fear and loathing in aztlan

8/12/2019 Fear and Loathing in Aztlan

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FEAR AND LOATHING IN *AZTLAN:

RICHARD RODRIGUEZ AND THE INVENTION OF ETHNICITY

From a Caravel Sourcebook, 1990

By Felipe de Ortego y GascaDean o t!e "ispanic #eaders!ip $nstitute and %roessor o &nglis! and Comparative #iterature, 'ri(ona State )niversity**+empe

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ic!ard odrigue( keeps turning up like abad -uarter, a slug t!at ools some coin

mac!ines sometimes but most oten gets

re.ected by smart mac!ines prepped to

detect countereit coins/ $ !ardly epected to see

ic!ard odrigue( in erner Sollors2 edition on

The Invention of Ethnicity 3Oord )niversity%ress, 19495, but t!ere !e 6as like a bad -uarter,

t!e lead article in a cater6aul entitled 7'n

'merican riter/7 8evert!eless, $ 6as resolute t!at

despite !is presence in t!e tet $ 6ould keep an

open mind anent t!e topic o et!nicity as an

invention/ 'nd $ did/ But irst, about ic!ard

odrigue( as 7neme*sis/7

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$n 19: odrigue( publis!ed a piece entitled 7+!e

8e6 'merican Sc!olars!ip Boy7 in The American

Scholar, a piece lamenting !aving to leave !is

7;eican !ome7 or an 7'nglo !ome7 because !e!ad learned &nglis!**t!e language o public dis*

course in t!e )nited States**and, as a conse-uence,

became alienated rom !is mot!er and at!er

because t!ey spoke Spanis! and !ad not studied

t!e runes o Britis! literature as !e !ad/ "e

publis!ed ot!er !arpings on t!e same t!eme in

subse-uent issues o The American Scholar/ +o no

avail, my rebuttals to odrigue( ell on dea ears at

The American Scholaruntil inally, ater a parti*

cularly ecruciating piece by odrigue( appeared

in The American Scholar in 1941, '(tlan**myt!ic !omeland o t!e '(tecs/ ' designationassigned by C!icanos to t!e territories o t!e 'merican

Sout!6est 6!ic! 6ere once part o ;eico prior to 14?4 and14@A/

!e paraded, among ot!er t!ings, !is et!nic apos*

tasy, epanded on !is disaection rom !is parentsand ;eican 3'merican5 culture and added to !is

coda on bilingual education and airmative action

6it! an aut!ority !e !ad arrogated unto !imsel**

some o us believe**solely on t!e strengt! o !av*

ing ac-uired a %!/D/ in &nglis! 6it! emp!asis on

Britis! literature/ +!e ac-uisition o a %!/D/ in

&nglis! 6it! emp!asis on Britis! literature is initsel not a uni-ue accomplis!ment/ $ earned a

%!/D/ in &nglis! 6it! emp!asis on Britis! litera*

ture and $ did not eel alienated rom my amily/ $n

act, t!e accomplis!ment broug!t me closer to my

et!nic and cultural roots 6!en $ reali(ed t!eir ab*

sence in t!e literary canon o t!e )nited States, areali(ation $ mig!t not !ave ac!ieved 6it!out my

literary education/

&t!nicity igures in odrigue(2 6riting as a

point o departure, not a destination somet!ing to

lee rom, not embrace/ e do not, or eample,

!ear "arry ;ark %etrakis demeaning !is Greek

roots in order to be accepted as an 'merican 6riter/

illiam Saroyan did not negate !is 'rmenian roots

in order to be accepted as an 'merican 6riter/

ic!ard rig!t did not deny !is negritude in order

to be accepted as an 'merican 6riter/ +!is is not to

say t!ese 6riters did not eperience diiculties ingetting publis!ed as 'merican 6riters/ 8or can 6e

say t!ose diicul*ties 6ere not product o t!eir

et!nicity/ 8onet!e*less, t!ey did not turn t!eir

backs on t!eir roots/

"aving come out o t!e closet as an 'nglo*

p!ile and !aving become t!e darling o t!e 8e6

ig!t, muc! t!e 6ay &(ra %ound and +/S/ &liot

became mout!pieces or ascism in t!eir time,

odrigue( is no6 paraded !it!er and yon as t!e

good ;eican become 'merican/ "e seems to

revel in t!at identiication/ +!e 8e6 ig!t must

assume t!at odrigue(2 cultural etrapolations

relect t!e verities o ;eican 'merican lie/ 'ter

all, !e2s ;eican**or once 6as**t!ereore, !is des*

pective commentary about ;eico and ;eican

'merican lie must be true/ "e oug!t to kno6/ 'nd

t!oug! !e demurs about articulating 7t!e ;eican

'merican eperience,7 asseverations to t!econtrary, !is assertions and generali(ations go ar

beyond t!e boundaries o .ust observation despite a

caveat to t!e contrary t!at 6!en re!ear*sing !is lie

!e describes only !is o6n, not !is brot!er2s nor !is

sisters2 lives one c!ild!ood, one solitude, !is/

But !e categori(es/ "e analy(es/ "e .udges/

'bout ;eico, or eample, !e says 7;eicans

live be!ind 6alls ;eicans are a people obsessed

by privacy / / / Formalities are protected by doors/

Doors lie beyond doors/7 +!ese are lat assertions

based on limited observation at odds 6it! t!e ge*

neral be!avior o ;eicans 6!o build sub6ays,

skyscrapers, roads, !arbors, drink coca cola and eat

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;acDonald2s !amburgers and 6!o are an open,estive people/

$n an observation about an $ndian graduate

student, !e says about !er intention to intervie6

various members o !er tribe in 8ort!ern Calior*

nia in order to preserve t!e ancient stories t!at

!ave passed t!roug! generations 7$ do not mock!er intentions/ +!ere is every reason to encourage

t!e pro.ect/ But, $ t!ink, in its deepest ambition,

suc! a pro.ect is doomed to ailure/7 !y "o6

does !e kno6 !at Delp!ic po6ers !as !e

ac-uired rom reading Britis! literature

Furt!er along, !e says 7+!e 6riters 6!o teac!

me best about t!e drama o my lie are not 'meri*

can/ +!ey are Britis!/7 +!en !e cites aymond

illiams, ic!ard "oggart, D/"/ #a6rence/ !y

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t!at/ +raditionally t!ey !ave been categori(ed aspoetry, liturgical 6orks or man2s instruction, not

entertainment/

odrigue( also 6rites 7'mericans !ave come

to pri(e individuality, but 6it!out celebrating t!e

ot!er act about ourselves, 6!ic! is t!at 6e orm a

community/7 eally ' community represents acollectivity o people gat!ered by common inter*

ests/ +!e )nited States is ar rom being a commu*

nity/ $t2s a congeries o issured communities,

stitc!ed toget!er by orce o la6/ $ t!e )nited

States 6ere a community, 6e 6ould not !ave to

talk about a 7Black community7 or a 7C!icano

community7 or an K'sian community7 or a 7%uerto

ican community7 or an 7$ndian community

tribeH/7 odrigue( says, 7'merica is t!e country

6!ere one stops being German, stops being

C!inese/7 $s !e talking about t!e same 'merica in

6!ic! $ live Or some myt!ic country o t!e mindin 6!ic! !e lives, along 6it! t!e g!osts o &(ra

%ound and +/S/ &liot $n !is 'merica, odrigue(

says,7 'mericans end up sounding like one ano*

t!er/ 'mericans end up acting like one anot!er/7

"m +!en !e adds, 'mericans 7do not, !o6ever,

easily recogni(e our common identity / / / e

easily orget**6!at t!e rest o t!e 6orld kno6s

about us**t!at 'merica eists as a culture/7

odrigue( seems to overlook t!at culture is a

product o !omogeneity, a s!ared et!os, common

interests and aspirations/ 'merica is not one single

culture**it2s a conluence o cultures, blending

!ere, diverging t!ere/ $t2s a land o cultural diver*

sity and cultural contrast, eac! culture contributing

a patc! to t!e -uilt 6e call 'merica/ "o6ever

muc! 6e may t!ink 6e understand anot!er culture

no Gentile, or eample, can 6rite a novel about

t!e


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'merica,7 meaning !e2s as 'merican as anyoneelse/ O course !e is/ But t!e air !e breat!es is t!e

air o eart!/ Despite t!e metap!or, t!ere is no

'merican air or ;eican air or ussian air/ 'll o

us breat!e t!e air o eart!**as c!ildren o t!e eart!/

$ kno6 $2ve culled a minor point !ere but it2s an

eample o !o6 imprecisely**per!aps 7carelessly7is a better 6ord** odrigue( uses language in !is

calculations to s!ore up !is argument and to

persuade t!e reader about t!e merits o !is point o

vie6/

riting !is autobiograp!y odrigue( inorms

us !e elt estranged rom !is past, t!at !e reali(ed

!e 6as committing a ne6 sin against t!at past,

since !e 6rote t!e book against !is parentsL 6is!es

and publis!ed it against t!eir 6is!es too/ $n !er

moving autobiograp!ical 6ork, 'n(ia Me(ierska,

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'ny6ay, !e inorms us, !e became a 6riteryears later because !e 7!ungered or communal

assurance/ 'pplause +!e good revie6,7 desiring

most t!e 7good understanding7 o 'nglos**t!ose

6!o most re.ected !im as a boy 6e assume psy*

c!ologicallyH/

odrigue(2 story is ar rom a conventional'merican story, as !e describes it/ 7For genera*

tions,7 !e says, 7t!is !as been t!e pattern immi*

grants !ave arrived in t!e city and t!e c!ildren o

immigrant parents !ave gone o to sc!ool and

come !ome speaking an 'merican &nglis!/7 ould

t!at it !ad been t!at simple $t is not t!at simple

no6/

$n !is description o t!e ac-uisition o 'meri*

can &nglis! by immigrant c!ildren, odrigue(

brus!es aside t!e pedagogy t!at attends t!e teac!*

ing o &nglis! to speakers o ot!er languages/ For

immigrant c!ildren o past generations t!at peda*gogy 6as rooted in a 7sink*or*s6im7 3total immer*

sion5 approac! t!at let e6 academic survivors/ $

can attest to t!at !olocaust, !aving repeated t!e

First Grade t6ice because $ came to t!e 'merican

sc!ool as a speaker o Spanis!/

)ltimately $ did go !ome speaking &nglis!,

but at great cost to me t!at 6as not repaired until $

6as an adult/ "o6ever, many ;eican 'merican

c!ildren did not are as 6ell, as $ reported in 6orks

o :0 years ago**C K;onte(uma2s C!ildrenP 3The

$enter Maga%ineo t!e Center or t!e Study o

Democratic $nstitutions5 7Sc!ools or ;eican

'mericans7 3Satur"ay Review5 and +!e #inguistic

$mperative in +eac!ing &nglis! to Speakers o

Ot!er #anguages 3Center or 'pplied #inguistics5/

!y odrigue( s!ould be an opponent o

7Bilingual &ducation7 6!en t!e pedagogy o bilin*

gual instruction is rooted in global practices andprinciples remains a mystery, save t!at it may be

because o !is need to uel t!e 'nglop!ilic ervor

o &nglis!*only ad!erents/

But odrigue( is not 6it!out redemption, or

!e does say, 7$ am o ;eico,7 eplaining t!at !e

retains 7aspects o culture, t!e deepest ait!s and

moods7 o !is ancestors, 7an in!eritance deeper

sometimes t!an $ can reveal to you/7

"e2s partly rig!t 6!en !e argues t!at t!e

drama o !is lie 76as not an et!nic drama, but one

o social class/P For ;eican 'mericans, as or

ot!er minorities o color in t!e )nited States, t!e

drama o lie is bot! an et!nic drama and one osocial class/

'nd !eLs correct in asking !is audience

3'mericans5 not to romantici(e !is c!ild!ood and

!is predicament because !e 6as 7a c!ild o t!e

6orking class, a Nminority2 c!ild, born into t!e

culture o poverty/7 omantici(ing t!at conditiondiminis!es its reality in t!e same 6ay t!at roman*

tici(ing t!e 7noble savage7 3'merican $ndian5 in

t!e 14t! century diminis!ed t!e realities o t!e

$ndian struggle against 'nglo 'merican incursions

into t!eir lands/

odrigue( is also rig!t 6!en !e scorns cock*

tail*party patter to maintain !is cultureQ 6!atever

t!at means/ $ get t!e eeling t!at 6!at people reer

to as culture is somet!ing very simple/ ' tolerance

or c!ile/ ' !umor/ Or an eye or t!e insistent co*

lor/7 +!at2s eactly 6!at most o t!at means, based

on internali(ed stereotypes o ;eicans and;eican 'mericans, stereotypes people !ardly

kno6 t!ey !old or perceive as roots o t!eir no*

tions about people/

%aradoically !e says, 7t!e comic reality is

t!at 'merica is 6ildly, i reluctantly, multicul*

tural/7 $ t!at2s true, 6!y !as !e been saying all

t!ose t!ings about us "ave 6e misunderstood !is

6ords %er!aps Or per!aps !e needs to be clearer

about 6!at !e says and 6!at !e means/

;y sense is t!at !e2s still perpleed about !im*

sel and t!e meaning o 'merica/ "e2s still opening

books t!inking t!ey are doors to trut!s/ Books are

etensions o people t!ey lie, omit and distort/ 8o

matter !o6 Samuel Clements portrayed lie on t!e

;ississippi, "uck Finn 6as 6!ite and


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o t!eir et!nic invention in t!e )nited States, adap*ting t!eir celebrations to t!e geopolitical realities

in 6!ic! t!ey eisted/ German 'mericans invented

'merican traditions, t!e same 6ay Colonial 'me*

ricans invented 'merican traditions/ $n $hina Men,

;aine "ong Ringston !as Bak Goong e*plain

7+!at 6asn2t a custom/ e made it up/ e canmake up customs because 6e2re t!e ounding

ancestors o t!is place/7

So 6!at2s 'merican about 'merican tradi*

tions &veryt!ing and not!ing/ +!ey2ve all been

invented and reinvented by successive generations

o et!nic 'mericans/ $talian 'mericans invented

Columbus Day, $talian 6eddings and pi((erias/

fear and loathing in aztlan

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