Telemundo appears to signal its intent to continue fighting the Great Latinx War by smearing Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ ban of the non-word in official documents, if Friday night’s laughably one-sided report is any indication.
Look closely at how anchor and climate activist Vanessa Hauc frames the ban: as an “obstacle affecting the Hispanic community”:
VANESSA HAUC: The use of the word “Latinx” to identify Latinos has been the subject of debate but never before as it is now, when a government has banned it. Arkansas no longer allows the official use of that word, and that is not the only obstacle affecting the Hispanic community.
The report featured four pro-Latinx takes, and only one against. And the one against wasn’t actually against the term, but merely wanted more information before using it. Towards the end, the report lumps in a ban on CRT and features an activist bemoaning the move as suppression of minorities.
Spanish-language media has always placed itself at the service of identity politics and those who would impose them on the Hispanic community. This deeply flawed report is no exception.
This report in furtherance of “Latinx” was brought to you, fittingly, by Taco Bell- which is to Mexican food as “Latinx” is to the overall Hispanic experience. Their information can be found here.
Click “Expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on Noticias Telemundo on Friday, January 13th, 2023:
VANESSA HAUC: The use of the word “Latinx” to identify Latinos has been the subject of debate but never before as it is now, when a government has banned it. Arkansas no longer allows the official use of that word, and that is not the only obstacle affecting the Hispanic community. Francisco Fajardo tells us about this controversy.
FRANCISCO FAJARDO: She was just sworn in as the new governor of Arkansas, and she didn't waste a single minute. On her first day in office, Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders banned the use of the term “Latinx” in Arkansas state documents. She did it through an executive order in which she states that she respects the Latino community by removing words she says (are) culturally insensitive from their official use in government.
PAOLA RAMOS…If I am a Latino who is in that state…
FAJARDO: Paola Ramos, author of the book Finding Latinx, did not hesitate to react, criticizing that these efforts are not geared towards policies for the 250,000 Latinos who live in Arkansas.
RAMOS: Politicizing a word that is…the sole intention of which is simply to create more inclusiveness…
FAJARDO: Inclusive but that few people use. According to a 2020 Pew Research Institute study, among Hispanics surveyed only 3% use the term “Latinx”, and 7 out of 10 have never heard it.
ANDRES AGUILAR: If people use it, and it is understood...
FAJARDO: This professor specializing in Chicano studies states that in reality the word is not that different from how it is used in English.
AGUILAR: Using Latino or Latina already gives us information about gender. But using Latinx or Latine is the same as saying “Latin” in English.
FAJARDO: But within the community there are also those who are against the term.
NURIA LUNDBERG: I can't afford to just take on a term without researching it first.
FAJARDO: The governor of Arkansas stated that before crafting this executive order that contemplates the prohibition of the use of the term, she heard from residents of her state, from legislators, but also from Hispanic leaders. But the former White House spokesperson during the Trump presidency is also being criticized for another executive order, which prohibits school programs on critical race theory.
MARGARITA SOLORZANO: They are definitely trying to suppress the history of any minority group…
FAJARDO: Francisco Fajardo, Telemundo News.
