By Armando Tinoco
Rodner Figueroa (click here) has been fired from Univision where he hosted multiple shows like "Sal y Pimienta" and "El Gordo y La Flaca." The Venezuelan-host was let go following comments about Michelle Obama. Figueroa made remarks about the First Lady of the U.S. saying "she looked like she was from the 'Planet of the Apes.'" Javier Ceriani posted the video of the moment, which you can watch down below. Figueroa's biography does not appear on the Univision "talent" section and his link redirects to the general "talent" page. "At Univision there's no space for racist comments," an executive told People En Español....
This incident opened up some sole searching for the Miami Herald.
March 28, 2015
By Brenda Madina
...Some people (click here) were not surprised by the incident and saw it as a public eruption of a common practice, particularly in Latin American countries, where the perception of race is different than in the United States.
“In the United States, the idea of race is very black and white. The problem with that is that many Latinos are mixed race and the reality of race is much more complex in Latin American countries,” said Michelle González Maldonado, a professor in the University of Miami’s Department of Religious Studies. “That does not mean that there is no racism. There is. But it’s a type of hierarchy of color. I call it a pigmentocracy.”
In Latin America, the sentiments are manifested in popular but racist expressions when referring to people of African or indigenous origin. In some countries, curly hair is called “bad hair” and the word “Indian” is a synonym for “fool.” They also use phrases such as “to whiten” or “improve the race.”...
Pigmentocracy is not as unusual in the USA as some would like to think. It exists within communities.
One has to realize the lack of immigration reform is definitely racist. The Republicans would like to mask it with members such as Rubio or Cruz. But, the Republicans refuse. It is not as though every effort is not made to end the porous southern US Border or find balance in the reality of Undocumented opposed to the USA's legal immigrants.
The truth of the matter is the USA has not been much of a friend to Mexico realizing our Undocumented were putting their lives on the line to make it north to where life is very different. Had the USA been reactive to the impoverishment of the Mexican people and not sent helicopters for "The War on Drugs," both they and we could have been way ahead by now.
The only real answer to any Undocumented immigrants coming to the USA is to solve their problems to prevent them from leaving in the first place. The facts are obvious that in the past decades since Ronald Reagan no one bothered to enforce the law. That reality includes Reagan himself, George H. W. Bush, Bill J. Clinton, George W. Bush and now Barack Obama has been working harder at it than ever before.
The USA has allowed many Undocumented into it's borders over the past 28 years and it is simply immoral to ask these people to leave or to relearn their citizenship to a country they don't remember or don't know at all. The USA has a responsibility to these people. There is no reason standing in the way except the politics of hate. There are too many excuses to set aside the reality that 'good enough' isn't good at all in regard to border security or the educational achievements of Dreamers or a hardy thank you for the work Dreamer's parents have conducted in the USA.
The USA did nothing to improve the quality of life of the people to it's southern border. That is racism. Mexicans are dismissed as close and trusted friends. It just seems so obvious to me.
