If any of this posting seems garbled, please excuse me. The Saturday night hangover still hasn’t worn out yet. Anyhow, this weekend I heard the tale of an acquaintance of mine that happens to be of Mexican and Colombian descent. His lady friend made the comment that because his family comes from 2 different places, they really have no specific culture. Well, I find 2 things wrong with that. #1: I’d say he has plenty of culture, since he does have 2 nationalities to his name. And #2: what’s up with his lady friend making that comment? It was uncalled for and completely rude. But the problem stems from the acquaintance refusal to accept his background. He despises all things Mexican (the music, food, clothing), I mean, everything. He also has no connection to his Colombian background, so I guess you can really say his culture is Americana. He doesn’t have any interest in the history of his 2 so called “cultures”, but yet he proudly proclaims himself as Colombian (notice he leaves the Mexican part out). THAT REALLY FRIES MY BACON!!! I KNOW MY PEOPLE AREN’T PERFECT, BUT THEY’RE MY PEOPLE!!! How can you argue you have a culture when you refuse to acknowledge it? It boggles the mind. If you’re Irish, be proud to be Irish. If you’re from Kenya, be proud of your heritage! Don’t deny it because the moron’s you hang around with it will make fun! Here’s what I mean, Mexicans are stereotyped as having thick mustaches, wearing boots and cowboy hats and listening to music that has an accordion in it. Hey, make fun of if you want, BUT IT’S MY PEOPLE!!! I EMBRACE THAT CULTURE AND IT MAKES ME A BETTER, MORE COMPLETE PERSON FOR IT. I hate ignorance, but it seems to be all that this individual is promoting. Fine, be just Colombian, but embrace that heritage. Don’t deny your roots and pretend you’re something you’re not. All right, Pats have one more game to go! Let’s hope Eli doesn’t come out of Peyton’s shadow just yet.
OUTRAGE ON THE ROCKS!!!
Martini, Tequila Sunirse, Amaretto Sour, Pilsner, Ale. Spritits to do you good. Every now and then, we all have the right to enjoy a nice, solid drink. I’d love some Vodka and cranberry juice right about now. So, why is this my outrage? Well, I began thinking about some of the guys I know. Some guys who feel they have to prove how macho they are at everything. And I mean EVERYTHING! Especially in my culture. A great majority of Mexican men stick to the ancient belief that as men of the house and head provider, they must dominate every aspect of family life. The wife must serve him his meal, they must have their work clothes ironed and washed, they must make all the decisions. In some instances it goes to the extreme. Wife must have a towel ready for when he comes out of the shower, not have an opinion, and be ready to please her husband at his will. Now, “what’s the problem with this?”, some might ask. Well, here goes. Those spirits mentioned at the beginning more often than not lead Husband to believe he is invincible. So, when he knocks back a few at a party and it’s time to go home, what happens? Since he’s big, bad husband, only he can drive the car! And dear wifey is not allowed an opinion. Next thing you know, Channel 6 news team is at the site of a car crash that kills both passangers. All this can be avoided. How? Remember my earlier post where I stated that women should be treated like queens? That’s how. Don’t look at your wifes or significant others like servants. This just doesn’t happen in the Mexican community, it happens in a lot of cultures. A man isn’t determined by how much he can drink or how much he beats his wife into submission. A man is someone who takes care of his and would give his life for them. Gentlemen, if you’ve had a few and you can’t even stand up, let her drive. It won’t make you any less of a man. It’ll you make you the man of her dreams.
OUTRAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE!!!
How many of us love our culture? How many of us look at our heritage with an admiration? I do. I love my heritage. I wouldn’t change it for the world. But there’s something that troubles me. There’s something wrong with my people. You see, television and radio are having a major impact in my cultural community. And it’s not necessarily good. We’ve all heard morning DJ’s and their crazy morning zoo or whatever they call. Most of the time it’s just general craziness, but there’s one morning DJ that caters to my people and is causing the degradation of our heritage. He says we must be proud of what we are, but acts and speaks in a manner that causes most people to view us as a bunch of beer chugging dirt bags who take good jobs from honest Americans. I am embarrassed by his actions and ashamed for my community. I don’t like to stereotype people, and I especially don’t like it when I’m stereotyped. It really blows my top to hear people repeating some of the stupidities this man says on the radio. I love my people, and even though I can’t change the world, I hope anyone who reads this post can surely agree that people who destroy a heritage should not be allowed anywhere near a mic or camera. I know I’ve left a lot of loose ends in this post so I’m going to fill in the blanks. I am Mexican. And this particular gentlemen I write about is a morning DJ for a Midwestern Spanish Radio station. I hate what he’s doing to my people and to our culture. That’s right, El Pistolero, I’m talking about you.
