TV Show: Chicana/O Stereotypes

In general, this episode portrays Latina/os as criminal, unintelligent, and incompatible people, even though the show as a whole occasionally has moments that strive to highlight the virtue and good nature in its Latina/o characters. But even then, many stereotypes are still casually woven in, and therefore, the underlying message remains negative and hurtful. The overarching “argument” is that a Chicana/o personality is undesirable and unworthy of respect. Throughout the majority of episodes, visual strategies are consistent and static. Their impact on the show’s message is minimal. The set consists of the garage bay, the alley, Ed’s bedroom, and Chico’s bedroom, all of which are adjacent to one other, and the lights are either on (most

A Los Angeles Times article entitled “’Chico and the Man’: Some Chicanos Are Not Amused” reports, “The day before the program aired over the network, a Chicano group of actors called So. Califas Tenaz marched in front of the KNBC studios . . . to protest Chico and the Man – an event covered by local TV and radio outlets and by newspapers.” It is interesting that the original TV show (Chico and the Man) motivated Chicana/os to publicly challenge the show’s fundamental ideas, and news of that event was covered on three unique forms of media: radio, television, and print. This is an example of how this show prompted Latina/os to become more involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and how their actions have brought about discussions across new forms of

To add to that, many Mexican-Americans are upset by the casting of a Hungarian Puerto Rican actor as a Chicano. This approach to casting is racially, ethnically, and culturally insensitive. When characters of one race are played by actors of another race, this can be offensive and an inauthentic representation. Furthermore, Prinze’s hometown New York flare (his accent, his body language, etc.) depicts an unauthentic view of Chicana/o values, and many Chicana/o viewers fear that people who are unfamiliar with Mexican-American culture will get a “lopsided, stereotyped concept from this plastic Hollywood interpretation of their culture and history.” This, in addition to Prinze’s mockery of Chicana/o culture, can be perceived as a caricature of the Latina/o