“I want a Latina to scream at me.”
Hearing this comment from an upperclassman after having shared your ethnicity certainly feels disorienting, especially if you heard it as a first-year student during your first week in a new country.
For Latine students like us, interactions like these happen more often than you would think. During class discussions, casual small talk, or even within our own friend groups, our culture is fetishized and treated like an “other.”
In the United States, perceptions of Latin culture seem to take two forms. On one hand, there is a fascination with the music, the partying, and the dancing. But there is also intense judgment and the exaggeration of stereotypical Latin American political issues like cocaine and violence. Latin culture is complex, and, at a school where Hispanic students are a minority, its cultural differences will stand out. However, instead of turning this into an opportunity to learn and expand their cultural awareness, Penn students often reduce our culture into consumable stereotypes that are easier to digest.
Colombia, Puerto Rico, and other places in Latin America are reduced to party destinations, where our classmates spend their spring break trips dancing until sunrise and looking to meet “spicy Latinas.” To observe this strange attraction to Latin culture, simply look at the inflated prices of flights to Puerto Rico, Colombia, or Mexico during March. If you wish to go even further, get on that plane and notice the rampant Americanization once you land.
We now barely recognize our favorite hangout spots at home, surrounded by conversation and music strictly in English. We get asked by American tourists where they can hang out with the locals. Although these interactions are small, they are quite disturbing considering the larger gentrification of Latin America, and especially in Puerto Rico. For instance, current Puerto Rican law allows for nonresident business owners and investors to qualify for a complete tax exemption. This legislation has resulted in an influx of mainland Americans to the Island and the displacement of Puerto Ricans.
By treating Latin culture as an aesthetic or a consumer product, our peers downplay the political issues overtaking these places. Even worse, they show a lack of interest in learning more about the aspects of our culture that truly make up Latin America. To observe this phenomenon, you don’t need to go further than the nearest Penn classroom.
In a political science class, we were extremely excited to be discussing the Cuban Revolution. Throughout our three years at the University, we rarely get to discuss politics that align with our cultural identity. Amidst our enthusiasm, we looked around to see numerous students glued to their phones. In other Latin American politics classes, we have found that students see the courses as another requirement to check off on Path@Penn, rather than a chance to explore topics worthy of debate and discussion. The history we had been waiting our entire Penn experiences to discuss was quickly ignored and dismissed by many students.
This dichotomy in the treatment of Latin culture and issues has become evident in this age of increased immigration enforcement. Recent news of deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where Hispanics represent a high percentage of the cases, has encouraged Americans to show their support for the Latine community. But it feels performative — our fellow students will post from their privileged haven without even bothering to gather all the facts or check themselves for their own xenophobic behavior.
At Penn, appearing smart seems to beat out actually learning about an issue. While the plethora of news to consume might make it seem impossible to keep up, universities, especially one with such sophisticated courses as Penn, present us with the perfect setting to deepen our understanding of perspectives we may have been ignorant of prior to coming here. To throw away an opportunity to immerse oneself in these many cultures and instead say “I loved Puerto Rico when I went on spring break” is a waste. This is not to say that these conversations can’t take place, but they should not become superficial responses to a far more complex dialogue. For instance, passionately discussing discontent with the political status of one’s Island should not elicit the overly simplistic response of a person asking one’s opinion of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance.
One of the things that makes Penn a great institution is its diversity. Penn students claim to be educated, global citizens; however, they fail to truly engage with the diversity of cultures here at Penn. They seem to lack the global awareness that would truly allow them to understand the hundreds of different cultures on our campus. It is time for Penn students to be better about informing themselves so that they are able to meaningfully contribute to the world. Our peers need to understand that our culture goes way beyond travel destinations, party culture, and offensive stereotypes. There is so much more to Latin America than the aesthetics Americans find palatable.
BEATRIZ BÁEZ is a College junior studying mathematics and political science from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her email is beabaez@sas.upenn.edu.
MARIANA MARTINEZ is a College junior studying political science from Bogotá, Colombia. Her email is marmari@sas.upenn.edu.
