Does this sound familiar? ‘You’re a Latina/o? But you speak so well!’

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nomexicansIf you are Latina or Latino, you may have heard comments such as, “Wow, you speak so well… You are not like them… You are really smart… OR You are different and they will really like you.”

You might even be asked repeatedly where you are from if your first answer is a city or state in the U.S.

Remarks like these are called microagressions, according to Silvia L. Mazzula, PhD (Asst. Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY).

These …”subtle forms of racism,” she writes, “…communicate hostile and racial insults. Microaggressions are things said or done – many times unconsciously – that reflect a person’s inner thinking, stereotypes and prejudices. They are difficult to recognize because they are brief, innocuous, and often difficult to see. Why are they important to talk about? Because microaggressions are pervasive and have a detrimental impact on people’s psychological and physiological well-being.”

Mas…Does this sound familiar? ‘You’re a Latina/o? But you speak so well!’

Unsung Heroes of Hispanic Heritage Month: Flight Officer Mel Krupke

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They were ordinary people living ordinary lives, until one singular sensation of circumstances conspired with fate to make them UNSUNG HEROES OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Commercial pilot Flight Officer Mel Krupke’s wings iced up on Feb. 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa, sending his light plane, carrying Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, crashing into the frozen earth.

Mas…Unsung Heroes of Hispanic Heritage Month: Flight Officer Mel Krupke

Roberta Valderrama stars in ‘The Callback’ (NSFW video)

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PREGUNTA: Why would POCHO run a 15-minute (!) video on a Wednesday without any jokes about chanclas or twerking or nalgas?

RESPUESTA: When it stars POCHO amiga Roberta Valderrama. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll jump and shout when you check out The Callback. Roberta plays an actor who maybe is a little too intent on getting that big Hollywood break with a small part in a TV cop show. (NSFW adult language and situations, but no nudity or nalgas.)

PREVIOUSLY ON ROBERTA VALDERRAMA:

Mas…Roberta Valderrama stars in ‘The Callback’ (NSFW video)

Why the Internets were invented: Hispanic cops taking selfies (photos)

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“Selfie” is a real word, you know. Officially! “Selfie” and “twerk” were added to the Oxford English Dictionary Online in August.

And that’s why we’re extra pleased to present just a taste of the excellent Tumblr Cops Taking Selfies Of course, we’re just featuring photos of two officers with Hispanic names because it is still Hispanic Heritage Month until October 15, but you can click through for equally-charming Anglos and some additional Hispanics we might have missed !

Mas…Why the Internets were invented: Hispanic cops taking selfies (photos)

Meet your ‘average’ Mexican woman, and Peruvian and … (photos)

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A University of Glasgow team of experimental psychologists blended thousands of faces together to reveal what the typical woman’s face looks like in 41 different countries from around the globe:

If you were described as average-looking, you probably wouldn’t see it as a compliment.

But perhaps you would be happy if you looked like any of these computer-generated depictions of the ‘average woman’.

With flawless skin, youthful faces and bright eyes – these average faces of women from around the world are nothing short of beautiful.

Mas…Meet your ‘average’ Mexican woman, and Peruvian and … (photos)

Unsung Heroes of Hispanic Heritage Month: Yossi F. Berkowitz

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yossiberkowitz They were ordinary people living ordinary lives, until one singular sensation of circumstance conspired with fate to make them UNSUNG HEROES OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH.

In 1978, a young Chicano actor from Montebello, CA went to tailor Yossi F. Berkowitz to try on a new suit custom-made for his starring role in a Los Angeles play. Right away, he noticed that the coat sleeves were too long.

“No problem,” said Berkowitz, a long-time shop owner on Whittier Boulevard in nearby Boyle Heights. “Just bend them at the elbow and hold them out in front of you. See, now it’s fine.”

Mas…Unsung Heroes of Hispanic Heritage Month: Yossi F. Berkowitz

Careful, ladies: Driving ‘rolls up the pelvis’ and Pocho Ocho other things

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pelvisshiekh640 Driving is bad for your lady parts, according to Saudi Sheikh Saleh bin Saad al-Luhaydan, a “judicial and psychological consultant to the Gulf Psychological Association.”

Al Arabiya reports:

Driving ‘could have a reverse physiological impact. Physiological science and functional medicine studied this side [and found] that it automatically affects ovaries and rolls up the pelvis. This is why we find for women who continuously drive cars their children are born with clinical disorders of varying degrees,” al-Luhaydayn told Saudi news website sabq.org.

But that’s only the beginning of the problems that are caused when women take the wheel. Here’s the sheikh’s list of the Pocho Ocho other side-effects:

Mas…Careful, ladies: Driving ‘rolls up the pelvis’ and Pocho Ocho other things

[Chamber music for chipsters] Dorian Wood: ‘La Cara Infinita’ (video)

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Dorian Wood is a Los Angeles-based avant garde (“alternative” is not a big enough word) composer and performer who publishes his own compositions via a company called Why Are You Doing This Music which maybe gives you a hint of what to expect from his self-produced album Rattle Rattle. This version of the Echo Park homie’s original song La Cara Infinta (on the album) was recorded live on July 5 at the MorYork Gallery in L.A. That’s Ms. Eddika Organista on guest vocals. Just wow.

You want more, right? Here’s the complete audio for Rattle Rattle:

Mas…[Chamber music for chipsters] Dorian Wood: ‘La Cara Infinita’ (video)

In Long Beach, an empty lot became a theater for the people (video)

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“On a Saturday afternoon in late summer, in the midst of a Long Beach multicultural neighborhood inhabited mostly by Cambodians, Latinos and African-Americans, an empty lot came alive. Families walking with their children, teenagers running on skateboards and curious drivers slowed down their pace to watch live performances by an Hispanic theater group made up of day laborers, and by a group from CSULB’s Dance Department.” — Filmmaker Rick Meghiddo.

Your childhood cartoon heroes — where are they now? (toons)

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Mia McKenzie writes:

So, a couple of weeks ago, there was this link going around that depicts certain 90s cartoon characters “taking on” New York fashion week in trendy outfits. Among them are Lisa Simpson and Daria. When I saw this, the first thing I thought was, Ugh. Lisa Simpson, proud feminist with so much to say about gender roles, body shaming and capitalism, drawn in this hyper-thin, rich girl way? Why, baby Jesus? Why? My friends had the same question, plus not-so-thrilled reactions to Daria. You know Daria, who once said, …”edgy” occurs when middle-brow, middle-aged profiteers are looking to suck the energy–not to mention spending money–out of the “youth culture”? Yep, that Daria is depicted in overpriced clothes, standing in front of a Mercedes dealership. Yuck.

Mas…Your childhood cartoon heroes — where are they now? (toons)

Twin Tragedies in AZ: Hispanic Heritage Month, Banned Books

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arizonawebtoonIt’s Octember! Or is it Septober? It’s the time of the year when the weather starts getting cooler, politic shenanigans get ignored and eyes begin to glaze over from lethal injections of sports, beer and chicken wings.

‘Merica.

Septober is also the pseudo-month that we deal in tragedies of two kinds: “Hispanic Heritage” and banned books. Interestingly enough, both tragedies cross paths in Tucson, AZ, ground zero for censorship in the 21st century.

The ballad of Tucson is a long and sad corrido. It will make you laugh and it will also make you cry. If all the world is a stage then Tucson definitely has its players; many of them clowns but most of them sad, voiceless puppets manipulated by a system hell-bent on pushing an agenda of whitewashed ambivalence.

Mas…Twin Tragedies in AZ: Hispanic Heritage Month, Banned Books

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