JE #8 BarbaAlexandra

How much did you already know about the Juarez femicides prior to entering this class? How did Entry Denied by Ethne Lubheid and Desert Blood by la Profe provide a historical, cultural, political, and social context in which to better understand the misogynistic murders of young women and girls on the El Paso/Juarez border? Be sure to discuss one specific chapter in each book that most moved you, shocked you, or otherwise provoked an emotional response. How effective was Gregory Nava's film, Bordertown, at raising your consciousness about the Juarez femicides? 

I first learned about the Juarez femicides when I took Chicano 10A with you in the fall of my freshman year of college. I had always kept them in the back of my mind but feel so helpless about them because I know how much silence surrounds these murders. Both Entry Denied and Desert Blood served as important sources in helping me understand the historical, cultural, political, and social contexts of these murders. Of course Desert Blood helped me manifest a deeper understanding because the novels’ focus is primarily around these murders.

In Entry Denied I know that chapter 5, Rapes, Asylum, and the U.S. Border Patrol speaks directly about the crimes committed against women at the U.S.-Mexico border, specifically in the section under ‘Rapes That Remain Unrepresentable as Crimes’. This entire chapter was one that moved me the most from this undeniably, shocking novel. While I know that I have learned that women were once seen and treated as property of men and that we just very recently gained the ability to vote, learning about the injustices inflicted on women still shocks and resonates with me. I was appalled after reading, “rape was an offense committed by one male against another male’s property, and the seriousness ascribed to rape depended on the status of the males involved” (pg. 103). Learning that the definition of rape was once utterly and completely connected to males angers me so much, I just do not understand how rape could ever solely boil down to men and the offenses made to them and not to the violence and victims of these acts. It is just so heart wrenching to think that women were placed in a such a low social category that they really did not matter in matters that involve them completely. Lubheid shares that, “Rapes of women of color, poor women, and “unchaste” women often did not count within official categories of rape”. The most shocking was that then says, “… these exclusions also shape contemporary institutional responses”. I know I should not be shocked because I have learned again and again that those in power do not care to help the less fortunate because of all different types of interests, a truth which is highlighted in both Entry Denied and Desert Blood, but it’s a cold, sad truth that I wish were not true. It was also in this chapter that I learned that rape obviously serves a deeper function, to show these Mexican women, quien es el mero mero, who is boss, and in essence to produce, or reproduce the hierarchal social relationships.

In Desert Blood, the chapter that most moved me, or in other words, pissed me off the most, was chapter 45 with the opening being a piece of the newspaper that Ivon is reading regarding the whole scandal she was a part of. As I was reading the article I felt like I was Ivon and as I was getting to the end I started thinking, “No, NO THEY ARE NOT making this J.W. guy a fucking hero right now?!” Sure enough, Officer Jeremy Wilcox was being recognized for “infiltrating” the operation. This chapter, especially the first time I read it, really opened my mind to thinking that the people we trust in may just be the people who harm our communities the most, and many cases have proven this to be true. It is another sad reality to realize that these people can be corrupt and do have the power and power extended from others to cover up their dirty deeds. It is sad that innocent people have to suffer at the hands of people like this and will never get justice because they fall into the categories that Lubheid mentions, poor and/or colored—otherwise seen as unimportant. 

If I had not learned about the Juarez murders prior to Gregory Nava’s film, Bordertown, I know that watching it would have done a good job of raising my consciousness. From his film we learn that solely women are the targets of these murders, also where these murders are taking place, as well as how long they have been taking place. Moreover, we learn that much silence surrounds these novels because no one, especially in El Paso, gives them the magnitude of attention they need and deserve. While I do acknowledge that this film offers great historical, cultural and political context and addresses the femicides, I think that the focus falls perhaps too much on the plot of the film. I don’t know, there is also something about making issues like this a part of a movie that does not sit well with me because I think people distance themselves from the issues as opposed to caring for them, perhaps because I think that they think, “Solo es pelicula.”, you know? For example, people see that in the film, Bordertown, the government is involved with the murders and then they may grow disbelief, but then realize it is just part of the movie as opposed to maybe questioning whether it just may be that the government is in on such murders, and by the end they totally dismiss the issues at hand.  

Journal Entry #9

1.) Prior to this course, I had only previously received the history that was presented to me through the K-12 education, that being, white supremacist, euro-centric, one-sided perspective on the history of “the United States.” Through the last quarter, I have expanded my knowledge on the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and what really happened during the U.S/Mexico War.  In high school and middle school, we were told the way in which the United States military was defending the safety of this country during through reoccurring concept, “Remember the Alamo!” which implied that the Mexico military was on the instigating side of the war, when in reality it was The U.S’ way to invade Mexico and thus acquire their land. In addition, being able to read the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo article through article gave me an idea of what the document really states and the way in which the words were able to create loopholes for the American government to continually use the laws against folks in Mexico at the time. This then foreshadowed U.S/Mexico relations for years to come, through the stripping of land from Mexican property owners (seen through the U.S of Speedy Gonzales), as well as denying them legalization upon acquiring the lands that now constitute the United States, as well as creating borders and militarization them to criminalize Mexicans etc.

2.) Out of all of Gloria’s Anzaldua’s theories, I feel I understand the shadow beast the best. While recognizing both faces of the shadow beast, the monster and the rebel we are able to embark on the journey towards mestiza consciousness. Firstly, the monster is when we succumb to the oppression we face by internalizing how we feel due to our identities due to the fear we hold when we realize our identities are. The monster allow us to be aware of our identities, however it impedes us from accepting it due to the fear that society imposes within us. However, the rebel side to the shadow beast is the reclaiming of our identities and our power. The rebel is the transformative aspect of the shadow beast which allows us to rebel against societal expectations of our identities, specifically allowing us to combat the internalized oppression that we may hold within. The rebel is essential in allowing Mestiza Consciousness to take place because it is one of the steps that ignites mentality change within the way we see ourselves in an oppressive society.

3.) I am having difficulty understanding entering the serpent. I understand the way in which the Shadow beast plays out; however, I haven’t fully grasped the idea of how entering the serpent and the shadow beast coincide within reaching Mestiza Consciousness.

5.) I rate my border consciousness at a 9. I have had to deal with multiple borders throughout my life and have used the course as an avenue of understanding them all and allowing them to create a third space that is accepting of all that I embody – regardless of the complexities. I am familiar with Mestiza Consciousness, but struggle in moving past the Coatlicue State. I feel like I have already confronted and rebelled with the shadow beast. An example is through the borders of my sexuality, being bisexual has been a complicated border to understand and cross, however in loving another womyn I have rebelled against the internalized homophobia that has, for so many years, stopped me from ever vocalizing my interested in another mujer. Through that I have embarked in the coatlicue state by enduring the state of being in a relationship with an hombre that served to hurt me because it was not what I truly wanted. The films and readings have contributed to my border consciousness because it have given an illustrated narrative of the way in which border consciousness occurs. Through reading about the characters in the novels and watching the films, we are able to see border consciousness unfold fully through our own lenses rather than just using our own experience, it allows the use of the red ink and black ink to occur more smoothly through first using the stories of others before our own.

JE#3B: Who's Declaring War on the Border

"In 2012, a majority of the more than 364,000 people arrested by Border Patrol agents nationwide were migrant workers crossing the border. Agents did not capture or arrest a single international terrorist." This quote stuck out to me because it reveals the fact that the Department of Homeland Security is the one waging the war on the border rather than working for "security" of the U.S. And the need for security of this country is based on fears of the other, of people not from this country that are based on the repetitive histories of racism and colonization. So what is the purpose of the border control if not the safety of the U.S's inhabitants, since we know fears of terrorism are created through nationalism and xenophobia? "In the 10-year period following 9/11, the United States spent a staggering $90 billion on border enforcement." The terrorism of the U.S. Border Patrol is indeed a “treasure trove” for those in power. Borders have never made sense to me. The fact that lands can be named and politically and nationalistically separated from other land so close by but remain controlled by different invisible powers seems to be something so trivial and impossible and wrong to me. But militarization and nationalism remains strong and the belief that we are all intrinsically different from other people in the world is also alive and well. "In the last three years, Border Patrol agents have killed at least 15 people along the Southwest border." Fear, control, militarization, murder, racism, classism, nationalism are all words that remind me of the U.S.-Mexico border and all borders and the country that I am a citizen of that continues the policing and subjugation of people. 

JE #6 Character Rate-A-Thon

Mama Chona: 10
Mama Chona chooses to ignore her mestizaje blood and indigenous ancestry by focusing on her Spanish ancestry. She always uses an umbrella to ensure that her skin does not become any darker than it already is. She has internalized much racism through her life and experiences great historical amnesia. Credits her high cheekbones to the blood of high Spanish ladies rather than indigenous blood (Islas 141). She also does not think very highly of the Mexican women that are hired to care for her grandchildren, thinking of them as uneducated and lesser than her. Mama Chona pushed linguistic terrorism on her family by making sure that they spoke “proper Spanish” and looked down on those who did not live up to her expectations of the language.

Miguel Grande: 9

“The North American dream had worked for him. Only his family reminded him of his roots, and except for his mother he avoided them as much as possible.” (Islas 78).

He has internalized his mother’s racism and sexism and thinks very lowly of Maria, the woman hired to take care of Miguel Chico. Miguel Grande works for the police force, a system that works against communities of color. He decides to let the case rest after his brother is murdered instead of attempting to fight the man who killed Felix. He works for and accepts the system that oppresses people of color.

Miguel Chico: 8

Maria taught him of the Seventh Day Adventist religion that she has converted to that went against his parents’ beliefs. Miguel Chico grows up with this contradiction as well as his parents’ racism against Maria and is eventually cut off from Maria and the connection to México that she represented. Miguel Chico later tries to distance himself from his parents’ Catholicism as much as he can which he tries to do through his education.

Miguel Chico later in his life leaves his family for San Francisco and creates a new home. “…to rid himself of the desert, he walked on the beach or in the fog.” He tries to erase his childhood and physical homeland with his chosen elements. He wants to cut himself off from his parents, especially his father. He feels can no longer trust a man to tell him the truth after his father (Islas 97).

Miguel Chico is “…interested in the past for psychological, not historical, reasons.” He wants to understand people through literature but is not focused on the historical happenings, leading to his historical amnesia.

Felix: 7

Felix lives the dual life of being married to Angie with children while hiding his homosexuality.

Felix also used his position of power in his job to take advantage of other men, aligning himself with the oppressor.

Lola: 6

Internalized sexism leads her to hurt Juanita by being with Miguel Grande though she later decides to leave Miguel Grande and reform her friendship with Juanita.

Juanita: 5

Juanita discredits Nina’s spirituality. Has internalized sexism that has her initially blaming Nina more for her husband’s infidelity.

JoEl: 4

JoEl has intense nightmares and we learn that he has a fear of ants (Islas 122). He has a rocky relationship with his father. Thinks lowly of his mother for spending her money in what he deems as “foolish ways” and looks down on her for letting his father “take advantage of her goodness” (Islas 125). Lena and JoEl would sing patriotic North American songs for their parents (Islas 125). Angie is unable to understand their words but knows that they are patriotic North American songs and is proud of her children.

Nina: 3

Nina has a severe fear of death that she later staunches with her focus on spirituality and the spirit world. She attempts to find her way and her lost roots through spirituality. She exhibits cultural schizophrenia by trying to find her way through spirituality on her own rather than being taught it through cultural ties.

Angie: 2

Angie does not speak fluent English. Experiences linguistic terrorism with her daughter’s amusement at her broken English (Islas 120) as well as when she takes Yerma to the rich home for piano lessons. As a part of her internalized racism she does not like for Mama Chona to call Yerma a “little Indian” (Islas 128).

Lena: 1

Lena wants to continue to seek justice for the murder of her father. She does not trust the system and does not want to give in to it but has to concede because of her uncle’s decision to discontinue the case.

JE #9

1. It was very interesting to read and further investigate the relationship between the US and Mexico. Even though I had known of the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty, I didn't know the specific details that went along with it. It was very upsetting to know how certian clauses were removed or altered, to benefit the US rather than Mexico. It clearly shows how the US has always been the northern bully to Mexico.

 2. I feel that the easiest theory for me, and most individuals, is our awareness of the borders in our lives. We have so many, whether they're historical, personal, and/or cultural borders, even the political borders, we all have been effected by one, or a few, in our lives. I constantly struggle with my queer identity and religious borders in my life. That was, and still can be, a difficult border, especially in a Mexican Catholic household. Though it has gotten better, it still shows up from time to time.

Another theory of Anzaldua that I understand is of the Coatlicue State, only because I've gone through that stage. It's an extrememly dark stage; I felt very alone. I, myself, did have a crisis in my life, a very tough decision that I needed to make: let the death of my grandmother affect me or, rather, have her death be the reminder that I need to keep living my life and continue on with my education. I was sick, I was paralyzed; I couldn't get out of bed for days. Eventually, after much time and reflection, I was able to start my journry out of my cave and I'm in a much better place in my life, but I still have much more progress to make.

3. The theory that I'm having the most difficulty understanding, not because the concept doesn't make sense to me, is Mestiza Consciousness. My difficulty is how can I accept and tolerate the contradictions and ambiguities in my life when I'm still so hurt and angry by everything. The borders and contradictions in my life have left scars, some visible and others not so much, but the truth is I don't know if I'm ready to let them heal. My scars are a constant reminder of the pain; no matter how much the pain goes away, the scars remind me of the pain once inflicted on me. I understand how by achieving Mestiza Consciousness is a healthy and, essentially, the right thing to do but it scares me; I just don't think I'm ready to accept, yet.

5. My own level of consciousness, I would say, is a bit higher than others in the class. I, through Chicana Lesbian Literature, have been able to assess myself and then (and still now) I'm in Anzaldua's section of Tlilli, Tlapalli, writing from the red ink to the black ink. I've already been through my phases of understanding my borders, my Shadow Beast, even through the Coatlicue State but I'm stuck here in this writing process. This, I believe, has been the phase I've been in the longest. I can't seem to make any progress out of it because I'm afraid of reaching Mestiza Consciousness; I'm not ready to tolerate contradictions and ambiguities. The films and the readings in the class have helped me write in at a deeper level; really understanding how the borderlands is very much alive and present in my life.

JE #4

The Chinese Exclusion Act allowed for the Chinese people to be another commodity that Anglos consumed and used up. Meaning that the Anglo’s used the cheap labor of the Chinese immigrants and once they did not need them any longer they took away their ability to immigrate to the US. In creating this document the Anglos made themselves seem superior to this race. The Bath Riots also contributed to the Anglo idea of superiority and supremacy, but yet the womyn retaliated and led a revolt. On page 240, the humiliating pictures depict men waiting to be bathed. The men are stripped down and have to hold a white board to cover their genitalia. The rhetoric f the El Paso Times reflected on the revolt and made their revolt seem comical, claiming that Mexicans were angry because they did not want to take a bath. The image on page 224 surprised me because it reminded me of the concentration camps that were created during WWII in Nazi Germany. I recall that from class that Hitler got his idea of sterilization from the border sterilization that was happening in the US. Anglo Americans did their best to create their sterile Anglo society by implanting policies and creating a sense of humiliation for those that crossed the border. Because of the humiliation that was cast upon the people coming into the US it could be that this led to cultural schizophrenia by relinquishing their identity of Mexicans and transitioning to the idea of being American.