Back in 1999, on July 12, Christy Haubegger, the founder of the Latina magazine, published a 9-paragraph article, "The Legacy of Generation я", in which she writes about Manifest Destino, that the US of the 21st century will finally be Hispanic, rather than Anglo. However, is that so?
Well, to be true, it can be considered odd to speculate about the state of the US from Canada. However, since there are similarities between the societies of Canada and the US, it is probably safe to make an educated guess about the actual status of "Generation я".
One of the main reasons why Ms. Haubegger seemed to be so optimistic by 1999 is probably because she did have justification for doing so at that time. Now though, all that ground seemed to have been lost. Yes, a Chihuahua dog was used in Taco Bell commercials, but now Taco Bell commercials have become very rare, especially compared to Dairy Queen or McDonald's, and the last time a Chihuahua was seen on screen was probably in a decidedly American movie, "Snakes on the plane", where it was swallowed whole by a python. Another appearance by this miniature dog is in the "Totally Blonde" series where it is a pampered pet of a decidedly Anglo protagonist. The Chihuahua may have started as a symbol of a typically Latino style, but by now it has gone Americanized and has lost most of its "tang".
Or take Ricky Martin. Yes, by 1999 he was #1 in the US, and his singles were - and are - great. But if one is to have a look at SeЯor Martin's release track record, he or she will notice that starting from that same year - 1999 - his songs turn from Spanish to English, and if one was to look at his "Life" album (released October 11, 2005), it will be discovered that out of 12 titles only 2 are in Spanish, and one of them is a reggaeton mix rather than a proper song. Again, like with the Chihuahua dogs, we see a transition of from Spanish to English, rather than remaining loyal to one's Latino roots. And as for the congresswoman Sanchez...
Well, Congresswoman Sanchez brings us to the next point of Ms. Haubegger - the Latinos political (and also commercial) clout, based on their "geographic concentration and reputation for family values". Sadly, (for everybody, not just Hispanic Americans) the events of September 11 has shifted the political focus from family values to patriotism - and judging from the way the US has quagmired itself in Middle East, only for the worse. Thus, the only contribution the Latino population of the US seems to bring is by being war fodder. And why is that, you may ask? Because of the social status.
You see, contrary to Ms. Haubegger's ideas, the world of advertising is rather rigidly structured in levels, aiming at various areas of the buyer's demography, especially at the most financially sound, and the most financially sound buyers are still Anglos, not Latinos. That makes a following equation - until the Latinos are successful enough to infiltrate the "upper echelons" of the society, those advertisers mentioned by Ms. Haubegger will not take a proper notice of them.
Probably, same goes for the media, and music, and food. As opposed to the essay's prediction, the cast of "Friends" did not introduce any "amigos", however adverse the actual status of the Latinos in NYC may be. A person of another race in the TV media is at best a token character, and as for the cinema movies... one has a better chance seeing a person from Far East (think Chan) rather than from a Hispanic country. In music, with few exceptions (such as Ricky Martin or Jennifer Lopez) the Latin Pop genre also is known mainly in Hispanic-speaking countries or it is used by decidedly non-Latin singers such as Madonna or the Spice Girls; as for food - establishments such as McDonald's or Burger King seem to be rather bean-free contrary to "Generation я's" predictions, Canadian (and also American) definition of beauty is still nowhere near size 12, and anorexia, alas, is still very much real...
As this essay was being written, the "Price Chopper" food store of North York has hired a new cashier - a Latino, probably the first one to be employed in this area of Toronto, employed in an area where most workers are immigrants, who are usually looked-down upon by the native Canadian (and American) Anglos. Maybe this woman's children will indeed become businesspeople or entrepreneurs or something equally important. Let us hope so. Because otherwise this means that the dream of the "Generation я" has withered away before it even bloomed.