Food & Social Class| Hector Bustos

Some common foods in my family are the typical Mexican food options such as tacos, burritos, tamales, pozole, beans, salsa, tortillas. A lot of these food options are super easy to make and incredibly affordable. Take tacos for example, all you really need to buy when making tacos is the tortillas, meat, onions, cilantro, and any kinds of salsa. All of these ingredients, for the most part are affordable. The reason being is that in Mexico, a lot of people face poverty and don’t have enough money to make extravagant meals, and for some, even tacos may be too expensive to make, that is why some people stick to making simple dishes like beans and rice. They are food items that can be easily found and made for those who are on a budget.       Foods and eating habits contribute to the formation of social norms and identities in my culture because Mexican food can be unhealthy for you. There are many cases of obesity in Mexican households because common types of Mexican food can be extremely fattening and greasy. Another norm is that eating is seen as a social event/ time in many Mexican households. Most of the time, you eat with other people. Food also plays a huge role in traditions because during most Mexican related events/holidays, food will be present.

In Class Writing: Hector Bustos

I have never been “tokenized” specifically, but I would like to expand on the idea of a group of college students being “tokenized” to diversify the campus. When making college decisions, there are huge factors that play a role in deciding what college you want to attend. When making my decision, I wanted to make sure I attended a campus where minority groups were celebrated and were seen in large numbers. Every college makes it a point to advertise that their college is diverse by printing admission/promotional materials that feature one student from every racial group. When students see this picture, they feel like their race/culture is well represented at that particular school. The university system has done this to have a “good reputation” when it comes down to diversity within race throughout the entire student body.

USF specifically, advertises their campus as the “most diverse campus in the nation.” I too was one of those students that fell for the trick that universities play on students. When I came to USF, I had a culture shock. There was more white people than I have ever seen before, I grew up in a city where the majority of the inhabitants within the city are hispanic. It is crazy to realize that if USF truly is one of the most diverse campuses in the nation, the game that these universities play on students is out of hand. Students are “tokenized” in order for the university to get higher numbers in students, meaning a higher budget for the university as a whole. Students are in a way being used because of their minority status and used as a mean of promotion. People of color should not be used as a way of promoting the university because at the end of the day, people of color are only being oppressed by the university, and while they are being oppressed, the university is making money from their promotional contributions.

Audio Essay Script Prep

Hector Bustos

My story is about my feelings towards my ethnicity and culture. I grew up in Santa Ana where over 80% of the city’s population is Hispanic/Latinx. I have always been extremely immersed in my culture and for that reason, I am incredibly proud to be a Mexican American living in Southern California. Santa Ana is a world of its own. It is located in Orange County, but it is much different than the rest of Orange County. When one steps into the borders of Santa Ana, they quickly feel the welcoming environment of La Plaza and Calle Cuatro (downtown). In recent years, I have grown even prouder of being a product of Santa Ana, especially because the rest of Orange County is so different. With the rise of Trump’s Popularity in Orange County, there were instances where I, and many of other Santanians felt scared for the legal status of our friends and family. I wasn’t always as involved and intrigued by politics until my freshman year in High School. Before then, I did not know that Orange County was an extremely right-wing conservative county. It was a difficult time for me because I lived in fear that my mom and I would one day be stopped and racially profiled or harassed by white police officers, or any other members of the white community. With the popularity of Trump in Orange County, it was difficult to distinguish who I could confide in, especially when it came to my friend’s and families’ legal status. The police have always dominated the city of Santa Ana, and have been given a lot of money and power because of the corrupt mayor currently serving in office. ICE has also been seen numerous occasions, tearing families apart. After experiencing, reading, and watching videos of white police officers tearing families apart in this hispanic-majority community, I was scared of being a hispanic male walking alone late at night. I had lost the identity and culture that I held so dear to me before the rise of Donald Trump.

Essay #1 Discussion Hector Bustos 

For essay 1, I will have to write and record a non-fiction audio essay. This essay will reveal who I am as a person and any other important aspects of my life. This essay will also allow me to explain my experiences in facing identity, cultural, and racial issues. Throughout the course of the audio essay, there must be some sort of music or soundtrack playing in the background. The music I choose may reflect a significant period/event/situation in my life.

Some challenges that I may face are choosing the right soundtrack that I feel will best represent my situation, being vulnerable to my audience when explaining any personal experiences I have faced, and finally, editing all of my audio contents. The greatest strength I have when writing and presenting this essay is that the topic of the essay is all about me. No one knows me better than I do, so the essay shouldn’t be too challenging, especially when talking about situations that have happened to me.

Summary to Brandi’s Response (Hector Bustos)

Brandi makes a clear distinction between Cadogan’s experiences in his hometown in Jamaica and his experiences while attending college in New Orleans. She argues that the United States prides itself in diversity, yet minorities are not necessarily treated the same way the United States prides itself in doing. Brandi comments on how she believed the essay was written a few years ago, but to her surprise, she found that this essay was only written two years ago. This discovery shows that prejudice and discrimination are still prevalent in the United States today. She argues that although the issues on police brutality have become a lot more known and has stirred up concerns, there is still more that needs to be done.

Patricia, August, Hector

Similarities:

• People who are similar to one another, whether it be through race, religion, or background, tend to group with one another because they hold something that they can relate to.
•  We tend to judge or discriminate others who are different from us, but if we were all the same, no one would be unique or have a unique perspective to his/her identity.

Differences:

• We found that our group didn’t really have any differences, we all had very similar ideas when it came down to the identity and cultures of these different groups of people.

An individual has a unique perspective in his/her response to the issues on identity and culture based on their experiences and backgrounds because everyone grew up in different households, and in different regions of the world. People have experienced different situations because there are so many factors that contribute to one’s sense of identity and culture. Some of these factors may include one’s race, gender, religion, political affiliation, etc. These factors have contributed to our differences in our response to issues on identity and culture.