Ruvalcaba Page 1

Alfredo Ruvalcaba
English 1T
Dr. Jordana Finnegan
November 21, 2016
White Privileged American Dream
The so called American Dream is the idea that everyone should have an equal opportunity
to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. However, in
the memoir Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez, we are shown an obscure aspect of who the
American Dream was really meant for. Luis, along with other Mexicans, were never part of this
dream, due to the oppression applied by the government (schools and cops). Be that as it may,
Dalton Conley author of You May Ask Yourself shows us how social deviance plays a role in
people's expectations of someone, but can turn into negative stigma for an entire race. This led to
stereotypes about Luis and Mexicans being-violent, dangerous, and thugs-never given the benefit
of the doubt in a predominantly white city which made it harder for Luis to achieve the American
Dream.
The oppression Luis felt along with his race made them feel like "...phlegm stuck in the
collective throat of this country" (Rodriguez 19). He was put down by white Americans and
schools telling Luis and other students: "Don't speak Spanish, don't be Mexican - you don't
belong" (20). This feeling of isolation and lack of acceptance because of their race rendered Luis
to feel alienated and unworthy. Luis was already born at a disadvantage due to his ethnicity, yet
society would remind him of this through out his life. Even tough he lived in America it was
deviant to be Mexican, causing them to be isolated by invisible borders which enclosed

Ruvalcaba Page 2
Mexicans in their own section. This made achieving the American Dream harder to accomplish
in a city that viewed being anything other the white as deviant and wrong.
These borders were made up of: The L.A. River (represents Rio Grande) and railroad
tracks, "...keeping The Mexicans in their neighborhoods over on the vast east side of the city for
years..." (19). Luis at six years old already assumed that America meant all white and if not you
weren't American. This theory was backed up by the way schools treated their students and the
type of education they would receive compared to the all white American students. In
kindergarten Luis was forced to sit in the back of the room for an entire year building blocks. All
because "...there was no way to integrate the non-English speaking children", which made these
students start with an educational disadvantage (27). The achievement of prosperity for Luis
grew smaller due to corrupt education, and seemed not to get better as he attends high school.
High school is a new beginning for every student that hopes for a wonderful experience.
This hope comes from the expectation that every student is going to be given the chance to
expand their horizons, knowledge, and power. However, for Luis and other Mexicans, this hope
didnt last too long. Luiss first experience at Mark Keppel High School was one were White
students (Anglos) and Asians were tracked into the A classes while the C classes were
made up of Mexicans that are being forced to to take wood, print and auto shops (83). This
didnt just stop at class restrictions but:
The school separated these two groups by levels of education: The professional-class kids
were provided with college-preparatory classes; the blue-collar students were pushed into
industrial arts. (84)
This stigma of schools low expectations of Mexicans was causing a form a segregation that was
limiting students experience, knowledge, and success in life. In America knowledge is power,

Ruvalcaba Page 3
without this one is left feeling valuable and powerless, making it harder for Mexicans to not just
achieve their American Dream, but have a voice in society. Yet, corrupt school systems werent
the only government system in play to keep them from success.
The people who were hired to serve and protect everyone weren't fulfilling their job
obligations. The cops in blue were after the Mexicans in East L.A. from as young as seven-yearsold, detaining them just for minor deviance to keep them in their system (72). Cops expected
these young kids to grow up and live up to their stigma of being violent, criminals, and thugs.
However, could it have been the cops fault for creating a rap sheet for these kids at such a young
age, therefore creating the broken window theory of deviance themselves? The theory of broken
windows is explored by Dolton Conley, who informs us that the way a person sees their personal
surroundings will influence their behavior (Conley 93). Cops would incite this type of behavior
by expecting and stereotyping Mexicans to act as criminals, but would provoke skirmishes of
gang violence between Lomas and Sangra two rival gangs in East Los Angeles.
The endorsement of violence between Lomas and Sangra was creating a broken window
environment were people believed that their deviant acts were correct. Cops in East L.A. werent
seen as a symbol of justice, but In the barrio, the police are just another gang (Rodriguez 72).
This imagery of gangs resembling cops was due to their savage treatment of Mexicans and
malicious talk were:
Sometimes they come up to us while we linger on a street corner and tell us Sangra called
us chavalas, a loose term for girls. Other times, they approach dudes from Sangra and say Lomas
is a tougher gang and Sangra is nothing. Shooting, assaults and skirmishes between the barrios
are direct result of police activity. (72)

Ruvalcaba Page 4
This crooked behavior was pinning Mexicans against each other, distracting them from the real
enemy which was the white privilege society. This dominant ethnicity was making Luiss life
harder to improve and achieve success. However, by pinning Mexicans against each other it
created a stigma for every Mexican regardless of their involvement in the deviant acts of gangs.
While some may argue that Mexicans didnt need to live the life they were stereotyped to
live, I must contest that the challenges and obstacles that laid in front of Luis and his ethnicity
made them feel powerless and hopeless for the future. The lack of knowledge and ethnicity
inequality led to the creation of gangs in L.A., and for Luis it was a way to belong, have power,
and dominance in a suppressive city. This let Luis to believe that their stigma was a jacket I
could try to take off, but they kept putting it back on. The first hint of trouble and the
preconceptions proved true. So why not be proud? Why not be an outlaw? Why not make it our
own? (84). This shows us how no matter when Luis or other Mexicans would try to change they
would deny them the ability to do so and would put their stigma back into play. The creation of
gangs was a form to have a voice and power, I must agree that it was not created and focused to
fight for all the right reasons. This was making their American Dream into a slow fantasy, but it
was not impossible to change the course.
The change that would make their American dream a slow reality, would be made
possible by a public figure and a role model to Luis named Chente. Luis had developed a passion
for books and writing, however, Luis along with his ethnicity lacked the guidance to use their
knowledge and voice to make a difference. Chente played a vital role as an impetus to help
motivate Luis and gang members to see there was more to life then just their petty rivalry.
Chente accomplished this by opening up the John Fabela youth center which provided
Luis and Mexican teens classes at the center such as martial arts, arts & crafts and

Ruvalcaba Page 5
photography (146). This allowed teens that were out-casted to expand their knowledge and put
their spare time to well use.
Chente provided an amazing outlet for Luis and other teens, proving to them that they can
accomplish anything in society with hard work and dedication. Chente would remind Luis that
the fight for a better life wont stop just because you arent ready, Whether youre ready or
not, this struggle will go on (159). This would remind Luis that life is always a struggle and
nothing in this life time will be handed in a silver platter. In this lifetime you need the will to
fight for whats right and your dreams. This opened up his eyes to see that there was a bigger
fight beyond gangs, leading to his involvements in protests, right movements, and the liberation
from the gang life.
While Luis was fortunate enough to achieve his part of the American dream others didnt
have the same luck. The isolation and segregation that Luis experienced along with his race is a
battle that is still being fought. It is true that in the 21st century people of different ethnicitys
have a better chance of achieving success and prosperity through hard work. However, I must
challenge the equality America claims we have today with the experiences that not only Luis
battled against, but what we see in our everyday life. People are seeing Indians land being taking
over, African-Americans fighting for justice and equality, Latinos being discriminated, and
Muslims being categorized as terrorist. Everyone of color as been isolated, stereotyped, or
suppressed by a dominant white race and some are too blind to see their privileged life. This
privilege comes to white people in various forms, however, the most common is their portrayal
in news as always being the victim or defending their devious actions. This raises an important
question, is America really a land for the free and the brave, where anyone has an opportunity to
the American Dream or is it a white privileged American Dream?

Ruvalcaba Page 6