CAUTIOUSLY CELEBRATING THE LATINIZATION OF CITIES

BY YISURY

Oh man Oh man! How much difference one can acknowledge in an issue and talk about it, express opinions and elaborate on the thought. But it is so much different when the history books are speaking about you! About Me! Us Latinos! We’ve lived the impacts of our family moving to a different country and we are still living it. I was reading the “The Time Squaring of El Barrio” by Arlene Davila where she emphasizes the notion of gentrification and the development of the term. First hand, gentrification refers to spatial restructuring and a process that seems to reassert a purely local identity. In other words, it’s a process that changes the outlooks of what seems to be dense population of one identity.  For example, those of us who are from the inner cities in New York such as East Harlem “LES” or Washington Heights we know that a lot has changed socially, politically and economically wise. For now let’s just say that these places scream politics because it’s an advantage for others to perceive them as what they are. Wherever there are enough dollar signs in America, there will always be a sense of politics involved. Hence, the catchy phrase “Money talks!”  What do I mean by “as what they are”? Well, our culture! Our way of being who we are as a whole, our entire growth of lifestyle… is now a thing of trend.  I mean, there’s a new series on MTV featuring the livelihood of young adults who live in the Heights. I even went to high school with one of them! It’s just crazy! Idk, maybe funny? Exciting? Stupid? Embarrassing?   C’ mon! We all know how bad we spoke about Jersey Shore, I know I did. But we somehow couldn’t look away.

Davila spoke about a change in cultural identity in certain places and that the change was inevitable. Well, she’s right about the fact that change is most definitely inevitable. As mentioned in her readings, “The Uptown N.Y Project” is a way of regulating the change that’s occurring within the Latino community for a future with good economic growth, and a positive social impact. Do I agree on the use value shift to exchange value? I do. There is always going to be a shift or change whether you want it or not so might as well do it the right way. Valuing the Dominican tradition in my family will never fade because it’s who we are and where we come from. People will judge regardless. So, therefore, creating a market out of Latino culture, something different for America to experience, is actually pretty cool.

A lot of good things can come of this: new jobs to the community, more opportunity, and a diverse environment.  I won’t sit here and pretend that it’s all good, because there are downsides to everything. For starters, these neighborhoods that still exist in New York, such as Washington Heights, won’t be the same anymore. People would move out, majority Latinos, because they can’t afford it anymore. The culture itself would become a datable topic to many who are going to say the real traditions are over. Others would say Latino culture has progressed through media and massive attention from “outsiders”. I guess only time would tell what we’re willing to admit to ourselves, because we are the ones who live there, grew up there. Are these real neighborhoods that are left completely gone for good? For better or for worse? You tell me.