Los Vendidos

We had the opportunity to attend events in the community that related to our in-service learning experience. This my review of a performance of "Los Vendidos" that was performed on campus at UGA.

The idea of buying a person seems outdated and outlawed, yet this is just what our society still does in so many ways. Luis Valdez crafts his story "Los Vendidos” with humor, criticism, and sadness. Through using the premise of a lady going into buy the “perfect” Latino model, the story takes us through the different ways our society values women, Latinos, and people in general.

Even though Valdez original work does not include women in his stereotypes, including two female parts was a needed and relevant interpretation of the play. The one that touched me especially was the maid, who worked tirelessly daily, yet could be “stored” with a pile of other people, and “maintained” very inexpensively. This degradation is what we do today with many of the women workers in our economy, whether it be through unequal wages or outright slavery in the case of human trafficking that is still rampant in Atlanta and our nation. 

The secretary wanted someone who looked Latino, but had taken on a white American identity. I see this speaking of how we want to appear multi-cultural and like to fill our crowds with diversity, but do not want the cultures that come with the different faces. We want everyone to be a little different, but essentially like us. Yet to strip them of their culture strips some of their humanity and makes them more like a machine.

We often see people through the lens of what benefit they have to us, rather than a mutual beneficial relationship. The secretary wanted the model that benefited her campaign the most. Even the Latinos did this with the secretary in playing on her ignorance and taking her money. I felt this showed that no culture is immune from looking down on or taking advantage of another.

The performance of this play was very entertaining and well-done. All the acting was excellent, and the audience seemed to connect well. It definitely made me question how I value and label people at first glance. I have been dared to take a second look.