Myth of the Terrorist

George W. Bush uses the myth of the terrorist being all from al-Qaeda terrorist group to evoke the myth of the “strong and unified” United States of America. When defining the myth of the al-Qaeda terrorist one can see the use of the stereotype of the Middle Eastern hyper masculine man.  

Our past president George W. Bush addressed the nation on September 20, 2001. This state of the Union was in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks that happened nine days before. George W. Bush opens by saying, “We have seen it in the courage of passengers, who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground—passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help me to welcome his wife, Lisa Beamer, here tonight. We have seen the state of our Union in the endurance of rescuers, working past exhaustion. We’ve seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles the giving of blood, the saying of prayers—in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own. My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of our Union—and it is strong” (1). He is simply saying as Americans this country has gone through extraordinary loss, but as a nation we stayed strong and are fixing the problem caused by the recent terrorist event.

Throughout history the United States of America has been known as a supreme super power, which “cannot be touched”.  Before and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks this stereotype held through. Through hyper masculinity one can describe the myth of the “strong and unified” United States. Aaron Devor wrote Gender Roles Behaviors and Attitudes this novel uses the classic cues of masculinity-aggressive posture, self-confidence, a tough appearance-and the traditional signs of femininity-gentleness, passivity, strong nurturing instinct-are often considered “normal,” Devor explains that they are by no means biological or psychological necessities” (567). Masculinity is defined according to Devor as being dominant, tough, and taking up a lot of space. Correlating this with George Bush’s definition of the American people during this crisis; American’s are courageous, strong, and fixing the problems that the terrorists’ left for us immediately after the fact. George W. Bush states “Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done…All of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see Republicans and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol, singing “God Bless America.” And you did more than sing; you acted by delivering forty billion dollars to rebuild our communities and meet the needs of our military” (1). This quote stated by George W. Bush’s during his state of the Union speech shows how the myth of the “strong and unified” American people use hyper masculinity to assure that this myth holds true.

   The myth of the al-Qaeda terrorist is created from the myth of the “strong and unified” United States of America. As a product of the terrorist attacks that happened on 9/11, the American people have changed the face of the terrorist to a Middle Eastern hyper masculine radical. When searching for the definition of a terrorist this is what comes up; “Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition. Common definitions of terrorism refer only to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for a religious, political or ideological goal, and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants (civilians).” However, the United States and our allies have turned the definition of the terrorist to people that “practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics, a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teaching of Islam. The terrorist’s directive commands them to kill Christians and Jew, to kill all Americans, and make no distinctions among military and civilians, including women and children” (George W. Bush 2). As you listen to the speech further George W. Bush continues on to say that the terrorists live among the Middle Eastern countries.

            The definition of the terrorist that George W. Bush explains is in fact about a specific terrorist group known as the al-Qaeda. However, this definition of a terrorist has derived the myth that all terrorists are from the Middle East when that is absolutely not true. “Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what they see right here in this chamber democratically elected government. They hate our freedom to vote and assembler and disagree with each other. They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim countries” (George W. Bush 3). Americans have grouped together all terrorists and innocent Middle Eastern people together to create the myth that every Middle Eastern person is a terrorist from the al-Qaeda radical group There has been terrorism throughout all of history from many different countries, and races. This can be shown with in any American airport, going to the Middle East, already been to the Middle East, or are Middle Eastern creates delays. Security and regular civilians tense up once seeing a Middle Eastern person board a plane. However one must remember that not Middle Eastern is a terrorist and any person of any race could potentially be a terrorist. Unfortunately, the stereotype of the terrorists being from the al-Qaeda radical group is to strong. Through hyper masculinity the al-Qaeda “no fear and no sympathy” terrorists cast fear and tension throughout the United States today.  

"Carry Out"

Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s “Carry Out” music video constructs the myth of the playa. Through the jux position of the working class and aristocracy one can see the construction of hyper sexual masculinity and feminization of women. Within the lyrics and music video, Justin and Timberland continuously use the metaphor of the fast food industry and how they "service" an individual to evoke hyper masculinity and the feminization of women.

Watching Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s “Carry Out” video a person can visually see hyper masculinity play out throughout the music video. In the very beginning of the “Carry Out” music video the first scene a person will see is Justin Timberlake and Timberland in a car. This not a minivan or a PT Cruiser it is a Pontiac Firebird. This car is a muscle car, one that a very masculine man would drive.  Throughout the music video Justin Timberlake and Timberland are the center of focus, and always dominating the scenes they are in. This is a classic characteristic of masculinity. Masculinity can be described as someone being very dominant with in a conversation and through actions, also taking up a lot of space. Towards the end of the music video Timberland and one of the dancers are in a scene together. Timberland is behind the dancer putting Dr. Dre Beat’s headphones on her head. The way Timberland puts the headphones on is significant to visual hyper masculinity, because Timberland puts the head phones on in a very sneaky and sexual way. This power gender dynamic shows how aggressive behavior constructs hyper masculinity.

Not only can one see the message of hyper masculinity visually, but looking at the lyrics of the song connects hyper masculinity to the myth of the playa as well. “Have it your, way, foreplay before I feed your appetite”, ‘Take my order cause your body like a Carry out”, “Baby get my order right, no errors”, and “Let me walk into your body until you hear me out” are all examples of hyper masculinity. These lyrics give a notion to the myth of the playa, because they hint towards prostitution. Through these lyrics it is almost as if Justin Timberlake and Timberland are the pimps of the women/dancers/maids/waitresses. Through the characterization of masculinity dominance is a key part. Within these lyrics Justin Timberlake and Timberland seem to never give the women they are ordering around any choice in the matter, as if they control them. These lyrics in the end help construct the myth of the playa by using hyper masculinization.

Visually the women within the “Carry Out” music video by Justin Timberlake and Timberland are feminized. Women tend to be more receptive to taking orders, and wear less clothing that is more form fitting according to Devor in Gender Roles, Behaviors and Attitudes. During the video one can see many different clothing changes from the women in the video. There were women in roller blades with tight revealing pinup outfits, very revealing and tight maid costumes, and outfits that reflected the look of a stripper/porn star. These outfits fit the characterization of femininity that Devor brings up with in Gender Roles, Behaviors and Attitudes. “..Femininity, as a role, is best suited to satisfying a masculine vision of heterosexual attractiveness” (Devor 569).  Throughout the video one can continuously see women attending to Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s every need and are not saying no. Once again this goes back to the notion that feminine people are more willing to take orders rather than give them.

Feminization of women is brought lyrically through Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s lyrics about taking orders. Using the same lyrics that masculinized Justin Timberlake and Timberland, also brings forth feminization of the women with in the music video; “Have it your, way, foreplay before I feed your appetite”, ‘Take my order cause your body like a Carry out”, “Baby get my order right, no errors”, and “Let me walk into your body until you hear me out”. These lyrics feminize the women within this music video because they show the women accepting and taking orders from the two hyper masculine figures in the music video; Justin Timberlake and Timberland.

The working class is visually seen through the scenery and the outfits that the women wear for the duration of the music video. The very first scene a person sees while watching this video is signs and arrows signaling for a diner. A diner is typically associated with the working class because they are very cheap, and workers there make minimum wage or a little higher. The Pontiac Firebird is also associated with the working class of the time, regardless of it being restored. The Firebird was a typical car for the average family. Also, the outfits that the women are wearing while they are at Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s car wear knockoffs of the typical dinner uniform. Conflicting with the views of the working class are views of aristocracy. Aristocracy is a governing body or upper class usually made up of hereditary nobility. Justin Timberlake and Timberland are put in a scene with a chair that one of royalty or very high stature would sit in, and they have a woman dressed in a maid costume by their side. Visually this shows a view of aristocratic life. Not only do their outfits and scenery construct an aristocratic lifestyle, but so does their faces. Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s faces have looks of enjoyment and looks of entitlement to what they are receiving from their “maids”. With aristocracy and the working class viewed within the music video Justin Timberlake and Timberland accurately construct the myth of the playa.

Through the jux position of the working class and aristocracy one can see that the music video “Carry Out” uses the construction of hyper sexual masculinity and feminization of women. Within the lyrics and music video, Justin and Timberland continuously use the metaphor of the fast food industry and how they "service" an individual to evoke hyper masculinity and the feminization of women. Justin Timberlake and Timberland’s “Carry Out” music video constructs the myth of the playa.

Quick Trim assists the Beauty Myth

The Quick Trim advertisement constructs the myth of woman that tries anything to get thinner. Through hyper feminization and heterosexuality the beauty myth evokes the stereotype of the woman that tries anything to get thinner. Naomi Wolf within in The Beauty Myth, discusses how liberation of women’s rights has caused the creation of the beauty myth. Within this myth Wolf mentions how it has caused there to be more health issues to women, specifically problems with bulimia and anorexia. Wolf states; “During the past decade, women breached the power structure; meanwhile, eating disorders rose exponentially and cosmetic surgery became the fastest growing medical specialty. During the past five years, consumer spending doubled; pornography became the main media category, ahead of legitimate films and records combined, and thirty-three thousand American women told researcher that they would rather lose ten to fifteen pounds than achieve any other goal” (487). Quick Trim is a diet pill that helps women lose weight the “safe” way.

            However I would not like to focus on the health risks of taking a diet pill. I am more interested in how the beauty myth highlighted in this advertisement deceives women into believing this is all they need.  “Contemporary standards of feminine beauty have devolved to a point that can only be described as anorexic, and America’s young women are paying the price through a near-epidemic of bulimia and anorexia” (Wolf 486). Through contemporary standards advertisements like this Quick Trim ad flourish because women struggling to lose weight feel the need to use these diet pills to help achieve a body “just like the Kardashians”. 

            “The beauty myth is always actually prescribing behavior and not appearance. Competition between women has been made part of the myth so that women will be divided from one another. Youth and (until recently) virginity have been “beautiful” in women since they stand for experiential and sexual ignorance” (Wolf 489). Women focus on the need to look the best and are willing to achieve this look of perfection any way possible; regardless of detrimental it is to their way of thinking and body. The advertisement for Quick Trim aids the notions of the beauty myth through the use of careful wording and who the company chooses to represent their product;  “Now conscious market manipulation: powerful industries-the thirty three million dollar a year diet industry” (Wolf 492).

            “The sexual revolution promoted the discovery of female sexuality; “beauty pornography”-which for the first time in women’s history artificially links a commodified “beauty” directly and explicitly to sexuality-invaded the mainstream to undermine women’s new and vulnerable sense of sexual self-worth…Western women control over our own bodies; they weight of fashion models plummeted to twenty three percent below that of ordinary women, eating disorders rose exponentially, and a mass neurosis was promoted that used food and weight to strip women of that sense of control” (Wolf 488).  This advertisement screams heterosexuality through text and visuals. Going back to the myth of the women that is willing to try anything to get thinner, this goal of getting thinner coincides with wanting to appeal to the opposite sex. Quick Trim uses the images of Kim and Khloe Kardashian in skimpy bathing suites in order to attract the eye of women, and portray the message that if you take this your body will just be like the Kardashian girls. The Kardashian’s, especially Kim Kardashian, is known for having a very sexy body that heterosexual population recognizes.

            “It is actually composed of emotional distance, politics, finance, and sexual repression. The beauty myth is not about women at all. It is about men’s institutions and institutional power” (Wolf 489). Heterosexual masculinity contributes to the beauty myth discussed today.  Through the text within the Quick Trim advertisement attracts the women that are “ashamed to admit that such trivial concerns-to do with physical appearance, bodies, faces, hair, clothes-matter so much” (Wolf 486). The text with in this advertisement states; “how hot can YOU be?”, and “Keep up with Kim and Khloe.” Through this text the woman that is trying anything in order to lose weight visually sees the in shape thin bodies of the Kardashian women, and is reminded twice with in the text that Quick Trim is the way to achieve the hot body she has been looking for, and in order to “keep up” with the Kardashian woman a person has to take this Quick Trim diet pill.  

“Beauty” is a contradiction: Where modern women are growing, moving, and expressing their individuality, as the myth has it, “beauty” is by definition inert, timeless, and generic. That this hallucination is necessary and deliberate is evident in the way “beauty” so directly contradicts women’s real situation” (Wolf 492).  Hyper feminization is created with in this advertisement to accentuate the feminine body shape. The clothing…well lack of clothing shows off the curves of the Kardashian women, and once again brings home the message of the advertisement, “if you want to look as good as the Kardashian women  you need to use Quick Trim”. This message aids to selling their product to the women that are willing to try anything to achieve the perfect body. “The beauty myth tells a story: The quality called “beauty” objectively and universally exists. Women must want to embody it and men must want to possess women who embody it” (Wolf 488). Women want to look the best, and according to this advertisement the Kardashian women are the “hottest”, because a person has to “keep up” with their beauty.

            “It’s ideals change at a pace far more rapid than that of the evolution of species, and Charles Darwin was himself unconvinced by his own explanation that “beauty” resulted from a “sexual selection” that deviated from the rule of natural selection; for women to compete with women through “beauty” is a reversal of the way in which natural selection affects all other mammals” (Wolf 488). Wolf once again drives home the fact that these beauty myths are completely the doing of society, the way women think about themselves, and the competition women put against themselves because of heterosexual opinions.

gym.TANNING.laundry

Stereotypes run rampant in American culture. The recent popular program, Jersey Shore is an excellent example of the stereotype Guido and Guidette. The participants in the program Jersey Shore exude a specific image and behavior that can be applied to the title Guido/Guidette. “Since popular culture deals with the symbolic realm of social life, the images which it creates, represents, and disseminates contribute to the overall racial climate” (Omi 656). Michael Omi’s novel In Living Color: Race and American Culture focuses on how race is what society judges people by the stereotypes that come from racism. Different cultural artifacts allude to different stereotypes for certain races. “Emerging social definitions of race and the “real American: were reflected in American popular culture of the nineteenth century. Racial and ethnic stereotypes were shaped and reinforced in the newspapers, magazines, and pulp fiction of the period” (Omi 658).

            A cultural artifact that I would like to dissect today would be; Australian Gold JWOWW Black Bronzer Dark Tanning Lotion. When first reading what cultural artifact I decided to use to explain how certain cultural artifacts constitutes a stereotype of racial identity one would not immediately think; Oh Australian Gold JWOWW Black Bronzer Dark Tanning Lotion! This cultural artifact Australian Gold JWOWW Black Bronzer Dark Tanning Lotion is a product from the Australian Gold industry. Australian Gold has indoor and outdoor tanning lotions and protectors for the skin.

            For the last four years the hit show Jersey Shore has made it known to the world that the cast members are tan Guidos and Guidettes. Urban Dictionary describes conditions of watching Jersey Shore and fake tanning as Guidosis; A condition caused by watching too much Jersey Shore or going to clubs infested with too many Guidos and Guidettes. Similar to zombie-ism. Orange spray tan may rub off on you, you may find yourself doing the Guido first pump, turning up your collar on your white shirt, talking like a douche or picking up skanky bleached blondes or Guidettes” (Urban Dictionary). Jenni Farley or more commonly known as JWOWW and Australian Gold created; Australian Gold JWOWW Black Bronzer Dark Tanning Lotion. 

      This product is an indoor tanning lotion is one of 2011's new bronzing products on the market. It features bronzing agents such as black currant and kukui oil. Once these two ingredients are in a tanning lotion it is easy to receive an ultra-dark and super rich tan. It is always important to remember to hydrate your skin when exposing it to UV light. On the product they make sure to mention that UV rays are not only unhealthy for your skin but also tend to dry it out, make it look rough and older. Once they make this specific point to say that there are bad things that tanning can do to your skin they make the point to say that JWOWW is a special tanning lotion with the best vitamins and minerals to provide the deepest level of hydration. Australian Gold JWOWW lotion includes vitamins and Hemp Seed Extract to moisturize skin. If you have ever gone tanning before one may have noticed that they do not always smell the greatest, but once again to make JWOWW look like the best tanning lotion its scent is Ballin' Berry scent that will leave you smelling absolutely delicious. JWOWW Indoor Lotion comes in a teardrop shaped black plastic bottle. It creates a sense of elegance with gold throughout.  In the center there is a gold plate design that says "JWOWW" in bold simple black font. Slightly lower "BLACK BRONZER" is written in simple thin gold font making it clear to the buyer who created this product and what exactly the customer will receive from using this dark tanning lotion. The cap is plastic. This indoor tanning product comes in a 13.5 ounce bottle and in the tanning salons potentially in little packets for only a couple uses. As if this product needs anymore marketing Jenni Farley uses her Facebook account to advertise her various Australian Gold products;

“You wanna know what spray tan i was using on Snooki's ass lol it was my new 360 bottle. 1st spray tan ever that allows you to flip the can any way you want and it never clogs and aerosol wont break. I tested this stuff daily on myself in Italy and some of my roommates. I won’t accept anything but perfection when it comes to my tan. Anyone who uses this or my lotion will get that perfect color :)” (Jenni Farley Facebook).

            Australian Gold JWOWW Black Bronzer Dark Tanning Lotion is a cultural artifact that pertains to a stereotype of racial identity. The stereotype of “The Guido” traditionally meant the parents and grandparents spoke or had knowledge of other languages, were dark in complexion, may not have been educated, had names that were hard to pronounce, considered family and close friends as the only people who could really be trusted, lived in houses full of bleeding-heart crucifixes, plastic fruit, glasses of wine at dinner, and other objects used to express pride of economic successes in the new country. However, Jersey Shore twisted the definition of a person that performs “GTL” every single day. One may ask what the hell “GTL” is; going to the gym, tanning, and doing laundry (washing the clothes one is planning to wear out that night). As you can see I focused on tanning; Australian Gold JWOWW Black Bronzer Dark Tanning Lotion. Tanning lotion in essence is assumed to be for very light skinned people looking to improve their coloring, and by using tanning lotion this aids one in achieving their goal.

            One may think that tanning is just for people that are of white coloring, and have trouble tanning. This is a misconception or a stereotype. If a person of African American decent was to go into a tanning salon, or purchase tanning lotion say Australian Gold JWOWW Black Bronzer Dark Tanning Lotion that person would receive a look of confusion. Being of a dark skin tone does not mean one cannot improve their tan with tanning lotion or going to a tanning salon. Through Michael Omi’s novel In Living Color: Race and American Culture one opens their eyes to the hypocrisy that racism has brought and still brings to our country.

            The popular program Jersey Shore illustrates how a cultural stereotype can be perpetuated. The stereotype is further exploited by the popularity of the individual characters of Jersey Shore and the products they promote.  As stated above, the mantra of the Jersey Shore participants is “GTL”.  Gym. Tan. Laundry.  Tanning is one of the daily activities and important part of the Jersey Shore culture, thus perpetuating the Italian stereotype of Guido and Guidette.

"Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider, Girls go to Mars to get more candy bars"

“Masculine characteristics are used to identify persons as males, while feminine ones [characteristics] are use as signifiers for femaleness. People use femininity or masculinity to claim and communicate their membership in their assigned or chosen sec or gender. Others recognize sex characteristics, which are usually largely covered by clothing in daily life” (Devor 567). Advertisement companies spend millions of dollars in order to target purchasers of products by utilizing characteristics that are known to different groups and stereotypes. Using what is known of masculine and feminine characteristics and what attracts females to males, Trojan Brand Condom Company has created an ad that clearly delineates between femininity and masculinity. Gender roles, behavior and attitudes can be utilized when creating an advertisement geared toward a specific gender group. Devor explains the contrast between femininity and masculinity throughout his piece; Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes.  Additionally, Trojan Brand Condoms advertisement combined with Devor's insight is an excellent example to use when examining gender roles, behavior and attitudes.

The ad by Trojan Brand Condoms is depicted by pigs at a bar/night club drinking alcohol and attempting to flirt with the women patrons. The slogan Trojan used was “Evolve. Be a man. Use a condom every time.” This slogan fits in perfectly with Aaron Devor’s Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes. Devor states, “A more even-handed description of social qualities subsumed by femininity and masculinity might be to label masculinity as general concerned with egoistic dominance and femininity as striving for cooperation or communion” (567). Meaning as a society people have deemed being masculine a person is both egotistical and dominant, while in order to be more feminine women are more cooperative and have more empathy. These stereotypes are depicted in the Trojan Brand Condoms ad. The Trojan Brand Condoms advertisement overall uses the masculine qualities which are stereotyped by society today to portray why the women need to by their product in order to protect themselves against the “piggish” ways of the male mind. 

             “..Following four main attitudes of masculinity. Persons who display success and high stats in their social group, who exhibit “a manly air of toughness, confidence and self-reliance” and “the aura of aggression, violence, and daring,” and who conscientiously avoid anything associated with femininity are seen as exuding masculinity” (Devor 570). These attributes previously described depict what the message of the Trojan Brand Condoms advertisement is trying to communicate. The pigs attempting to flirt with the elegantly-dressed women in a hip and modern bar/night club shows the stereotype that men are egotistical, dominant, aggressive, violent, and daring or also known as “pigs”. This stereotype is helping the Trojan Brand Condoms sell their product. In the background of this ad you see one actual man out of the pigs with a woman. As you can see from their smiles and body language the couple is having a great time together. This sends a message that women are more attracted to men that are very masculine, but are still responsible. The “body postures, speech patterns, and styles of dress which demonstrate and support the assumption of dominance and authority convey an impression of masculinity…body postures tend to appear more masculine” (Devor 571). Even though there is only one man in this picture the pigs still depict the male attitude that is scene is bars and night clubs. In the ad the pigs are leaning all over the women, drinking their alcoholic beverages, are trying to control the subject of conversation and the table, and the women at the tables are not enjoying the pigs’ attitudes and body language at all; which brings in the femininity of the ad. The evidence of the females not enjoying the pigs' attention is obvious in their facial expression and body language.

            The women in the ad are dressed to empress for a high-class bar/night club; expensive dresses, stone necklaces, and time-consuming hair styles. From this depiction of the women in the Trojan Brand Condom commercial one can see the stereotypes of women. “Feminine characteristics are thought to be intrinsic to the female facility for childbirth and breastfeeding. Hence, it is popularly believed that the social position of females is biologically mandated to be intertwined with the care of children and a “natural” dependency on men for maintenance of mother-child units. Thus the goals of femininity and, by implication, of all biological females are presumed to revolve around heterosexuality and maternity” (Devor 569). These women in the advertisement are clearly at the bar/night club to have a good time and potentially find a good match in a man. Going back to Devor’s look on femininity women are obviously are child bearers and to be a child bearer one must find a man. The basic, primal (not a typical feminine trait) need to find a male to procreate. In viewing the advertisement a person can see that the women are not pleased with the pigs in the bar/night club; glaring at the pig with disgusted looks, and their mouths open in shock of the behavior that the pigs have. These looks drive home Devor’s point, “women tend to excel over men at the ability to correctly interpret, and effectively display, nonverbal communication cues” (569).

It is clear that men and women view behavior differently and behave according to the stereotypes—feminine and masculine behavior. Females will react differently to the ad than males, which illustrates how the ad is geared toward males. The Trojan Brand Condom commercial illustrates how a “civilized” man (the only true human male in the ad) and the animals—hence the pigs behave and how the females behave toward them according to their masculine behavior. Stereotypes have been utilized when developing the ad to quickly and clearly illustrate how males and females behave. The ad is clearly a masculine ad, targeting males which brings power to the males in the ad as well as those viewing the ad. “It seems most likely that gender roles are the result of systematic power imbalances based on gender discrimination” (Devor 572).  

Lopez's Of Cholos and Surfers

“The most important thing I learned was that I could do just about anything I wished, within reason. I could be a surfer, if I chose and even cholos would respect my decision” (Lopez 688). As I read just a few pages of the memoir Of Cholos and Surfers by Jack Lopez one could see how the stereotypes of the early sixties shaped Lopez’s identity living in East Los Angeles and his racial identity of a Mexican American.

            As a youth, Jack Lopez desired to be a surfer. The image of a surfer was one that the twelve-year-old Jack Lopez craved to emulate.  He created an image of a surfer by wearing baggy shorts, over sized t-shirts—specifically Penny’s Towncraft T-shirts, wearing long hair that he would have to “crank” his head in order to get his hair out of his face, and going barefoot wherever he went. He frequented the local grocery store, Food Giant; to buy the magazine the Surfer Quarterly and what he considered the first step in becoming what he most desired—a surfer. Next would be to actually acquire a surfboard.

            Growing up one of Lopez’s neighbors, Lenny Muelich, owned a surfboard, specifically a “Velzy-Jacobs, ten feet six inches long, twenty-four inches wide, [with] the coolest red oval decal” (Lopez 684). Lopez was able to buy the surfboard from his neighbor for forty-five dollars. As Lopez states in Of Cholos and Surfers, Lenny grew up to become a typical Mexican gangster of the times. The image of the Mexican gangster or a cholo was “a hood, wearing huge Sir Guy wool shirt, baggy khaki pants with the cuffs rolled, and French-toed black shoes” (Lopez 684). With the “cholo” image you were respected and feared by all.

            In Lopez’s neighborhood the image of the cholo was accepted more than his desired goal to become a surfer. Lopez had gone with his father to the store to buy the next addition of Surfer Quarterly, this issue focused on the Banzi Pipeline. Engulfed in this issue Lopez was not focused on his surroundings. A cholo was walking toward him wearing “ a wool cap pulled down onto his eyebrows, a long Sir Guy wool shirt with the top button buttoned and al the rest unbuttoned, khaki pants so long they were frayed at the bottoms and so baggy [he] couldn’t see his shoes” (Lopez 687). The Mexican American wanted to fight Lopez because the image Lopez projected, one of a surfer, was not like his. Lopez states the question, “How could someone be Mexican and dress like a surfer?” The image of a cholo having a rattail comb, a knife, or even a rifle was more accepted than that of a surfer to the Mexican-American society at the time. 

            Through Lopez’s childhood he played at Will Rogers Park (city championships), went to Henry Clay Junior High, and was even approached by teachers and the principal to skip a grade. As previous described being Mexican American does not portray the image of a child being so intelligent and dedicated to his or hers work that they are able to skip a grade and excel in sports. This is the point that Jack Lopez drives home no matter what stereotypes are brought upon a person, they can over come that and succeed. Just like he did coming from the “melting pot of Los Angeles… [And] the post-World War II American dream of assimilation” (Lopez 688) that his parents and so many others believed and tried to abide by.  Lopez took this stereotype/way of life and threw it out the window to become a professor of English at California State University, Northridge, and publishing his memoir Cholos & Surfers.