By Aimee Pedemonte
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 10, 1997

The making of a sellout

Editor:

This letter is in response to Alexandro Salomon Escamilla's letter printed Oct 8th. Mr. Escamilla-before you dismiss what I have to say as just an opinion of the system that has treated you so unfairly, and before you tell me to stick to "white topics", I just want to tell you this - I am not Chicana. I may not know what it feels like to be treated as a" second class citizen" but I have lived and gone to school in Mexico (no, not Guadalajara Summer Program-no offense). If this land still belonged to Mexico, there's a good chance you wouldn't even be in college, and would be working for about $10 a day, if you were lucky to have a job at all.

Supposedly, you are taking part in the "American Dream" by being given the opportunity to get an education. Which brings me to my next point-what the heck are they teaching you over in the Chicano Studies Department? That if a Chicano has any part in the "American Dream" they are a sellout? You tout Chicano pride by writing such phrases as "Que viva la raza", then you turn around and publically call a member of your "raza" a sellout because he stated his opinion. I, too, am worried by legislation supports things like Prop 187 and English Only. Does that make me a sellout to my white "raza"?

I personally don't agree with the whole "melting pot" metaphor, but you seem a little resentful that you're not a part of it. I offer you this piece of advice-read the last 2 sentences of your own letter and maybe you will find a clue as to why your assimilation into this society is not going as smoothly as you would like.

Aimee Pedemonte
Psychology junior