Montes 1

David Montes
Professor Enrique M. Lopez
Ethnic Studies 002
20 January 2016
How Corporate America and the Media Have Benefited from the Chicano and Vise-Versa
The media, driven by corporate America, has always played a key role in shaping our
nation and culture as we see it today. This is true because we are all, regardless of ethnicity,
treated as consumers in the eyes of the market. As a result, our culture is constantly being shaped
by these outside forces. Without a doubt, Corporate America has always taken ethnicity into
consideration because, like every successful Entrepreneur, one must elaborate on their target
audience. This raises the question about whether or not this technique has had an impact on
certain ethnic groups, like the Chicano community and, if so, have they had a positive or
negative impact on the way Chicanos are integrating into American society?
As mentioned in the film, young Chicanos have disassociated themselves from networks
like Telemundo and Univision. Not because we are ashamed, but because we have created a
culture within ourselves. As a result, we have impacted the media and American Television
groups. We have created a particular persona for The Media and Corporate America to pursue.
In my opinion, they have done well with producing material in which we, as Chicanos, can feed
off of. Shows, such as Culture clash, have helped my parents and I find a Latino identity in the
U.S. through humor. It allows us to embrace our home here in the U.S. I remember as a child
watching MTVla with my aunt. I do believe it has successfully helped magnify our identity in
which we are neither fully Mexican nor American. We are Mexican-Americans.

Montes 2
There are inevitable struggles that occur whenever two culture come together and are
forced to live as one. My parents have made it very clear how moving to the U.S. in the 1970s,
without a word of English, was not an easy transition. Yet, they overcame every obstacle faced as
a result of their hard work and dedication. They refused to make excuses for themselves, much
less blame anything or anyone for their failures. It is easy to see how the media, though greedy at
times, has helped integrate them into the American culture that we are a part of. We are of a
Mexican-American identity thanks to the society in which we reside. We never fail to embrace
our Mexican heritage, while also acknowledging our place here in the U.S.