West Front Story along with upholds Hollywood’s sexist framing of women since the sometimes chaste virgin, estimated because of the Maria, and/or colorful sex kitten in the profile off Anita
Western Top Facts replicates the fresh You.S. Black-White racial steps away from most useful and you will bad in the way they labels the brand new gangs: “When you find yourself a jet, you’re an aircraft the whole way” if you find yourself “all the Puerto Rican’s a terrible chicken.” The brand new Boricuas – since the “Sharks”- was predators because white “Jets” soar, while it is the second classification that gropes and you may efforts so you can physical violence Anita. S. movie history. This new group, the fresh new violent, the brand new rogue, the brand new dangerous men is actually ubiquitous Black and Latino representations, beginning with Hollywood’s very first villain, brand new North american country bandido out-of quiet-day and age Westerns.
On song “The usa,” i carry out listen to real sources in order to existed sense. In this rooftop male-females label and you can effect amount, Bernardo covers the new privilege of whiteness, a rarity from inside the You.S. film and tv background. So you’re able to Anita’s “Every day life is all right in the us,” Bernardo reacts which have “When you are all-white in the us.” Although the ladies provide voice to your possibilities migration get discover in their eyes, it world is additionally where Anita refers to the fresh new island because an effective set where “constantly the hurricanes blowing” and you may “the population broadening,” and you will “the money due.” As far as this woman is concerned, Puerto Rico is also “drain back again to the sea.” Dull.
The fresh new mistake out of Western Front Story
For the a job interview with the Movie industry Reporter, Tony Kushner, whom published the fresh screenplay to have Spielberg’s adaptation, asserted that the first musical’s creators was in fact building regarding the Jewish immigrant experience hence this is a blunder.
Our very own story is very distinctive from the 
fresh fairytale Eu Western design of immigrate, absorb, work hard and you can do just fine. Ours is actually among other really-used paths to help you “incorporation” into All of us: annexation by way of conquest. Following Spanish-Cuban-U.S. conflict out-of 1898, the us was presented with that have control of Puerto Rico and you can along with Guam, the fresh new Philippines, and Guantanamo Bay Naval Feet for the Cuba. Instead visit, Puerto Ricans had been announced You.S. people from the congressional decree in 1917.
The brand new bulk migration away from thousands of Anita’s, Maria’s and you will Bernardo’s is actually a well planned strategy for the new intake from displaced professionals. The latest U.S. economic model, labeled as Process Bootstrap in Puerto Rico, can only create when your “excess” society try pressed out of the island. Quite a few moms and dads landed from inside the production facilities and you can farms throughout the claims to do taken advantage of labor around thorough conditions. The newest negative exposure by the light-dominant media of Puerto Rican influx in order to metropolises including New York place the latest stage to your brand new Broadway creation and you may movie.
Operation Bootstrap possess long term the path now Puerto Rico try broke. Towards area from inside the vast amounts of bucks from debt, President Barack Obama and you will Congress during the 2016 imposed another financial board that’s prioritizing the fresh new means away from Wall Path and exactly who Puerto Ricans find as fostering new hobbies out of predatory capitalism. Control by this unelected fiscal panel, labeled as “La Junta” with the area, makes the allegedly self-ruling condition of Puerto Rico, currently dubious prior to, a whole lot more of a vicious laugh.
The fresh new outcry and you can opposition were lingering. This has provided substantial marches from the imposition of the board and its particular austerity system. In the course of regular fuel blackouts inside the Puerto Rico, protesters smack the roads almost every week, which have youngsters, feminists and gurus at the front end. Regarding the island, Puerto Ricans try best agroecological projects, tapping renewable energy, and you will review almost every other innovations in food and energy sovereignty. Stateside, brand new diaspora features providing focus on rules constructed during the Arizona you to definitely economically hamstring Puerto Rico.