I don't think this show is offensive. I grew up in the Texas panhandle and know plenty of people who say say "esse" and speak Spanglish. It is not uncommon for my family to start off a sentence in Spanish and finish it in English because we mix and match our words. For the record, I grew up in pink house which was referred to as the "Casita Feliz" so no it is not unrealistic that someone actually live in pretty pink house. This show is a mile stone in that is on the air at all and for once the actors playing a Hispanic family are in fact of Hispanic descent. So that in it itself is a big step for Hollywood. This is an industry that cast Natalie Wood as Puerto Rican Maria for West Side Story, caused many Hispanic actors to drop their surnames or change them completely (Jimmy Smits, Constance Marie) just so they could get jobs that didn't require them to be maids or servants and yes still stereotypes what we sound and look like. But you know what, at least American Family, The George Lopez Show and Resurrection Blvd. give you slice of what Hispanic life is like for some people. No show is ever going to represent any typical family. Do you think Eskimos and native Alaskans thought Northern Exposure was a true view of their lives? Or that Minnesotians thought Fargo was a compliment to their state. Do you think Beverly Hills 90210 or Clueless give you true picture of life in Beverly Hills? Or that the OC is just exactly what teens in Orange County are like. Yes and no. Some of these people fit the mold other don't. We are unique, we are human, we are the same, we are different. I grew up without ever seeing Hispanic face on tv, unless you count Chico and the Man, and thought that if I wanted to be accepted into society I needed to stay out of the sun, not speak spanish and pronounce my name like an Anglo. I got over it because I grew up and realized that it takes all kinds to make the world go round and that I would be a happier to just be me with my stupid Spanglish and my funky way of dancing cumbias. I'm never going to dance salsa and meringue as well as my Columbian friend but I'm not fooled into thinking that everyone in Colombia is a great dancer with a fabulous wardrobe, pale skin and hazel eyes. And so you shouldn't look at American family and say it is crap because it doesn't represent you. If you want a show that represents you, write it, produce it, get it to the screen. Then wait for the feedback that says this doesn't represent me.
reply
share