DC Responds to Chron and LULAC
Well, I couldn't help it. I just have to respond to the "Patrona" article and to LULAC's response.
As someone told me today, in some Hispanic circles, Patron or Patrona is a term of respect; it denotes the person’s authority and power. For others, it's a term given to their employer. So, Jimenez's reference to a supposed Whitmire-White battle for the Patron title isn't too far off the mark. In South Texas, the Patron was usually a white male. So, that we've gotten to a point where a woman is considered the "power-person" in local politics may not be such a bad thing. But these types of terms tend to make one very ego-centric, and to hell with the rest of the electorate. The bottom line is that both Carol Alvarado and the other person mentioned in the article have some sort of power-broking ability--without the need to be designated as a "patrona."
But let's not be naive regarding why the press would/might attempt to malign District I. District I has historically received a bad rap for one reason or another. One may argue it is rightfully given a bad rap, and others may say it's been racially profiled by the rest of the local political realm that reaches beyond the District's borders. But there's another reality that didn't even make the article.
As my reader told me, if the Chronicle really wanted to provide a service to their readers, they would have discussed the challenges being faced by the residents of District I and then discussed the ability of the two candidates (Marron & Rodriguez) to address those problems while on Council.
Forget the "P" label, and forget the history involved with District I. Ultimately, it's about the people that must be served first. And that's where the Chron, Rodriguez, and Mack dropped the ball; choosing to take some other route, instead of informing the electorate. I would hope that as all of the campaigns begin that the Chron will choose to inform the electorate of pertinent issues, instead of leaving voters with campaigns based on historical beefs and and political power-playing among groups within the wider political scale. And yeah, it is great that District I gets front page coverage early on, but next time, I'd like to see a complete article on the candidates, the people being served, and the issues that matter to those served.
The article cites that when multiple candidates run for the same seat, Garcia said, it spurs Hispanic voters to the ballot box. And this may be true, and therefore, the race must be about James Rodriguez and John Marron.
There I go again asking too much from the press!
As someone told me today, in some Hispanic circles, Patron or Patrona is a term of respect; it denotes the person’s authority and power. For others, it's a term given to their employer. So, Jimenez's reference to a supposed Whitmire-White battle for the Patron title isn't too far off the mark. In South Texas, the Patron was usually a white male. So, that we've gotten to a point where a woman is considered the "power-person" in local politics may not be such a bad thing. But these types of terms tend to make one very ego-centric, and to hell with the rest of the electorate. The bottom line is that both Carol Alvarado and the other person mentioned in the article have some sort of power-broking ability--without the need to be designated as a "patrona."
But let's not be naive regarding why the press would/might attempt to malign District I. District I has historically received a bad rap for one reason or another. One may argue it is rightfully given a bad rap, and others may say it's been racially profiled by the rest of the local political realm that reaches beyond the District's borders. But there's another reality that didn't even make the article.
As my reader told me, if the Chronicle really wanted to provide a service to their readers, they would have discussed the challenges being faced by the residents of District I and then discussed the ability of the two candidates (Marron & Rodriguez) to address those problems while on Council.
Forget the "P" label, and forget the history involved with District I. Ultimately, it's about the people that must be served first. And that's where the Chron, Rodriguez, and Mack dropped the ball; choosing to take some other route, instead of informing the electorate. I would hope that as all of the campaigns begin that the Chron will choose to inform the electorate of pertinent issues, instead of leaving voters with campaigns based on historical beefs and and political power-playing among groups within the wider political scale. And yeah, it is great that District I gets front page coverage early on, but next time, I'd like to see a complete article on the candidates, the people being served, and the issues that matter to those served.
The article cites that when multiple candidates run for the same seat, Garcia said, it spurs Hispanic voters to the ballot box. And this may be true, and therefore, the race must be about James Rodriguez and John Marron.
There I go again asking too much from the press!
posted by Dos Centavos at 2:07 PM
1 Comments:
No Stacey,
You ask for too little of the media. All you have asked of them is to do their jobs. To ask too much, you would have to demand for the headline, "Dos Centavos Rules The World!"
Gratias Tibi Ago Deus
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