Latinos are the fastest growing minority in the United States, yet their television presence is minimal (less than two percent of characters throughout the 1990s). The history of children's television, children's developmental needs, Latino demographics and media images are discussed as background This dissertation then examines children's television texts of the 1990s, identifying five optics through which ethnic difference is viewed. These are representational strategies that position Latinos vis-a-vis the rest of U.S. society and convey significant assumptions about reality and culture. Each is examined in a separate chapter, as follows: Omission---the Latino as cipher. Most children's shows leave Latinos out entirely. Many avoid ethnic difference by avoiding human characters, substituting animals or fantastic creatures. Others portray multiethnic societies but still omit Latinos, denying them admission to the symbolic community Assimilation---the Latino as consumer. Many children's shows portray Latinos as undifferentiated consumers of products (most commercials) or of mainstream US culture (for example Barney and Friends and The Magic Schoolbus.) Pastiche---the Latino as sign. Shows such as Sesame Street generally portray reality, including ethnic difference, as a rich surface of rapidly circulating symbols. Pastiche trains children for the information management tasks of the twenty-first century, but does not promote in-depth understanding Parody---the Latino as joke (But on whom ?). Cartoons such as Speedy Gonzales and Santo Bugito flaunt ethnic stereotypes to expose the reality of racism in the US, but it is uncertain whether or not children have the necessary foundation of knowledge to understand them in this way Insider narratives---the Latino as authorial voice. A small but growing number of children's programs include fully developed portrayals of Latinos who express their culture and speak for themselves as members of a multiethnic community. Examples include Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, The Puzzle Place, and Gryphon The first four types of programs position Latinos as outsiders, containing them as Others in a discourse similar to Orientalism. Insider narratives, however, offer the child viewer a more fully realized polyphonic discourse capable of promoting both esteem and empathy, imperatives for an increasingly multiethnic nation / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_25359 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Contributors | Franklin, Barbara A. K (Author), Lopez, Ana M (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
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