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13.6: Latinx- Between Invisibility and Stereotype

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    324976
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    Latinx communities, now the nation’s largest minority group, have long been subject to a paradoxical media invisibility coupled with narrow, stereotypical roles (the gang member, the hypersexualized “spitfire,” the undocumented laborer). This misrepresentation has material consequences, shaping public policy and interpersonal discrimination. Notably, perceptions of discrimination vary: while 90% of Democrats believe Latinx people face discrimination, only 54% of Republicans agree—a stark partisan divide that media consumption patterns likely reinforce (Pew Research Center 2025). The functionalist might ask if the “Latin lover” or “illegal alien” stereotypes serve to mark this growing population as perpetually foreign, justifying political exclusion and economic exploitation.


    13.6: Latinx- Between Invisibility and Stereotype is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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