The Melting Blog

Florida's Pan-Latino Melting Pot

This morning's Column One section of the Los Angeles Times has a special report on the radical transformation of Florida's Hispanic demography -- long a central outpost for the U.S. Cuban population. Thanks to the diverse Latin American immigration in the 90's, the Sunshine State is now ground zero for a new pan-American Latinoism instead:

In a major demographic shift with implications for politics as well as the humdrum minutiae of life — including the use of parks and the kinds of foods sold in supermarkets — Florida's Latinos, more than 2.6 million strong and growing each day, are undergoing a metamorphosis. Cubans and Cuban Americans, long the majority in the state, have been reduced in the last decade to a distinct if still dominant minority.

What's more, in large part due to the newcomers, people of Spanish language and heritage are no longer concentrated in a few locations like Miami's Little Havana, settled by refugees fleeing Fidel Castro's Cuba, or the older cigar-rolling Cuban district of Ybor City in Tampa.

There is now a Little Caracas of Venezuelans in the Miami suburb of Doral, a Colombian enclave in the Broward County city of Weston, and pockets of Guatemalans in Lake Worth near Palm Beach.

In rural inland towns like Immokalee and Sebring, food markets with names like Azteca cater to Mexican farmworkers and sell votive candles with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. In formerly Anglo suburbs of Fort Lauderdale, gas stations offer hot Argentine beef turnovers.
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Slowly, though, a trans-Latino identity is taking root. Nowadays, even a venerable temple of Cuban gastronomy like Miami's Versailles restaurant offers non-Cuban specialties on its menu, including churrasco, a thick Argentine cut of steak. Strolling Mexican-style mariachi bands are common, but the musicians are often Colombians. More and more, there are households where the spouses hail from different Spanish-speaking countries or backgrounds.

Marco Rubio, a Cuban American, knows firsthand about the blending of Latin cultures. The 33-year-old Coral Gables attorney and Republican majority leader in the state House is married to a Colombian American who used to be a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins. They have two children.

"I describe my two daughters, Amanda, 4, and Daniella, 2, as Colombanas — half Cuban, half Colombian, and 100% American," Rubio said. "I myself never ate an arepa (a Colombian specialty made of cornmeal) until I married Jeanette." On the other hand, Rubio said, "any Hispanic who lives any length of time in Miami ends up at a Cuban bakery and picks up some Cuban words.

"What you get is all those different Hispanic cultures melding into one 'Miami' culture," Rubio said. "America has always been about taking the best of other parts of the world, the best of other cultures."'Just because you speak Spanish, no one assumes you're Cuban anymore.'

One real interesting thing to keep an eye out for is how this more diverse Latino base will vote (to the extent they are citizens) in the upcoming Presidential elections. It's no secret that Cuban American emigres have a hardcore bent favoring the Republican party. But what about these new Floridians? The article suggests many of them still hold conflicting notions of dual citizenship ("We leave the country, but we do not close the door.") Remember the insanity of 2000? Florida, as a swing state, will be as pivotal as ever, and these "New Latins" could well make the difference in 2004 should they become active.

Read the whole article.

UPDATE: In fact, John-Thor Dahlburg, the author of the aforementioned article has a second article on this very issue I've raised above (it's also in the L.A. Times). The non-Cuban Latino vote in Florida is very much up for grabs:

"It will all hinge on getting the votes out," Martinez said. In general, he said, Cuban Americans vote roughly 80% to 85% Republican, while Florida's other Latinos, including Mexicans and South and Central Americans, vote about 60% to 65% in favor of Democrats.

"In a sense," Martinez said, "they are more up for grabs than the Cubans."

More.

Nielsen President: "Fox Plays The Race Card"

Susan Whiting, the President/CEO of Nielsen Media Research -- the beleaguered media ratings provider that has occupied a prominent space over here in TMB over the past month-and-a-half -- pens a response to Nielsen's critics in today's L.A. Times. Highlights:

So what's the problem? It's true that under the ratings measured by the people meter, not as many people of color are watching certain UPN programs with African American themes or Fox shows with mainstream themes. Instead, people of color — like everyone else these days — are watching a wider variety of programming, including niche cable networks, which people meters are picking up.

Since lower ratings means lower advertising revenue, News Corp. has responded with a campaign against Nielsen and people meters that has played the race card again and again. Its actions contrast significantly with those of other TV groups like CBS, Univision and Tribune, which — despite their varying concerns about the roll-out of local people meters — have not funded any campaigns against the system.

If you read the whole thing (which I encourage you to do if you're following this soap opera), she also discusses what the leaked E&Y audit means and contrasts the new people meter technology with the obsolete handwritten diary system. Interestingly enough, there's no mention of Univision or its lawsuit in this editorial -- not even an attempt to address Univision's contention about mis-sampled Spanish-speaking households. Nope, this one's aimed squarely at Rupert.

Giant Robot's 10th Anniversary

Props to former New York Times film scribe, Elvis Mitchell, who on his radio show today, KCRW's The Treatment, interviewed Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong -- the inventive young entrepreneurs behind the Asian-themed pop culture movement known as Giant Robot. These hep cats have spun what started out as an underground magazine created from their garage into a virtual media empire that now encompasses book publishing, art galleries, online commerce, and retail stores (two in Los Angeles, one in San Francisco) -- where you can buy everything from your latest Bruce Lee DJ gear to tasty Calpis candy.

I can hardly believe that a decade has flown by since their inaugural issue (alas, age has a wicked way of sneaking past you). Since that time, other print rags attempting to capture the imagination of a general Asian American demographic have failed -- most spectacularly A Magazine and Yolk -- while certain off-beat, quirky publications aimed at niche-based interests have only thrived (TokyoPop, American-based purveyor of manga and anime galore, being another notable success story).

(Other "Asian American" magazines that are hanging around these days are those geared strictly at women, such as Audrey and the newly-launched Yin magazine, but since they're still in their fledgling stages, the jury's out on them.)

What's made these hip, niche attempts successful and enduring, while their higher-profile (and better funded) counterparts have fallen flat? There are of course numerous reasons, but I'd primarily chalk it up to the viral marketing factor: edgy niche-based interests have a way of generating ardent enthusiasm and strong word-of-mouth among their obsessive fans in a way that general interest publications aimed at Asian Americans haven't in the past. In addition, the subculture that forms around these shared pop affinities crossover much further beyond any single race or ethnic group.

Because irreverent, cheeky niche efforts like Giant Robot and TokyoPop are fueled by the passions and visions of their creators, they are also given more time to find their intended audiences organically ("they're out there, we just don't know how large!"), whereas there's never been a question who A Magazine was targeting. I don't know about the rest of you, but A Magazine (if you've ever tried to read it) always felt like required reading and was drudgery to get through. And Yolk? Well, Yolk never had much going for it beyond its pictures.

The magazine industry can be very unforgiving, so props to Giant Robot for not only sticking it out, but kicking ass at the game. You can listen to Elvis Mitchell's Giant Robot interview here (Real Player required) -- it's a wonderful story.

Border Gaffes

In today's Washington Times, border patrol agents eager to receive their new uniforms got a surprise when their shipment finally arrived:

New Border Patrol uniforms, ordered in the wake of the agency's transfer last year to the Department of Homeland Security, arrived this month and some agents are not very happy: The new uniforms were "Made in Mexico."

"I'm embarrassed, not only as a Border Patrol agent but as an American citizen, that our government has decided to outsource the production of these uniforms with no regard for the safety of the process or the security of our country," said Joseph N. Dassaro, president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) Local 1613 in San Diego.

"What system is in place to ensure that these uniforms are not stolen en masse or sold outright in Mexico to be used by terrorists, alien smugglers or drug dealers who could cross unimpeded into the United States?" asked Mr. Dassaro, a veteran agent.

More than $30 million in new uniforms have been ordered for the Border Patrol by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a new agency within Homeland Security that now oversees the border force. Homeland Security was created in March 2003 after the September 11 terrorist attacks on America.

Read the whole thing. Then ponder this question: more outsourcing or more illegal immigration?