JE#4

        I really appreciate how well David Romo pieces together significant historical events during the early 20^th century in relation to the Mexican revolution and the social construction of immigrant identities in El Paso. From the reading, we find that Anglos, Mexicans, African Americans, Chinese, Japanese, etc. were all present during the tense times of the Mexican Revolution. In connection to the reconstruction of Romo’s microhistory, Lubheid aslo enumerates how the Chinese Exclusion Act and many other immigration policies played a pivotal role in shaping the sexualities and gender expression of immigrants, especially women. As Lubheid asserts, Anglos were able to disconnect themselves from the filthy Mexican by hypersexualizing and exoticizing the Mexican mujer along with other female immigrants. As the Anglos continually “othered” immigrants, they simultaneously constructed a white identity that is pure and most desirable. Thus the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) established Chinese laborers as disposable once Chinese finished construction of American railroads in 1881. Since their work was no longer needed, their bodies became “Liable to Public Charges,” and for a nation attempting to establish a dominant culture Anglos needed minimal diversity in their newly conquered land. Therefore the Mexican Revolution served as the constant resistance Anglos faced with unfairly obtaining Mexican land. Essentially a racial schism precipitated from the confusing concept of borders Anglos implemented on their new territory (as a way to manage and concretely state what exactly is theirs). Eventually, Mexicans in their resistance to another colonization had demeaning identities prescribed to them by the Anglos since Mexicans behaved barbarically. Ultimately the most significant event of resistance in the making of the El Paso/ Juarez border is the Bath House Riot, initiated by a young Mexicana named Carmelita Torres (age 17). Since “thousands” of mujeres refused to have themselves exposed and bathe in toxic chemicals, a riot essentially broke out as American border control attempted to contain them. Yet as heroic and inspiring as the event is, Anglo journalists still managed to implement their humor and suggest that filthy Mexicans are very adamant about not taking a shower. Essentially these three events contributed to the identity crisis of El Paso because it further separated Anglos from people they could never in their right mind civilly associate with.   

            The photos in this section of the book illustrate a sense of cultural schizophrenia sadly with their Anglo influence. As seen on page 198 with the “Chinese English Class,” there are Chinese men among white women, some dressed in traditional attire, some with a suit and tie. On page 210 we see a young Mexicano on a horse in front of an adobe house and on 213 we see a middle-aged Mexcicano in front of a Grocery Store. The mere architecture of the border town is experiencing a shift and unfortunately a subtle idea of which cultures are “right”/superior, and which culture is “wrong”/inferior. Thus, the individuals we sometimes see in these pictures, exhibit a strange coping with the two forces clashing into each other as the Anglos continually conquer the northern part of Mexico. The two pictures I will analyze further demonstrate how photos in this particular section exhibit cultural schizophrenia of the people of El Paso/ Juarez.

            The first picture I’d like to look at is on page 203 with the African American cowboy. Here we see a black male adorned in cowboy attired (e.g. hat, bandana, tucked in shirt, pants, boots). In the background are men scattered along the ring of a rodeo. The African American man intentionally poses for the camera. What interests me most about this picture is the amount of time that has passed since 15^th century slavery in America. By 1916 and especially today, most Black Americans have been completely robbed of their African ancestry and are left with the haunting name of the Plantation owner who owned their ancestors. Here we see a happy black cowboy at a rodeo, what we might miss is the pain and continual suffering this man will endure simply because the color of his skin, despite his attempts to assimilate into a society that does not want him to be a human, but a source of labor. Hence the African American cowboy’s cultural schizophrenia. Though a part of his identity definitely includes his history of slavery and second class citizenship in this country, another part of him chooses to wear the attire of a cowboy, and live on through life happily by the means of what the colonizer considers “happy.”

            The second picture on 224 displays a steam dryer for the sterilization of clothing at the Santa Fe Bridge (1917). The dungeon-esque image shows a commercial basket full of clothes with rubber soled shoes alongside it, with ton men operating what seems to be like a huge drying machine. Although the window in the background makes it unclear whether the room is underground or not, the eerie room still evokes feelings of fear. This particular picture especially contributes to the concept of cultural schizophrenia because it exhibits the Anglo implementation of sterilization for inferior individuals at the border. Here we see just what mechanical, torturous, and barbaric lengths Anglos are willing to exceed in order to establish dominance in “their” territory.  

            What surprised me the most about this section was the Nazi Germany appraisal of the use of Zyklon B at the border. All of my history books in middle and high school absolutely denounced the torture methods used by the Germans in the Holocaust, but NEVER once mentioned that these same barbaric tactics were used to regulate immigrant flow at the El Paso/ Juarez border. It is frightening to think that “our” nation did this to our people.