Key Focus Areas:

• Media’s Role in Perpetuating Stereotypes: The paper explores how media representations, from movies and television shows to music, contribute to negative stereotypes about Latinx individuals, portraying them often in criminal or inferior roles.

• Impact of Political Climate: The study highlights the intensification of these stereotypes during the Trump era, noting how inflammatory rhetoric and policies further stigmatized the Latinx community, leading to a heightened sense of fear and paranoia.

Sociological Theories:

• Marxist Perspective: The paper utilizes a Marxist framework to explain how media and societal structures exploit minorities, perpetuating stereotypes to maintain control and justify the exploitation of minority labor.

• Durkheim’s Collective Consciousness: The concept of collective consciousness is applied to understand how media representations shape societal views and reinforce negative stereotypes about the Latinx community.

• Comte’s Social Order: The theory that societal order is maintained through divisions, such as ethnic and racial lines, is explored to explain how stereotypes contribute to the marginalization of Latinx individuals.

• Personal Impact and Real-Life Examples: The author discusses personal experiences and observations, reflecting on the daily challenges faced by Latinx individuals due to stereotypes, including fear of public interactions and being subjected to racial profiling.

• Historical and Modern Media Analysis: The project includes a historical overview of media stereotypes from the 1950s, like the “Frito Bandito,” to contemporary depictions in Hollywood and music, analyzing their evolution and persistence.

• Recommendations for Change: The paper concludes with a call for more accurate and diverse representation in media, advocating for educational initiatives and accountability in media portrayals to dismantle harmful stereotypes and promote a more inclusive society.