LA REALIDAD: The Realities of Anti-Mexicanism —A

Paradigm

Juan Gómez-Quiñones

INTRODUCTION

The whole world today lives in the shadow of the state power. This state power is an ever-present self-perpet-uating body over and above society. It transforms the human personality into a mass of economic needs to be satisfied by decimal points of economic progress. It robs everyone of ini-tiative and clogs the free development of society. This state power, by whatever name it is called, One-Party State or Welfare State, destroys all pretense of government by the people, of the people. All that remains is government for the people. Against this monster, people all over the world, and particularly ordinary working people in factories, mines. fields, and offices, are rebelling every day in ways of their own invention. Sometimes their struggles are on a small personal scale. More effectively, they are the actions of groups, for-mal or informal, but always unofficial, organized around their work and their place of work. Always the aim is to regain control over their own conditions of life and their relations with one another. Their strivings, their struggles, their meth-ods have few chroniclers. They themselves are constantly at-tempting various forms of organization, uncertain of where the struggle is going to end. Nevertheless, they are imbued with one fundamental certainty, that they have to destroy the continuously mounting bureaucratic mass or be themselves destroyed by it.

Z A PZapatista Autonomy Project

The Marxist

C.L.R James, Grace C. Lee, & Cornelius Castoriadis

Revised on March. 2011

Organization

“WhereHaveYouBeenMyDarlingYoungOne?”BobDylan(1963)

U.S.an'-Mexicanismisaracepremisedsetofhistoricalandcontemporaryascrip'ons,convic'onsanddiscriminatoryprac'cesinflictedonpersonsofMexicandescent,longstandingandpervasiveintheUnitedStates.Thisessayconceptualizes,historicizes,andanalyzesan'-Mexicanism,pastandpresent,concurrentwithsomereferencestosources.Here,theemphasisisconceptual,nothistoriographical.An'-Mexicanismisaformofna'vismprac'cedbycolonialistsandtheirinheritors.Mexicans,beingna'ves,becametargetsofaggressiveprac'cesinclusiveoftheviolencedirectedatIndigenousandAfricanpeoples.Thewords“Mexican”and“Mexico”speaktoIndigenousheritages.Theoriginsofthethoughtandmeaningof“Mexicanand“Mexico”speaktohistoricalna'veroots.Whitesupremacistideologueshaveunderstoodthis.Whenan'-Mexicanrhetoricisusedbywhitesupremacists,thosewhoproclaimrightstorulership,thepublicresona'ngresponse—violenceandmicro-aggressions—indicatesthepresenceofthisphenomenon.

Thisan'-Mexicanismprac'ceisbeyondcrudeprejudiceoruncivil,ethnocentricchauvinism.Tobesure,forsomear'culators,an'-Mexicanwordsaresuchexpressions.Whenan'-Mexicanismisar'culatedasapublicallybroadcastedsetofnega'veevalua'onsthattargetMexicans,recommendsac'ons,andusedasameanstoasetofpoli'calgoals,itisanideology.Throughbroadcast,thisideologyisvalidatedassuchbyacollec'vityofendorsersandenactors.Thisbroadcas'ngdoesnotparseitstarge'ng—itisinclusive—womenandmen,gayandstraight,disabledandablebodied—allofMexicanoriginareencompassed.Tobe sure,thedeepconcerninthisanalysisisaboutthefuture,notthepast.Itaimstofreethechildrenoffuturegenera'onsfromdeeplyhurKulprac'cesandasetofimagined,nega'vedenominatorsimpac'ngtheirself-consciousnessandpersonalfreedom.

Thelargemajorityofpeopleduringtheevolu'ontowhatbecameMexicansandMexicowereandareIndigenousandofindigenousdescent.An'pathytowardNa'veAmericansisincrementaluponEnglish-speakingcolonialistsarrival.Theirac'onsgeneratetheini'al

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Author:Dr.JuanGómez-QuiñonesisaprofessorofhistoryatUCLA,specializinginthefieldsofpoli'cal,labor,intellectual,andculturalhistory.Asaprolificscholar,keyfigureintheChicana/omovementandmentortocountlessacademics,hehasalongtrajectoryinhighereduca'on,civic/poli'calengagement,thearts,poetry,andrelatedac'vi'es.BorninParral,Chihuahua,Mexico,hewasraisedinBoyleHeights(EastLosAngeles).

Notes:Anextendedversionofthisabridgedessay—editedandcirculatedbyDr.AlvaroHuerta(alsoraisedinBoyleHeights)—willsoonbepublishedwithreferences,footnotes,sources,etc.Dr.Huertaaimstopublish/circulatethisexcep'onalessay/paradigminasmanyoutletspossible.

6.1.

Accessed from <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/g u e s t - e s s a y - l a - r e a l i d a d - t h e - r e a l i t i e s - o f - a n t i -mexicanism_us_5882f84ce4b0111ea60b9658> on August 6, 2017.

TheU.S.Mexican“ethnic”isvisualizedasbeingsociallywithinahistoricalcollec'vitydescendedfromacommonsetofmainlyna'veancestors.Consciousnessoftheselivinglegaciesisforma'velyimportant,asonesourceofinnerstrengthtocounteran'-Mexicanism.True,thepercep'onofoutsidersbearingonthisisimportant,butthestruggleisalsoformidablyinternal.Par'cularlyimportantistheextentthattheseinfluencetheself-consciousnessofyoungandadolescentMexicans.Indeed,theconsciousnessofMexicansneedschange.Inanycase,Mexicansevolvesocially,asdoestheirconsciousness.

MostU.S.Mexicansunderstandsocialchangeintui'velyandcounterinstruc'vely.Mexicansarelikelytohavesomeawarenessoffamilysocial changesinrela'ontofamilycultureanddescendancy,moresothanEuro-Americanswhoresistchange—eventhough,asstatedinanycase—theyalsoundergochanges.Arevised,enriched,shared,Mexicanpoli'calcri'calawarenesscanbeanassetinthinkingandac'onstobringaboutposi'vechanges.Theposi'veandthenega'veneedtoandcanbesortedout.Consciousnessisanimportantsteptocounteroppression.Howevermuchcomplicated,theliterature,concepts,andapplica'onofthetermsrace,racismandracialism,thecu^ngbladeisthattheseareempoweredthroughandbywhitesupremacismbeliefsandprac'ces.

MexicanAmericansareabo_omethnicgroupandunlesstherearechanges,Mexicanswillremainso,eveninamul'-ethnicandpluralistsociety,includingbelowwhiteLa'nas/os.ThismaybethecaseeveniftheUnitedStatesbecomesasignificantlydemographicallynon-whitesociety.Thisisaconsequence,inpart,tothediffusionofan'-MexicanismtoallsectorsofU.S.society.Itisnotonlytaughttowhites.Tragically,Mexicansalsoconsumean'-Mexicanpropagandaand,inturn,produceanddiffuseitconsciouslyorunconsciously.

Thus,an'-Mexicanismmustbechallengedforthesakeofthefuture,notthepast.Itmustbechallengedforasocietyinwhichchildrenwillbesafefrompastcrimes.

stepsleadingtoracistsandwhitesupremacyprac'cedinwhatcametobetheUnitedStates.Disrespec'ngIndianspoli'callyisasteptowardwhitesupremacismandtheeventualsubordina'ngofMexicans.

Thehos'lityofEuropean,English-speakingwhitestoNa'veAmericansbeginswiththeEuropeanarrivalinwhatisnowNewEngland,GrotonConnec'cut.In1637,oversevenhundredPequotmen,womenandchildrenwerea_ackedbywhite“colonists,”asthePequotcelebratedtheirannualGreenCornDance.Thosewhowerenotshotwereburnedaliveintheirceremonialspace.Thenextday,theGovernorofMassachuse_sdeclaredadayof“Thanksgiving.”ThisrealepisodeisdocumentedintheHollandDocumentsandthe13thvolumeofColonialDocumentaryHistory.It’salsofoundintheprivatepapersofSirWilliamJohnson,RoyalBri'shAgentoftheColony[ofNewYork],circa1640s.Thecoreofthisandotherconten'onsislandpossessionorterritorialdominance.

UnderEuropean,Spanish-speakingcolonialism—primarilyofindigenousorigin,withAfrican,andEuropeanintersec'ons—ahybriddemographicbecominga“Spanishspeaking”groupinMesoamericawasanevolu'ontowardMexicanos,thesocial,andMexicanidad,theiden'ty.Letitbeunderstood,thissocialevolu'oniscomplicatedwithcontradic'onsaplenty,ini'allyrelatedtoitsmul'pleethnicdecendenciesanditsdiversesocial-economiccircumstances.Evenasapar'alcontestatoryresponsetothecolonialexperience,thesocialevolu'onentailsthegermsandevidences,thepathologiesofthecolonial—includingracisms,authoritarianisms,andeli'sms.

Intheanglophonesphere,amongtheliterate,percep'onofNa'vesisaffectedbytheso-calledcolonialis'c“BlackLegend,”wherebySpanishcolonialismisdecriedandEnglishcolonialism,bycontrast,isupheld.This “legend”isaprejudicedandconcoctedpropaganda.Thisdialoguedeterioratesintoan“Anglo-Hispanic”exchangeofnega'ves—Protestan'smversusCatholicism;ShakespeareversusShakespeare.The“legend”couldbejudgedacolonialistdistrac'onpromotedbyeliteservingintellectualsofbothEnglandandSpainwho,watchfulofanother’scolonialistmethods,ignorestheracistandsupremacistconsequencesoftheirowncolonialismoverNa'vesandAfricansand

2.5.

theirtreatmentofthedescendantsofbothgroups.Thus,racismisreducedasamerebyproductofinevitablecolonialtechnologies,wheninfacttheracializa'onofNa'veAmericansisacentralpremiseofEuropeancolonialismandonecorollarytothesubordina'onofAfricans.

Morespecifically,thedeephistoricalrecordofan'-Mexicanismatitsbasisisaresultofthedomina'onofIndiansandenslavementofBlacks.ThisincludestheNorthAmericaninvasionbyEnglishwhitesintheirperennialquestforwealth,statusandpowerattheexpenseofothers.Amul'-facetedwhitesupremacismarisesasthera'onaliza'ontosecurethesewants.OnecanstartwithwhitesarrivinginMassachuse_sandBlacksinVirginia,andearlypersecu'onsofNa'veAmericansanywhere.Over'me,Indio,Africans,Afro-Mes'zosandIndio-Mes'zoSpanish-speakersjoinedtheranksofthosesubordinatedbyEnglishcolonialists.IndiansandAfricansarethehumanresourcesfortheempowermentofwhitecolonialists,accordingto17thand19thcenturycondi'onsandterms,empoweringthecolonialists’maintenanceofpoweroverterritoriesandlocali'es.

ThehistoricalrecordofU.S.-Mexicorela'onsisanarra'veofsubordina'onjus'fiedonracistandsupremacistbases.Tobesure,thesearemul'facetedandchangingandnotnecessarilyrepresenta'onallyinclusiveofallwhites.However,infact,therecordindicatesU.S.ci'zensastheaggressorsintherela'on,notMexicans.U.S.ci'zensaretheperpetratorsofnega'veviews,invidious-dis'nc'ons andthedomineeringac'ons,accordingwiththeseviews.IncontrasttoU.S.nega'vity,Mexico—asastateandeconomy—hasbeenusefultoU.S.ambi'ons,whereMexicanpeoplehavebeenserviceabletoU.S.needs.Ratherthanrespect,therearearguedexplicitreasonsbyU.S.whitesfromearlyandlaternega'vecharacteriza'onsofIndio-Mula_o-Mes'zosrelatedtowhites’questforwealth,status,andpowerwithintheaegisoftheircultureandvalues.Insum,specifically,theytakefromMexico’sland,resourcesandlaborbywhatevermeansareviable.Thesocialviewsandterritorialambi'onsofPresidentThomasJefferson,aSouthernslaver,areearlyexpressionsofthesewantswhichforlongwererelatedtobenefitsfirstderivedfromslavesandlaterracializeddisempoweredlaborerssummedintheobserva'on:“thedesirefor

possessionisadiseasewiththem.”Thereisahistoricalandideologicalcontexttothisquest.

Inmanystudies,“race”applieswhenethnicityisjudgedunchangeableandsoistheassigningofplaceinthehierarchicalorderofageneralsocietyco-inhabitedbysupra-ordinatesandsubordinates.Thesejudgmentsorclaimsareacademicmyths.Racismismorecomplex,morefluidandperennial.ForMexicansintheUnitedStates,theirmixedheritagesofNa'veAmericanconcurrentwiththoseheritagesfromAfricaorAsiaandsomeoccasionalEuropeandescendancy,intertwinetheethnicandracial.Amongandbetweentheseofforma'veimportanceareNa'veAmericanandMexicanAmericanrela'ons.Theseallencountertheage-oldracialpercep'onsofEuro-Americansandtheirracializedprac'ces.ForMexicans,thus,thesocialsciencetruismapplies—raceisnotreal,butracismis—andthepressingconcerniswhitesupremacism.

Hierarchyandevenethnicityareindeedsubjecttochange.Ahappenstanceisthatsome,ormany,oftheoppressorandoppressedhold(andheld)“racialist”no'onsofthemselves,aswellasthe“other,”whethernearoracrosstheglobe.Theirworldviewsareracializedandthisshouldchangesome'meinthefuture,hopefullythroughconcertedac'ons.Whitesupremacismisafurtherques'on.Supremacismcanbechangedthroughcounterempowermentac'onsasthemicroandmacroelementsoftheparadigmofwhitesupremacismpinpoint.Yet,supremacismremains.

Theprac'ceofapar'cularsocialconsciousnesscanbequitemobileandprac'calinthepursuitsofchosenends.Analysisofwhitesupremacyrequiresinterpre'veelas'cityanddecisivelydiversecountermeasurestoencourageprogressivechange.Onehindrancetothisend,amajorobstacle,isthatwhiteshavebeensaturatedwithfalsehistory(ies)ofthemselves;ahistorywhichsupposedlyhasbeenmadepossiblethrough theprac'cesofwhitesupremacism.Moreover,it’sthefactthatthisfalsehistoryandavowedu'litarianist,whitesupremacismarebuttwoheadsofamul'-headmonster—aliving,breathingrealHydra,anoverarchinghegemonic,andstructuredsystemthatrequiresintegralchanges.

4.3.