Confessions of Fear
September 5, 2018
In her one act comedy, Confessions
of Women from East LA, Josefina López explores (among other things) the
intersections between race, gender, sexuality, and citizenship in East Los Angeles. I wonder what light her characters can shed
on the role that these identities and fear play in our current political
divide.
Marisa “La Valentina” Chavez rallies the revolutionaries in
the basement of Killer Tacos (in modern diction) to ‘get woke’: “Today I heard something
very disturbing and wanted to cry, but tears don’t change things; action does.
It’s 1996 gente, raza, but before we know it, with all the Republicans in
office, it will be 1950 again! Women won’t be able to get safe and legal
abortions, affirmative action will be gone, under-represented people like us
won’t have equal access to jobs…All that was fought for and accomplished in the
’60s will be lost.”
A few pages later she states: “This is no longer a “white
America,” and that is why there is a backlash against us. The closer we get to reaching
our goals to liberate ourselves, the more afraid people in the establishment
get.” (p.143)
To what extent are these fears (on both sides) prevalent
today? What role does fear play in our
current discourse around immigration and identity politics? As divided as our nation is in 2018, what does
she offer as a way forward? Where does the
founding story of Los Angeles situate us in this narrative?
I remember noticing that passage, too, as although it was true at the time it was written, in retrospect it's an incredibly prescient warning. The "backlash" element López writes about proves particularly true after the election of President Obama, when the Tea Party was born. While much of their message was racialized, it was hidden under dog whistles pre-2016 (through anti-welfare, slashing, -terrorism, and -immigration platforms). Further, you could make the argument that the MAGA movement was driven almost entirely by race-based fear, considering Trump won every single income bracket of white voters.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where LA fits into this recent narrative, though. There was certainly a lot of racial fear in the 20th century, sparking a white flight into suburbs. Even within suburban cities, following the integration of public schools came a huge increase in private school enrollment, particularly in Pasadena, where fault lines along race and public school attendance are insane. So, even though the effects of racial tension are still very much visible today, and issues like gentrification have a huge racial component, I wonder if/how racial fear, specifically, continues to play a role in public policy and/or society in Los Angeles.
typo: should read "anti-welfare, -terrorism, ..."
DeleteThe statement “This is no longer a ‘white America,” and that is why there is backlash against us” resonated with me. While true in the 60s, this statement is still true today. I’ve noticed that while on the discover page of Snapchat, there are usually stories about deportation and immigration laws. Currently, there is a restriction that Trump is attempting to implement called Public Charge Restriction. He would require prerequisites for even applying for a Visa and if the requirements aren’t met, the person will not be granted citizenship or will be deported. He is using this restriction as grounds for inadmissibility. Essentially, Trump wants to restrict people that would use welfare, medical/nutritional needs, subsidized housing, and etc, to come to the US. The idea of fear is extremely present; from deportations to the idea of the Public Charge Restriction, neither would be happening if not for fear. Trump would not go so far as to restrict immigrants or those attempting to become a citizen if he was not scared of America not being a “white America.” On the other side, those trying to immigrate to the US are scared of being deported, if they are not granted a Visa.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, though not directly referenced in the text, I believe that López offers the idea of “finding your identity” as a way forward. Being able to discover who you are and what you stand for is important not only for oneself but for the greater community. Showing a united front requires self-awareness, which is essentially identity. This reminded me of the Tongva reading we did the other night, which touched on the idea of cultural identity and how that can unite a community. Finally, Los Angeles was founded by immigrants yet, today, immigrants are the ones being oppressed. There was one point on the board about how LA is so diverse but how it is still so segregated, and I think that that point would be really interesting to further explore.
Such fears that are stated by the fictional Marisa Chavez in 1996 are still exceedingly prevalent today, prompting me to wonder about how much (or little) progress we’ve made as a city and nation in how we maneuver around discussions about minorities and immigration politics. The fear within one side of the fight in America to “keep our nation safe” and “keep our jobs for real Americans” I’ve begun to notice more and more evidently especially as of late, as can even be seen in the recent Mollie Tibbetts case that served as MAGA-America’s perfect chance to say that immigrants are the root cause of all of our problems when the real issue of the murder had nothing to do with such topics, as even her father penned in a recent letter.
ReplyDeleteThis “white America” constantly seeks for the perfect scapegoat to help justify their fears of any sort of minority having a voice in our country, and uses such scapegoats to attempt to prove that illegal immigrants don’t have a place in our country, even though nearly all of America was founded by and functions by the way of immigrants, with Los Angeles being on the even more recent side of that. While Los Angeles tends to be more accepting towards immigrants and related politics with the continued sanctuary city status and city-government that pushes for their rights, there is still a long way to go -- and as Chavez says, only our action can help that.
I found this excerpt to be especially poignant considering the current political divide that Ms. Gladden references, and I find both La Valentina’s battle cry and her interpretation of the fears and motivations of the “people in the establishment” to be incredibly topical. The fears outlined in the excerpt are all extremely relevant today, and I absolutely think that identity politics played a major role in the election of Donald Trump. I also have seen and heard many people express fears about regressing to an earlier, less tolerant time period with Trump at the helm of the country. All of the rhetoric surrounding Mexicans being rapists and the contested “Muslim ban” are proposed by Trump and his followers because they are afraid to see white America disappearing, and they aren’t used to being in the minority. Regarding how all this relates to LA, as a so-called “sanctuary city” as well as the second largest American city and a multicultural hub, there is no doubt that it will remain important in what feels like a fight for the ongoing role of the American government, both domestically and on the world stage.
ReplyDeleteWe often see examples of race-based fear outside of Los Angeles: Trump campaigned extensively in predominantly white, low-income regions, promising to return the employment and economic stability that minority communities had "stolen" from them. This fear stems from America's deviation from its original white-centric identity; unlike the Tongva's celebration of their ever-changing identity - their continuum - those fearing racial diversity mistakenly define America based on its original demographic, and for some reason, prioritize the country's racial make-up over its fundamental values (freedom, independence, opportunity, etc)...
ReplyDeleteLike Emma said, I am unsure of where LA fits into this recent narrative. Race-based fear is evident in Los Angeles' unusually large prison industrial complex, and in the highly debated "school to prison pipeline" among other fronts...I would like to know more. It's especially interesting considering that immigrants comprise around 35-40% of the Los Angeles population - a statistic that would make you think that Los Angeles would be at the forefront of inclusivity.
Fear among those who fail to understand what is foreign to them. This idea is a common trend among politics today. Fear of allowing citizenship to those who are not originally from our country is a hot topic at the moment and this also plays into race. The stereotypes and labels society (not all people) places on certain people ignite fear in the eyes of those who are currently running our government. These labels, when unfortunately placed on one person in a minority, start to become a label that is “assigned” to every person of that community.
ReplyDeleteI want to dig deeper into the last line on page 143 which is quite profound. It really resonated with me and is almost an anthem of sorts and is worded in such a way that it perhaps encourages others to keep fighting the system and embracing our differences. Representation matters and unfortunately it seems as if White America is constantly diminishing the voices and narratives that deserve to be heard. These voices are "contained" which is the opposite of liberated. However, this last line is reassuring and powerful. It gives us hope. After the liberation that she talks about, people in the “establishment," or government position, will begin to fear the voices that they had once believed were “contained.” Circling back to the dominant narrative, soon this dominant narrative will be irrelevant. (This will be a tangent): I immediately thought of the widow who is a confessing to this priest about her sexuality and how difficult that is for her to share with her children who had just lost their father. And on top of that, she hasn’t told anyone about the Aids she had contracted. The woman has chosen to keep it a secret until further notice. That then ignites fear of sharing something personal with people that are closest. Fear of being ostracized. Fear of being shamed. Especially as a woman of faith, I can imagine it would be hard for her to come out to her friends and family of whom are also probably people who share the same faith. So again that constant fear of sharing a piece of one’s identity because of the possible consequences is something that I think this one act play dissects very carefully. So there are also cultural aspects that play a role in this idea of fear and one can argue that there is fear on both sides because of this.
I am mostly drawn in by Chavez's line "with all the republicans in office, it will be 1950 again!" In the past year with the women's marches and the fight for reproductive rights, it is clear that fear exists on both sides. In this case, women are scared because their reproductive rights are being threatened, and, like Chavez points out, people in our establishment are scared because of backlash. I think Cole makes a good point when he says that because of liberation and revolt against these threats, the dominant narrative (primarily constructed by white males) will be irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteThis also prompted me to think more about where L.A. fits into this story. I don't have a clear answer but perhaps one that can incite further discussion. Los Angeles is a very liberal city that is extremely diverse, so we have a lot of liberal activism (ie.marches and protests). But as Sophia and Emma have stated, race-based fear is also quite evident in L.A. as well. We have both people who suffer as a result of those in power and people fighting against establishment. Maybe L.A. is emblematic of the fear and political divides in this country.
There is a quote by Joan Didion that I think perfectly describes Los Angeles and our expression of revolt and fear to and from those in establishment. "Los Angeles weather is the weather of catastrophe, of apocalypse, and, just as the reliably long and bitter winters of New England determine the way life is lived there, so the violence and the unpredictability of the Santa Ana affect the entire quality of life in Los Angeles, accentuate its impermanence, its unreliability." Perhaps the catastrophic, apocalyptic nature of L.A. is significant in finding our way towards equality.
While progress has certainly been made since the 1950s with regards to the way we view immigration and human diversity, recently, there seems to be a resurgence of white nationalism cloaked as patriotism. Using fear to marginalize a group of people is not an isolated event in history; in fact, just 10 years before the 1950s, the Nazi's used fear as a platform to carry out the systematic executions of millions of Jews. More recently, since Trump took office back in 2018, there has been an ongoing debate over immigration. It is now common to hear statements like "They're taking away our jobs" and "They're dangerous to society" with little to no evidence to corroborate such a broad statement. However, while these statements are unsubstantiated, they are intended to evoke feelings of fear and resentment: feelings that generally result in immediate action regardless of the ramifications.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I am still unsure how exactly the founding of Los Angeles plays a role in this narrative. I do, however, believe it is quite ironic how we are all immigrants who's ancestors forcefully took land to create what is now 'our' city. While issues such as gentrification, police brutality, and racial bias are still prevalent in Los Angeles, I am unsure how this fear relates to the founding of the city. I hope to address and somehow connect the founding of Los Angles with the fear so many people still feel today in an upcoming class dialogue.
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DeleteIn 2001, two senators introduced the DREAM Act, or Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, though it has since been discussed multiple times and has yet to be passed. In 2012, President Barack Obama created DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an immigration policy that allows children (Dreamers) who arrived in the US illegally before their 16th birthday and prior to June of 2007 to qualify for work permits and receive a renewable two-year time slot of deferred action from deportation. Under Trump’s administration, Homeland Security denied the expansion of DACA that Obama had begun plans for in 2014, while also reviewing DACA as an existing program entirely. The Trump Administration devised a plan to eliminate DACA, though said plans were put on hold for another 6 months to allow time to pass the DREAM Act or an alternate legislative protection program. That failed and the extension hit its expiration in March of 2018, though the plans to eliminate DACA has been paused by many courts. Still, despite the pauses and expansions, the fear of what will happen to whom, and where this society will go is only increasing. DACA proved to do good for this country; for Dreamers, it increased employment rates, mental health, and wages, and reduced poverty among illegal immigrants. Another issue recently hit every headline on every media platform regarding the separation of children and families at the border seeking nothing more than refuge and safety. At the peak of this atrocity, all adults crossing the border illegally were to be criminally prosecuted and those with child would undergo family separation. Children received the label of unaccompanied minors and were sent under the care of Child Protective Services, and parents were labeled criminals and sent to jail. While this is no longer actively being carried out, an unsettling amount of children who were separated from their families in the beginning remain separated. This is what we have to fear in this country, and a very reasonable fear at that. What is one to do living in a country under the rule of a man whose main objective is to keep alien individuals out, to save all American things for “true” American citizens, and to lead this nation as a joke.
ReplyDeleteNow that I have given unnecessarily extensive context, in Confessions of Women from East LA, Marisa “La Valentina” Chavez uses her anger and fear of being treated as second-class citizens to ignite some sort of fire in her fellow revolutionaries, and she does this in the basement of a restaurant. I think this should say something about how easy it is to spark change– all we need is the want for change, and the fear we harbor when thinking about what would happen to us if that change did not come. I think for all that our President has done to make us angry about our country, it has allowed us to use that anger to make an actual impact on our nation.
Maria Chavez alludes to the fact that there is a fear linked to losing white America. I believe this idea has been manifesting since the 60s and is still relevant today. With Trump currently in office, it is clear with his disrespectful comments on both race and gender early on in his term that there is an underlying fear in his words. I believe that with his unending push of non-US citizens out of the country and this drive to keep wealthy - and many white - Americans content, he is encouraging the regression to white America. While reading this excerpt, Chavez's ideas lead me to think about the "superior race." This idea was more prevalent during the 50s and 60s; however, I feel as if this is the underlying fuel for this fear. It is no longer just the fear of losing "white America," but also the fear of losing this "superior status."
ReplyDeleteI am not entirely sure how the founding LA story fits into this narrative. In many cases, LA is known to be a city that is very diverse and accepting. Even with this idea fixed in the minds of many, there are still many tensions regarding race and gender. These tensions may not be as visible as they have been in the past, however, their visibility does not diminish the impact of them.
The results of the 2016 election definitely demonstrated the idea that fear still plays a big part in the motivation behind outbursts and moments of backlash. Simply looking at the demographics of those who voted for Trump will prove that. White america, in large numbers, supported and voted for Trump because of the feelings of being “left behind” in a rapidly evolving and seemingly “PC” culture. Fear is a really powerful motivator, one that Donald Trump knew how to use towards his advantage and did.
ReplyDeleteThe organization against big, political machines and groups has always been happening at a grassroots level. Community organizing, and the drive for some kind of community organization is something that is very special about (and something I really love about) LA. There is so much impactful and ongoing work happening in Los Angeles currently surrounding politics and equality, so much of which is intertwined with the story and history of LA and the people who make up LA that choose to participate in it.
In Confessions from East LA, a lot of the examples of community organizing throughout the stories are within communities. There is extreme value in this and recognizing the importance of those within a specific community fighting for their experiences and their community is crucial. It is, however, important to contextualize this community work within greater LA. One group, or one neighborhood, or one person can not hope to make progress without understanding the greater systems and infrastructures at play. It is important, especially in such a spread out and vastly different city such as LA to constantly be thinking about the way in which the choices, decisions, and voices involved are either reflecting or not reflecting all of LA.
The fear of change is what is most prevalent today. White America is fearful because they are becoming few in numbers, and they are scared of losing resources from immigrants. For example, they are scared of losing opportunities because new people can work at much lower wages, and they feel threatened by the identity of homosexuals and transgenders due to a difference in beliefs. Today’s climate shows that people fear what they do not understand. Therefore, much hate is targeted to people who are “different” from the norm. For example, homosexuals, Muslims, Hispanics, and African Americans can be perceived as different from the norm because of varying cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds. Lopez states that targeted people are being oppressed; however, she shows this is due to fear and not superiority. The way forward is to persist and win the trust of the existing community by reassuring that outsiders are not a threat, but that they are here to cooperate and diversify the community.
ReplyDeleteThe quotation “This is no longer a “white America,” and that is why there is a backlash against us. The closer we get to reaching our goals to liberate ourselves, the more afraid people in the establishment get.” (p.143) highlights a theme that is common when people feel as though life as they know it is coming to an end. The fear of having to adapt to immense change is so great that it empowers citizens to participate in riots and other act of civil disobedience. The current presidency seems to emboldens Americans to say whatever they want even if it may offend someone. We have recently seen an "anti politically correct" movement.
ReplyDeleteThe same fears and ignorance that plagued America throughout it's history has reemerged in modern day United States.
The current social and political atmosphere that envelopes America feels a lot like the fulfillment of those infamous words, "The South will rise again". The gains made in our quest to form a more perfect union over the last several decades, are threatened by the racial animosity that, once again, has drawn stark battle lines between our country's citizens. The tribalism that has replaced patriotism threatens to rip us apart at the direction and instigation of a president that rules by fear division. He has promised non-whites that a wall will be built and policies executed to protect them. Migrant communities are terrorized by ICE, tasked with removing illegals from their homes and the country. Our government has deemed certain immigrants acceptable based on their country of origin, while rejecting those from the "shithole" counties in Africa. Is not the torch that welcomed white immigrants the same one that gives hope to brown and black people? We are either one nation, indivisible, or this American experiment fails. Andrew Gillum, the first black Democratic candidate for Florida's governor who was on the receiving end of his opponents vile racial slur, urges us to "reject the politics of separation'". It is that spirit of resistance to this toxic culture that captures the heart of Los Angeles. They have rejected the efforts to divide and diminish in favor of promoting human rights and dignity. Angelinos embrace their diversity as the essential and inextricable ingredient that makes it a world-class city, a beacon on a hill.
ReplyDeleteLooking back at this quotation from Confessions of Women from East La, I definitely think this fear has only heightened from 1996 to present day. Although the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 was a major win for all women, it was not enough to secure their reproductive rights. Marisa Chavez’s dialogue suggests that women’s rights were being threatened, and the Roe vs Wade decision most likely could have fueled it. According to a Huffington Post article published in December of 2017, there were 70 different restrictions placed on female reproductive rights in 2013 alone. The interesting part is that regardless of these restrictions, the unintended pregnancy rate of low-income women and women of color has been increasing. It can be inferred that these restrictions placed against women are merely to rob them of their human decision-making rights and dismiss them to nothing more than child-bearing machines with no ambitions or talents. It is also obvious that the privileged men working behind these female reproductive restrictions aren’t scrutinizing male reproductive decisions such as vasectomies to the same extent if at all. I think men have become comfortable with their ability to control women with legal backing and are fearful of what possibilities may arise for women once they start vocalizing and fighting for their true worth. I also think fear is the main factor in almost all of our discourse around immigration policies. White is no longer the majority, and the fear of difference and change is directing policies to dangerous extremes.
ReplyDeleteI think hope is the main road that Marisa Chavez uses to guide her “lucha” forward. She instils hope in all under and misrepresented people through the backlash they receive. The more backlash one receives the more threatened the enemy party feels.
I am still, however, lost in how the founding story of Los Angeles would fit into this narrative. I suppose that the wars fought and laws made by the privileged were out of fear of what might happen if another group more powerful or dominant.