How Argo reflects the industry’s attitude towards Latinos in the US media
As I watched the end of the 2013 Oscars, and saw Argo win for best picture, I couldn’t help but feel severe disappointment. No, it wasn’t because I wanted any particular film to win, or even because I thought Argo was bad. I was disappointed because I felt its celebration was a perfect example of how Hollywood views–and wants others to view–Latinos and Latinas in the film industry. It’s almost as if Hollywood is saying “if you’re going to make it in our world, this is how it has to be”, while simultaneously patting themselves on the back for being “good liberals” who “care” about Latino culture and depicting it in a “positive light”.
What Hollywood fails to realize is that while they feel good about themselves, they are insulting every single Latino in every facet of the film industry. It goes beyond an obvious Anglo casting himself as Tony Mendez, a Latino who worked for the CIA. It’s because the real life Tony Mendez publicly rebukes his own ancestry and heritage. He has literally declared, on multiple occasions, that he does not consider himself a Latino. Yet, ”White Hollywood” insisted on trying to make an American folk hero on the big screen, for the sake of giving people the illusion of diversity. In reality, the character of Tony Mendez is a self-deprecating man, willing to forsake his own cultural identity for the sake of his government. This is not to take away from any good the man has done in his work. However he is hardly a hero to Latinos or even an accurate representation of Latinos in the U.S.
This is why Argo is the perfect metaphor for Hollywood’s attitude toward Latinos and how they should be marketed. A self-hating Latino puts his life on the line with his hard work for his predominantly white, Anglo government. Then a movie is made about the man, and an Anglo is cast to play him.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Hollywood’s attitudes and preferences of Latinos: It’s “in name only”, unless there is an attractive woman. Then,it’s okay because, after all, she is merely an “exotic” sex object, never meant to be taken seriously. Right?