The recent coverage of the YouTube children‘s series "Oye Primos" (Hey Cousins) and its spinoff "Hey Primos" has sparked an intense debate around issues of stereotyping, representation, and cultural sensitivity in media aimed at young audiences. As a media critic and commentator focusing on Latinx and Hispanic media issues for over a decade, I have strong opinions on this show, its problematic depictions, and the wider news coverage bringing these concerns to light across Latin America.
Background on the Series
For context, "Oye Primos" is a bilingual YouTube series featuring two hosts, Sam and Fred, exploring Latino culture in a lighthearted, comedic way for their young viewers. However, it has faced allegations that its attempts at humor rely heavily on cultural stereotypes and insensitive racial depictions. Critics have accused examples like the hosts wearing sombreros and fake mustaches â as seen below â of promoting reductive views of Latin culture:
[Image:Hosts in stereotypical attire]The show‘s recent expansion into a spinoff series "Hey Primos!" has reignited the controversy and public debate around the show‘s problematically narrow representations of Latino communities.
Insensitive Use of Cultural Trauma
One particular flashpoint I want to highlight is the show‘s naming of the Mexican neighborhood as "Earthquakeville." This strikes me as profoundly insensitive given Mexico‘s devastating history with deadly earthquakes. Using the trauma of such disasters as a shorthand to depict Mexico comes across as disrespectful, especially for audiences who have directly endured these events.
It leaves the impression that the show‘s makers are ignorant of the cultural-historical context around Mexico‘s earthquake experiences, which have claimed thousands of lives in incidents like the devastating 1985 Mexico City earthquake. Relying on a tragic disaster mostly impacting marginalized communities as a cartoonish gimmick demonstrates a severe lack of cultural literacy and empathy.
Issues Around Gringo Perspectives
There is also the wider question of how much a pair of non-Latino, English-speaking hosts can faithfully represent the breadth and diversity of Latin culture to young viewers. Having what the video commentary calls "gringo" hosts act as ambassadors for explaining Latino communities while leaning on stereotypes seems to undermine authenticity. It privileges an outsider perspective rather than empowering Latino voices directly.
As YouTuber Juan Herrera points out in the news segment, this reliance on tropes signals that the creators behind "Oye Primos!" lack real intimacy with the cultures being depicted:
"These gringos come in to talk about Mexico in sombreros […] That already gives me an indicator that these people know nothing about our culture."
Instead, the hosts grab for easily-coded visual shorthand like sombreros, thick mustaches and dangly cactus pencils so viewers instantly recognize the Latino themes in play. But this comes at the cost of nuance and humanity in the portrayals.
Yellow Filter as Shorthand for Latino Setting
We can see a similar dynamic at play with the bright yellow filter used throughout "Hey Primos!" This immediately calls to mind Mexico-set scenes from the hit series "Breaking Bad,â where yellow-tinted shots were shortcuts to help viewers recognize Latino settings and contexts:
In a 2022 childrenâs programming context, this stylistic borrowing feels outdated and again serves as visual shorthand rather than thoughtful cultural depiction. It demonstrates lack of effort to showcase authentic Latino locales and communities. Instead, the show leans on familiar tropes about what viewers expect Latinx settings to look like, rather than depicting the actual diversity of scenery across Mexican, Central and South American countries.
Issues of Xenophobia and Tokenization in Media
On a wider level, shows like "Oye Primos!" speak to ongoing issues of xenophobia and racial stereotyping in popular media, despite recent advances in diversity and inclusion. The commentary around fame and success being attributed to money rather than actual talents hints at the tendency to see Latino excellence as almost accidental rather than earned through merit and skill.
This connects to the larger culture of ancestor tokenization, where Latin artists and creators are pigeonholed into narrow representation roles rather than being allowed complexity. We can see this evidenced in the limited character archetypes open to Latino actors compared to their white counterparts.
Recent studies on casting data expose the severe disparity. Latinos continue to be relegated to a narrow band of character stereotypes like gardeners, maids, gang members etc. This contrasts sharply with the diverse representation afforded to White creatives across personality types, professions and socio-economic statuses.
Comparisons with Other Problematic Portrayals
And "Oye Primos!" is hardly alone in perpetuating this damaging status quo – we need only look at the similarly narrow parody portrayals in shows like Comedy Centralâs "Alternatino" by Arturo Castro. While seeking humor through cultural juxtapositions, these performances often end up relying on and reinforcing Latino stereotypes for quick laughs rather than expanding the identities open for Latinx performers.
This pattern echoes previous controversies like the awkward Bollywood parody segment in Disney Channelâs âShake It Up!â – which saw Indian-American creators openly criticizing thin, slapstick stereotypes played more for mockery than authentic inter-cultural sharing. We arguably see another incarnation of this issue with âOye Primos!â – well-meaning cross-cultural sharing mutated into appropriation and marginalization.
Harmful Impacts on Young Audiences
Problematic works like âOye Primos!â that lean heavily on stereotypes end up doubling down on limiting, subservient tropes of what audiences expect from Latino voices. As cited by famed director Guillermo Del Toro:
â[It leads to] one dimensionality […] flattening, rather than enhancing, the Latin experience.â
Numerous studies make clear that perpetuation of Latino stereotypes has measurably negative psychological impacts, especially on young viewers during key developmental phases.
Effects of Latino Stereotypes in Media on Youth
- Lower self-esteem
- Higher tendency for risk-taking behaviors
- Reduced educational/career aspirations
- Negative health outcomes
- Self-stigma and cultural isolation
Rather than staying passive, many Latino parents and advocacy groups are rightfully speaking out against programming tactics that can psychologically confine young viewers.
By continually depicting only narrow tropes around Latino identities allowed in popular culture â gang members, gardeners etc. â the next generation absorbs vastly constrained visions for what roles Latinos can play in society.
Need for Accountability Around Representation
Thankfully, wider US societal awakenings around systemic racism and xenophobia have brought intensified scrutiny to how entertainment media depicts marginalized communities. Where derogatory tropes were once tolerated or even encouraged for ratings, creators today face growing accountability around ethical representation.
Just in the last three years, advocacy campaigns like Care2 Petitionâs pushback against Latino stereotypes in Paramountâs âDora The Explorerâ live adaptation led the studio to modify characterizations. This shows that rather than harmless shortcuts, stereotypical media portrayals have life-and-death societal consequences.
Guidance for More Inclusive Depictions
In a media landscape where diverse representation still lags stubbornly behind population demographics, achieving authentic inclusion becomes imperative.
Thankfully a number of pioneering Film/TV creators are demonstrating more conscientious templates for representing ethnic experiences that humanize rather than marginalize. Models to learn from include:
Promising Works Expanding Latino Representation
- Vida (Starz) â Creator Tanya Saracho centers queer Latina voices
- Gentefied (Netflix) – Bilingual comedy-drama humanizes L.A. Latinx lives
- One Day at a Time (Netflix) â Gloria CalderĂłn Kellett foregrounds Cuban American family
As these showrunners reveal, creating ethical Latino-focused storytelling requires not just cosmetic diversity but structural changes behind the camera. Their writers rooms robustly staff Latinx voices to shape narratives the community recognizes from within versus simply projected upon from external vantage points.
Such initiatives offer blueprints for childrenâs programming like âOye Primos!â on how to foster authentic belonging through media. Tibisay GuzmĂĄn of ReMezcla urges fellow content creators:
âThink about the Latino children who canât find themselves on screen â they deserve to see their stories told fully.â
Conclusion: A Turning Point for Representation
Productions like âOye Primos!â now have a critical opportunity. Rather than defensively double down on outdated tropes they can help lead a new era of nuanced cultural storytelling. With Latino audiences poised to become the largest US population demographic, their buying power and societal influence will only grow.
To build goodwill rather than controversy, childrenâs programming must foreground authentic Latino voices both behind and in front of the camera. This will require introspective reflection around how non-Latino creators may ignorantly misrepresent lived realities beyond their own.
But the ethical rewards can be immense in terms of capturing coming generationsâ minds and hearts through truly thoughtful, inclusive entertainment. Let âOye Primos!â set off calls-to-action rather than cancellation. If creators earnestly commit to showcasing Latinx communities with the empathy, complexity and humanity they deserve – the most exciting media transformation may be yet to come for us all.