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Abby Tower

Professor Fields

English Comp 105

13 November 2018

Potato, Potahto, Latino, Hispano?

Since 1958, fictional icon Juan Valdez has served as the primary marketing device for the

National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. However, Valdez’s character, depicted as a

macho man with darker complexion, bushy facial hair, and a sombrero, not only brands the

Colombian coffee industry, but also a false identity that many have come to refer to as

‘Hispanic,’ (CBS). In poet Carlos Andrés Gómez’s spoken word poem “Juan Valdez,” Gómez

confronts the issues linked to the Valdez stereotype, the problem with assuming identities, and

the socially constructed and demeaning term ‘Hispanic.’ His conscious delivery and gestures, in

tandem with his use of personal narrative, present the effective and thought-provoking message

that ‘Hispanic’ is a label meant to enslave and colonize, and Latinos do not have a defined

‘look.’ Furthermore, he begs the question, what does it mean to be a Latino?

Operating within the genre of spoken word poetry, Gómez was able to utilize his

expressive and progressive platform to deliver his message on the politics that exist within

Latino communities. While many written poetry subgenres, for example sonnets, haikus, and

odes, utilize conventional syllabic rules and verse formats to receive poetry recognition, spoken

word poetry does not have set characteristics, and the standard of what constitutes a poem is

open to interpretation (Writers Write). Because of its oral nature, many poets will phrase their

words based on auditive effect and play to their audiences. Additionally, spoken word poetry is

often viewed as a cross-cultural unification tool based on the nature of its development (Poetry
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Foundation). While the concept of poetry at its simplest form dates back to ancient

Mesopotamia, recognizing the first published poem as “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” spoken word

poetry is actually a relatively new trend that is thought to have been introduced during the Beat

Generation in the 1950s and 60s (Andrews, Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia). The Beat

Generation, characterized as a countercultural movement inspired by jazz music and Zen

Buddhism, focused on removing poetry from its traditional higher education settings and shifting

it into an everyday form of self-expression and reflection accessible to everybody. The poets

within the generation primarily addressed societal taboos, for example sex and drugs, and were

considered to be ahead of their time in terms of racial equality and acceptance (Encyclopedia

Britannica). Seeking inspiration from Beat generation poets, Gómez’s spoken word poem

challenges the ways ethnicity is thought about, and his edgy use of word choice and phrasing

discomforts the current notions about who the ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’ people really are.

Like other spoken word poems, Gómez’s “Juan Valdez” places a heavy emphasis on

personal experience and storytelling. Structuring the spoken word as a letter to “Princess

Anonymous,” Gómez opens with the lines, “After the show, she asks me, ‘Carlos… Andrés

Gómez… is your stage name, right? I mean I’ve never met a Hispanic who looks like you,’”

(Youtube). His reenactment of the dialogue between himself and a past audience member

verbatim stings listeners as the sarcasm in his voice highlights an identity plagued by a socially

constructed label: Hispanic. The intentional articulation on the hard ‘c’ in the word ‘Hispanic’

and the audible question marks he places at the end of each of his names assist in establishing a

negative connotation towards the concept of Hispanic ethnicity. Not only, the drawn-out vowels

in the word ‘you’ accompany Gómez’s finger pointing imitation of the female character’s initial

appearance-based judgement of him. For comedic relief, Gómez dramatizes his facial
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expressions, talks with his hands, and changes the pitch of his voice as he mimics the audience

member’s demeaning words. Concluding on his encounter with the audience member, he adapts

a serious tone, loses his animated facial gestures, and addresses her anonymity as he prompts the

question, “what exactly does a Hispanic look like,” the word ‘Hispanic’ in air quotes (Youtube).

As the spoken word poem continues, Gómez decomposes the term ‘Hispanic,’ ripping

apart the negative assumptions and images it conjures. “I could guess what you mean and assume

[a Hispanic]’s a low-priced gardening tool like the one you buried in a shed behind your

Victorian summer home… Or maybe when you say, ‘a Hispanic,’ you mean your stand-in

parent, the person who raises your kids for you when you’re tired of being a mom,” Gómez says

in reflection to common Hispanic stereotypes (Youtube). His choice in which stereotypes to

address is crucial in that each of the examples he uses places a ‘Hispanic’ in a position of

submission and inferiority. While Gómez never directly addresses the reason why many people

of Spanish speaking decent choose to not identify as Hispanic, his descriptions of the perceived

‘Hispanic’ image tie into the label’s problems: it’s roots of colonization and slavery. The term

recognizes the Spanish language, brought to parts of Latin America by Spanish conquistadors,

while omitting the cultural and geographic ties that the Spanish speaking people also possess

(Massie). As the spoken word poem suggests, the word ‘Hispanic,’ like the stereotypes

associated with the man-made ethnic group, is limiting and demeaning as it frames people’s

identities around the idea of being nothing more than a slave or possession to another group.

Transitioning away from its enslaving origin, Gómez compares the term ‘Hispanic’ to a

second ethnic category: Latino. While the term ‘Latino’ is more representative, Gómez still

addresses the issues and limitations that exist within the grouping system, one issue being its

pan-ethnic nature. As he explains in “Juan Valdez,” the term ‘Latino’ encompasses all people of
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Latin American decent, yet in doing so, it fails to recognize any one culture individually.

Gómez’s Colombian heritage and culture do not equate to a Peruvian’s heritage and culture, nor

are they expected to, but by categorizing both of individuals, who may have radically different

backgrounds, as ‘Latinos,’ both respective cultural identities are removed and replaced with a

homogenous identity that doesn’t fully represent either of the individuals. The concept of pan-

ethnicity more or less tries to consolidate many cultures into one, no matter how unalike they are

(Espirtiu). This lends itself to further issues as the term ‘Latino’ is often mis-conceptualized as a

race rather than an ethnicity. “I have met Latinos who people think are Aboriginal in Patagonia,

East Asian in Chile, West African in La República Dominicana, Scandinavian in Argentina, and

Native American in Colombia,” Gomez chants, increasing his tempo with each cultural group

recognized (Youtube). Because being ‘Latino’ is based off regional decent, the term is also

inclusive towards those with indigenous and African roots, not just those who might identify as

‘Hispanic,’ yet, as Gómez explains, Latinos are often stereotyped and are expected to have a

complexion mirroring that of Juan Valdez. The disconnect between a Latino’s actual appearance

and the societal stereotypes creates a separation from one’s cultural identity, as seen with Gómez

in his opening personal narrative. The term ‘Latino’ was socially constructed in such a way

where, while definitively, the term is more exemplary than ‘Hispanic,’ in practice, the label is

actually extremely limiting, both culturally and physically, and assimilates people from their

individual ethnic roots. Overall, Gómez’s ample descriptions on the diversity within the Latino

community are utilized throughout his poem to counteract the blatant issues the ethnic label has.

Gómez utilized limited gestures and props to accompany his in-depth message on the

socially constructed ethnic terms ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino.’ The elaborate design, or lack thereof,

of Gómez’s backdrop and clothing played a vital role in his performance in that the simplistic
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visuals actually worked in his favor to enhance the quality of his message. One example of how

Gómez’s visually minimalistic aesthetic aided in the performance of “Juan Valdez” was seen in

the lighting and framing. Throughout the performance, a single spotlight remained steadily on

Gómez, and he was the only one framed within the camera’s angle. The conscious technological

decisions assured that Gómez remained the focal point; With the audience completely out of

frame and the background walls and paintings hidden in shadows, the viewer was left with no

choice but to pay attention to the poet’s furrowed eyebrows, dramatic eyerolls, and most

importantly, passion-filled words. Gómez’s clothing decisions also impacted his poetic delivery.

Instead of wearing flashy colors, exotic patterns, or over-the-top accessories, he performed his

poem in a plain, blue t-shirt, knowing that the t-shirt would not receive the attention. By

choosing a basic outfit, he eliminated possible distractions, leading to a more receptive audience.

Counterintuitively, the overall casual and subtractive design choices added to Gómez’s

performance.

Gómez’s choice of performance venue, Nuyorican Poets Café, also played an integral

role in the meaning he conveyed in his spoken word performance. The café, most notably known

for being one of the “most integrated places on the planet,” according to Beats generation poet

Allen Ginsberg, houses a wide variety of fine arts events, spoken word poetry gatherings and

slam poetry competitions being the most popular (Nuyorican Poets Café). The term ‘Nuyorican’

describes the Puerto Ricans, both immigrants and naturally-born U.S. citizens, who lived in New

York City during the 1950s. This community participated in their own cultural movement, using

poetry as an outlet to connect and empathize with one another about the difficulties they faced in

the city, while continuing to uphold and celebrate their culture (López). The group eventually

began hosting gatherings where they would perform their poems in one of the poet’s studio
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apartments. As poetry became a greater unifier for the Nuyorican people, the crowds outgrew the

spatial restraints of the apartments and required a larger location for their poetry and music

events, and thus, Nuyorican Poets Café was birthed in the 1970s (Poets.Org). The Latin roots of

the venue itself embody the cultural messages that “Juan Valdez” touched at and, in themselves,

speak to the importance of recognizing one’s culture, not just the origin of one’s language. For

Gómez, choosing to debut “Juan Valdez” at Nuyorican Poets Café symbolizes his choice to stand

firm in defending his beliefs and further his advocacy on Latin American identity.

At first glance, the powerful messages manifested in “Juan Valdez” may seem directed at

those who ignorantly label others as ‘Hispanic’ or ‘Latino’ without understanding the terms’ full

implications and contexts. This perceived audience is made apparent by Gómez’s use of second

person pronouns and rhetorical questions; however, after careful analyzation of “Juan Valdez,” a

second, yet stronger, targeted audience becomes evident. Between the repeated use of ‘you’ and

the sarcastic challenges, Gómez appeals to those whose identities have been enslaved, warped, or

questioned because of the terms ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino.’ His empowering speech, careful

placement of the word ‘we,’ and emphasized phrase, “I have met Latinos,” galvanized those

whose cultures have been marginalized to fit into the limiting checkbox “Hispanic or Latino” on

a questionnaire. Additionally, others who don’t feel strong ties to the term ‘Hispanic’ or the

limited view of ‘Latino’ are able to relate to Gómez’s deep-rooted and emotional poem; The

piece allows them to have something to cling to and identify with.

The underlying themes of Gómez’s spoken word poem are especially prevalent in light of

the Census Bureau’s recent announcement that they will not be changing or removing the

question about ethnicity from the 2020 census even after thorough research of the question’s

damaging effects (Wang). The ethnicity question was created by the Nixon administration in the
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1970s as a way to determine how much funding and support the government should allocate for

“specific groups,” yet the data is also used to measure if the government’s support “fairly and

equitably serves the needs of the Hispanic population,” (United States Census Bureau). The

question is problematic by nature as the term “Hispanic” was created specifically for the census

in 1970, yet many Americans did not, and still today do not, identify as “Hispanic” because of its

oppressive links to European colonization (Rinderle and Montoya). Because a massive

percentage of the people Nixon would classify as ‘Hispanic’ have actually separated themselves

from that identity, the ethnic group “intended” to receive funding does not actually receive the

government funding and assistance proportionate to their population (Solórzano Jr. and Ahlén).

Gómez’s “Juan Valdez” effectively serves as an important reminder of the ongoing

marginalization of certain people groups in the United States.

Overall, “Juan Valdez,” by Carlos Andrés Gómez, places heavy emphasis on some of the

key issues related to ethnicity, including the shackling umbrella term ‘Hispanic’ and the

stereotype that all Latinos have the same physical features and share the same cultural

backgrounds. Within the countercultural platform of spoken word poetry, Gómez used his poem

to educate the ignorant on the implications of the limiting labels ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’ while

simultaneously rallying and empowering those who have been victims to the broad yet un-

identifying terms. By minimizing his visuals and letting his personal narrative and cultural ties

speak for themselves, Gómez was able to deliver his message fluidly and effectively, provoking

collective audience reflection on what being a ‘Hispanic’ or a ‘Latino’ truly means.

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Works Cited

Andrews, Evan. "What Is the Oldest Known Piece of Literature." History, 18 Dec. 2015.

Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.

“Beat Movement.” Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, Oct. 1996, pp. 85–86. Accessed 6 Nov.

2018.

"Beat Movement." Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Sept. 2013. Accessed 6 Nov. 2018.

“A Brief Guide to Nuyorican Poetry.” Poets.Org, 19 Sep. 2018. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

“Carlos Andrés Gómez performs "Juan Valdez" (Live at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe).” Youtube,

uploaded by Carlos Andrés Gómez, 7 May 2010. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

Espirtiu, Yen Le. “Race and U.S. Pan-ethnic Formation.” Oxford Handbooks Online, Aug. 2016.

Accessed 13. Nov. 2018.

“History.” Nuyorican Poets Café, 2018. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

López, Edrik. “Nuyorican Spaces: Mapping Identity in a Poetic Geography.” Centro Journal,

vol. 17, no. 1, Spring 2005, pp. 203–219. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

Massie, Victoria. “Latino and Hispanic Identities Aren’t the Same Thing. They’re Also Not

Racial Groups.” Vox, 18 Sep. 2016. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

Rinderle, Susana, and Danielle Montoya. “Hispanic/Latino Identity Labels: An Examination of

Cultural Values and Personal Experiences.” Howard Journal of Communications, vol. 19,

no. 2, Apr. 2008, pp. 144–164. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

Solórzano Jr., Ramón, and Sondra Ahlén. “Latino Questions on Race, Ethnicity, and Language at

the Advent of the 2010 Census.” Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, vol. 22, June 2010,

pp. 17–45. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

“Spoken Word.” Poetry Foundation, 2018. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

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“Types of Poetry.” Writers Write, 2018. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.

Wang, Hansi Lo. “2020 Census to Keep Racial, Ethnic Categories Used in 2010.” National

Public Radio, 26 Jan. 2018. Accessed 13. Nov. 2018.

“Why We Are Asking Questions About Hispanic or Latino Origin.” United States Census

Bureau, 2018. Accessed 11 Nov. 2018.

“10 Iconic TV Commercial Characters.” CBS News, 10 Apr. 2016. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.