Liz Reyes examines how the show Gentefied provides an inside look on how Latin families struggle on a daily basis while living in the U.S under immigration.
The Netflix show Gentefied covers everything from being a Mexican family in the U.S and mainly dealing with deportation. One of the scenes that is overlooked when watching the show is the one where Chris is working in the kitchen at his job with his coworkers. This is a powerful scene because all of the employes are latinos and some may even be undocumented. Their boss many times threatens them in such a way that he lets them know that if they keep messing he will have them deported. They live to work and to continue providing for their families back home. Also, when Chris is working he is seen as American by his fellow coworkers even though he is Mexican and is constantly trying to prove himself. He has to balance being approved by his boss and also by his coworkers which at times judge him.
This is a family that throughout the show is constantly facing problems and dealing with society's standards. Not only does the show portray the family’s struggles, but they also give light to those who live in the community and focus on their issues and struggles with their families, jobs, etc. It is an excellent show that is diverse in the sense that they do have a main family, but every chance they have to portray what others go through as well they take advantage of it and it really rails the viewers in and also shows them how many people go through and what they go through on a daily basis. The show Gentefied portrays immigration with such powerful attention to detail that it reveals so much of what is going on below the surface in latinx identity.
Pop's Struggle With Immigration
One of the ways that Gentefied chose details related to immigration in latinx communities is through its storyline of Pop’s struggle with immigration. Pop's struggle with immigration is a constant reminder to him and his family that the simplest mistake can have him deported and not having Pops around is not a risk they are willing to take. For example there is one scene in which Pop is taken by immigration because he got too drunk and peed in a public space and was taken by the police and later on by immigration because of the fact that he is undocummented. In the article ‘Gentefied’: Shifting the Narrative on Immigration One Episode at a Time’ Sandoval states: “I am done begging. I am not a perfect immigrant. But I am not a criminal.” - Pops. Casimiro rather than using his credibility as a well-known local business owner, he uses his platform to elevate the voices of others with less political power and public support. He encourages others just like him to take a stand and not let others continue to control their lives because just like them they have human rights and should be given the same opportunities as others.
The storyline of Pop is not just one we see on the show, but one we can see happening in real life as reviews and articles have proven such as the following ones. Laura Bradley , and Suzanne Gamboa explores the struggles that latinx families face when being a latino trying to live in the U.S and how they also struggle with their identity. Bradley’s source concentrates on the Morales family, especially Pop, and his struggle with ICE. He quotes the director stating:
“He goes from not wanting to embrace his status publicly and fight for his right to stay, to really understanding that there is no shame in who he is and his life here in this country,” Chávez said. “That he is deserving of his place here.”
This demonstrates how immigration brings a person down not only physically but mentally also enforcing on the challenges they face with identity.we learn that immigration is no joke and that even though one may live in the U.S their whole life without the green card they may be deported at any given time making them leave their families alone. Also an excellent article to compare with Gentefied. Gamboa gives the example of this 18 year old born and raised in Queens, New York, to parents who emigrated from Ecuador 30 years ago. She demonstrates how accurate Gentefied is in the real world by letting the reader know how this 18 year old struggles with his citizenship and his parents and how to deal with identity as well. This allows the reader to be able to put themselves in their shoes and try to understand and feel what it is like living in the U.S as a latino.
Chris' Struggle with Identity
In addition to Pop’s story, the storyline of Chris is an example of how Gentefied is showing the details of not only past generations but also upcoming latinx immigrants as well. Since the beginning of season it is shown how Chris is constantly struggling with his identity and trying to prove himself to his Latin coworkers constantly. He is described as a coconut, meaning he may look latino on the outside, but on the inside he is as white as any other white American. As Bergardo states in his article ‘Gentefied Shows Just How Vast The Latinx Experience is’, “Chris being whitewashed and being tested in his Mexican-ness is 100% Marvin's story, growing up trying to prove who he was.” Trying to constantly show others who you truly are can even end up confusing yourself and doubting if one is truly who one says he is or is he what others think of him. One can only be true to himself because at the end of the day what matters is what you think of yourself and not what others think.
One area of research discusses the show’s focus on the main character, the Morales Family and the tensions, love and struggle they face as latinos living in the U.S. Multiple tv reviewers all let us know that being a latino living in the U.S causes extreme identity issues. Kang focuses on their culture and how they use it to let the world know who they are. It sometimes is a struggle due to the fact that they face a huge amount of racism and envy. For example when Chris is in the show is seen as Mexican by his family, and more white than Mexican by his latino coworkers. Another source that also states about latin identity is the one written by Sepinwall. In this particular article the families struggle with identity is portrayed in such way that apart from Chris, his cousin Ana struggles with identity since she is Mexican, a lesbian, and an artist. She doesn't know how to be herself and be accepted by the world and by her mother. Last but not least, in Estradas article she is reinforcing latin identity by quoting the director and saying ‘there’s no shame in our families or who we are, we belong here whether you like it or not’. Many Latinos struggle with identity when living in the U.S because most of the time they are afraid to be who they truly are because of the judgment they will face. This article proves to the world that even though it is a struggle nothing will keep them from being who they are no matter how many challenges they have to face. These sources and the show Gentefied contribute real latin experiences for the world to have a better understanding on what Latins go through on a daily basis.
How does the family manage to be there for their family as well as following their dreams?
The final way the show Gentefied explores angles of immigration is to show how navigating the immigration system is done at the family and community level not by individuals. Jude Dry, and Caroline Framke, have similar ideas about the struggles they go through. Dry’s article emphasizes on the Morales family as a whole by letting us know that no matter how many struggles they go through in living in Cali, they will always stick by each other. For example a scene in season 1 where the family phases immigration problems with Pop being taken by the police for drunkenly peeing in a public place and even though it is an extremely stressful situation they come together with their community to get Pop safe back home. Also, with identity, Chris and Ana struggle the most especially when they are trying to follow their passions as latinos in the culinary and art industry. For example Chris is trying to save up enough money to study in france but is faced to make a decision to whether or not use the money to bail Pop’s out and Ana is trying to get gigs as an artist but at the same time trying to help Pop at the shop and her mom and take care of her little sister. As well as Dry’s article, Framke’s article is about their passions and how they identify with them. Because of all the racism in the world they struggle to be true to who they are until one point where they have a turning point demonstrating that they don't care what the world thinks of them, they will be successful because of their talent and hard work. Not only that, if their grandparents were able to immigrate to the U.S and have a successful and healthy life, they were gonna do so as well. These sources help develop a well thought out analysis on how latins live and what they go through over the years.
While I have argued that immigration is what takes a toll on these families, it also could be the case that coming to the U.S with no money and having to rebuild their lives while taking care of their young ones also takes a toll on them. Their main goal is for their kids, and in this case Pop’s grandkids, to succeed and provide a better life for their families than what they could give them. But it is struggle because not only they have to worry about their problems and their future, but Pop’s as well because he is undocumented and struggling with money and to keep his restaurant opened. They live with a constant worry on whether or not they are going to be able to provide for their family as much as they want to because by being latino not many doors are as open as they would be to somebody else.
Gentefied is an easier way for people to understand the toll immigration and the lack of money and success many latin families, in this case a Mexican family, go through. In many cases they may lack a higher education other than a high school diploma because it isn't affordable and some may need to stay and work in their family owned business to help pay rent, amongst other things. Having to worry about money and immigration drains a person constantly, imagine an entire family. Throughout the show one can see not only the Morales family struggle, but others Mexican and latinos as well that live around the area and as well have constant struggles with work and providing for their family. These types of situations are ones that aren’t handled easily and they work twice as hard to make sure their families are taken care of.
Author bio: Liz Reyes, Bloomfield College Student
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