El Podcast is a bi-weekly show that focuses on pop culture, current events and everything in between. Hosted by Valeria Mejia and Monserrath Arreola, two spunky Latina journalist studying at San Francisco State University.

Transcript:

Valeria: My name is Valeria Mejia.

Monse: and my name is Monserrath Arreola and this is El Podcast.

Monse: I grew up in the Central Valley, my whole life. I was born and raised in Turlock, California, most people don’t know it unless they’re really big Colin Kaepernick fans cause that’s his hometown too.

Valeria: Oh sh*t he’s from there?

Monse: Mhmm

Monse: Yeah my parents both are immigrants from Mexico. My dad works agriculture, my mom works as a receptionist in a medical office. And I came to SF state three years ago to pursue a journalism degree. Um I really love the city, I like the school and it’s been going pretty good so far.

Valeria: I was born in San Francisco raised the Mission District I moved to the East Bay when I was five. I’m from a little town called San Lorenzo, super little in between Oakland and San Leandro. My parents as well immigrated to the United States from Mexico they’re both from Jalisco. And yeah I’m a journalism major pursuing reporting, pop culture, music, movies, everything in between and that’s about it for me.

Monse: First up we’re gonna talk about the Oscars. One of the big films of the year was Coco, an animated movie and it won Best Animated Feature and it won Best Original Song.

What was your experience with the film?

Valeria: Honestly I took my whole family to watch it. We sat down chillin enjoying the movie it gets a part where it shows the little Abuelita and we’re just like this is too cute. It’s very realistic. I just turn over to my parents and they’re like tearing up I’m like okay it struck a chord. Really cute movie.

Monse: I didn’t cry at the end of the movie like most people do.

Valeria: I did, yeah.

Monse: I think I have to give a little bit of credit to the fact that I heard that it was really emotional, so I was like don’t let it happen.

Valeria: I’m a crybaby so I cry with every like sad movie.

Monse: Yeah but I think the part where I teared up the most is actually at the beginning because when the whole movie starts, I went to the the Spanish viewing by the way and when the movie starts and you see all these colors and all right things that sort of represent the Mexican culture. Being in a theater that was full of Mexicans and you know older generations and little kids, everyone is laughing and empathizing with these characters and they can relate to them. Yeah I think that was really empowering and beautiful to be a part of because we don’t get a lot of that there never. Yeah growing up there wasn’t that sort of representation and so I really really enjoyed it.

Valeria:Yeah and the way they like showed the little pueblito, it’s just like wow that is spot-on, it’s like looks like the little pueblito where my parents are from you know you have the little shaggy dog you have people hanging out in the plaza. It was really well done like that, they did a good job.

Monse: I really appreciated that the fact that they used Mexican actors.

Valeria: Oh yes, it would have been bad if they didn’t, you know.

Monse: A lot of times where you know they sort of make movies that are based on a certain culture and they don’t use actors that are from that culture. Matt Damon did a movie where he was supposed to be Chinese and it had something to do with the Great Wall of China.

Valeria: I didn’t know that.

Monse: It was Matt Damon in a ponytail and I’m like he’s not from that culture.

Valeria: Yeah that’s bad.

Monse: I don’t understand why when they’re doing these cultural based movies they don’t have actors that have lived that culture. They might understand it better.

Valeria:Eugenio Derbez, King of Comedy in Mexico basically and he’s now sort of trying to make a name for himself in the U.S

Valeria: His new movie has a lot of  known actors in it too I think in the preview. I love him yeah I remember when instructions not included came out, I was working at the theater at the time and that movie, I kid you not like lines. Like it just did so good in the box-office did so good in the theaters and stuff I just like movies like that and movies like Coco show is that not only does representation matter but there’s money to be made.

Monse: Yeah he’s just a funny a guy.

Valeria: Do you remember La familia Peluche?

Monse: Oh my god so funny.

Valeria: By the way all the seasons are on Hulu I think.

Valera: Do you remember La Hora Pico?

Valeria: That one I remember my dad being like an avid watcher of that show and it’s just like engraved  in my like childhood memories.

Valeria: Yeah so the whole Frida Kahlo Barbie chaos are you familiar with what’s going on?

Monse: People covered it.

Monse: Salma Hayek played Frida Kahlo and 2002 film Frida and she came out with a statement saying that you know how dare they turn Frida into a Barbie yeah you know because it’s the way that they represented her was not embracing her actual features right they lightened her eye color and her hair color I think too.

Valeria: Her unibrow was like barely there you had to zoom.

Valeria: Yes okay, I’m gonna pull it up right now so we could get little like taste of it yeah it wasn’t a prominent unibrow.

Monse: Which is like her main feature. That’s a big part of her identity and why she became famous she was going against what were the typical sort of gender features she was not conforming to anything that people said a woman should look like so when you know Mattel comes out with a Barbie that’s supposed to be Frida  Kahlo and it doesn’t look like her that’s a huge disrespect to the great woman that she was especially when they’re featuring the Barbie in sort of a range of Barbies that are specific inspirational women.

Valeria: Yeah this collection came out for like international Woman’s Day and yeah so it just seems like you know right you know there was also controversy with the family.

Valeria: Yeah her great niece had said like how dare you like yeah apparently she is the sole owner of the rights of Frida Kahlo.

Monse: Yes huh and she said you know they did this without my permission they’re you know they’re doing this you know basically like illegally without my consent and but talking about the statement saying that they have they did in collaboration with the Frida Kahlo like I think it’s the corporation or foundation something like and you know so they have full legal permission to do this and you know. Basically they’re saying they’re not backing down they’re standing by their choice

Valeria: Come on Mattel get it together.

Valeria: Alright so DACA what is going on with DACA?

Valeria: So as of March 5th DACA recipients were supposed to renew their permit.

Monse: As I know when the Trump administration started he had a very known idea of the platforms that he was running on many ideas was that he wanted to get immigrants out you know he’s been saying time again how undocumented immigrants are bad for the country a lot of people believe that they’re mooching off federal programs and he’s saying that they bring a lot of crime and he wanted to end the program.

Monse: At the time Congress said you know he can’t just happen like that yeah so he gave them six months to come up with a different proposal for what would happen for the program and the six month mark was March 5th and you know in between that time there have been two government shutdowns where they’ve tried to be you know come to a resolution on the subject and nothing is really happening.  

Valeria: Yeah they’re just creating more chaos yeah that’s like not stupid and so what was supposed to happen was that they weren’t going to be renewing DACA cards but since nothing has happened there hasn’t been this sort of great resolution that they were hoping for they’re still going to be renewed right?

Monse: Yeah but you know that doesn’t mean that there’s no one that hasn’t affected or that they’re suddenly not in limbo they’re still in limbo because nothing has been decided you know they don’t have any idea of you know tomorrow there’s gonna be something coming out.

Valeria: They’re just creating more stress for these students like yeah on top of it all they have to like worry about school, worrying about paying for school, am I gonna stay in the Country?

It’s just creating more chaos.

Monse: How can you think about you know oh I need to make my car payment or you know do my homework because, I would imagine that being in that position you would almost feel like well why does it even matter? I may not be here to even reap the rewards of all this hard work that I’m putting in.

Valeria: Exactly and I guess frustrating for everyone.

Valeria: Alright guys that’s all for today we’ll hopefully see you guys next week or two weeks from now yeah.

Monse: Catch up with us on our next episode and once again my name Monserrath Arreola and I’m Valeria Mejia, and this is El Podcast.