What’s in a Word?
En el siguiente blog se discuten ciertas razones que quizás dieron causa al uso de palabras ofensivas, para la comunidad gay y lésbica, por parte de personas en los medios Hispanos de Estados Unidos. Anticipo sus comentarios.
In recent months, national Hispanic media personalities have been suspended and fired from the air for their use of words that have had a negative impact on the LGBT community. Before coming to a conclusion on who should be held responsible, whether the individuals or the networks, let’s consider dialects, the ever-changing meaning of words, and FCC leniency with Spanish-language radio.
Luis Jimenez, host of a nationally syndicated Univision radio show has been known for “gay bashing” during his show and using offensive language to make derogatory remarks towards the community. On May 1 of this year, he was suspended from the airwaves due to several such derogatory remarks. As
On the other end of the spectrum, Luisa Fernanda from Telemundo’s “Cotorreando” has an outstanding reputation of supporting equality and the LGBT community. She misused a Spanish word during one occasion and has been permanently fired from her six year position with the celebrity gossip show. Was the network being genuine, or were they simply jumping on the bandwagon and aiming to outdo the competitor by making a louder statement?
An important thing to consider is that there are multiple dialects in the Spanish language, extending beyond countries into regional areas per country. Yes, I agree that people in the media and celebrities need to be even more conscientious of word meanings than your average person. However, I find this extremely difficult to do because of the many different dialects, and the fact that certain societies are trying to regain ownership of certain words that have once shed a dark light upon a people.
Examples of the latter include the word queer which used to be a derogatory term. LGBT organizations now often use the word in their name or description, and it is being used in the mainstream as well in Bravo’s hit series “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”; In the Mexican community, for example, the word naco was often used to label a group as tacky and of no class, but now, pop culture T-shirt distributor, NaCo. has created an empire under its name. In a Los Angeles Times article, they describe the evolution of the word: “…NaCo. is shaking up fundamental ideas about Mexican identity and self-perception…today, instead of meaning trashy or ignorant… naco for many younger Mexicans has come to signify something closer to "kitschy, but proud."
Finally, whenever I tune in to a Spanish-language radio talk show, I am often shocked at the use of offensive words. For some reason, Spanish-language radio is not held to the same rules as English-language radio. You will hear the kinds of words that your mother threatened to wash your mouth with a bar of soap with if you so much as thought about them, let alone speak them. Yet, the Spanish talk shows toss them around freely when just up the dial I’ve heard English hosts ask, “Am I allowed to say damn on the air?” So why this double standard?
As we take a look at these situations, is Jimenez a bigot, or is it the FCC’s fault for not regulating Spanish language radio? Is it Luisa Fernanda’s fault for not updating her million Spanish dialect pocket book, or was it just an honest mistake? Are the networks to blame for not holding their talent accountable to participate in GLAAD’s National Spanish-Language Media Training designed to train media personalities to properly address individuals and issues in the LGBT community? In life, not all things are black or white, perhaps this is a prime example of that shady grey area in between.
Nonetheless, I believe they are steps in the right direction for Spanish-language, or any other media as we hold influential individuals, who so often seem to overlook the severe effects of a single word, accountable for their actions.
My partner Mark and I just returned from a wonderful long summer weekend in Provincetown, Massachusetts on the tip of Cape Cod (to the left is a picture Mark took: a view of the harbor from our B&B, the White Porch Inn). For the uninitiated among you, Provincetown (or Ptown) is often referred to as one of the gayest places on earth. It’s an artists colony that was “discovered” by gays and lesbians in the 20th century (thanks in part to the notable playwrights and others who summered there) and has continued to be a summer playground for gays and lesbians ever since. 
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