Selena Quintanilla Perez has remained an icon within the Latin music industry despite her tragic death on March 31st, 1995. At the tender age of 23, she was already referred to as the Latin Madonna. Her cheerful spirit, humble attitude, undeniable talent, and jaw-dropping stage presence, immediately captured many hearts and her fan base continued to grow even after her death.
Since I did not have internet or cable television at that time, the Spanish-language television networks, Univision and Telemundo, were the primary informational sources through which I saw Selena -- everything from interviews to performances, and live concerts. I also owned a couple of original compact disks, including the cross-over album that became a chart-topping hit four months after her death. Of course, the memories, revenues, and profits did not end there. "Selena," the biographical film which Jennifer Lopez starred in, was a huge success both in the United States and internationally. Selena's family also built a commemorative museum in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas upon request of her loyal fans.
I was your typical dramatic 15 year old, and was roaming around the house (probably looking for something to complain about) when I first heard the devastating news. The famous journalist, Maria Celeste Arraras, who hosted the popular Spanish-language news program "Primer Impacto" at the time, related the news to me for the first time -- and in what a way! The woman I wanted to be, my role model, my mood-elevating songstress -- she was shot and killed! Images of Selena's fan club manager and assasin, Yolanda Saldivar, soon filled the screens. Yolanda became the media's focus for ten hours as she sat in her red truck threatening to kill herself with the same gun she killed Selena with. Alternating images of Selena and Yolanda flashed before me as I switched between Channels 41 and 47. Yolanda was immediately hated!
I didn't cry upon hearing the news, probably because I was beyond shocked and dismayed, and was not sure how to digest this news. I was quieter than usual for a couple of days, and started to ponder on the death process. I realized that I didn't have a good understanding of the death process, especially since I had not experienced death within my family. I eventually cried during the last part of the movie, when the doctor confirmed to Selena's family that she was dead. It was the family's reaction that stirred my emotions. Seeing those images caused me to fear death at that time, not so much dying per say, but rather the suffering aspect of death -- the suffering it causes to those left behind.
Although I was mainly tuned to the television networks referenced previously, there were other channels transmitting messages pertinent to Selena's death -- the radio, newspapers, and magazines amongst others. Fans would contact radio stations requesting her songs, and some local radio stations in Texas continuously played her music. Hence, there was much interaction between the senders and receivers. Whether alive or dead, when a music mogul such as Selena is given so much exposure by the media, something big ends up happening. In this particular case, there was an authentic unifying effect, one that brought cultures together. Selena was Mexican-American, but was admired by Latinas of all geographic origins, not only because of her unique and captivating music style, but for her strength and determination to follow her dreams and overcome difficult obstacles. Barron states that "Culture can divide us, but culture also unites us. Our culture represents our collective experience." This collective experience manifested itself when groups of fans in various states gathered to pay Selena homage by lighting candles in her memory. Furthermore, this situation is an example of what is meant when in the text, "Mass Media: Living in a Media World," by Ralph E. Hanson, it discusses a truth about the media that states that "one of the mass media's biggest effects on everyday life is to take culture from the margins of society and make it into part of the mainstream, or center."
Works Cited
Hanson, Ralph E. Mass Communication: Living in a Media World. Vol. 3. Washington, DC: CQ, 2011. Print.
S. Baran, "What is Culture?"
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.