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To what extent does Narcos
reflect the representation of Latinos/Hispanics in American media?
Narcos (Primary Text)
Hollywood
fails to represent US ethnic diversity, says study
‘’New USC report finds
that Latinos are most under-represented in films, despite buying 25% of all
movie tickets’’
·
This showcases that Narcos perhaps as an
original Netflix series challenges this statement that Latinos are
‘under-represented’.
‘’Latinos, who
comprise 16.3% of the US population and are regular filmgoers – they buy 25% of
all movie tickets – only made up 4.9% of characters.’’
Hispanics
and Latinos become the largest minority in America's cities
‘’US census data shows
that Latinos and Hispanics have overtaken African Americans as the largest
urban minority.’’
·
African Americans in the United States of
America are portrayed as victims of injustice in some cases. This article
indicates that perhaps Hispanics and Latinos are replacing them.
‘’From now on, local,
state and national politicians will need to pay attention to Hispanics rather
than treating blacks as the major minority," William H Frey
Hispanics in Hollywood still
struggle to overcome stereotypes in casting and to land quality roles that showcase their
talents. Yet, there are signs of progress. Hollywood, for example, took a
chance on creating the biopic “Cesar Chavez.”
Cesar
Chavez Film
·
American
biopic film produced and directed by Diego Luna
·
The life of
American labour leader César Chávez,
·
Who cofounded
the United Farm Workers
·
Film stars Michael
Peña as Chávez (Mexican)
Latinos may be the largest minority
group in the United States, but there’s no shortage of stereotypes about the
Hispanic community. In Hollywood particularly, Latinos are all too often
portrayed as gang members, sexy vixens, Latin lovers, domestic workers and
recent immigrants to the U.S.
Why are
Latinos viewers the most important for networks?
‘’As traditional
audiences move to on-demand services, networks are attempting to appeal to one
of America’s last audience of loyal, committed TV watchers: Latinos.’’
·
Nielsen Company found that Hispanics in the US
have over $1 trillion in purchasing power and represent more than half of US
population growth between 2000-2010.
·
Latino viewers are not just critical for cable
news, but for scripted programming as well. ABC’s overt attempt to target a
Latino viewership with the sitcom Cristela has seen a major ratings win for the
network.
‘’Univision, launched in
1962, currently has the largest audience of any Hispanic-oriented TV news
network in the U.S. While 2015 was not as bad as 2014, when all of its news
programs saw audience declines, the year showed more losses than gains.’’
US
television wakes up to growing Latino audience with new options
‘’Channels such as
newly launched El Rey are targeting a young demographic that wants to see its
bilingual and multicultural world reflected on screen’’
Could Latino
new data shows one in nine potential US voters is Hispanic, meaning they could
Change America’s political map – but what would it take for
them to do so? Voters decide the next American president?
Representation
of Latino Women In US TV
Showcases the negative representation of Latinos
particular the women as they are represented in a sexual and promiscuous for
example in Narcos the journalist is uses her sexual appeal to get what she
wants. Also,
‘’Once upon
time, African Americans were the racial group most likely to portray domestic workers. Black
housekeepers played key roles in television sitcoms such as 1950’s “Beulah” and
films such as 1939’s “Gone With The Wind.” By the 1980s, however, Latinos
increasingly replaced blacks as Hollywood’s domestics.’’
‘’The late actress Lupe Ontiveros
estimated that she played a maid as many as 150 times on screen. In 2009,
Ontoveros told National Public Radio, “I long to play a
judge. I long to play a lesbian woman. I long to play a councilman, someone
with some chutzpah.”
‘’While Hispanic men are often
reduced to Latin Lovers in television and film, Hispanic women are commonly
typecast as sexpots. Rita Hayworth, Raquel Welch and Carmen
Miranda are some of the Latinas in early Hollywood who
capitalized on their sexy image. More recently, Eva Longoriaplayed a
conniving Latina homemaker who used her looks to advance her agenda in “Desperate Housewives,” and Sofia Vergara
continues to play the role of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on “Modern Family,”
which many prominent Latinas argue not only fuels the stereotype that Hispanic
women are sexy but also loud, crazy and spicy. “The problem here is that this
idea of the curvy, sexy and sultry Latina denies many Latinas their cultural
identification based on their physical appearances and sexual attractiveness,
alone,” explained Tanisha Ramirez in the Huffington
Post’’
Representation of Latino Men in US TV
‘’Television programs such as “The
George Lopez Show,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Ugly Betty” were unique in that
they portrayed Latinos as Americans rather than as recent immigrants to the United States. Not only have many Hispanics lived in
the United States for several generations but some Hispanics also descend from
families that predate the establishment of the present day U.S.-Mexico border.
For far too long Hollywood has featured Hispanics speaking heavily accented
English in television and in cinema.’’
-
In Narcos most characters dream about making a
better life for themselves for example one of the hit men ‘La Quica’ dreams of
the ‘American dream’
There has been no shortage of
Latinos playing thugs, drug dealers and gangbangers in U.S. films and
television shows, especially police dramas. Popular films such as 1992’s
“American Me” and 1993’s “Mi Vida Loca” chronicled the lives of fictional
Hispanic drug kingpins and gangsters. Even the 1961 classic “West Side Story” centered on the rivalry
between a Caucasian gang and a Puerto Rican one. The gangster stereotype aimed
at Latinos is particularly harmful, as it gives the public the idea that
Hispanics aren’t law-abiding citizens but cholos. Accordingly, they should be
feared, shunned and certainly not treated as equals. While some Latinos, just
as some whites, find themselves entangled in the criminal justice system, the
majority of Hispanics aren’t criminals. They work as lawyers, teachers,
pastors, police officers and in a host of other arenas.
Latino
Portrayals in the Media
‘’When Latinos are actually present in different forms of
media a very consistent type of Latino is portrayed. Usually it is a person who
has darker features, tanner skin, and an accent. The quest for a heterogeneous
type of Latino completely overlooks the diversity that is included under the
umbrella term. The lack of range in how Latinos are presented phenotypic
ally also helps to polarize the community by showing usually either rich
Latinos or poor Latinos. ‘’
‘’Until recently, Latino portrayals in the media has had
negative affects for the Latino community. Historically Latinos have not
only been portrayed negatively through stereotypes but they have also been
largely ignored and excluded from most American Media. Support for this
assumption has been provided by The Annenberg School of Cultural Communicators
Project which found that between the years of 1969 to 1978 only 2.5% of
primetime television characters were Hispanic. The significance of this is
that this figure is still significantly behind other minorities such as the
African American population who comprised 8.5% of primetime television
characters.’’
‘’Another study
conducted by The Center for Media and Public Affairs in Washington DC has shown
that Latinos have been in the 2% range of representation in Media for the past
30 years. This percentage is also following a downward trend which is
especially noticeable in the Prime Time Television shows.’’
It's 2016 and Latino Representation on TV
Is Finally Starting to Reflect Reality
According to Jessica Gonzalez, executive vice president of the
National Hispanic Media Coalition, representation of Latinos in particular is
lagging. "We're way behind," Gonzalez said in a phone interview.
"We're totally underrepresented, and it's a missed opportunity."
‘’But there are
encouraging signs that television has begun to seize that opportunity. The
CW's Jane the Virgin, a show featuring a mostly Latino cast, won a Golden Globe and has been renewed for a third season. NBC's new 2016
primetime line-up includes three shows with Latinas leading as both actresses
and producers: Jennifer Lopez's Shades
of Blue, America Ferreira’s Superstore and Eva Longoria's Telenovela.’’
The path to production and primetime
for shows like Jane the Virgin and Superstore was paved by hits like Desperate Housewives (2004-2012), Ugly Betty (2006-2010) and Modern Family (2009-present) that featured Latinas in leading roles. These shows
painted nuanced portrayals of real Latinas, not offensive or overwrought
stereotypes. While Modern
Family's Gloria does embody the stereotypically sexy and sassy Latina, her
character is multilayered, compassionate and strong in her own way, making her
relatable to audiences of all backgrounds. –
Latino Women
Narcos and
American Representation
But as Colombians, no matter the accolades the drama
receives, we believe we are better than drug trafficking and violence, and
there are better and more uplifting stories to tell about the country. “People
who lived during those times don’t like watching shows like Narcos,” says
Alejandra Moncaliano, senior MCC major at Steinhart. “We don’t like this kind
of violence associated with our country, there are other better things to
portray.”
This showcases that some
Columbians themselves believe that even though the plot line is quite accurate the
representation of Columbians isn’t for example the accents.
Moreover, as Sociology senior Catalina Munera points
out, Narcos is “a very white-washed American version of the story”. It doesn’t
capture its effects on the Colombian people, the true victims of the war on drugs.
But what truly enrages Colombians is the dual
portrayal of Americans and Colombians. “I hate that Americans are represented
as the heroes” says Natalia Martinez, a Metropolitan Studies sophomore at CAS,
pointing to how Americans are shown as the uncorrupted good guys while our
people are the criminals, dysfunctional and violent.
The show doesn’t really focus on the other side of the
story, one in which American cocaine consumers fueled hatred, violence and
instability in my country. After all it was US dollars that paid for the bombs,
guns and ammunitions, but it was our people who paid the price for the cocaine
consumed in America and elsewhere. We put up with the deaths, suffered the
violence and stigmatization.
Narcos Representation
The representation of Hispanics and Latinos in ‘Narcos’
reinforces the several of different stereotypes in our society and in American
Television. In the Netflix original series Wagner Moura plays and portrays the
Colombian drug lord as an egotistical, intelligent, murderer and power driven.
I believe that this is the exact representation to expect from a drug lord.
Wagner Moura has previously worked on a successful Brazilian crime film called
Elite Squad. Moura is a Portuguese speaking native and to play Pablo Escobar in
Spanish was completely out of his comfort zone. This representation of the main
protagonist fits the normal expectation as drug lords are typically associated
with power, money and homicides. The physical appearance of Moura enhances his
likeability as a protagonist appearance is indeed accurate of Pablo Escobar.
There are several different representations of Latino women in the TV series.
Some women in the TV series are portrayed to be sexual objects. This could be
the case as the show is set in the late 80’s and early 90’s, where men at the
time were still the predominate figures in the ear. Women were still recovering
from a misogynistic society. Another factor that showcases women’s role in
Narcos is due to the fact that TV series fits into the genre of American
crime. This emphasises that due to the genre of the show and the time the
series is set, it is very unlikely to see many women in greater leading roles
for example the prostitutes in show. However, the female character Judy
Moncada challenges this statement as in the show she is one of leaders of the
small vigilante group Los Pepes. She is based on the real life story of Dolly
Moncada. She becomes one of Pablo Escobar’s main enemies in the show. Pablo
Escobar’s wife Tata Escobar reinforces the typical stereotypes of a Latino
woman. This is the case as she in the show is portrayed as family oriented and
loyal person in the show. This is the case as her husband did cheat but stayed
with him as her love for her family clouded her judgement. Additionally, the
Americans in the show are positively represented as very generous. This is the
case as the do United States send aid and supplies to many countries for
example Columbia in Narcos. This links to Perkins theory of stereotypes being
positive and often true. Another common stereotype is that Americans want to be
"the world's policemen", believing that the entire world needs their
help for example in Narcos they send their Drug Enforcement Administration
agents to aid the Medellin Police. This relatively recent stereotype spawned
from Cold War and post-Cold War military interventions such as the Vietnam War.
Interestingly, there is no main character of black ethnicity. This could
perhaps reinforce the prejudice against black people in the 80s and 90s, where
there was deep segregation between black and white people. However, there is
one recurring black character in Narcos called ‘Blackie’ who is a hit man for
Pablo Escobar.
Narcos is a hit for Netflix but iffy accents grate on Colombian
ears
But the reception has been much cooler in Colombia, where
audiences have been bemused by the stars’ ropey accents, irritated by its
portrayal of the country’s recent history, and – in some cases – simply bored
by yet another narco-drama.
Much of the show’s dialogue is in Spanish, but the cast has been
drawn from across North and South America, and the actors’ attempts to adopt a
Colombian accent have not always been successful.
Colombian audiences have been irritated and amused by the show’s
hodgepodge of accents. A character based on Escobar’s wife is played by Paulina
Gaitán (Mexican) , his partner Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha by Luís Guzmán (Puerto
Rican), while his rival Jorge Ochoa is played by André Mattos (Brazilian).
Does Netflix's 'Narcos' Misrepresent
Colombia?
The glamorization of drug lords is
something preoccupying commentators in Latin America. It is creating a narco
culture, where cliched drug lord behavior is seen as “cool shit.” Every town in
Colombia has a “traqueto,” or small drug baron, who will throw his weight
around, drive a Hummer and act like a mini-Godfather. There have been four
extremely successful telenovelas about the life and loves of Escobar. Some even
portray him as a Robin Hood character, building a few homes for poor
people in order to launder his money.
At its peak, the
Medellín cartel employed more people than FedEx, Domino's, and Google
Arguably, though, that's an easy connection: the U.S. likes controlling
drugs because the U.S. likes money because money means power. In one of the
released clips, two people are speaking in a U.S. government office. One says,
“Their party took money from Pablo Escobar,” to which the other replies,
“Everyone took money … by the way it's all American.” Netflix calls these pithy
facts, where correlation certainly does not equal causation, Cokenomics.
Latino
Representation on Primetime Television (Google
Scholar)
‘’The lim
ited portrayal of Latino
Talking Back: Hispanic Media and
U.S.Latinidad-(Book)
‘’Debates about the representatively
of any media are not unique to Latino-oriented and Spanish-language media. Such
controversy is, in fact, common to any media whose mass scope inherently
excludes entire segments of its putative audience, be it on the basis of race,
class, or regional background (Hammerstein 1994). In contrast to the so- called
general market media, however, the Hispanic media have historically functioned and
promoted themselves as the “spokespersons” for the totality of U.S. Latinos, a
pre-tense that makes even more problematic the real biases of their
representations.TheWashington Post’s
recent exposure of the “blond, blue-eyed face of Spanish TV” and how it hinders
the employment of dark-skinned Latino artists (Fletcher 2000), and the debate
over the Latin Grammys and their exclusion, among other issues, of regional musical
rhythms, are indicative of the contentious nature of these media. Their legitimacy
and profitability depend on their advocacy and accurate representation of an audience
whose diversity they can never appropriately represent.’’
The Reality of Latinos in the U.S. Criminal Justice
System-(Book)
·
Hispanics
have one chance in six of being confined in prison during their lifetimes.
·
Latinos are
no more likely than other groups to use illegal drugs and less likely to use
alcohol, yet are more likely to be arrested and charged with drug offenses and
more likely to be detained before trial than other groups.
·
There is
growing bipartisan and Latino community support for criminal justice system
reforms.
·
Successful
community-based strategies for addressing criminal justice system issues that
affect Latinos provide a model for states throughout the country to replicate.
·
Substance
abuse prevention and treatment are more cost-effective than incarceration.
‘’In addition, 20 years ago, the integral connection between the
overall wellbeing of the Hispanic community and the nation’s social and
economic prosperity was not as well-documented as it is now. Within that
context, our expectations of this publication differ from its education
predecessor in important ways. While we fully believe that it will generate a
greatly-needed’’
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, if recent
incarceration rates remain unchanged, an estimated one of every 15 persons in
the United States (6.6%) will serve time in a prison during his or her
lifetime.1 In 2001, nearly 6.6 million people in the United States were under
some form of correctional supervision, including probation, jail, prison, and
parole.2 In contrast, in 2000 only 2.1 million individuals in the United States
earned postsecondary degrees at the associate, bachelor, and master degree
levels combined. 3 In other words, more than three times as many people are
likely to be under correctional supervision in the United States this year than
will graduate from higher education programs. Page 20
Critical
Investigation Task 1#
Narcos -
Pablo Escobar’s Shootout
In this scene we can see the shoot out between
Los Pepes and Pablo Escobar in one shot. At the beginning of the scene there is
a encounter between Escobar’s wife Tata, Escobar and his mother in where they emphasises
on how Escobar’s mother going to the church as put the family in risk as they
are in hideout from Escobar’s sworn enemies Los Pepes and also the Medellin
Police. When Pablo’s mother says ‘No one will be in danger’ and the non-diegetic
sounds utilised creates a sense of pathetic fallacy as the mysterious sound gives the audience the indication something dire
is going to happen. Throughout this series there is a sense of dramatic irony
as the audience already know the faith of the main protagonist due to the fact
that this show is based on real life events that occurred 20 years ago. The medium
shot of a Tata is employed to showcase her anger and fury towards her mother in
law as she has put a dent on her feeling security for her loved ones. This shot
reinforces the stereotypes of Latino women in society. Pablo Escobar’s wife Tata
Escobar reinforces the typical stereotypes of a Latino woman. This is the case
as she in the show is portrayed as family oriented and loyal person in this
scene as she is concerned for the safety of her children. She is portrayed in
this light through the series an example is that husband did cheat but stayed
with him as her love for her family clouded her judgement. This links to
Perkins theory of stereotypes being positive and often true. This is also evident
as when shots fire her first instinct is to run towards the children’s room and
get them out of bed so they can escape. The constant moving camera moment illustrates
the chaotic situations in which the Escobar’s are now in. By applying Todorov’s
narrative’s theory I can gather that this scene is the disequilibrium of this
particular episode.
In the middle of the extract there is a cut when
the camera follows a Los Pepes soldier up the basement stairs.
This is perhaps employed to build suspense and tension in the
scene as the Escobar’s men are defending the house as they try to retreat and
defend Pablo’s family. Escobar’s men are represented to be very loyal to him. This
is a dominant view on Latino men in society.
Moments before, we see Escobar’s and his wife
Tata having a delicate tea moment together. This is the case as Pablo wife Tata
was caught having a gun due to her fear and paranoia off her families’ safety
and protection. The character of Pablo has a great devotion and care towards
his family in the series. The representation of Latinos in this extract
is a dominant one. The extract constantly throughout this scene utilises medium
shots of the main protagonist in order to showcase the relationship between the
two characters. The reason for this particular gesture from Escobar to his wife
is to give his wife Tata a sense of reassurance that they are safe and that he
will protect her. The fact that the two characters do not exchange any words gives
this scene its supremacy.
Season 1 Episode 3: The Men Always
In this scene we can see that Pablo is with Valeria Vélez, who is Colombian journalist who also
serves as Pablo Escobar's mistress throughout all of season 1, are in
bedroom about to have intercourse. We can see Escobar’s intentions
to move away from his drug trafficking operation and into the political sphere.
He tells Valeria that he wants help getting into Congress, where he can really
make his changes happen, giving his ideas a public and official forum. The framework utilised in this extract also
showcases Escobar’s superiority and power. The medium shot of Pablo Escobar
showcases this as he is constantly looking into Valeria’s eyes. Even though the
constants eye contact from Pablo Escobar showcases some sense of attraction it
also symbolises authority and confidence from Escobar as he indeed using the
journalist to further his political ambitions.
Valeria Velez in this scene reinforces the stereotype
of the women in media today as being sexual objects. This is evident through
the long shot at the beginning of the extract where Velez is strapped on the
bed with a blind fold wearing very revealing clothing. The reason why she could
be portrayed in this way is because she could perhaps be afraid of Escobar’s capabilities
due to his reputation. When says ‘anything
you want Pablo’ symbolises that she is willing to let Escobar do anything to in
order to stay on his good side due to his power presence and intimidation. This reinforces the stereotype that in those
day men were more superior to women. This links to Perkins theory of stereotypes
being often true. This is the case as the show is set in the late 80’s and early 90’s,
where men at the time were still the predominate figures in the era. Women were
still recovering from a misogynistic society. Another factor that showcases
women’s role in Narcos is due to the fact that TV series fits into the genre of
American crime. This emphasises that due to the genre of the show and the
time the series is set, it is very unlikely to see many women in greater
leading roles for example the prostitutes in show. However the character of
Valeria Velez could challenge this as Velez is in a respectable occupation and
is a in a leading role throughout the first season.
The
mise en scene of this particular scene is used to enforce the relationship
between the two characters. This is evident through the props and customs. The custom
for example Velez revealing night gown in this extract gives the viewers the indication
that the two characters are intimate. Iconography is used throughput this scene
to share light on male dominance, this is evident when Escobar walks up to the
bed holding a gun in his hand. This action showcases and indicates the protagonists
control and authority over the female character as when does walk up her he
looks down upon her. The long/medium shot in this particular moment helps
capture this moment as it helps audience identify the protagonist command.
