The conversation we had in class on Tuesday made me stop and really think about how Hispanic Americans are portrayed in popular culture.
Crash was one of the first things that came to mind. Particularly the scene after Sandra Bullock and Brendan Frasier are robbed. The man changing the locks on their doors happens to be Hispanic, but Sandra describes him as being untrustworthy and that he will sell people their keys to his "gang banging amigos." In reality, he's just a family man trying to protect his daughter from violence they had previously experienced in the past.
Hispanic Americans are generally portrayed as being involved in gang violence, criminal activity and living in low income housing or on the streets.
Having said that, there are a number of Hispanic American characters who are portrayed just like any other race and are well-adjusted. Dr. Callie Torres from Grey's Anatomy comes to mind; aside from being foxy, Callie is a brilliant orthopedic surgeon who is one of the more complex and interesting characters on the show.
Unfortunately, the ratio of White/Caucasian characters to those of other races is vastly uneven.
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