One of my favorite works of literature is a comic book series called Y: The Last Man, which depicts a universe in which every male organism on earth has died, with the exception of one man named Yorick (as in “Alas, poor Yorick”) and his pet monkey. Yes, it’s strange and even somewhat goofy despite the severity of the situation – but it makes a very interesting point about how entire groups of people can be disregarded. In the case of Y, the plot is not so much about how much men are disregarded as it is a commentary on how much of the world men control or influence. After the “gendercide” takes place, the comic makes some sobering notes: worldwide, 85% of the world’s political representatives are gone, as are 99% of the world’s landowners, 99% of construction and electrical workers, and 100% of the Catholic priesthood, Muslim imams, and Orthodox Jewish rabbis. Interestingly, 51% of the world’s agricultural force is alive. One - understandable – response to these statistics is to say “wow, we really need men to have a functioning, happy planet, ” but another important response is “wow, why aren’t women better represented in these areas?”
Similar thoughts went through my head as I watched A Day Without A Mexican, a 2004 film about what would happen everyone in California of Latino/a descent suddenly disappeared. The situation is somewhat comical at first, as people struggle to cope without the people who play a major part in the economic and social life of the state, but things become desperate fast. As with Y, there are two survivors – a woman named Lila Rodreguez and a young girl – and a list of sobering statistics: Latino/as make up 1/3 of the state’s population, contribute 100 billion dollars to the state’s economy, take only 3 billion in social services, make up 60% of the construction workers in the state, and half of the border patrol, among many other things.
The disappearance of the Latino/as raises many questions about where they went and how they got there, but it also raises awareness of their important role – and the inequality of the roles they fill in comparison to the non-Latino/as. Eventually, Californians learn their lesson: as they begin to treat the missing Latino/as as fully human by acknowledging their presence in ways they did not when Latino/as were physically present. Although this makes a pretty clear statement about how underappreciated Latino/as are, I think it also points out some inequities worth paying attention to. It is very important that the US population as a whole learns to appreciate and dignify the contributions being made by a group of people too often invisible – but it is also very important that we realize how segregated our society can be, and how much we need to note how we can work alongside others from all different groups in every level of society.
I value the movie in the way that it does show the importance of people, and in this case the Latino people. The various roles they played in the movie displayed how if they were not here, our lives would be drastically different. They do not hinder our society but in fact play an important role in keeping it functioning. So, how can people still see this in a negative light?
ReplyDeleteI do this it is important that we realize how segregated our society can be. This seems to be a topic that many would agree on if they took the time to note what is going on and how we can work alongside others. I think it is important that we work to work alongside others from ALL different groups in EVERY level of society.
Thanks for your comparison with _Y:The Last Man_. It sounds hilarious--I will have to check it out! Seems that the movie (A Day without . . .) and the book (Y) use improbable situations, exaggeration, and humor to get us to think "differently." In _A Day without a Mexican_, instead of operating as though Latinos in America don't exist (how many people see the kitchen workers at a fancy restaurant?), Anglo characters (and viewers) suddenly see their vital contributions. But as you mention in your response to another blog that while the movie opens up the discussion, it doesn't really address issues of class, working conditions, the difficulty of getting legal status, etc. So we've got some things left to talk about!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading Y: The Last Man. As you highlight so well, it brings up great questions about representation, through a very creative metaphor, in a medium which is pretty perfect for that kind of exploration.
ReplyDeleteI think that this issue of “invisible” people in society is a fascinating one, and something that is quite easily traced back years and years. Your comments remind of many other relationships I’ve seen in films/books/what-have-you. In medieval times, it was the peasants/serfs who were often ignored and forgotten by the royalty. In later times, it was the serving class.
I always tend to find it most interesting, however, when we are able to see the two groups in contention. Conflict is always more interesting to observe than everyone being happy (as awful as that sounds), and that is always heightened by different groups in contention.
I found this satirical look of the United States relationship with Mexicans and Latinos as very revealing. It not only managed to reveal our prejudices towards them and the work they do, but also how much we really need them. Many of the employers cannot get anything done without their hard working employees, and the Senator’s family seems to lose the ability to function without their maid. I think one of the important things this movie shows is that not only do the legal Latinos make a large impact, but so do the sometimes illegal migrant workers as well.
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