Born in East La Essay - 2806 Words

At the end of Cheech Marins Born in East L.A. (1987), a pair of undocumented Chinese immigrants who have been trained by Rudy (Marin) in the art of walking, talking, and gesturing like Mexican-Americans successfully act Mexican-American in front of a police officer to convince and assure him that they indeed are natives. Of concern to both Lowe and Oboler is the unequal status of minorities as members of the United States national community and citizenry. Basically, the U.S. citizen has been defined as a white male. This subsequently has meant that especially persons of color have been conceived in the popular mind as outside of the boundaries of the American community (Oboler 19). Thus, persons of color are denied the†¦show more content†¦Ultimately, Rudy is deported because he is deemed not-American by virtue of his brown body. His English, Dodgers hat, and knowledge of U.S. popular culture (as demonstrated by his knowledge of Death Valley Days and John Wayne) are completely ignored as signifiers of his Americanness. Instead, his brown body is taken as a more important signifier. Rudy, on the other hand, is literally excluded from the U.S. citizenry because of of his brown body. Once in Mexico Rudy feels himself to be in a foreign land. The foreignness of Mexico and Mexicans to Rudy is played out to represent Rudys Americanness. For instance, in the INS van headed to Tijuana, Rudy is an outsider amongst the Mexicans. Unable to speak Spanish, he is ultimately called by one of the Mexicans a pocho pendejo, a pejorative reference usually intended to refer to Mexican-Americans who cannot speak Spanish and who, subsequently, are deemed less Mexican. In fact, as he is captured by Border Patrol officers on one of his attempts to cross the border, Rudy proclaims, Im an American citizen. I dont even speak Spanish. Whereas the Spanish language is commonly used as an identifier of Hispanics (Oboler 12), Marin presents a pocho Rudy to make more obvious Rudys American identity. Basically, to present Mexican-Americans as brown Americans,Show MoreRelatedLa Amistad1302 Words   |  6 PagesLa Amistad In 1839, Africans being carried from Havana, Cuba, to Puerto Principe, Cuba, revolted against their captors aboard the ship La Amistad (Spanish for friendship). They were stolen from Africa, transported to the Americas, and were â€Å"passed off† as having been born in Cuba. After the revolt, the Africans demanded to be returned home, but the ship’s navigator lied to them about their course, and sailed them north along the North American coast to Long Island, New York. The schooner was subsequentlyRead MoreRene Robert Cavelier As A Jesuit900 Words   |  4 Pages Renà ©-Robert Cavelier was born November 21, 1643, in Rouen, France. From a young age, Cavalier went to school to study to be a Jesuit. 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