this age
have created adaptive demands on each of us without providing alternate
rewards and sources of support.
Marshall McLuhan has sounded the warning cry in his book "The
Medium is the the Message" in which he assses the diverse effects of
media overstimulation on our ability to process information about our
envrionments.
"Electric circuitry profoundly involves men with one another. Information pours upon us, instantaneously and continuously.
As soon as information is acquired, it is very rapidly replaced by still
newer information. Our electrically-configurated world has forced us to
move from the habit of data classification to the mode of pattern recognition. We can no longer build serially, block-by-block, siep-by-slep,
because instant communication insures thai all factors of the environment and of experience co-exlsi in a stale of active interplay. " (p. 63.
1967)
What McLuhan is saying bears particularly on Chicanos as we rely on
media sources to inform us of the world "out there" as well as informing
"them" of our true nature and values.
The images of Chicanos and the way we are portrayed in the media
have deep and immediate effects on each of us as we attempt to adapt to
our constantly changing surroundings.
Letters to La Voz	
ROTC demonstration and the purpose of the university
Dear Editor: than merely the poor judgement of are harmed by a glamorizing the mil-
There are those who still haven't fig- associating  Fresno State's good itary mind.
ured put why the ROTC's helicopter name with the glorification of war The university exists for the pur-
assault on the baseball field was before a juvenile audience. The pose of opening young minds (of all
cancelled, and why inviting high harm is in the violation of the very ages) to the responsibly of ques-
school students to CSUF to witness spirit, purpose and meaning of a tioning everything in the world, inclu-
an ROTC/Army Reserve demon- university. Just as the purpose and ding authority, patriotism and polit-
stration of inserting troops into a sanctity of a church would be vio- ical violence, which is what all mili-
hostile enviroment from helicopters lated by a demonstration helicopter tary violence is.
might be offensive to the campus assault to show the congregation's The military mind does not ques-
community. youth how much fun war can be, so tion, it only obeys. It knows how to
The affront goes much deeper the university's essence and dignity direct sufficient firepower to control
Ihe influence of modeling and imitation have been well documented
by current researchers. They have repeatedly found that children begin to
interact and imitate significant others at a very young age;.::: ::v .■■ —
Unfortunately, many Chicano youth today grow up constantly bombarded by distorted pictures of the Chicano personality. We are depicted
as ignorant slaves or "loose women" but only rarely as productive and
healthly individuals coping creatively with real life challenges and
problems.
Perhaps even more damaging than misrepresentation of our national
character. Chicanos are often ignored and underrepresented on television and radio programming Many of us grew up living in separate
worlds. At home we saw brown faces speaking Spanish and living with
Chicano values, while at school we saw white faces speaking English,
living the American way and telling us directly and indirectly that our
ways were wrong.
In order to cope with the contradictions of our dual worlds, we became
experts at swtiching roles and changing hats, sometimes losing sight of
(he important thing in order to "get by."
The media-print and broadcast-reinforced the duality of the Chicano
existence. Success was portrayed as the Anglo lifestyle and any deviation
from that was considered backward and counter productive. Our language, our faces and our voices have long been stifled or omitted from the
national air waves.
The only way this situation will change is with our insistence and
persistence that programmers consider our needs and more accurately
reflect our lifestyles.
When media executives recognize the value of the Chicano advertising
dollar, perhaps they will begin to serve our communities more efficiently
than in the past.
Placida Gallegos is a staff writer for Nuestra Cosa at the University of
California at Riverside. 7 J
the situation, lt knows nothing of
philosophy, ethics, aesthetics or
humanities, lt cares nothing for justice, democracy, truth or creativity.
It's only purposes are death and
destruction.
Reagan's foreign policy overflows with examples of the military
mind at work. In Lebanon, under
the guise of "peace-keeping", the
military mind attempted to impose a
La Voi de Artlan, March 27,1*4, Page 3
Immigration bill makes comeback
r^llS,^lV!aSSh0rt"liuedc.0VCran   memb«Roybal made an emotional    it was rumored that die President   native to tbe Simpson-MazzoU legbl-
t?   n-K?-VJ?.lce.raeunt by.sP«,k«   statement against the Simpson-    would veto the bill to win Hispanic      '
Tip ONcill that the Simpson-   Mazzoli bill which drew a fabulous    support"
Mazzoli immigration bill would not   response."
"Because it is an election year, we
 V.: '   —'■    wy8 F*Jardo- "The bill        Why is the bill returning despite   canfiot be ignored on this issue"
onntSr    batedUCt0Hi,paniC w"™»he^ache for other reasons    these problems? "There wm.b   3? MALDEF President Joaquin
A^Sfm    .1.7.     u   c "we"-Because it had something for    uproar in the U.S. pro, again-1 the /Avila. "Hispanics can mak? or
said thehZJ?, m        ?r,k?r «**-">-•- there was something for    Speaker for having filled the billuni-   break a Presidential candidate-
e«slaUo?riOM   ldC0M'dCrthe "^e to hate.  .     u                      laterally," says Fajardo. "He wants   especially in Florida, California,
MA   AfVwo.k-    .       n, »f Congressmembers voted    to allow the issue of immigration to   Texas and New York, all of which
MALDEF Washington  D.C. against the bill, they would be seen    "
attorney Richard Fajardo said there as voting against immigration
were many reasons for the bill's brief reform. Ifthey voted for it, they'd go
de™se'   k, .„ against Hispanics, the growers, civil
I lp O'Neill was at the Hispanic rights groups, chambers of corn-
Caucus dinner when Congress-, merce and refuge groups. Then also
be aired." have significant Hispanic popula-
To maximize chances for creation tions and which are key Presidential
of a new and better bill, MALDEF states."The Simpson-Mazzoli bill is
is working with the Congressional likely to be reconsidered by the
Hispanic ConferCaucus and a House in February or March,
number of groups to create an alter-
Time awareness causes problems
By Larry Banales
La Voz Managing Editor
Time.
We live in a world totally engulfed
in time consciousness-almost to the
brink of insanity.
Notice how many watches and
other time machines you see dangling from thc nearest neck or
fastened on a passing wrist.
There are also endless drive
through restaurants, super markets
(in some areas) and yes, brothers
and sisters, churches too, not to
mention banks with walk up tellers
to serve our every time conscious
schedule.
Essentially, our goal is to have
more time to do the important and
more relaxing things in life, such as
watching A.K.A. Pablo on television or listening to our favorite
music on the stereo	
We live in a world totally
engulfed in time consciousness—almost to the brink
of insanity
Other technology, too, contributes to the importance of saving
Letters	
Automatic dishwashers, fast
foods, and instant drinks like coffee
and tea all help Us to seek quick
gratification, so we can move on to
faster and greater tasks, like Star
Wan video games and fast paced
television shows like Nightrider and
The A-Team.
But there is the common denominator to all this: We all want or need
more time to ourselves—for what 1
don't know.
Numerous problems arise because of this over commitment to
time. First of all, the most common
complaint made about time is that
there is not enough to finish all that
needs to be done in, say, a day.
The great time creators developed
the magnificent but problematic
night and day mechanism.
... They.ensured that half of the
world-or somewhere close by—
would be immersed in darkness for
12 to 15 hours, so the other half
could carry out their daily schedules. Then the day-people could
worry about how little time they
have to get things done, which
would allow the other half time to
sleep. In this manner, the creators
thought, there would be enough,
time to go all around the world. But
they were wrong.
The great time creators
developed the magnificent
but problematic night and
day mechanism
What these geniuses didn't figure
out was how to keep a few million
people from going out into "the
streets in the evening. They live in
the night like there's no tomorrow
which' could cause headaches,
nausea and, in extreme cases, fatigue.
But 1 have a solution.
One week should last about two
weeks, so that you could do all the
things you would normally do in a
week, but never have time to do.
Still, you would have plenty of time
to take a short vacation—say a
couple of days. This' way you Could
never again complain about there
not being enough time to get things
done.
A major problem that occurs
from being too time warped is guilt.
How many times has this happened
to you on the phone:
Father: "But  arent  you coming
home this weekend."
Student: "No sorry. Dad. I don't
have enough time."
Father: "You,havent been here for
over ten years, and we n
Student:"! can't help it. There's just
enough time for visiting."
Then once you hang up the
phone you feel like you've just
maimed your parents for life. But
what's worse is when they're almost
on their death beds, and you finally
arrive home to discover it's too late.
Then you say to yourself, "If only I
would have found time to go home."
Then you cry for days, and there's
nothing left to do, but worry about
time.
How about the endless accidents
that happen, because people were
driving too fast to finish shopping,
to drop the dog off at training school
or to make a hair cutting appointment? It's only after the fact when
people discover that if they had
slowed down and taken their time,
something terrible like a death
would have never happened.
There are also the little things
many students put off, because they
"dont have any time." Included
among this group is eatingand sleeping, two minor bodily processes that
sometimes help to carry out a daily
work schedule, so they can complain
about how much time they dont
have to waste.
1 have a couple of questions for all
see Time page 4
continued from page 2
minority, Christian-fascist government on a Moslem-socialist majority. As the Marines pulled out, the
Navy lashed out with the big guns of
the battleship New Jersey, blasting
the Moslem forces and the civilians
who support them.
The CIA's commando-terrorists,
the "Contrast inflict death and destruction on the united people of
Nicaragua who dared to overthrow
the U.S. supported Somoza family
dictatorship and create a new
society for themselves.
In El Salvador, the U.S. military
is propping up an oligarchy that
rules by death squads that have
murdered over 47,000 civilians in
the last three years.
Grenada, Honduras, Guatemala,
the Philippines Taiwan, South
Korea, there's a whole long list of
repressive "authoritarian" regimes
propped up by the U.S. military.
The military mind never questions the morality of its own acts,
and never tries to understand the
motives of others. It sees everything
in simple black-white, East-West
terms. It is not itt job to wonder
why.
The essence of the university is to
question and create. The essence of
the military is to obey and destroy.
A military demonstration is as inappropriate on a university campus as
a cross-burning is at church.
Even pro-military types should
try to understand why we dont want
our students to wear their brand new
Marine Corps uniforms at commencement ceremonies, or to practice setting Claymore mines in front of the
Engineering building, or to assault
the baseball field with helicopters.
Those who wish to gjorify the military mind will find many ways to do
so. But please dont do it oh our
beloved campus.
Bob Fischer
Department of Sociology
Participation
Needed
As the newly appointed secretary
of M.E.Ch. A, I would like to extend
a welcome to any Chicano student
to become actively involved in
M.E.Ch.A, particularly those who
are not currently involved in any.
organization.. M.E.CH.A. meets
Wednesdays from 4-5:30 p.m. in the
College Union.
El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan has been the official
spokes organization for Chicano students since the late 60s, bringing out
issues which directly or indirectly
affect Chicano students. M.E.CH. A.
offers something for every student:
the Chicano Youth Conference,
which motivates Chicano high
school students to further their education; Semana de_la Raza, which
expresses through t?week of activities the beauty and diversity of La
Raza; to the opposition of U.S.
intervention in Central America.
During this present reactionary
cutbacks in Chicano and other minority .student programs, the time is
now for Chicanos, Raza and other
Third World people to unite and
make sure that we as a people are
guaranteed equality and educational justice. This can be achieved if
we unite in thc spirit of "carnalismo"
and "la fa.milia.'* One way of being
part of this spirit is through your
involvement in M.E.Ch.A. or any of
its activities. Como dictn, \a union
Black History
Dear Editor:
History is an incredible book of
knowledge. It records tbe many different things that have happened in
the past, as well as informing us of
the people involved-in shaping our
ever, so growing country. America.
But history is.not aihvharit is made
up to be. In fact, 1 haveTouria in
recent studies that it is not even reliable enough to believe.
When talking about history as an
unreliable source of documentation,
1 speak specifically about the
changes made with Black history.
These changes have led me to believe
that tbe first Blacks that came to
America came in t be hulls of ships as
slaves. This, in fact, was a dial onion
of the truth. The first Blacks that
ah. Tbey were explorers from their
native country, Africa > in search of