Chévere: *

A few moments ago I viewed something truly amazing.

While watching Mythbusters (one of the best shows on television) on TLC, a channel aired in English, I saw a commercial in Spanish. The commercial was a car commercial for Infinity and, more importantly, there was nothing distinctly Latino about it. It was not “targeting” a consumer group with a gimmick in any way other than the language in which it was spoken. The man in the commercial wasn't driving to a quinceañera or through el barrio. It was the same commercial that would have been used in English. The only difference was the voice over.

I don't know if airing this commercial on TLC was an accident but I'd like to hope it wasn't. If it wasn't, infinity is presuming that people who speak Spanish watch English speaking channels. It takes note not of a non-English speaking population in the United States, but of a bilingual one, an ever growing one that will soon, I believe, make our nation virtually a bilingual one. With actors like James Roday, one of the stars of Psych, (whose real name is James Rodriguez), coming forward as Latino is a good example of the growing importance of a Latino presence in media.

This excites me for two reasons. 1) Way to go Infinity for not using a gimmick. Those “cultural gimmicks” are the reason I couldn't stand some of the earlier McDonalds “I'm lovin' it” adds, as they clearly and specifically targeted an “urban” audience (read: black/ African-American) or “general” audience (read: white). 2) Infinity and TLC recognize that language is not a barrier; it's a bridge.

Let's face it, Mythbusters is awesome, no matter what language you speak. But then, this could have all been an accident.

*Chévere: old-school Newyorican** word for cool, fantastic

** Newyorican: a New Yorker of Puertorrican decent.