Licenciatura en Lenguas Extranjeras con Énfasis en inglés

Universidad de Córdoba

Communication V

Andres Arango

Power Relations and Racism on Colombian TV Shows: Analysis

Ana Karina Hernández Monterrosa.

Lauren Sofía Laverde Flórez.

13/04/2023
 Introduction
This report is made as an analysis of power relations and types of racism on Colombian TV
Shows. Our show is called “El Profesor Super O" and it is a Colombian educational animated
television series that has been aired on Canal 13 and Señal Colombia since 2006. The series
is about a superhero named El Profesor Super O, who corrects people who make idiomatic
mistakes.

It is based on the Colombian pacific region; their customs, attitudes and other typicalities. Its
main characters are:
● Charles Ocoró aka “Profesor Super O” is the owner of "El Mariscón", a prestigious
seafood restaurant that has given him the opportunity to be an ambassador of the
flavors of Colombia to the world. His purpose is to correct common mistakes of the
Spanish language.

● Silveria Lucumí aka “Cevichica” is the Professor 's sidekick. She collaborates with
him at “El Mariscón” as well defeating the “language ignorance.”

The chapter we chose is called “Solapado y Asolapado”. It is about Cevichica being on a

dating tv show where she is looking for a partner. On the show, she gets mistreated by the
host, her possible date, and the other contestants.
The other characters of this chapter are:

● Ortodoxo de Jesús Capurganá, her possible date, is a 79-year-old man from Girardot,
Cundinamarca who is looking for his new partner on a dating TV show called “Adán
y Don Evelio.”

● The Host is an unnamed secondary character, who presents the show "Adán and Don
Evelio", and it is the one who commits the language mistake.

● The other two female contestants of the show.

As a first step on our analysis, we identified the power relations between the characters, to
define who was a top dog and who was an underdog. Understanding that a Top Dog is the
one who is in power and has sufficient resources and influence to act on others and the
Underdog is the oppressed, the one who has no influence and receives unfair treatment.

In this case, we identified The Host and Ortodoxo as the top dogs, but we recognize that The
Host is the main top dog. In terms of power relations, we noticed that The Host holds
informational power. He controls the narrative, including what is being said or shown, and
none of the contestants know what he is going to say about them, especially Cevichica.
Additionally, we observed that The Host has the audience's support and is highly valued.
Moving on to Ortodoxo, he is a top dog because the show is centered around pleasing him in
order to win a reward (a partner). He receives compliments while Cevichica is mistreated.
Regarding underdogs, Cevichica is the one who is mistreated by everyone on the set. Firstly,
they made fun of her hair, using slurs and even smelling it without her consent. Additionally,
the character is dressed to demonstrate a lower social status, also she is underestimated a
couple of times when she tries to explain the misuse of the word "Asolapada" to The Host
because they only care about her appearance and use it to make fun of her.

The second step on this report is the language and behavior analysis. Here we identified some
types of racism, racist traits and stereotypes.

Color Coding:
Racist Language (3) Racist Behavior (2) Slurs (1) Stereotypes (3)

1:01 - The Host is describing Don Ortodoxo's type of woman by saying “strong, tough
personality and with an underwear-like smell” while the camera is focusing on Cevichica.

[Individual Racism]: There's a use of a racist language and stereotypes.

Comment: The strength and tough personality in black women can be related to the
perception of them in the age of slavery, because they were seen as animals or machines.
Also, the part of the smell can be associated with the same background but with the
stereotype factor, because some people still make a relation with bad smell, black people and
their features.

1:21 – “Do you have pelo quieto? - Ortodoxo

[Cultural Racism]: It emphasizes the characteristics of someone (in this case, on a black
woman) to make fun of them.
Comment: The expression "pelo quieto" is an offensive way to refer to afro or type 4C hair
because of its shape. It is cultural racism because these kinds of offensive terms have been
used for ages any since is not the "typical" kind of hair that society is accustomed to.

1:28 – “(The Host laughs) Do you have cucú hair?"

[Cultural Racism]: Use of a slur.

Comment: The expression “cucú” is the equivalent of nappy in English. A derogatory term
used to describe the texture of the type C hair or afro hair, specially referring to women. In
Colombia, it is a widely used term because of the conception of afro hair as “frizzy” and
“ugly hair” since it is not straight.

3:00 - Ortodoxo asks the third lady to smell Cevichica’s hair and describe it for a
minute straight then, the host minimizes her discomfort at having her hair smelled with the
comment: "Do not give me that look, contestant number two. I am pretty sure that you
are enjoying the challenge.”
[Cultural Racism]: Stereotypical comment.
Comment: Portraits Cevichica as "exotic" and reinforces the stereotype of "Black people are
attention seekers'' or like part of a show. While ignoring her feelings about how she is being
treated.

3:12 - “Her hair smells like potato chips and it also stinks like a homeless person's
armpit.”

[Cultural Racism]: Use of a stereotypical and racist language.

Comment: We evidence an entrenchment of a stereotype that usually is a form of exclusion
or an attempt to lower black people. First of all, the potato chip smell can be associated with
Cevichica’s profession; She is a cook at “El Mariscón”, the restaurant owned by the professor
but here is another stereotype but not related to the characters themselves but the creators of
the show because they’re reinforcing the stereotype that black people “belong” or can only
work to serve others and not on powerful or higher positions. In terms of racist language, the
lady links unpleasant odor, poor hygiene to black people since the homeless part.

To discuss the impact of this program in Colombia and considering its wide reach and
popularity, it is important to acknowledge that episodes like this can perpetuate existing racist
ideas and stereotypes surrounding racial diversity. While watching the video on YouTube, we
read through the comments and noticed how many people agreed with the behavior depicted.
They laughed at the situation and quoted racist comments as a joke. Some even attacked users
who spoke up about how inappropriate this episode was, dismissing their concerns with
statements such as "it's just a joke" or "don't take it too seriously." Such responses ignore the
fact that Afro-Colombian people already experience hurtful comments and slurs regularly.
For instance, many black women are pressured to straighten their hair because it is deemed
unattractive or difficult to style based on its natural texture.

Moving on conclusions, we found three racist comments, two racist behavior as laughing at
Cevichica’s hair and the request to smell it, a slur or offensive term to describe her hair and
three stereotypes such as, treating black people as a source of entertainment, associating bad
odor with them, and perceiving them as tough. By this we can say that this show has many
racist traits disguised as humor when racism is not something that should be softened or made
up to make it less offensive.

Now, the program in question has commendable intentions since it seeks to educate and
broaden the viewer's vocabulary while representing a historically marginalized sector of our
country. Nevertheless, by normalizing discriminatory behavior and comments towards the
same sector it seeks to represent, the program reinforces cultural racism in Colombia. The
comments made in the show, even if intended as humor, can have serious consequences for
Afro-Colombian communities who are already subject to a range of hurtful stereotypes and
prejudice. The program's normalization of these stereotypes can lead to their internalization
and further marginalization of these communities.

Moreover, it is important to recognize the impact of mass media in shaping public

perceptions and attitudes towards marginalized groups. As such, programs like this have a
responsibility to be socially conscious of the messages they convey and the potential harm
they can cause when these racist traits are widely replicated.