Societal Issues

Cultural Clash by Junot Diaz in "Fiesta"

Spanglish has existed as long as Spanish speakers have been in contact with English in the United States and the cultures have coexisted; however, the practice began to gain more recognition in the 1970s in an explosion of work by Latino poets. Nuyorican Poets such as Miguel Algerian, Tate Levier, and Sandra Estevez and Chicano poets such Laurite, Tine Villanueva, and Bernice Zamora celebrated and incorporated Spanglish in their literary work. Roberto Fernandez, Junta Diaz, and Guanine Bras chi also use Spanglish in their prose texts. Magazines targeting Latina/o audiences such as Latina, Urban Latino, Generation ñ, and Pooch regularly feature Spanglish in their work.

Spanglish is a creative phenomenon that resonates with many Latinas/so, and it is increasingly found in informal language used in the United States and in other Spanish-speaking places such as Spain and Latin America. Spanglish is also becoming increasingly common in literature, music, advertisements, the mass media, and increasingly, in cyberspace (timelier, la net, hacker UN click). Though purists continue to criticize the mixing of languages, Spanglish gains more visibility as contact between Spanish and English increases both in the United States and abroad. (Goya, 21)

Politics of Difference

The dominant liberal ideology in the West makes individuals the epicenter of justice and equality, not groups or cultures. Committed to individual autonomy, state neutrality, and procedural fairness, the liberal ideal finds it problematic to single out any group or culture for special rights or privileges. Yet minority groups and cultures are getting progressively vocal in demanding special recognition to establish a strong identity. One implication of this demand, for them, is to be granted special rights and recognition to make up for the discrimination and marginalization they encounter in the majority culture. They fear that if equality is understood as equal recognition, along with the same rights and entitlements for all individuals and groups regardless of their differences, then the majority norm in the guise of impartial standard for everybody would in effect reward the dominant groups and perpetuate the status quo, overlooking the significant differences that give minority cultures their distinct identity. (Watson, 52)

This “politics of difference” is rooted in the emerging identity politics of multiculturalism. To work out the nuanced balance between the twin fronts of egalitarianism and multiculturalism is the big challenge in today's liberal democracy. Egalitarianism is the idea that social justice should be based on the principle of equality and impartiality, without any special favor to any group or individuals. However, critics point out that multicultural accommodation in a pluralistic society may require giving minority cultures greater protection and more immunity in especially those areas where their religious and cultural commitments related to their identity may seem to be at stake. For instance, it may mean that government should avoid undue legal restrictions on the right of children in public schools to wear clothing symbolizing their religious identity, such as girls wearing head scarves as a part of their cultural or religious commitment. (Rental, 74)

Defenders of ...