Wednesday open thread: Why Univision is doing what it's doing

Yesterday, the Washington Post posted this story about Spanish-language television network Univision. To say that it floored me would be an understatement. But let me not exaggerate: I'm also not surprised.

Americans, because so many have no knowledge of anything which occurs over their personal horizons, are often caught unawares by Latin culture and Latin attitudes towards politics. Mainstream America sees us as a monolith, much like the Black community: reliable Democratic voters, part of the Democratic base. But nothing could be further from the truth.

First of all, let us look at politics in Latin America.

Much has been made over the past twenty years of the resurgence of the Left in Latin America. But while the Left did win its share of elections, so did the Right. Chile had its first right-wing president since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Colombia also had recent right-wing leaders. In Central America the Right holds sway. The idea that Latin America is some bastion of left-wing politics is not only wrong, but also betrays a lack of concern with what goes on south of the Rio Grande.

The idea that Latin America's ideological divide would not be mirrored among Latins in the United States is farcical. Ideological difference among Hispanics is as varied as among white Americans. Far from being monolithic, Hispanics show the same divisions which are present in the broader context of Latin America. And one can't differentiate between different communities. Just as there are liberal Cuban Americans, so are there conservative Mexican Americans. 

The browning of the United States was supposed to herald Democratic dominance for a generation. That it hasn't happened should surprise no one. Sure, conservative white America will generally continue to look down upon Latins. But Hispanics are conservative for their own reasons, regardless of how they're looked upon by white culture. Texas and Florida are examples of states where this is at work. Centering whiteness as a means to measure how non-white communities should behave will lead to wrong-headed conclusions. 

Hispanics do tend to lean Democratic. But, again, not by the same numbers as the Black community. Black Americans have a shared history of enslavement and Jim Crow; the same is not true for Latins, who come from diverse regions and histories. Democrats ignore this at great peril; the Latin vote is not assured, and it must be worked for.

Now, why is Univision doing this? It's quite simple:

The reversal has shocked Democrats — who are preparing a massive ad campaign to brand Trump as hostile to Latino interests — and some journalists inside Univision, who think that the past week has demonstrated the heavy hand of their new corporate bosses. The Mexican media company Grupo Televisa, which has long fostered a close relationship with Mexican political leaders, merged with Univision in 2021.

(Emphasis mine.)

Much like with Rupert Murdoch, Latin American media groups are as "liberal" as our "liberal media". They are run by billionaires to make billionaires more billions. The idea that this should not be the case south of the border is, again, due to that quiet American racism which sees all of us with names which end in vowels or in "ez" as one faceless mass. Corporations in Latin America have the same goals as those in the United States. Thinking a Mexican media conglomerate would somehow be "woke" because it is Mexican leads to "surprises" like this. 

All corporate media is an enemy to Democratic messaging. Yes, Univision is being much more blatant about it. But it really is no different from News Corporation in that regard. The owners have their preferences, and they will act accordingly.

Now, what happens if the ad embargo continues? There is still Telemundo, the other Spanish-language network in the US. But let's not beat around the bush: Univision has taken a side. This is not good. Democratic campaigns will have to get creative with how they reach the Hispanic community. It's far from undoable, but it will require more work and money. 

All of this is to say that nothing will be given to us on a platter. The days of Spanish-language media being mostly onside for Democrats are over. The sooner we accept this, the sooner we can get to work.

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