Latinos as the bad guys a cheap stereotype? Maybe, maybe not

[Katherine Wentworth]

Sue Ellen's use of the term "Latino Gang" made me think about Dallas and ethnicity. At first one might think that having Latinos Marta, Vicente, his Venezuelan goons and the Latino gang in prison as con-artists, killers and extortionists is a politically incorrect faux pas on the part of the writers. But is it?

Let's remember that the most honest character so far has been Elena, a "Mexican", as JR calls her. And let's remember that Vicente blames Chavez for his country oil mobsters turning into crime, a typical right-wing move to villainize Chavez. Chavez nationalized his country's oil fields, which is the absolutely correct thing to do for the good of all citizens of a nation.

And the real bad guys of course are JR & his son, white guys, and let's not forget neither that white shark lawyer who put the South Fork deal together or Sue Ellen, who's running for governor and using her position to bribe and coerce executives and medical examiners. But these white folks never resort to murder.

So far only the Latinos have. The most violent crimes have been the murder of Marta and the beating of John Ross, all by Latinos, so what's the message?

[SnarkyOracle!]

I get the message that Cidre is trying to really diversify DALLAS so that all the meaty activity doesn't go to white males other than the requisite JR/John Ross/Bobby/Christopher stuff.

Hopefully, this wont prevent the future revelation that Jeremy Wendell is running it all.

But if you're going to put women and different ethnicities into the action, somebody's inevitably going to view it as sexist/racist if all those non-white/non-males are shown to be anything less than completely well-adjusted and righteous.

Frankly, I think we're passed that. But maybe not everybody.

[witchboy]

I think that Dallas has had a wide range of Latino characters this season, good and bad, as it should be.
Is it unrealistic that there is a Latino gang in jail? I think we're past the point where all minority characters must be perfect angels.

[quiche]

I was talking to my family who are watching Dallas. They automatically said that Vicente is a drug dealer. They associate it all together - Latin American, violent, drug dealer. But nowhere has it been suggested that Vicente deals in drugs. Instead, it seems he's a partner in a powerful oil cartel from Venezuela.

Vicente is not too different from J.R. Think of all the illegal things that J.R. did. Sure, no overt violence. But we did hear that he used men to go after Valene and take Lucy.

I think they have to work on the Vicente portrayal. It was unfortunate to refer to the gang in jail as Latino, when one of them did not even look Latino.

We don't really know how Marta died. Maybe she fell off the balcony while resisting Vicente's men. ala the Nicholas Pearce death. Do I blame Vicente sending his men after her when she stole millions of dollars from him? Not necessarily.

But you see the audience more readily assumes that Vicente had her killed, than they assumed that J.R. killed either Nicholas Pearce or Kristin Shepherd.

As for having John Ross beat up in jail. Well, Vicente viewed himself as having been swindled.

[ronald mascot]

It was just bad writing. "Latino gang" stuck out like a sore thumb, obviously only being said so someone could chime in "Vincente must have put them up to it?

[James from London]

Of course it's not bad writing. It's what someone would realistically say in that situation if they weren't worried about being on a TV show and offending any of the easily offended who might be watching.

[Pam's Twin Sister]

I am Spanish and I do like Cidre´s diversification focus. Elena seems to be a goody-goody (with a weak point) and Marta / Veronica was a total bipolar bitch. Sue Ellen´s use of the word "Latino gang" did call my attention but only because she is running for governor and I´m sure that, if she had said that in another context (a speech, eg...), that would have cost her one or two million votes...

As a Spanish man (and as webmaster of the Dallas Universe site, which "salutes" the 5 most prominent TNT Dallas Hispanic actors in its homepage), I feel quite content with it. Don´t do with us Latin people the same thing the original Dallas did with gays: devote one early episode to him and afterwards, make them live in a gay-less world. If my eyes didn´t lie to me (as Sue Ellen said once ironically to JR), we have seen of several ethnics already: Texan Wasps, Texan black people, Texan Asian people, Venezuelan (crooked) people, Mexican (gentle) people, Hobbits (Lucy)...sorry, couldn´t help it. I also like tha fact of Julie Gonzalo being Argentinian-raised and the five actors I "salute" are affluent Spanish speakers who luckily haven´t become famous "only" for playing in a telenovela (which is the Latin word for "cheapest daytime soap with no ambitions at all".

Just my 2 cents.

[Eyeshotjr]

Chavez nationalized his country's oil fields, which is the absolutely correct thing to do for the good of all citizens of a nation.

Hows that working out for them?

[SteveW]

I get the message that Cidre is trying to really diversify DALLAS so that all the meaty activity doesn't go to white males other than the requisite JR/John Ross/Bobby/Christopher stuff.

Hopefully, this wont prevent the future revelation that Jeremy Wendell is running it all.

But if you're going to put women and different ethnicities into the action, somebody's inevitably going to view it as sexist/racist if all those non-white/non-males are shown to be anything less than completely well-adjusted and righteous.

Frankly, I think we're passed that. But maybe not everybody.

Good point - and if it is going to appeal to a lot of people and have a good story - it will need that diversity. Such gangs are part of the reality of jails and are what a thug like Vicente would get at. And yes the cook is Hispanic. But so is the very smart science nerd girl - Elena and the billionaire JR turns to for money. Hey if they could get Morgan Freeman to run West Star I would say go for it. I've said I'd like to see a strong woman - which I think is a major missing part of the show. Many people have said they'd like to see a gay character (not guy issues, just a character who is gay), I'm ok with that too. I like to see a great deal of diversity. Will that anger a lot of people - it should. If you aren't put off a bit the writers probably aren't challenging us. I say they keep it up and push the line even harder.

[SteveW]

Hows that working out for them?

Yea I don't agree with that. I don't think the writers seem very right wing at all. They almost seem left to me - arguing not to drill on Southfork when that is just STUPID and true, intelligent left wingers should be insulted.

[Pamela Barnes]

Cidre is Latino, she is well aware of the stereotypes. There is a whole discussion about it in the interview with the cook (her name escapes me right now). She mentioned at first she had misgivings about being a cook but she also felt it rang true and that the balance was right. Usually they play gang members, drug addicts etc etc. Julie, Jordana, the cook (still can't remember her name),Vicente and Marta are all Latino actors. I do have so many double take moments with some of the comments that all seem really contradictory. One hand its too moral and PC and on the other too offensive.

I don't think there is a message apart from opening up the landscape of diversity where people are good and bad in every walk of life.

[SnarkyOracle!]

Also, as much as Texas has always been full of latinos, the old show never reflected that other than the servants.

Pam should have had a mexican grandmother.

[witchboy]

I had thought that if they "reimagined" Dallas as a complete reboot, I'd have had Rebecca be Latina, and Cliff and Pam ( and possibly someday Katherine) thus be white/Latino. Texas does have a large Latino population, and that should be a part of the series, as the new series has done. There is no reason at all why Cliff and Pam couldn't be Latino, and that adds an extra dimension to the class division between the Barnes and the Ewings. I think having the show's big super couple be a mixed race couple works.
Of course, the big love triangle in the new show does have a Latina, and it doesn't change a thing, just as it should be.

[Canyon340]

Cidre may have an ideological motivation for making the show more culturally diverse, I don't know. Nevertheless, in the past most viewers of the show would be forgiven for thinking the city was the exclusive playground of white multi-millionaire oil magnates. Even then (and more so now) the city of Dallas was one of the most vibrantly cosmopolitan and culturally diverse cities in the US. Of course it would be absurd to suggest that a mere soap opera should provide a sociologically and demographically accurate representation of the place where it is set, but when a show bears the name of a city then there is perhaps more of an obligation to at least make an effort. The parent show was wildly and wilfully blind to this and I welcome Cidre's innovations.