The Bad Cultural aspects

The Bad Cultural aspects I (finally)

noticed in these eleven years…

Here I am… one more time, writing an editorial about another anniversary for our publication… for the 11th time… here I am… one more time, doing it during very cold winter, in the middle of many beginning of year issues with the business, and under the pressure to… say something meaningful and significant, something modest and humble, something important and touchy… but then I realized… wait… just relax, prepare yourself a cup of wine, and write down what I am feeling now…

Eleven years ago I took the big step to start this project, and see how my life’s new direction goes. Back then, after recently recovering from a divorce that brought me a painful family break up, and that also brought me a challenging change of life-style, I embarked myself into (what it become to be) an interesting personal and professional journey. Publishing a newspaper is really a remarkable process (specially with an ethnic publication), and eventhough this industry might be (or starting to be) a trade of the past, it is still bringing interesting situations to my life, specially in our Hispanic culture. I met interesting people during this venture, and I experienced many events as direct or indirect consequence to be a publisher. I discovered things within my people and my culture that I was not aware of, and (in a way) I relearned my culture (and, in a way… I am still).

Of course, I experienced many positive events and enjoyable moments as part of running this media agency, but I also got disappointed incidents and had hard moments. Due to the lack of time (and space in this edition), and running the risk to be misinterpreted, I will use those negative aspects to base this my editorial, but I will use them as “identifiers” of those individual aspects, without explaining much any of them.

It is not secret that one of the most predominant issues of our culture (or, should I say “the people from our culture”), is the strong frequent discriminating situations that happen in America. Well, based on my experience working with my publication, and having to deal with mostly, with non-Hispanic clients and customers, this issue is a reality. HOWEVER, contrary to what many in “MY culture” do, I am not using this as an excuse for my mistakes and/or failures, in the contrary… I use this (the few times that it has happened to me) as a “leverage” to try again, to try better, or to improve, and depending on the situation, to clear and better the image and reputation of “MY culture”.

Similarly to the issue presented above, the frequent discrimination we experienced in America should not be a leverage for many of us, to obtain or demand what we want, what we need, and (specially) what we deserve… I am very convinced that if we have a plan, work hard and smart, follow the rules (the rules that suppose to be for “everyone”), and respect the rest of the community, we could obtain and have what we want, what we need, and (specially) what we deserve…  I noticed this is very often used by some members of “MY culture”, not only as a “reason to have it” but also as a “reason why we DO NOT have it”

Within the Latino culture, there is an internal saying that we do not support our own (there is a popular colloquial saying “reaching success like crabs climbing to the top by stepping on everyone’s”). At the beginning of my project, I didn’t see the actual meaning of this particular negative -cultural- aspect, until I put some years into it and my project started to grow and show being successful… it is then when some members of “MY culture” (specially those “key members”) started to show resentment, jealousy, being threaten or intimidated, and even displaced. Professionally, when I run into that situation, it is not only very difficult for me to deal with that person, but also to deal with the business I am trying to do with that person… Personally, when I run into that situation, it is not only very difficult for me to deal with that person, but also to deal with the relationship I am trying to have with that person.

I realize I might have been a little bit rude or offensive (with respect to the Latino culture) in some of the aspects mentioned here, but I also know I am right in all of them, and I know there are other members “out there” that agree with me. For those that either don’t agree with me, or don’t think I am right, or feel offended about this, please, try to see my point of view, and no yours. I might not be what is called in our culture a “pure Latino” (I even heard a “real Latino”), and I do recognize that I might have different behavior or manners to what many traditional Latinos have as part of our people, but my point (or points) here is not to notice those differences, but to notice what we (as Latinos) are doing to slow us down in being… better.

As I might have said in the past, creating the CNY Latino newspaper was not only an indirect consequence of doing one of my hidden passions, but also it was kind of a forced reaction of necessity and “bounce back” action of life. But in any case, it was a strong adaptation of my life, that brought me joy in many aspects (including reaching back to my originally cultural roots), and challenges in many other aspects of my life. As I said here before (and like everything in life), this project very often brings me good enjoyable pleasant moments, and sometimes it also has its bad difficult not-so-pleasant phases. It is not a career that is much attractive to the new generation, and maybe not a “past-time” to middle-aged people (like myself), but, doing this for living has helped me to “financially” stabilize my life, and doing this for passion has helped me to “spiritually” stabilize my life.

Finally, as I hope I have done it in the last 10 other editorials, I have to thank many for the different actions that have directly or indirectly helped me with this newspaper, including many in the Latino community of Central New York. I have to also thank the regular writers and columnists, that bring every month interesting content material for our diverse readership, and my regional representatives that help me to distribute the paper in each town and city of Central New York. I cannot forget my associates ???, Marilu Lopez and Regina Velez-Carter, that all of them have done for CNY Latino, and I need to recognize the patient and understanding I have had for all these years, with my daughters Alex & Rachael. Finally, I also must recognize the professional assistance of my business partners Eddy Dominguez and Marisol Hernandez.

Unless something comes up, I will be back with my editorials (and possibly with more cultural – negative or positive – issues)… in a year.

Hugo