January 3, 2025 3 a.m. Pacific Time
To the Editor: Gustavo Arellano has an interesting perspective on the evolution of politics among some Latino voters who supported President-elect Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. I may fit into the category of “weakoso” that he refers to.
My thinking revolves around issues such as the Great Depression, the era of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, World War II, the labor movement, and the racial attitudes behind the “No Dogs or Mexicans Allowed” sign. was created by. Add to this the work of the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and the murders of our idols John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. I have joined.
If you look at the post-baby boomer generation, we have Latino voters who were influenced by the Reagan revolution. The Reagan Revolution included amnesty for illegal immigrants, reparations for imprisoned Japanese Americans, and the unfair deals that led to the Iran-Contra scandal. Many more Latinos are being drawn into evangelical Christian churches with Calvinist and Dominionist theologies.
Finally, we can also include the brainwashing of FOX News viewers and ultra-conservative radio shows. This media ecosystem has the ability to convince viewers and listeners that a hot dog is filet mignon and that Trump will be a great president.
Anthony Avila, Whittier
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To the Editor: As a fan of Arellano, I read his column about Latinos coming of age politically in the November election with interest, but I had two concerns.
I don’t see how Latinos who voted for Trump would fit in with the themes of Cesar Chavez’s 1984 Commonwealth Club speech. Arellano said Chavez was “a California ‘ruled’ by the descendants of farmworkers. They change things for the better, and for generations they never forget where they came from.” said, he said.
Regardless of the reason, voting more for Trump and his vile white supremacist doctrine seems to mean forgetting where you come from.
Also, in the middle of his column, Arellano says, “2024 is the year that Latinos finally become Americans.” However, in the rest of the column, he never refers to them as Americans, but rather always refers to them as Latinos. And it primarily takes place in an us-versus-them context.
Identity politics is ruining this country, but Arellano seems to be rooting for it.
Mitch Paradise, Los Angeles
