And Legal Construction Of Latino Criminality: From El Bandido To Gang Member By Mary Romero

In the article “State Violence, and the Social and Legal Construction of Latino Criminality: From El Bandido to Gang Member,” by Mary Romero suggests that American culture, specifically the media, has changed the Chicano culture and used it to help define the criminality in the United States. One way in which American culture has accomplished that is by using characters on television as criminals that have Latino characteristics. For example, Taco Bell used to use a heavily accented Chihuahua named “Dinky” to advertise their product. Dinky was a portrayal of Che Guevara, a revolutionary bandit. Fritos use the Frito Bandido to advertise their corn chips. This is and can be seen as racist because the audience understands the symbols used behind the character which constructs the Latino male as being criminal.

Movies have also portrayed Latinas as being mainly associated with gangs, prisoners, drug dealers, wife abusers, and other violent characters. The media had learned how to exploit the criminalization of the Latin for personal gain without taking in consideration possible consequences. For example, this characterization has led to an influential structure that categorizes a group of people as criminal without even knowing the full situation. Not only was the public’s perception of Latinos affect, but law enforcement was greatly affected as well. Romero stated that a belief that was held was that Latinos only felt the desire to use a knife and to kill. Romero stated that Anglos held that extreme belief that “it is difficult for the Latino to understand the psychology of the Anglo-Saxon or those from Northern Europe.” This was just an excuse used to justify the unequal treatment of