The promotion of women to the workplace was apparent in WWII, but the zoot suit movement of young Chican@s forming their own unique society and social empowerment through fashion was less conspicuous. Chicana introduction into the U.S. high-wage workforce was an unprecedented leap forward for Chicana worker equality. Chicanas worked along-side white men, while maintaining proud Chicana, neither American nor Mexican, roots.
During WWII, Americans planned to “unite the races” for the benefit of the war and to uphold rigid American social standards. Rather than acknowledge the racial and cultural differences that are essential to personal meaning and ethnic identity/heritage, Anglos wanted to dispose of the so-called “castes” in favor of Americanizing inferior nationalities. Anglos assumed their cultural and social values superior, and perceived the extinguishing of diverse cultures as a gift to members. During this time young Chicana workers furiously and blatantly stepped into “superior” clothing while challenging gender roles by wearing mens' jackets and pompadours. They shed Mexican and American cultures and pissed off both worlds, forming their own empowering social movement. Anglos demonized so-called Pachucas as “racial antagonists” instead of exposing the true, Anglo-dominated, system. So, Anglo conquest for racial/social dominance was disguised as “can’t we all just get along?” (by maintaining the racially unequal social norms that comprise the American default that is comfortable for Anglos). The repercussions for mixing-up socioracial roles are always devastating and strongly evidenced in the Zoot Suit Riots.
Zoot suits challenged segregation conspicuously. Chicano elders and siblings went off to war, leaving Chican@ yo...
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...iscuous, violent, and irrational category of race and gender. Traditional Mexican families highly valued their daughters’ virgin statuses over racial “purity”, while Anglos followed the typical model of reproductive segregation—but with the façade of integration that was inadvertently cultural assimilation, or, bigotry.
Perceptions have changed today for the worse. In Washington state, there is a constant influx of migrant workers who are clashing with parents and society. Traditional values with Castilian roots encourage large families early-on.
Calling women promiscuous and openly/publically shaming them is not socially acceptable anymore, however, women must assert sexuality to gain power in a male-dominated society that demands promiscuity. Still the target of judgment by Anglo-superiors, Chicanas are now required to sexualize rather than condemned for it.
Luis Valdez and August Wilson transformed the reflecting of multicultural in two plays through characters. Fences is the picture of the conflict culture for African-American in USA in 1957 and Zoot Suit is the picture of Mexican-American in USA in 1942. Different culture, Different people in the time period. That is affected by the racism and discrimination. The picture of the poor life and poor colors from characters on the stage in Fences. The poor languages, and the biggest fear come from by Troy Maxson. That is the lowest stream in American society. The Zoot Suit is the conflict reflecting between Mexican and American. They do not accept in the America society in 1942. El Pachuco is standing for the justice revolution and the equally rights
In “Like Mexican” when Gary announced he fell in love with a Japanese girl his family did not immediately accept the good news Gary thought it to be. Gary’s grandmother wanted him to marry an “Okie” (People different from his own culture.) The false assumption from Gary’s family led to disbelief and hesitation, but Gary realizes that one defined by their race and ethnicity does not determine who you are and your financial situation (Soto 280). In the end Gary Soto managed to be “different” and didn’t follow his Mexican stereotypes. No matter what race, country, ethnicity people are that people can also have similar financial status and living environment was the lesson he learned from his experience. In contrast, Deborah Tannen’s “Gender in the Classroom” conducts surveys and observations by splitting the students into “degree programs they were in, one by gender, and one by conversational style.” The four foreign, male students “spoke in class at least occasionally.”(Tannen 286). Although, it was particularly hard for the Japanese woman to speak in an all female-based group, because the woman was so “overwhelmed” by the change of atmosphere; She was surprised by the other, quiet and shy women to be so talkative and loud. “The differing ethics” from the varied backgrounds led to Tannen’s experiment as a success. Tannen also learned a lesson from her surveys. She thought that “everyone’s style changes in response to the context and other’s styles” no
The zoot suit symbolized several different things for the Mexican American population in the Los Angeles community. Not only was it a symbol of pride in their Mexican heritage, but also a form of rebellion from the norms emplaced upon the Mexican teenagers by their parents. These suits were also a symbol of unity, these young men wanted to look different and feel as if they’re culture could be something they could display and be proud of. This whole image was seen by the modern culture of Los Angeles to be “gang” related or distasteful. These “Pachuco” or punks often spoke a hybrid of English and Spanish, this was known as “calo.” However, many of the Mexican American teenagers at the time, spoke only English. The outfit often included pants wide at the knee often 40 inches or more, a broad shouldered jacket, hat, chain wallet and shined shoes called “calcos.”
The main character in “Woman Hollering Creek” is Cleόfilas Enriqueta DeLeόn Hernández, a woman who leaves her home in Mexico to marry a man, Juan Pedro Martinez Sánchez, in Texas. Flowing behind Cleόfilas’ new house in Texas, is a stream named Woman Hollering. Cleόfilas imagines her marriage to be filled with joy and love. To Cleόfilas’ surprise, Juan Pedro is a vile husband that is both physically and verbally abusive. Cisneros brings attention to a recurrent issue within the Chicana community. According to The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, “The majority of abused women, (75%) of Mexican-American women reported spousal abuse”
During the time of World War II, there was a dramatic change in the society of America and its way of life. Men were needed at war, and the women were left at home. People were mistrusted and were falsely accused of something they didn’t do. Some people were even pushed away because they were different. These people are the minorities of America.
American minorities made up a significant amount of America’s population in the 1920s and 1930s, estimated to be around 11.9 million people, according to . However, even with all those people, there still was harsh segregation going on. Caucasians made African-Americans work for them as slaves, farmers, babysitters, and many other things in that line. Then when World War II came, “World War II required the reunification and mobilization of Americans as never before” (Module2). They needed to cooperate on many things, even if they didn’t want to. These minorities mainly refer to African, Asian, and Mexican-Americans. They all suffered much pain as they were treated as if they weren’t even human beings. They were separated, looked down upon, and wasn’t given much respect because they had a different culture or their skin color was different. However, the lives of American minorities changed forever as World War 2 impacted them significantly with segregation problems, socially, and in their working lives, both at that time and for generations after.
Those studying the experience of African Americans in World War II consistently ask one central question: “Was World War II a turning point for African Americans?” In elaboration, does World War II symbolize a prolongation of policies of segregation and discrimination both on the home front and the war front, or does it represent the start of the Civil Rights Movement that brought racial equality? The data points to the war experience being a transition leading to the civil rights upheavals of the 1960s.
...types of the Zoot Suit trend. Without El Pachuco’s presence in these scenes, the clarity of the issues would not have been put in the forefront of the play. Zoot Suit is a political play designed to display the Chicano struggle against oppression and injustice. Although Zoot Suit reaches back to a historical event for Mexican-Americans, the play concerns all ethnic minorities in America. The Zoot Suit is a historical image that embodies a form of agency imbued with political power and rebellion for Chicanos and Chicanas alike. This play is counteractive to the prejudice and misrepresentation of Zoot Suiters of the time and is a tool for historical education. Not only does this play educate those who were unable to bear witness to such discrimination, but it also displays the ways in which counterculture can be powerful and makes changes in society.
World war II was one of the deadliest war in history that associated with at least 30 countries and estimate at least 85 million deaths. This war went on for six fatal years until Allies defeated Germany and Japan in 1945. Many as 500,000 Latinos and Mexican-Americans served in World War II, which impacted many of them in the United States. Mexican-Americans were drafted or volunteered for the military services. Many risked their life wanting to protect our freedom. For Mexican Americans, they faced many challenges during this war but shows how soldiers contribute, women contribute, what the bracero program did and the effects after the war.
During World War II, this belief changed; women now had to be an essential part of the workforce. Women were desperately needed to replace men at work while they were off fighting the war. Essentially, World War II opened the gates to female work outside the home and redefined women’s role in the paid employment industry. The Second World War redefined Canadian women’s work in the factories as well as typical male jobs. This time period allowed white women and black women to find a place in the workplace.
Crouch, Ned. Mexicans & Americans : Cracking The Cultural Code. NB Publishing, Inc., 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
In the 1940s, many Mexican-Americans suffered a widespread of discrimination causing them to question their identity. In order to fight the discrimination many young Mexicans in Los Angeles wore a zoot suit and styled themselves to be “pachucos” as a form of social and political rebellion. Once they put on those baggy, high-waisted pants and the long jacket they took on the identity of being punks and troublemakers. Luis Valdez’s play Zoot Suits, is based on the events that happened in the Sleepy Lagoon Trial, where the court unfairly charged a group of Pachucos with the murder of another Mexican because of their ethnicity, behavior, and style of dressing.
The struggle to find a place inside an un-welcoming America has forced the Latino to recreate one. The Latino feels out of place, torn from the womb inside of America's reality because she would rather use it than know it (Paz 226-227). In response, the Mexican women planted the seeds of home inside the corral*. These tended and potted plants became her burrow of solace and place of acceptance. In the comfort of the suns slices and underneath the orange scents, the women were free. Still the questions pounded in the rhythm of street side whispers. The outside stare thundered in pulses, you are different it said. Instead of listening she tried to instill within her children the pride of language, song, and culture. Her roots weave soul into the stubborn soil and strength grew with each blossom of the fig tree (Goldsmith).
Moreover, she feels that the "U.S society is gendered and racialized: it expects certain behavior from women, certain bearings from men, certain comportment from queer mujeres, certain demeanor from queer hombres, certain conduct from disabled, and so on"(65 Anzaldua).
In the 1970’s when Chicanos began to revolt and fight for what they believed in, there was a lot of violence happening. The riot in which there was “one resulting death, fifty injuries, and righty arrests demonstrates all the chaos and rioting that the Chicano community was experiencing. For many years Chicanos were considered the silent or forgotten majority. “This situation was to change dramatically in the mid- and late-1960s as an independent movement developed in response to the specific oppression of the Chicano people, which had a dynamic and revolutionary logic of its own”. Throughout this time there was also much progress occurring for the Chicanos. ‘They had rose from 652,879 in 1960 to 1,228,594 in 1970, an increase of almost 90 percent”, Chicanos were no longer becoming the minority but they were now becoming the majority. There was progress for the Chicano in school and in the work field. They were no longer ignored as they were in the past years. There were more Spanish-speaking teachers and more educational programs for the Chicanos. Although the Chicano community had advanced and was starting to receive more fair treatment, there was still a lot that needed to be done. There were no associations for Chicanos, and they were not really represented in congress either. In the 1960’s the advancement was noticeable and it was good for the Chicano community, but in the 1970’s the progress that had occurred had began to erode. Although progress in education had been made still only one fourth of the Latino population had a high school diploma. The jobs had became more available but they were very limited to the Chicano. They were being offered low paying jobs or agricultural jobs. The Chicano community was very underrepre...