Gringolandia

Stop saying Senator Rodriguez's statement was out of context. You're lying or stupid because it wasn't. You know who says that their statement was taken out of context?

People who said something stupid and are taking heat for it, but don't want to apologize for it.

But if you want to talk context, then I have an even bigger beef with it. The context in which the senator used the statement was essentially saying the young people leave El Paso and come back and want things better and change things to "gringolandia".

First of all, how colonized is your mind that you think better means white?

But lets talk about the term gringolandia itself. There is no context in which it isn't meant in a negative way towards white people. No one in the history of saying the word gringo, meant it in a good way. Mostly because its not a word you use with the intent of meaning it "in a good way".

I had a friend on Facebook tell me "Gringolandia isn't racist for a simple reason. A statement, in itself, isn't racist." I spit out my coffee when I read it.

Nigger.

Spic.

Kike.

Take your pick of any ugly word used toward a group of people that isn't meant to be nice. Still think a statement isn't racist in itself? Think about the reaction you had just reading those words on the screen? Saying that a statement in itself isn't racist is implying that the words have no meaning. Words have meaning, by definition. They are how we communicate.

Now you can debate how the word is used from here to across the street but the reality is, its not used as a compliment.

Change Gringolandia to Beanerville and most of us would be outraged if a Senator used that statement. Most of you throwing rocks at people that have stood up against the senator's comments and have been calling them coconuts, as a racial statement, would be the first ones condemning someone white using Beanerville in any context.

There would be no acceptable excuse.

And frankly no one reading this would be surprised if some dumbass somewhere referred to a Mexican part of town as Beanerville. But because we are used to it being done to us doesn't mean its okay for us to turn around and do the same thing we complain about.

What Rodriguez and others haven't figured out is that this being a border community, there are a lot of people with mixed heritage in the border region. In fact, here's a perfect example of why Cassandra Brown was so offended by what he said. Her kids are half-white.

I think that was the perfect response to Rodriguez, mostly because it perfectly captures the reality of life on the border.

But lets go further into what bothered me more than the very obvious racial remark. It was Rodriguez implying, based only on the fact that they disagree with him, that council is bought off by developers. Well he's either implying that money is changing hands, in which case he has an obligation to report it to law enforcement, or he is saying that its payback for campaign contributions.

The problem with that logic is that some of the same people that have donated to members of council, have also donated to Rodriguez throughout his career.

Like I said, he implies corruption because he disagrees with them. His staff does that too.

What I find troublesome about the senator doing so is the fact that he his participating in the lowering of the dialogue on important issues. Its very Trumpian.

I get it, in Washington and Austin thats how the game is played. And we all see how effective those two towns are at getting things done, amirite? Now public debate is no different than a back and forth on Facebook where its no-holds-barred, no one's mind is changed, and almost always ends in some personal insults thrown around.

Do you remember when there was actual public corruption going on in El Paso? Memmur that day the FBI windbreakers showed up at the County Courthouse? Do you know who was the County Attorney at the time?

You memmur, memmur?

It was Jose Rodriguez.

He should know what actual corruption looks like. He should know the tangible damage it did to this community. Hell he routinely got into it with Anthony Cobos when he was trying to make one of his little tanzas happen. He should be more responsible about the accusations he throws around.

Thats why I am disappointed in that article in the Texas Monthly. He undermines the public's confidence in local government without any grounds and that is irresponsible. I've always held him in high esteem and frankly as a role model. He went from being a farm worker to a state senator.

But someone who spent a career being an advocate for raza and standing up when others would make racial comments shouldn't then turn around and use them himself. There's no getting around that, explaining it away, or making excuses for that.

Look, I'm not defending white people here. They have every institutional advantage possible in every aspect of life from business to education and everything in between. They damn sure don't need me to stick up for them.

But for me, this is about raza. I'm so sick of protesters acting like they are protecting people. They aren't. If they were, they would've been the first people wanting the tenants out of bad living conditions. They should have looked at those folks living there, seen their conditions, and if they had any humanity they would've looked at them like their own elders in their own families.

They would've been fighting for better living conditions.

Instead, white people in charge of this movement (hate to break it to you guys but a white guy is in charge of your little movement, which is the irony of all ironies) parade those folks in front of council for the news cameras.

And you helped him do it. If you picture those folks like your own grandparents or parents or any family elder, you helped him use them.

But since Jose Rodriguez wants to use the term gringolandia, lets do a quick review of the situation:

The person funding their effort is a gringo named Bryan.

The guy leading the effort and lawsuit is a gringo named Grossman.

The leading supporter of the cause on council is a gringa named Annello.

The leading support of the cause at the county is a gringo named Stout.

The buildings you’re trying to save, were designed by a gringo named Trost.

Don't look now Senator, but looks like you're in .... Gringolandia!