TOO MUGGY TO COHERENTLY* BLOG!
Even Dante G. Pig thinks it is too hot and spends his time lounging by our above ground pool. OK, well by the rabbit's water dish. In my head this scene looks much nicer and you can get this Riviera look in between the fan, cans of soup, and flakes of bedding.
The apartment doesn't always look this horrible. I just read a short story by T.C. Boyle (Who I very much enjoy) in The New Yorker about a man with 1300 hundred rats. Two varmints is enough for us!
I also just finished reading a scholarly text on PR called Puerto Rico in the American Century. It stared at me from the "New Arrivals" section of the library and I thought it would be nice to reacquaint myself with the homeland. The last, and only time, I ever took PR history was in senior year of high school and our book was published in 1983! This was 2002, mind you. Those nine missing years became a sort of living history which we discussed through photocopies.
Very nice book, albeit for the academic crowd interested in PR history. It introduced me to a new word that describe that awkward feeling that makes me feel like a crappy Puerto Rican. It is "neonationalism." If you want to sound like you know what you are talking about, just put the prefix "neo" or "post" in front of anything.
Anyway, it is the idea that you strongly identify with the culture (nationalizing the culture) while also taking less of an interest in the actual apparatus of the state (denationalizing the state). While traditional nationalism could be used to strengthen the power of the state (Rally around the flag), neonationalism creates a strong brand image and does not guarantee anything beyond that. Hence, Puerto Ricaness** is defined by going to the beach every weekend, listening to regeaton, partying at San Sebastian, calling all breakfast cereals "Con Flakes," talking really loud, dancing to salsa music, driving really bad, and having Frech fries with your Chinese food. The phenomenon also ties directly into advertisements, with foreign companies sometimes interlacing PR identity with their good/service. When I lived in PR, McDonald's served this breakfast sandwich called "McCriollo." Criollo (a Spanish word akin to Creole) is used in PR to evoke the traditional and old, often exemplified by rural farm workers. The McCriollo was just a Egg McMuffin on bakery rolls, but since the bread had the hard crust atypical of PR bakeries, eating this sandwich was affirming your identity as Puerto Rican.
There is nothing wrong with being proud of your culture and heritage. While the neonationalist asides in the book gave me some touchstones, I am not one of those post modernists that believe in erasing borders and racial/ethnic identities. These are sources of pride and are healthy. But when you sensationalize a culture at the expense of the people who live it, then isn't that a raw deal. Considering PR has field day mentality to its gooferme...err...I mean, government, the un-watching public concerns me.
This talk also ties into the PR identity of all of us that live off the island. Should we extend this PR image to the mainland? Should we incorporate into existing communities? If Puerto Ricaness requires you to wear it on your sleeve and say it loud and proud, what do we become when we do not do so? We were already technically Americans, so where is the category? All minority communities struggle with these questions, but if you are interested in PR, then you might want to give the book a try.
Peace!
*This also accounts for yesterday's piece.
**While what I wrote is silly and fun, exactly what and who Puerto Ricans are has been the defining question of Puerto Rican history. To have found the answer to this 500 year old question in a cooler of Medalla Light beers on the beach in Luquillo feels a bit too convenient.
Even Dante G. Pig thinks it is too hot and spends his time lounging by our above ground pool. OK, well by the rabbit's water dish. In my head this scene looks much nicer and you can get this Riviera look in between the fan, cans of soup, and flakes of bedding.The apartment doesn't always look this horrible. I just read a short story by T.C. Boyle (Who I very much enjoy) in The New Yorker about a man with 1300 hundred rats. Two varmints is enough for us!
I also just finished reading a scholarly text on PR called Puerto Rico in the American Century. It stared at me from the "New Arrivals" section of the library and I thought it would be nice to reacquaint myself with the homeland. The last, and only time, I ever took PR history was in senior year of high school and our book was published in 1983! This was 2002, mind you. Those nine missing years became a sort of living history which we discussed through photocopies.
Very nice book, albeit for the academic crowd interested in PR history. It introduced me to a new word that describe that awkward feeling that makes me feel like a crappy Puerto Rican. It is "neonationalism." If you want to sound like you know what you are talking about, just put the prefix "neo" or "post" in front of anything.
Anyway, it is the idea that you strongly identify with the culture (nationalizing the culture) while also taking less of an interest in the actual apparatus of the state (denationalizing the state). While traditional nationalism could be used to strengthen the power of the state (Rally around the flag), neonationalism creates a strong brand image and does not guarantee anything beyond that. Hence, Puerto Ricaness** is defined by going to the beach every weekend, listening to regeaton, partying at San Sebastian, calling all breakfast cereals "Con Flakes," talking really loud, dancing to salsa music, driving really bad, and having Frech fries with your Chinese food. The phenomenon also ties directly into advertisements, with foreign companies sometimes interlacing PR identity with their good/service. When I lived in PR, McDonald's served this breakfast sandwich called "McCriollo." Criollo (a Spanish word akin to Creole) is used in PR to evoke the traditional and old, often exemplified by rural farm workers. The McCriollo was just a Egg McMuffin on bakery rolls, but since the bread had the hard crust atypical of PR bakeries, eating this sandwich was affirming your identity as Puerto Rican.
There is nothing wrong with being proud of your culture and heritage. While the neonationalist asides in the book gave me some touchstones, I am not one of those post modernists that believe in erasing borders and racial/ethnic identities. These are sources of pride and are healthy. But when you sensationalize a culture at the expense of the people who live it, then isn't that a raw deal. Considering PR has field day mentality to its gooferme...err...I mean, government, the un-watching public concerns me.
This talk also ties into the PR identity of all of us that live off the island. Should we extend this PR image to the mainland? Should we incorporate into existing communities? If Puerto Ricaness requires you to wear it on your sleeve and say it loud and proud, what do we become when we do not do so? We were already technically Americans, so where is the category? All minority communities struggle with these questions, but if you are interested in PR, then you might want to give the book a try.
Peace!
*This also accounts for yesterday's piece.
**While what I wrote is silly and fun, exactly what and who Puerto Ricans are has been the defining question of Puerto Rican history. To have found the answer to this 500 year old question in a cooler of Medalla Light beers on the beach in Luquillo feels a bit too convenient.
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