mission.

So my project is pretty simple. I will travel south of the border to document life 'as is', stripping myself of everykind of academic jargon,sanitized theoretical notions, and preconceived ideas of what Mexico is, in order to prove that another journalism is possible: from the people to the people, and staying as far as possible of the corporate cliches of CNN & the like.

I always keep on my mind mi abuela was always up-to-date, because of the never-ending chismes, the gossip. And anybody who has a half-critical mind, can see that corporate news in America use the same model: gossip.

My mission is to find what lies in the south, just across the boundaries of what we became, when our parents decided to cross the limits of Mexico. And of course, dive into the precious matter which makes both countries different, as much as it permits cultural hybrids and trasnational crosspollination.

So if you read this, and live somewhere at the edge of the San Diego - Tijuana border, i want to hear from you. Write me a comment, drop me an e-mail.

Uncle Jason wants you!

Comments

[lili]

Hello,
You probably don't want to hear about me because I'm not from and I do not live in Tijuana, but still I had to leave a comment (don't ask me why, but somebody in Tijuana might be able to tell you). Anyway, I agree with you word of mouth (corporate term for 'gossip') is definitely the model used by CNN and the like and whomever knows how to use gossip can build or destroy something... without needing to really prove the gossip was true. It's an amazing weapon.
So, use it for good and no for evil ;-). Good luck!
Lili

[pochospeak]

Hi Lili,

You're completely right, and I bet that's one of the main issues in journalism, information is a weapon, and it's up to the group manipulating it, to benefit personal or public interest.

I'm not sure if i could speak about what's good and evil in the context of journalism, that would bring the best & worst of morality across the full spectre of ideological relativism. Good thing the cold war seems to be over now!

My focus would definitely be to allow a voice to the voiceless, in order to empower them. Isn't this what the Internet is all about?

Let's allow the people of Tijuana exorcise their ghosts once and for all! ¡Vivan la avenida Revolución y el Padre Amaro!

El Jason

Weblog Journalism for the Pocho Crowd.

[Rael]

It all sounds great Jay, but I wonder how do you plan to simply vanish your prejudice and all those cultural values you mention, after all it seems like you lived at least most your life on the "other side", I know it sounds pretty simple but I've come to notice that most of the latino or chicano people develop a peculiar attitude which sometimes even resembles hate or complete negation of their roots except on "el 5 de mayo", as if they try to convince everyone that they belong "en el otro lado" or that they've always been there, often giving their fellow countrymen or fresh out of the river immigrants a hard time instead of a warm welcome.

I know this, I've seen it many times before, I've worked and lived among them, I've seen the desperate way they try to pass themselves for "gringos" in Rosarito and on la Revolucion.

I think this comes from the fact that it's hard, really hard to be part of a minority which often gets nothing but the tip of the boot right up the ass, and if they ever get up one step in the ladder to the american dream be it as low as it could be they will do anything possible to prevent anyone from going beyond them, it must feel really really good to rub their status of success in the face of someone after you've been cleaning toilets all day and night long for minimum wage.

So, coming from a place which I'm pretty sure was a lot like this, I wonder how do you pretend to strip yourself of all this baggage, to me your pretty far from doing it right of the start of this post.

Maybe you should begin by not looking "down" at south of the border if you really want to achieve something of real value about a subject which has been worked many many maybe too many times before but only on rare occasions they've showed a picture that resembles the truth.

Best of luck Jay!

[Steve Peralta]

Jason:

Another option (and cheaper too) is to buy books by people who have already done what you're trying to do. Maybe a little Hunter S. Thompson?

Your spirit is admirable.

Go south, young man, and learn for yourself that nothing is ever as it seems.

[Karla Mora]

Hola Jason.

Vivo en Mexicali, Baja California y trabajo en el Instituto de Cultura de Baja California, si se te ofrece algo o quieres que te sirva de guía en mi ciudad con gusto puedo ayudarte.

¡Mucha suerte!

[pochospeak]

Rael:

Thanks for visiting, man, it's exaclty this kind of critique one must pursue when embarking on a serious journey.

I am completely aware of the not-so-subtle differences among chicanos, pochos, migrants, mexicanos, latinos, hispanics, and i know all of us can be sometimes a pain in the ass. Take for example chilangos, who tend to be snotty and abusive to us with a gringo-pronunciation of español.

You seem quite aware of all this, maybe cause you lived in the US, and by how you sound, i bet it was a city like Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco, where mexican americans have been for ages severing their mexican root, so they're just a step away of saying: "hasta en perros hay razas."

So yes, i'm up with you, i know i'm not getting into an easy battle, this is why i'm looking for advisors such as you guys. Like i said, this is an experiment in electronic non-mediated grasstoos media. The idea is to get as close as possible to the things way are, so anytime you think i'm back again in gringo mode, keep in mind to yell at me 'Muchacho cabrón!", just like my mom used to do.

Thanks for taking the time for some creative input, carnal.

Jason Juarez

Weblog Journalism for the Pocho Crowd.

[pochospeak]

Hey Steve,

I'm there with you, Steve, we seem to be on the same wavelength, how could one report on the horror of african hunger, when one has it's stomach full? When on Revolución i definitely promise to do as I see, drink as much as i can get into my barriga. I hope i don't get to the gonzo extremes of '" i took too much too much"...

In any case, this is one of the the reasons i'm heading south: i had way 'too much too much' of libraries and books.

Now i want to experience the rougnhess of the terrain.

Jason.

[pochospeak]

Karla: Un gusto verte en el weblog. Si sabes de libros que pueda consultar en el institute, que cuenten la fronteridad desde el punto de vista de la Baja, no dejes de pasarme el tip.

Dicen que Mexicali es una frontera mas fuerte que la vieja Tia Juana. ¿Es esto verdad?

Jason Juarez

Weblog Journalism for the Pocho Crowd.

[Gustavo]

Rael you shouldn't stereotype bro. You state that "...most of the latino or chicano people develop a peculiar attitude which sometimes even resembles hate or complete negation of their roots except on "el 5 de mayo." That's total b.s. dude...actually meet chicanos or do some reasearch and you will see the truth.
Sorry about my rant compa Jason...cool site by the way.

[pochospeak]

Hey Gustavo:
Thanks for your solidarity, I'm going to link your site (pretty good content, congrats). Rael what was all that pochobashing about?

Now i'm back and ready to roll.

Jason Juarez

Weblog Journalism for the Pocho Crowd

[Rael]

Hi Jay!,

Glad to know your back at it. Well, I don't know, I didn't see my comments quite so much as pochobashing, but as the truth.

Just kidding Jay, the thing is that maybe there's some truth in there but then again it's not all true but it ain't all lies either. It's not my intetion to be doing some pochobashing or anythingbashing, I was just saying what I felt like saying at that moment in time.

Once again I strech out my hand to you in friendship, wishing you the best of luck with your project and hopping that you can see my comment as something beyond pochobashing, at the very least as just another point of view.

Best of luck Jay!

[pochospeak]

Rael:
nice to hear about you!