FEAR AND LOATHING IN *AZTLAN:

RICHARD RODRIGUEZ AND THE INVENTION OF ETHNICITY

From a Caravel Sourcebook, 1990
By Felipe de Ortego y Gasca
Dean o t!e "ispanic #eaders!ip $nstitute and %roessor o &nglis! and Comparative #iterature, 'ri(ona State )niversity**+empe
1
ic!ard ,odrigue( keeps turning up like a
bad -uarter, a slug t!at ools some coin
mac!ines sometimes but most oten gets
re.ected by smart mac!ines prepped to
detect countereit coins/ $ !ardly e0pected to see
,ic!ard ,odrigue( in 1erner Sollors2 edition on
The Invention of Ethnicity 3O0ord )niversity
%ress, 19495, but t!ere !e 6as like a bad -uarter,
t!e lead article in a cater6aul entitled 7'n
'merican 1riter/7 8evert!eless, $ 6as resolute t!at
despite !is presence in t!e te0t $ 6ould keep an
open mind anent t!e topic o et!nicity as an
invention/ 'nd $ did/ But irst, about ,ic!ard
,odrigue( as 7neme*sis/7
I
$n 199: ,odrigue( publis!ed a piece entitled 7+!e
8e6 'merican Sc!olars!ip Boy7 in The American
Scholar, a piece lamenting !aving to leave !is
7;e0ican !ome7 or an 7'nglo !ome7 because !e
!ad learned &nglis!**t!e language o public dis*
course in t!e )nited States**and, as a conse-uence,
became alienated rom !is mot!er and at!er
because t!ey spoke Spanis! and !ad not studied
t!e runes o Britis! literature as !e !ad/ "e
publis!ed ot!er !arpings on t!e same t!eme in
subse-uent issues o The American Scholar/ +o no
avail, my rebuttals to ,odrigue( ell on dea ears at
The American Scholar until inally, ater a parti*
cularly e0cruciating piece by ,odrigue( appeared
in The American Scholar in 1941, <osep! &pstein
3&ditor o The American Scholar5 relented and
publis!ed my rebuttal contesting ,odrigue(2
c!aracteri(ation o a bilingual c!ild!ood/
+!e subse-uent year ,odrigue( collected !is
pronunciamentos and 6ove t!em into an autobio*
grap!ic cant called Hunger of Memory in 6!ic!
====================
>'(tlan**myt!ic !omeland o t!e '(tecs/ ' designation
assigned by C!icanos to t!e territories o t!e 'merican
Sout!6est 6!ic! 6ere once part o ;e0ico prior to 14?4 and
14@A/
!e paraded, among ot!er t!ings, !is et!nic apos*
tasy, e0panded on !is disaection rom !is parents
and ;e0ican 3'merican5 culture and added to !is
coda on bilingual education and airmative action
6it! an aut!ority !e !ad arrogated unto !imsel**
some o us believe**solely on t!e strengt! o !av*
ing ac-uired a %!/D/ in &nglis! 6it! emp!asis on
Britis! literature/ +!e ac-uisition o a %!/D/ in
&nglis! 6it! emp!asis on Britis! literature is in
itsel not a uni-ue accomplis!ment/ $ earned a
%!/D/ in &nglis! 6it! emp!asis on Britis! litera*
ture and $ did not eel alienated rom my amily/ $n
act, t!e accomplis!ment broug!t me closer to my
et!nic and cultural roots 6!en $ reali(ed t!eir ab*
sence in t!e literary canon o t!e )nited States, a
reali(ation $ mig!t not !ave ac!ieved 6it!out my
literary education/
&t!nicity igures in ,odrigue(2 6riting as a
point o departure, not a destinationB somet!ing to
lee rom, not embrace/ 1e do not, or e0ample,
!ear "arry ;ark %etrakis demeaning !is Greek
roots in order to be accepted as an 'merican 6riter/
1illiam Saroyan did not negate !is 'rmenian roots
in order to be accepted as an 'merican 6riter/
,ic!ard 1rig!t did not deny !is negritude in order
to be accepted as an 'merican 6riter/ +!is is not to
say t!ese 6riters did not e0perience diiculties in
getting publis!ed as 'merican 6riters/ 8or can 6e
say t!ose diicul*ties 6ere not product o t!eir
et!nicity/ 8onet!e*less, t!ey did not turn t!eir
backs on t!eir roots/
"aving come out o t!e closet as an 'nglo*
p!ile and !aving become t!e darling o t!e 8e6
,ig!t, muc! t!e 6ay &(ra %ound and +/S/ &liot
became mout!pieces or ascism in t!eir time,
,odrigue( is no6 paraded !it!er and yon as t!e
good ;e0ican become 'merican/ "e seems to
revel in t!at identiication/ +!e 8e6 ,ig!t must
assume t!at ,odrigue(2 cultural e0trapolations
relect t!e verities o ;e0ican 'merican lie/ 'ter
all, !e2s ;e0ican**or once 6as**t!ereore, !is des*
pective commentary about ;e0ico and ;e0ican
'merican lie must be true/ "e oug!t to kno6/ 'nd
t!oug! !e demurs about articulating 7t!e ;e0ican
'merican e0perience,7 asseverations to t!e
contrary, !is assertions and generali(ations go ar
beyond t!e boundaries o .ust observation despite a
caveat to t!e contrary t!at 6!en re!ear*sing !is lie
!e describes only !is o6n, not !is brot!er2s nor !is
sisters2 livesB one c!ild!ood, one solitude, !is/
But !e categori(es/ "e analy(es/ "e .udges/
'bout ;e0ico, or e0ample, !e saysC 7;e0icans
live be!ind 6allsB ;e0icans are a people obsessed
by privacy / / / Formalities are protected by doors/
Doors lie beyond doors/7 +!ese are lat assertions
based on limited observation at odds 6it! t!e ge*
neral be!avior o ;e0icansC 6!o build sub6ays,
skyscrapers, roads, !arbors, drink coca cola and eat
R
:
;acDonald2s !amburgers and 6!o are an open,
estive people/
$n an observation about an $ndian graduate
student, !e says about !er intention to intervie6
various members o !er tribe in 8ort!ern Calior*
nia in order to preserve t!e ancient stories t!at
!ave passed t!roug! generationsC 7$ do not mock
!er intentions/ +!ere is every reason to encourage
t!e pro.ect/ But, $ t!ink, in its deepest ambition,
suc! a pro.ect is doomed to ailure/7 1!yD "o6
does !e kno6D 1!at Delp!ic po6ers !as !e
ac-uired rom reading Britis! literatureD
Furt!er along, !e saysC 7+!e 6riters 6!o teac!
me best about t!e drama o my lie are not 'meri*
can/ +!ey are Britis!/7 +!en !e cites ,aymond
1illiams, ,ic!ard "oggart, D/"/ #a6rence/ 1!y
not <o!n ;ilton and The Areopagitica, <onat!on
S6it and Gulliver's Travels, Eirginia 1ool and A
Room of One's Own, 6riters 6!o deended cultural
diversity/ Surely C!icano 6riters like ,udy 'naya,
+omas ,ivera, ,olando "ino.osa, 'rturo $slas can
teac! ,odrigue( somet!ing about t!e drama o !is
lie as a ;e0ican 'merican/ 8oF "e calls et!nic
literature 7a miscellaneous booga*loo,7 a category
!e decries being placed in at bookstores/
"e 6ants to be on mainstream literary s!elves,
not in 7miscellaneous boogaloo7 because !e2s an
et!nic 6riter/ $ agree 6it! !im/ But !e seems to
orget t!e source o !is notoriety**!e2s pus!ing t!e
very et!nicity !e rails against or being c!ic, pus!*
ing in a 6ay t!at dra6s attention to !is et!nicity/
'nd t!at2s 6!y "ispanic revie6ers are asked to
assess !is 6orks/ 1!o else can ascertain t!eir
verisimilitudeD "e2s not 6riting iction**t!oug!
many "ispanic revie6ers 6ould say !e is/ $ 6on*
der i ,odrigue( means to lump in 7miscellaneous
boogaloo7 t!e 6orks o ,olvaag, $/B/ Singer,
DiDonati, Bulosan and ot!er &t!nic 'merican
6ritersD
'mong ot!er designations, 'merican 6riters
are also et!nic 6riters**,ot!, ;alamud, %u(o,
'rlen/ 8ot so strangely, &t!nic 'mericans 6riters
are absent rom t!e canon o 'merican literature/
One does not ind t!em in ant!ologies o 'meri*
can literature nor in Spiller2s #iterary "istory o
t!e )nited States/
$t seems, !o6ever, ,odrigue( preers t!e rau*
dulent version o C!icano lie in amous All Over
Town by Daniel <ames Gpassing !imsel o as
Danny Santiago, a C!icano 6riterH to t!e realities
depicted by actual C!icano 6riters/ ,odrigue(
e0plainsC 7$t s!ould not !ave been ne6s t!at Daniel
<ames 6rites so 6ell about &ast #/'/ +!e 6riter,
any true 6riter, is gited 6it! an imagina*tion
larger t!an can be contained by any one
neig!bor!ood/7 $n one ell s6oop, Daniel <ames
!as been anointed by ,odrigue( as a true 6riter,7
!o6ever deceptively !e oisted !is novel on t!e
'merican public as a 6ork by a C!icano 6riter,
someone 6!o !ad lived t!e e0perience, according
to t!e dust .acket on t!e book/ $ Daniel <ames 6as
7a true 6riter,7 6!y did !e need to sell !is story as
Danny Santiago/ 1ould not t!e 6ork o 7a true
6riter7 speak or itselD
$n !is searc! or acceptance and validation by
'nglo 'mericans, ,odrigue( tells !is audience 3or
6!om !is essay 7'n 'merican 1riter7 6as
6ritten5, 7$ am an 'merican like you/ +!omas
<eerson is my cultural oreat!er, not Benito <ua*
re(/7 ,odrigue(2 et!nic and cultural apostasy seems
no6 complete/ "e !as become a bro6n 'nglo
Sa0on, a coconut as some C!icanos 6ould call
!im, re.ecting !is et!nic !eritage and identity/ "e
!as become not .ust an ordinary bro6n 'nglo
Sa0on but an elitist bro6n 'nglo Sa0on/ God save
t!e IueenF But t!e price or t!is transormation is
e0actingC an obscure veil clouds and distorts ,od*
rigue(2 vision/ 7Our national virtue,7 !e 6rites, 7is
t!e %uritan virtue o tolerance/7 1!ic! tolerance
does !e reer toD +!e tolerance o Crom6ell and
t!e %uritan Common6ealt!D +!e tolerance o t!e
Salem 6itc! trialsD O Cotton ;at!er2s sermons
about t!e ini-uitous SpaniardsD
Oddly, ,odrigue( inter.ects t!at t!e reason
7%uritans 6ere suc! good novelists7 6as because
t!ey elt 7so alone/7 %uritans esc!e6ed t!e novel
as t!ey esc!e6ed all diversion/ 'mong t!e %uri*
tans in t!e early %lymout! colony t!ere 6as not
one among t!em 6!o could be called a ;an o
#etters/ Bliss %erry, t!eir notable critic 3The Ame!
rican Min", 191:5, inorms us 7t!ey produced no
poetry, iction, painting, sculpture or music 6ort!y
o t!e name7 GJH/ Because 7&nglis! %uritanism 6as
!ostile to 'rt,7 !e e0plains GI#i"/H/
+!e novel came to 'merica via ot!er routes,
not t!roug! t!e %uritans/ $t2s a latecomer to 'me*
rica precisely because o t!e %uritan mind*set
about literature and t!e arts/ +!e only great %uritan
6riter 6as <o!n ;ilton, and !e did not 6rite no*
vels, t!oug! $ suppose !is 6orks could be called
A
t!at/ +raditionally t!ey !ave been categori(ed as
poetry, liturgical 6orks or man2s instruction, not
entertainment/
,odrigue( also 6ritesC 7'mericans !ave come
to pri(e individuality, but 6it!out celebrating t!e
ot!er act about ourselves, 6!ic! is t!at 6e orm a
community/7 ,eallyD ' community represents a
collectivity o people gat!ered by common inter*
ests/ +!e )nited States is ar rom being a commu*
nity/ $t2s a congeries o issured communities,
stitc!ed toget!er by orce o la6/ $ t!e )nited
States 6ere a community, 6e 6ould not !ave to
talk about a 7Black community7 or a 7C!icano
community7 or an K'sian community7 or a 7%uerto
,ican community7 or an 7$ndian community
GtribeH/7 ,odrigue( says, 7'merica is t!e country
6!ere one stops being German, stops being
C!inese/7 $s !e talking about t!e same 'merica in
6!ic! $ liveD Or some myt!ic country o t!e mind
in 6!ic! !e lives, along 6it! t!e g!osts o &(ra
%ound and +/S/ &liotD $n !is 'merica, ,odrigue(
says,7 'mericans end up sounding like one ano*
t!er/ 'mericans end up acting like one anot!er/7
"mD +!en !e adds, 'mericans 7do not, !o6ever,
easily recogni(e our common identity / / / 1e
easily orget**6!at t!e rest o t!e 6orld kno6s
about us**t!at 'merica e0ists as a culture/7
,odrigue( seems to overlook t!at culture is a
product o !omogeneity, a s!ared et!os, common
interests and aspirations/ 'merica is not one single
culture**it2s a conluence o cultures, blending
!ere, diverging t!ere/ $t2s a land o cultural diver*
sity and cultural contrast, eac! culture contributing
a patc! to t!e -uilt 6e call 'merica/ "o6ever
muc! 6e may t!ink 6e understand anot!er culture
no Gentile, or e0ample, can 6rite a novel about
t!e <e6is! e0perience in 'merica 6it!out !aving
lived itB and to live it**really live it**one needs to
be <e6is! 'merican/ +!at2s 6!y t!ere emerged in
t!e )nited States o t!e 19J02s t!e need or a black
est!etic, a C!icano est!etic/ From t!e perspective
o t!e 6!ite est!etic, black and C!icano te0ts 6ere
al6ays aulty/ +!at2s 6!y ant!ologies o 'merican
literature regularly e0cluded t!em/
&lse6!ere, ,odrigue( 6rites,7 Once upon a
time t!e language $ used at !ome 6as a rural ;e0i*
can Spanis!, a 6orking*class Spanis! o limited
vocabulary / / / an intensely private Spanis! / / / a
language rarely used in public by my amily/ 8ever
a language o %o6er/7 )nless it 6as an especially
created language, or use only by !is amily, t!e
;e0ican Spanis! o ,odrigue(2 c!ild*!ood 6as t!e
same ;e0ican Spanis! o my c!ild*!ood as 6ell as
in rural ;e0ico, +e0as and t!e 'merican ;id6est/
$t 6as a language ric! in te0ture and imageryB a
po6erul molder o ideas and opinions, o t!e kind
t!at supported indepen*dence in 1410 and social
transormation a !undred years later in 1910/
,odrigue( adds, 7t!e Spanis! $ !ad gat!ered
at !ome 6as as dierent rom conventional stan*
dard Spanis! as 'ppalac!ian 6!ite &nglis! is di*
erent rom t!e &nglis! used in t!e )niversity o
Eirginia/7 'ctually, 'ppalac!ian &nglis! diers
little rom t!e )niversity o Eirginia &nglis! e0*
cept in pronunciation and select le0ical items/
Ot!er t!an t!at, 'ppalac!ians and )niversity o
Eirginia aculty and students understand eac! ot!er
as 6ell as a +e0an, say, talking to a Bosto*nian/
'ural impediments pass -uickly/ &ac! gets t!e
!ang o t!e ot!er2s articulation, eac! c!uckles at
t!e ot!er2s 7-uaint7 6ay o talking/ +!ere is
communication/ Only an elitist )niversity o
Eirginia aculty member or student 6ould disdain
t!e speec! o 'ppalac!ia/
1!ic! brings us to ,odrigue(2 notion o
7conventional standard Spanis!/7 1!at t!at is, $
don2t kno6/ $n 'rgentina my ;e0ican Spanis!
interacted 6it! 'rgentine Spanis!, as it !as inter*
acted 6it! C!ilean Spanis!, Colombian Spanis!,
Eene(uelan Spanis!, 8icaraguan Spanis!, Cuban
Spanis!, %uerto ,ican Spanis!, %eninsular Spa*
nis!/ Conventional standard Spanis! is as ep!eme*
ral as conventional standard &nglis!/ C!urc!ill
proclaimed t!at t!e Britis! and 'mericans 6ere
one people separated by a common language/ "e
kne6 only too 6ell t!e myt! o conventional
standard &nglis!/
1!at ,odrigue( seems to !ave ailed in
learning about language is t!at it s!apes realities,
as Ben.amin #ee 1!or and &d6ard Sapir conten*
ded/ ' Speaker o Spanis! s!apes reality dierent
t!an a speaker o &nglis! or a speaker o ,ussian/
1e are captives o t!e language 6e are born into or
o t!e language 6e become dominant in/ Only t!e
most proound kind o insig!t enables us to break
t!e bonds o language by valuing ot!er languages,
breaking t!e conines o le0ocentrism 3linguistic
C!auvinism5/
;oreover, it is not t!e air o 'merica ,odri*
gue( breat!es 6!en !e says, 7t!e air $ breat!e is
?
'merica,7 meaning !e2s as 'merican as anyone
else/ O course !e is/ But t!e air !e breat!es is t!e
air o eart!/ Despite t!e metap!or, t!ere is no
'merican air or ;e0ican air or ,ussian air/ 'll o
us breat!e t!e air o eart!**as c!ildren o t!e eart!/
$ kno6 $2ve culled a minor point !ere but it2s an
e0ample o !o6 imprecisely**per!aps 7carelessly7
is a better 6ord** ,odrigue( uses language in !is
calculations to s!ore up !is argument and to
persuade t!e reader about t!e merits o !is point o
vie6/
1riting !is autobiograp!y ,odrigue( inorms
us !e elt estranged rom !is past, t!at !e reali(ed
!e 6as committing a ne6 sin against t!at past,
since !e 6rote t!e book against !is parentsL 6is!es
and publis!ed it against t!eir 6is!es too/ $n !er
moving autobiograp!ical 6ork, 'n(ia Me(ierska,
t!e <e6is! 'merican 6riter 6!o became kno6n as
t!e NCinderella o t!e G!etto2, e0plainsC 7$ !ad to
break a6ay rom my mot!er2s cursing and my
at!er2s preac!ing to live my lieB but 6it!out t!em
$ !ad no lie/ 1!en you deny your parents, you
deny t!e sky over your !ead/ Mou become an out*
la6, a paria!7 GRe" Ri##on, 9:H/
1e can !ear ,odrigue(2 parents saying, 7%or*
-ue, mi2.oD %or-ueD7 1!y, my sonD 1!yD +!at2s
not so deep a mystery to plumb as it mig!t appear/
Cultural apostasy, like religious apostasy, is as old
as time/ 'nd so are apologists**Iuislings 6!o
deend t!e stranger2s 6ays, t!e Ot!er2s 6ays over
t!eir o6n/ Cultural 7turncoats7 6!o, like t!e Eic!y
Frenc!, al6ays emerge to do t!e Eictor2s bidding/
'n(ia Me(ierska 6as critical o !er apostasyB ,od*
rigue( is not/
+o e0piate !is sin against !is parents and !is
past, ,odrigue( seeks to .ustiy !is et!nic apostasy
as a generational issueC 7+!e c!ild cannot !ave a
lie identical 6it! t!at o !is mot!er or !is at!er,7
!e says, claiming t!at 76!en parents and c!ildren
no longer s!are t!e !ope o a uture in common, $
t!ink it is no coincidence t!at t!ere !as been a
middle*class c!ase or et!nic roots/ Suc! a cele*
bration o continuity becomes a denial o loss/7
'ddingC 7'gainst some guilty kno6ledge o loss,
6e celebrate our et!nic diversity/7 1e reali(e !e
kno6s as muc! about et!nicity as !e does about
bilingual education or airmative action/
+!en cunningly !e calls upon St/ 'ugustine or
!elp, citing t!e $onfessions as 'ugustine2s 6ay o
remembering !is past in order to divorce !im*sel
rom it/ +!us, t!e raison d2etre or Hunger of
Memory**via t!e te0t, ,odrigue( can semiotically
distance !imsel rom !is et!nic past/ But i 6e are
to believe ,odrigue(2 autobiograp!y, !e !ad no
dissolute past like 'ugustine2s to break a6ay rom/
+!oug! born into a poor 6orking class amily, !e
6as not a c!ild o 6ant/ +!erein lies t!e rub/ Hun!
ger of Memory is less auto*biograp!y and more a
motley tangle o t!emes rom t!e agenda o t!e
8e6 ,ig!tC #ike Cato, centurions o a ne6 class,
neo*%latonists creating a ne6 ,epublic o elitists/
One 6onders 6!ere ,odrigue( its into t!is 78e6
,epublic7D But o course !e is not a %oet/
,odrigue( tells us !e c!ose autobiograp!y be*
cause it2s 7t!e genre o t!e discontinuous lie/7
1!at discontinuity in !is lie Gas !e !as presented
it to usH is !e talking aboutD %er!aps !e2s murmur*
ring only to ool t!e 6ind/ Or per!aps to ool !im*
sel, t!inking t!e sound coming rom !is lips is !is
o6n voice/ 'utobiograp!y is ar rom being t!e
genre o t!e discontinuous lie/ On t!e contrary, it
is a genre o t!e continuous lie, o relection over
a past rom 6!ic! some kernel o kno6ledge can
be gleaned and passed on to t!e uture/ %roust
proved t!at/ 1inston C!urc!ill2s autobiograp!ic
6orks can !ardly be termed products o a disconti*
nuous lie/ ,odrigue(2 education seems to !ave
taug!t !im little about a lot and not!ing about t!e
value o !is people, save t!eir denigration/ +!ere
!as been enoug! denigration already/ 1e e0pected
better o t!e 8e6 'merican Sc!olars!ip Boy/
%er!aps !e is t!e 6ay !e !as become because
!e remembers !imsel Gaccording to !is descript*
tion in 7'n 'merican 1riter7H as a s!ort, at boy,
keeping to !imsel because !e didn2t go to t!e
.unior prom, t!inking o !imsel as dark and ugly
in a 6orld !e believed re6arded blondness/ +!is is
6!at t!e 7melting pot7 did to ,odrigue( and ot!er
;e0ican 'merican c!ildren over t!e years**t!e
unmeltables/ $t made t!em as!amed o 6!o t!ey
6ereOdysp!oria a la mode/
$t2s t!e melting pot concept o 7blondness7 t!at
!as created ear and loat!ing in '(tlan/ 'nd ,odri*
gue( is but anot!er victim o a boiling in t!at pot/
%er!aps !e !as become a victim o t!e 'merican
7melting pot7 notion because !e !as come to
believe t!at ;e0ico too is a melting pot/ +!e no!
tion o a ;e0ican 7melting pot7 is as vulnerable as
t!e notion o an 'merican 7melting pot/7
@
'ny6ay, !e inorms us, !e became a 6riter
years later because !e 7!ungered or communal
assurance/ 'pplauseF +!e good revie6,7 desiring
most t!e 7good understanding7 o 'nglos**t!ose
6!o most re.ected !im as a boy G6e assume psy*
c!ologicallyH/
,odrigue(2 story is ar rom a conventional
'merican story, as !e describes it/ 7For genera*
tions,7 !e says, 7t!is !as been t!e patternC immi*
grants !ave arrived in t!e city and t!e c!ildren o
immigrant parents !ave gone o to sc!ool and
come !ome speaking an 'merican &nglis!/7 1ould
t!at it !ad been t!at simpleF $t is not t!at simple
no6/
$n !is description o t!e ac-uisition o 'meri*
can &nglis! by immigrant c!ildren, ,odrigue(
brus!es aside t!e pedagogy t!at attends t!e teac!*
ing o &nglis! to speakers o ot!er languages/ For
immigrant c!ildren o past generations t!at peda*
gogy 6as rooted in a 7sink*or*s6im7 3total immer*
sion5 approac! t!at let e6 academic survivors/ $
can attest to t!at !olocaust, !aving repeated t!e
First Grade t6ice because $ came to t!e 'merican
sc!ool as a speaker o Spanis!/
)ltimately $ did go !ome speaking &nglis!,
but at great cost to me t!at 6as not repaired until $
6as an adult/ "o6ever, many ;e0ican 'merican
c!ildren did not are as 6ell, as $ reported in 6orks
o :0 years ago**CC K;onte(uma2s C!ildrenP 3The
$enter Maga%ine o t!e Center or t!e Study o
Democratic $nstitutions5 7Sc!ools or ;e0ican
'mericans7 3Satur"ay Review5 and +!e #inguistic
$mperative in +eac!ing &nglis! to Speakers o
Ot!er #anguages 3Center or 'pplied #inguistics5/
1!y ,odrigue( s!ould be an opponent o
7Bilingual &ducation7 6!en t!e pedagogy o bilin*
gual instruction is rooted in global practices and
principles remains a mystery, save t!at it may be
because o !is need to uel t!e 'nglop!ilic ervor
o &nglis!*only ad!erents/
But ,odrigue( is not 6it!out redemption, or
!e does say, 7$ am o ;e0ico,7 e0plaining t!at !e
retains 7aspects o culture, t!e deepest ait!s and
moods7 o !is ancestors, 7an in!eritance deeper
sometimes t!an $ can reveal to you/7
"e2s partly rig!t 6!en !e argues t!at t!e
drama o !is lie 76as not an et!nic drama, but one
o social class/P For ;e0ican 'mericans, as or
ot!er minorities o color in t!e )nited States, t!e
drama o lie is bot! an et!nic drama and one o
social class/
'nd !eLs correct in asking !is audience
3'mericans5 not to romantici(e !is c!ild!ood and
!is predicament because !e 6as 7a c!ild o t!e
6orking class, a Nminority2 c!ild, born into t!e
culture o poverty/7 ,omantici(ing t!at condition
diminis!es its reality in t!e same 6ay t!at roman*
tici(ing t!e 7noble savage7 3'merican $ndian5 in
t!e 14t! century diminis!ed t!e realities o t!e
$ndian struggle against 'nglo 'merican incursions
into t!eir lands/
,odrigue( is also rig!t 6!en !e scorns cock*
tail*party patter to maintain !is cultureQ 6!atever
t!at means/ $ get t!e eeling t!at 6!at people reer
to as culture is somet!ing very simple/ ' tolerance
or c!ile/ ' !umor/ Or an eye or t!e insistent co*
lor/7 +!at2s e0actly 6!at most o t!at means, based
on internali(ed stereotypes o ;e0icans and
;e0ican 'mericans, stereotypes people !ardly
kno6 t!ey !old or perceive as roots o t!eir no*
tions about people/
%arado0ically !e says, 7t!e comic reality is
t!at 'merica is 6ildly, i reluctantly, multicul*
tural/7 $ t!at2s true, 6!y !as !e been saying all
t!ose t!ings about usD "ave 6e misunderstood !is
6ordsD %er!apsF Or per!aps !e needs to be clearer
about 6!at !e says and 6!at !e means/
;y sense is t!at !e2s still perple0ed about !im*
sel and t!e meaning o 'merica/ "e2s still opening
books t!inking t!ey are doors to trut!s/ Books are
e0tensions o peopleC t!ey lie, omit and distort/ 8o
matter !o6 Samuel Clements portrayed lie on t!e
;ississippi, "uck Finn 6as 6!ite and <im 6as
black/ +!e reality o t!at story lies in its counter*
te0t 6!ic! even Clements 6as una6are lay embed*
ded in t!e story as !e 6rote it/
$ don2t ault ,odrigue( or succumbing to t!e
seductive po6er o books/ $ too ell prey to t!eir
siren song once/ +!ey are not venerable, !o6ever
muc! some mig!t 6is! t!em to be/ +!ey are opi*
nions, perspectives/ $n t!e end, t!ey are instru*
ments o po6er/ +ools by 6!ic! and t!roug! 6!ic!
a society invents itsel and transmits itsel across
t!e generations/ )ltimately, books are t!e stones
people use to ortiy t!emselves rom dangers
6it!out 6!ile giving t!em a sense o protection
rom 6it!in/
'nd so, ,ic!ard ,odrigue( concludes, telling
!is audience in 7'n 'merican 1riter,7 7$ end up
J
!ere/ $ end up speaking your language, not t!e lan*
guage o my early c!ild!ood/ $ end up telling you
t!ings $ don2t tell my o6n relatives/ MouOstran*
gers**!old my polis!ed secrets in your silent stare/7
'nd 6e end up asking, %or-ue mi2.oD %or-ueD #ike
#apin2s 7;ot!er2s !eart7 6e askC Did 6e not love
you enoug!D as !e stumbles to6ard some riotous
ate 6it! a peridious and demanding mistress/ +!e
irony is t!at it2s anot!er ,odrigue( G%aulH 6!o
keeps reinorcing stereotypes about ;e0ican
'mericans in !is string o ailed tele*vision series
purporting to parade t!e oibles o ;e0ican
'merican lie/ &t!nic !umor can be un*ny 6!en it
stems out o real*lie situations rat!er t!an
stereotyped plots/ C!icanos !ave invented
t!emselvesB and '(tlan/ 1!y notD 'merica is an
invention by 'nglo 'mericans/ +!at2s 6!y C!ica*
nos 6ant to reinvent 'mericaC so it includes t!em/
+!at2s 6!y t!ey invented '(tlan/ +!e invention
gives t!em 3us5 a sense o belonging/ One 6on*
ders, !o6ever, 6!y ,ic!ard ,odrigue( invented
!imselD
$n t!e e0istential sense o t!e 6ord, one can
say as <ean %aul Sartre did t!at everyday one in*
vents onesel or any number o reasons/ For e0*
ample, ,epublicans invented t!emselves in pre*
Civil 1ar days in order to 6in t!e presidency/ For
'nglo acceptance, ,odrigue( seems to !ave inven*
ted !imsel as Rnig!t +emplar o a ictitious 'me*
rica !e !as come to believe actually e0ists or e0is*
ted muc! t!e 6ay some people believe or believed
in Camelot and t!e "oly Grail/ 'dmittedly, 7look*
ing back in memory / / / is a great deal invention,7
as <ulian <aynes put it in Origin of $onsciousness
in the &rea'"own of the &icameral Min"/ $n t!ose
terms, invention is t!us a process o consciousness
in creating meaningul metap!ors o e0istence and
validation or a group/

II

1it! t!e e0ception o ,odrigue(2 piece, Sollors !as
collected a ine group o essays in The Inven!tion
of Ethnicity to demonstrate t!e concept o
invention vis*a*vis et!nic groups and !o6 t!at con*
cept 6orks in group consciousness as et!nic grou*
ps seek to deine t!emselves rom a national pers*
pective in terms o !o6 t!ey see t!emselves/
)nortunately, ,odrigue( seeks to deine !is group
3C!icanos5 rom t!e perspective o !is invention o
!imsel/ "e generali(es rom t!e particular**a uni*
verse o one**despite !is caveat to t!e contrary/
't t!is point, let me create an analog/ #et us
postulate an 7$mago7**a pro.ection o t!e sel as
t!e sel perceives and conceives itsel, taking into
account an array o internal and e0ternal actors/ $n
eect, t!e sel s!ields itsel by encasing itsel in
t!e cocoon o t!e $mago and t!inks o itsel as
being perceived as its $mago**its pro.ectionO6!e*
t!er t!at is true or not/ +!e sel 6ants people to
accept its $mago as its Sel because, as it t!inks,
t!e $mago is t!e best 7ace7 o itsel/ ' group o
$magos as!ioned rom t!e same cultural clay can
be considered an et!nic group, t!oug! no et!nic
group can be said to be !omogeneous/ $n toto,
t!oug!, a collectivity o $magos create t!e pro.ect*
ted image o an et!nic group/ +!ere are individual
e0ceptions, o course, But in t!e main, members o
an et!nic group e0!ibit comparable c!aracteristics
o be!avior/ +!is is t!e telling point o Rat!leen
8eils Con(en2s essay on 7&t!nicity as Festive Cul*
tureC 8ineteent! Century German 'merica on
%arade/7 For some 100 years, rom t!e end o t!e
1ar o 141: to t!e advent o 1orld 1ar $, Ger*
man 'mericans gre6 numerically strong and
politically po6erul as a conse-uence o s!aring
t!eir estive rituals 6it! 'merica t!an by s!eer
orce o numbers/ +!at s!aring transormed 'me*
rican popular culture rom its %uritan c!aracter to a
estive*loving people/ German 'mericans gave us
parades, beergardens and amily picnics/ +!ey
gave us kindergartens and institutionali(ed public
celebrations**vereine/
+!oug! not a !omogeneous group, German
'mericans nurtured 3and invented5 t!eir et!nicity
in celebration, muc! t!e 6ay ;e0ican 'mericans
nurture et!nicity t!roug! celebration o iestas
(atrias**dates commemorating t!eir becoming
'mericans by anne0ation GE) Segun"o "e e!
#reroQFebruary :, 14?4H, t!e victory o ;e0ico
over t!e Frenc! G&1 $inco "e Mayo**;ay @,
14J:H, Declaration o ;e0ican $ndependence rom
Spain GE) *iesiseis "e Septiem#reQSeptember 1J,
1410H, and t!e day o t!e +irgin "e Gua"alupe Gday
s!e appeared to <uan Diego in +epeyac near
;e0ico City **December 1:, 1@A1H/
+!roug! t!e invention o organi(ations like
'lian(a "ispano 'mericana in 149J and t!e #ea*
gue o )nited #atin 'merican Citi(ens G#)#'CH
in 19:9, ;e0ican 'mericans deined t!e contours
9
o t!eir et!nic invention in t!e )nited States, adap*
ting t!eir celebrations to t!e geopolitical realities
in 6!ic! t!ey e0isted/ German 'mericans invented
'merican traditions, t!e same 6ay Colonial 'me*
ricans invented 'merican traditions/ $n $hina Men,
;a0ine "ong Ringston !as Bak Goong e0*plainC
7+!at 6asn2t a custom/ 1e made it up/ 1e can
make up customs because 6e2re t!e ounding
ancestors o t!is place/7
So 6!at2s 'merican about 'merican tradi*
tionsD &veryt!ing and not!ing/ +!ey2ve all been
invented and reinvented by successive generations
o et!nic 'mericans/ $talian 'mericans invented
Columbus Day, $talian 6eddings and pi((erias/
<e6is! 'mericans invented 'merican !umor and
delicatessens/ 'rican 'mericans invented 'meri*
can music**blues and .a((/ ;e0ican 'mericans
!ave invented colorul estive dress, mariac!is and
lour tortillas/ +acos are supplanting t!e !otdog as
t!e 'll*'merican ast ood/ +!e list is long/
+!ese are but t!e trappings o et!nicity, o
course/ $n many 6ays, t!e above e0amples o et!*
nic contributions to 'merican tradition and culture
are but stereotypes o et!nicity/ For et!nic 'meri*
cans !ave contributed muc! more substantially to
'merican lie**to its social ambience, its intellect*
tual climate, its educational perspectives, its .udi*
cial tolerance, and muc!, muc! more/
Some voices suggest t!at distinctions bet6een
7et!nic7 groups in t!e )nited States are blurring
no6 and t!at t!e term serves little purpose in
connecting t!e realities o individuals 6!o pursue
sel*reali(ation and t!ose 6!o pursue group*reali*
(ation/ Otentimes voices o t!e ormer are too
interest*centered 6!ile voices o t!e latter are
et!nic*centered/ But, !o6ever true t!e voices o
sel*reali(ation believe t!eir message to be, et!ni*
city is alive and 6ell in t!e )nited States**and 6ill
continue, $ daresay, to louris! so long as t!e
country is t!e lodestone attracting t!e diversity o
people it doesB and !as/
o t6o voices sing t!e same song, t!oug!
t!e o6ners sing t!e same 6ords and read
t!e same music/ Dierences o voicing,
p!rasing, breat!ing and a congeries o ot!er ac*
tors make eac! individual articulation o a song
uni-ue to t!e singer/ ' 7singing7 is muc! like a
sno6lake**no t6o are alike/
+!e songs o &t!nic 'merica are as dierent as
its voices/ 8ot even in t!e beginning o t!e
&uropean enterprise in t!e 'mericas 6ere voices
alike or 6ere t!ey singing in unison/ +!ey only
t!oug!t t!ey 6ere singing t!e same tune/ +!e act
o t!e matter, t!ey 6ere a c!orus o voices
blending !armonically to an orc!estration o !ope
and aspirations/ $n t!e end, all t!e voices since t!en
!ave created a symp!ony called 7'merica/7 +!e
problem isC not everyone !ears t!e same musicC
and many !ear t!e beat o dierent drums in t!e
orc!estra/
Copyrig!t S 1990 by t!e 'ut!or/ 'll rig!ts reserved/
N
4