Chapter 6

    I found it interesting that the chapter began with discussing the separation of cultures between the North and the South, and that America is " is often represented in simple terms, as a violent oppressor or noble saviour" (pg 181-182), and then is described "The United States has been a violent and often unwelcome presence in Latin America" (pg 182). This attitude of looking at the United States with both a positive and negative light is carried on in many aspects. For example, the discussion of Carmen Miranda, and how she became widely well-known in Brazil, and when she had the opportunity to go to the United States she gladly went and as a result left her home country behind. This showed the fact that the United States is so dominant, and draws upon the attitude that one is not truly successful until they have  "made it" in the USA, However, there were positive factors as well, as tourism in Brazil greatly increased, as well as attention to Latin America as a whole.

Document 6.4. I found this reading especially interesting, as it focused on Disney and the heavy stereotypes that are not only used in cartoons, but also comics and Disneyland itself. Starting from the stereotype of Mexico in "Aztec land" showing all the prototypes of Mexico, without showing the actual facts about the country itself. " Disney did not, of course, invent the inhabitants of these lands; he merely forced them into the proper mold" (pg 201). This reading also goes into detail about specific cartoons and dialogues  which show stereotypes of underdeveloped countries, and the feeling of prestige by the United States. The example that stood out the most for me personally was the very first one, in which Donald Duck is speaking to a witch doctor in Africa. This dialogue translates to the fact that Africa may have many goods (telephones in this example) but few are useful, as well as putting Africa into the mold of continuously being in debt. Luckily these types of cartoons do not appear to be produced anymore.

Chapter 5

This Chapter began by discussing the negative findings which can often be found even in the most seemingly positive things. "One persons boom was always another persons crisis" (141) is a quote that shows this outlook. This attitude is heavily drawn upon during the export boom, specifically the construction of the railroad in Mexico in rural areas, as people were not as obedient as was hoped by the people in charge. Though a change as dramatic as a railroad, which would bring many positive effects such as the ability to trade and communicate throughout the country,  there were also the negative effects which came with it, drawing back to the theme of the good being equally distributed with the bad.  People with seemingly more power began to take advantage of the citizens in rural areas by not only forcing them to do work, but also to give up their land, which actually resulted in violent uprising by these citizens. I found it interesting when it drew back to he interview with President Diaz, and that after he declared Mexico was ready for Democracy, and that people became extremely exited. However, he also contradicted himself by saying that the people are not educated enough to make informed to make important political decisions, which would make Mexico not ready for Democracy. The first reading, 5.1, is a poem from Ruben Dario about the United States of America. This poem starts off with explaining the attitude of the country, stating that they are dominant in terms of power, but finishes by sating that the one thing they lack is God. He also points out the lack f culture they have, and gives the impression that all the USA has is power and they are only driven by it, weather they have earned the right to it or not. "you are the United States, future invader of our naïve America with it Indian blood, an America that still prays to Christ and still speaks Spanish."(153) Though this my come across as admitting to being inferior and perhaps even shameful, it is also showing the value to tradition and heritage in Latin America, which their Northern neighbors have lost in the power ride.

Chapter 4

This reading begins with explain that President Diaz had ruled Mexico for an extremely long time, twenty-seven years to be exact. "For twenty-seven years he has governed the Mexican Republic with such power that national elections have become mere formalities." It is pointed out by the interviewer that in the United States it is considered a concern to have a President elected for three terms, when President Diaz was elected multiple times. It is pointed out that the worry of being elected multiple times may present a sense of entitlement, and the feeling that the country belongs to you if you have been in charge of it for too many years. Diaz points out all that he had done since the beginning, and how he had managed to stay in his authoritive  position for so long. Trust is a very prominent factor when electing a president, which President Diaz makes note of this when discussing other elections.

"I have tried to leave the Presidency several times, but it has been pressed upon me and I remained in office for the sake of the nation which trusted me." Also discussed is the new presence of the middle class, which was previously non-existent, as well as the hope for people, despite their diversity, to find common grounds as the government is democratic and unity is wanted. "When men read alike and think alike they are more likely to act alike.” I found the portion about the childhood of Diaz the most interesting. As he was exposed to hardship at a very early age, he grew incredible independence and grew up with the attitude that he could solve nearly every problem himself, which stayed there.

"He asked no-one for anything that he could get for himself." This may have been an attitude that he developed very early, and stayed with him to adulthood while he was president. Which is evident in the fact that he began when Mexico bankrupt and divided, and ended  leaving Mexico an overall safe country.

Chapter 3

I found it interesting when this passage began discussing freedom and rights with the following line “men are born and remain free and equal in rights,” but then it said that

"the declaration did not include women, and made no mention of freedom for slaves" It then goes on to explain the definition of what it means to be a citizen, which varies greatly depending on where a person lived. Because of the extreme levels of diversity in Latin America, it was extremely challenging to define a citizen, and if each person deserved to have the rights which were granted along with citizenship. It was also a struggle to determine if woman were to be granted these rights, even if they were born into a high class family, because of the stereotype that was engraved into peoples minds that woman were to be homemakers, even if they had proved themselves in combat.

Since lighter skin was considered better, people subtracted the amount of darker skinned people through intermarriage as well as reclassification. Something that I found quite interesting was the difference in the importing of slaves in southern and northern America. Slaves were much less often imported in the United States, as they were much more valuable to the their owners, and therefore were better taken care of and lived longer lives. In South America, slaves were very frequently imported because they lived much shorter lives, many died within their first 3 years of work.
The second reading is focused on the current state of Cub, and centered on the equality of the people. This is displayed by the line " everybody in the conservation of Cuban nationality, allowing everybody born in this land equally in public administration". As well as " Immigration should be free for all races, without giving preference to any". The third reading was slightly confusing to me. It started off talking about the importance of religion, but then explained the cost f joining the church, with special discounts if a person was ill. I found this slightly odd, as church is now free except for donations.