LATINOS BEYOND REEL IS A HARD-HITTING DOCUMENTARY ABOUT HOW LATINOS ARE MARGINALIZED AND VILIFIED IN THE U.S. MEDIA—WITH GRAVE CONSEQUENCES.
Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population – and among the most diverse (with origins to more than 20 countries) – accounting for one in six adults and one in four children. Yet across the media landscape, from the broadcast airwaves to cable television and Hollywood film, the reality and richness of the Latino experience is rarely depicted in mainstream media.
You will need to consider the following questions about the documentary film.
1. In your own words, summarize the documentary’s overall argument about the nature of the racial stereotypes of Latinos, and the purposes they serve for white spectators and mainstream media industries. (You must support your answer with specifics mentioned in the film).
2. Based on the examples in the film, how are Latinos represented in children’s games, cartoons, and movies? In one or two paragraphs, explain the history, evolution, and meaning of these images, and how they deeply and harmfully affect Latinos, and the nation as a whole.
3. In American Westerns, how were the “bandidos” or bandits portrayed? And what was the real truth about who they were? What reason(s) were giving about why journalists and media creators would cast these falsehoods to the public? (You must support your answer with specifics mentioned in the film).
4. Now that you have seen the documentary, what do you now know about Latinos that you did not know before? (You must support your answer with specifics mentioned in the film).
5. How have the racial stereotypes explored in the documentary persisted, diminished, or changed over time, or across media not covered in the film?