Cultural Schizophrenia Roulette: Oppression, Actions and Consequences
Cultural
Schizophrenia is a complex force of pressure that drags individuals to conform
to mainstream standards. These standards are both shaped and reinforced by
there social locations. People, places and events that call an individual to
uphold beliefs that may not necessarily reflect their own individual beliefs.
However, accountability cannot go unaddressed for the oppressive actions and
consequences imposed on others as a result of cultural schizophrenia. In Arturo
Islas, The Rain God, all the characters
suffer from a wide range of cultural schizophrenia as their individual
identities and external expectations contrast within their Mexican families. In
addition to there contrasting family culture to the mainstream American
society. This difficult balance is ever changing and is a present reality for
many Mexicans growing up in the United States.
In
attempting to rank the following characters, I understand the pressure and pain
of living in these circumstances. And having myself survived and participated
in oppressive actions. Similarly, as these characters cultural schizophrenia is
not the only perpetrator at play in our psyches. Additional symptoms such as
historical amnesia, linguistic terrorism, colonized mind, internalized racism;
internalized sexism and homophobia are also tightly intertwined. In attempting
to rank these characters, all these symptoms will be considered and held
accountable.
Where does the Oppression start and the Cultural Schizophrenia begin?
Round and round we go, where will it stops...somebody must know?!
Mama Chona: 10
Mama
Chona attempts to portray herself as an elite Mexican matriarch, but fails
multiple times throughout this novel. As she despises Maria because she
considers her to be poor and uneducated, her historical amnesia does not allow
her to recognize her own privilege and mestizaje. Mama Chona being half-Indian
herself constantly tries to set herself and her family apart from people like
Maria, a separation that is both internal and external. She is a colonizer of
her own sexism, when she calls Felix, her favorite son a “sexual sinner”. She
refuses to give Felix and his future wife (Angie) her blessing to be married.
She considers Angie to be a “low-class Mexican” by Mama Chona who believes her
son deserves a better type of wife. Mama Chona belittles both the men and woman
in her life, for not meeting her expectations. She fails to recognize that she
could have easily been Maria, in comparing her to a white woman of that time.
She could have been the cultural outcast in mainstream American society. For
the same reasons she terrorizes Maria, her internalized sexism and racism does
not allow her to acknowledge her vicious cycle and imposed cultural
expectations of those around her.
Angie: 10
Throughout
the novel, I understood Angie’s difficult process of attempting to be accepted
into Felix’s family. As she survives Mama Chonas remarks and rejections for
marrying her favorite son, she also quickly takes on her expected gender role
at home. The more Felix becomes the breadwinner, she finds herself taking on
the role of a housewife. This is a role that mostly satisfies Mama Chonas
expectations of her as the wife to his daughter. It is clear that although to a
certain extend she has transgressed the external expectations of Mama Chona for
remaining with Felix, despite Mama Chonas rejections. Her internalized sexism
has forced her to live her life according those expectations that both Felix
and his mother expect from her. A complex gendered cultural schizophrenia that
Angie gives into, quickly becoming the oppressor when she allows Felix to beat
her son.
As
a mother, I quickly found myself having “beef” (problem) with Angie because of
this. Angie having survived both the male and female aggressions of Felix and
Mama Chona at the unfortunate cost of her own well-being and sanity. Whether
she unconsciously negotiated her acceptance because of the external cultural
expectations, or her colonized mentality and internalized sexism. When she
allows Felix to beat her son justifying it as a way to save his “father’s
pride”, she is justifying all that is backwards with all forms of oppression.
This is a clear example of why generation after generation cultural
schizophrenia is not seen as a problem in our society. When we think of
historical amnesia, it can be thought of a large body of complex problems
intersecting political, economic, and racial tensions. Yet, this one act of
beating a child is a focal point that demonstrates how quickly the oppressed can
become the oppressor with no recognition to their own oppression.
At
this point of the book, I literally had to step away from the book for
sometime. In having analyzed the all the characters interactions mainly as
multi-generational adults. This scene made the concepts of cultural
schizophrenia, historical amnesia and all the other oppressive and internalized
oppressions that much more complex. As adults that have the capacity to
verbalize and analyze our lived experiences we have a certain privilege over a
child that has not yet been afforded these skills. Yet, as Angie and Felix both
demonstrate how in this one action, they diminish this potential.
Felix: 10
For
the reasons mentioned under Angie’s character, I also rank Felix at a 10. This
is due to the limit being 10, he really deserves a higher number. Although
compared to other characters, he may not be the usual suspect, but he is an
oppressor in multiple ways. Felix’s unsatisfied ego for having to become the
breadwinner because his intellectual potential was discovered late, I think
reflects to some degree the way in which he asserts his control in other areas
of his life. It is clear the he has “mamitis” (mamas boy), being his mothers
favorite and attempting to live up to her expected standards. Yet, even a
mama’s boy disobeys his mama for another women. As Felix, does when he marries
Angie and quickly turns her into a boot-leg version of Mama Chona. Again,
perpetuating his internalized sexism and patriarchal colonizing towards his
wife. Another, example of Felix practicing his colonizer role and historical
amnesia is when he becomes a “coyote”, hiring cheap Mexican laborers. As a
privileged Mexican in the United States, his status places him in a role that
allows his to have control over others.
Miguel Grande 10:
Miguel
Grande being one of the main characters in many instances displays his dominant
patriarchy, homophobia and womanizer tendencies. He is quick to try and pass
down his homophobic misconceptions to Miguel Chico from an early age and also
allows his homophobia to separate himself from his brother. This internalized
homophobia and sexism is first displayed when he scolds Maria for letting
Miguel Chico play with dolls, “I don’t want my son brought up like a girl”[1].
He imposes his gender roles on his son at a young age. This results in the
first initials steps of separation between with his son and attempts to teach
him that he should identify with certain symbols and objects to confirm his
identity as a “boy”. A similar distance occurs with his brother, because he
doesn’t project his hetero gender roles or performs masculinity as Miguel
Grande does. Miguel suffers from Cultural Schizophrenia, internalized sexism,
homophobia and internalized racism. Of all the characters, I believe him and
Mama Chona to be the head colonizers. Throughout the novel all his actions
revolve around his beliefs, projecting dominant cultural expectations on those
around him.
Miguel Chico: 4
Miguel
Chico for the most part sees how all these oppressive symptoms play out in the
life of all those around him. I believe his sexuality brings all these multiple
oppressions to the forefront of his experiences with his family and allows him
to transgress the cultural schizophrenia of his family. And allows him to address
and in many ways dodge the cultural expectations of his family. It also allows
him to understand how historical amnesia coupled with internalized homophobia,
sexism and racism form part of the colonizers mentality in his family members.
I was initially bothered that he did not take action into some type of
intervention. I felt that in him having the ability to remove him self from all
of this displays his privilege. However, I also recognize that he is straddling
two cultures that bare a heavy weight on one individual. He does not believe in
traditional families and as a gay Mexican in America, this can push an
individual to not be accepted in either culture.
Juanita: 6
I
ranked Juanita at a six on the cultural schizophrenic scale. Her blind trust in
Miguel Grande and the fulfillment of her gender roles for his pleasure, give in
to the dominant culture Miguel Grande has created in their home. Cultural
schizophrenia is prevalent in her acceptance and fulfillment of these roles,
agreeing to the oppressive tendencies her husband. Such as allowing Miguel
Grande to dictate how the children were raised. However, in some cases her
historical amnesia and cultural schizophrenia was not an oppressive factor and
often challenged Mamas Chonas views, such as her claims, “They’ve eaten beans
all their lives. They’re no better than anyone else. I’m not going to let my
kids grow up to be snobs.”(15). In this statement, she sees no hierarchy
between Maria, Mama Chona and her children. She goes on the criticize the Angel
family by stating, “if they are so great, why do I have to work to help care
for them?”(15). Yet, when Miguel Grande confirms that he has cheated on her
with Lola, she backs down and sets aside her own pain of betrayal and accepts
her fate.
Lola 5:
Lola
is a character that I feel has transgressed the cultural expectations of female
roles in a Mexican patriarchal society. She has a great amount of power over
the patriarchal Miguel Grande, leading him to believe that they are equals in
their sexual relations. I don’t she her having any problems with cultural
schizophrenia with regards to her sexuality and sexism. I however question the
extent of her perceived power. In thinking of the colonized mind, although she
gets Miguel to submit to her, allowing her to publicly tease him (something her
does not allow his wife to do), making him jealous for dancing with other men
and eventually having an affair. Although Miguel Grande is equally a
participant in the affair, the fact that she is still the other woman, leaves
me questioning the power structure of the affair. Lola is an unapologetic force
that does as she pleases, but in this case I am left questioning her
transgression as the “other woman” in a patriarchal society.
JoEl & Lena 4:
I
decided to rank these siblings together because I found it difficult to assess
them separately since they are siblings. What I mean by this is that many of
their life events are shared lived experiences growing up in the same home and
losing their father intersects their relation to cultural schizophrenia.
Although JoEl had distanced himself from his father, the brutal end if his
father’s life shifts JoEl’s state of mind. And for these siblings, the brutal
removal of the head of their household reshapes the traditional cultural
expectations of their household.
Nina 6:
Nina
is some ways reminds me of Angie because of the violence she brings into her
life. Although for Nina it was brought on by the learned violence she
experienced with her father. Again, multigenerational expectations and
practices play out in the violent oppression of others and many times towards
the ones we call family. Her cultural schizophrenia in this area does
transgress in the aftermath of her son’s death. She also is very observant of
Juanita her sister, especially in her relationship with Miguel Grande and the
suspicions she has of Lola.
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