Guest Voto Latino Commentator: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, author & commentator
Barack Obama's former minister, the Rev. Jerimiah Wright, responds to the NY Times in a letter I wish I'd written.
Please note that in the Times' introduction to Wright's letter, the newspaper calls it "fiery". I have lost count of the number of times I've heard this man referred to as fiery in the Big Media lately. The use of this word is no mistake.
See, fiery is a code word. I write much and often of code words used in Big Media to describe minorities. Code words are used in order to nullify whatever it is the minority says or does, without coming right about and saying so. Their use for this purpose has been happening for centuries. A scan of newspaper articles from the late 1800s make this quite clear, when "objective" pieces refer to single mothers as "loose women," etc. It's still happening today.
How many non-Hispanic white women do we see called "sassy" by the media? Sassy is a term general reserved for minority women. But was is "sassing"? It is what children do to parents when they are disobedient. Cute, rebellious, and ultimately harmless. Code words put people "in their place," and serve to make white people comfortable.
How many non-Hispanic whites are called "fiery"? Fiery. Let's think about this word a bit. Who is fiery? People who are out of control. But used in conjunction with a piece about a black minister, there are even more sinister connotations. Burning crosses. Fiery. Firebombed churches. Fiery. Hell, brimstone. Fiery. A loaded word if ever there was one.
Code words I've seen often used for African Americans: bold, articulate, combative, activist, earthy, outspoken, dignified (only generally used in a photo caption of someone at a funeral, usually a woman in a hat), well-spoken, angry. Fiery.
For Latinos/Hispanics, the code words and phrases tend to include: hot, spicy, passionate, white-hot, red-hot, feisty, fiery, hip-shaking, hot tamale, whole enchilada, newly-arrived, emotional, "caliente", etc. We are often assigned "South of the border" qualities, regardless of where we were born.
Please note that in the Times' introduction to Wright's letter, the newspaper calls it "fiery". I have lost count of the number of times I've heard this man referred to as fiery in the Big Media lately. The use of this word is no mistake.
See, fiery is a code word. I write much and often of code words used in Big Media to describe minorities. Code words are used in order to nullify whatever it is the minority says or does, without coming right about and saying so. Their use for this purpose has been happening for centuries. A scan of newspaper articles from the late 1800s make this quite clear, when "objective" pieces refer to single mothers as "loose women," etc. It's still happening today.
How many non-Hispanic white women do we see called "sassy" by the media? Sassy is a term general reserved for minority women. But was is "sassing"? It is what children do to parents when they are disobedient. Cute, rebellious, and ultimately harmless. Code words put people "in their place," and serve to make white people comfortable.
How many non-Hispanic whites are called "fiery"? Fiery. Let's think about this word a bit. Who is fiery? People who are out of control. But used in conjunction with a piece about a black minister, there are even more sinister connotations. Burning crosses. Fiery. Firebombed churches. Fiery. Hell, brimstone. Fiery. A loaded word if ever there was one.
Code words I've seen often used for African Americans: bold, articulate, combative, activist, earthy, outspoken, dignified (only generally used in a photo caption of someone at a funeral, usually a woman in a hat), well-spoken, angry. Fiery.
For Latinos/Hispanics, the code words and phrases tend to include: hot, spicy, passionate, white-hot, red-hot, feisty, fiery, hip-shaking, hot tamale, whole enchilada, newly-arrived, emotional, "caliente", etc. We are often assigned "South of the border" qualities, regardless of where we were born.
Credit: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Author & Commentator
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