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“Blood In…Blood Out”
Bound By Honor.
In the movie “Blood In…Blood Out,” there are three young Chicano teens just
trying to survive in a white man’s world. First, you have Paco, a rebellious
teen that loves a fight, and is in a small East Los Angeles street gang called
“Vatos Locos.” Then, there is his half brother Cruz, he is trying to stray away
from the gang life by painting, however, he still is and hangs with the Vatos
Locos. Lastly, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and white skin, there is Miklo the cousin
of Cruz and Paco, who ran away from his white father to reconect with his
Mexican roots. The only problem is Miklo does not look Chicano, and the Mexican
community, including Paco, have a hard time accepting him into the world he so
much wants to be a part of. His friends call him names like “white boy” or
“guero” to make fun of his skin. Miklo though, is determined to gain the
respect of his peers, he decides that he too wants to be a “Vato Loco,” which
doesn’t sit very well with Paco. He tells Miklo, “Do white boys get VL placas
(tattoos)? No, it doesn’t happen. Unless…” and that’s where it all starts.
Paco decides that his cousin can be part of the Vatos Locos, but since he is
half white, he will have to prove himself to the group, by doing something big
for them. Miklo quickly obliges, and bashes out the window of a rival gang
called “Tres Puntos.” With that Miklo gets to be in the “in crowd” as he always
wanted to be. Tres Puntos not agreeing with this, takes it out on Cruz, and
thus starts a gang war. Things become even worse when at a war between the two
gangs, Miklo shoots and kills the head member Spider. This brings on even
bigger problems then Miklo can imagine: San Quentin Prison.
Suddenly, everything Miklo learned in the street gang becomes obsolete, and he
is back to being an outsider with no one to turn to. The AV’ers, a clique of
white males in prison, want Miklo to side with them, but Miklo does not want
any part of them. Instead, he wants to hang with the Mexican clique, La Onda,
which do not want anything to do with this “guero” (white boy in Spanish). They
pick on him, call him names, and do not want him within their sight. Still yet
again though, he is determined to be a part of a world that does not want him
in. La Onda’s world is where he wants to be, and he goes to talk to Montana the
“jefe” (Spanish word for boss). Some of the best dialogue in the movie occurs
here with the confrontation of Miklo and Montana, when Montana tells him,
“White is the enemy. White is the system. You’re stuck in the middle.” Miklo
comes back and says, “The color of my skin shouldn’t keep me out. Chicano is
not a color, it’s the way you think…the way you live.” Montana is not buying
it, and still tells him no. So, Miklo finally goes for the clincher and says,
“All my f*ckin life I have been kept out. You know what that feels like?
Knowing you’re a Chicano, and nobody accepts you ‘cause your skin came out
white? Use me, use this (pointing to his white face). You said it everything is
based on color, right!? I can get into places you can’t ‘cause my skin is white
on the outside…But I am brown to the bone on the inside.” With that speech,
Montana finally gives in. He tells Miklo that he can be in, If he kills one of
their biggest enemies using his skin color to their advantage. Miklo does it,
and finally is accepted by La Onda. As the story goes on Miklo is constantly
proving loyalty to this prison gang, and gets into more and more trouble as the
movie progresses. The story continues with many more trials and tribulations
including eventual betrayal, however, Miklo’s race problem is the one I chose
to focus on.
I can relate to him somehow, which makes me appreciate his character that much
more. I personally, have gone through times in my life where I have been ‘kept
out.’ I have the skin color, just not the “attitude” that most Mexicans and
Chicanos are affiliated with. I do not speak fluent Spanish, I did not grow up
in the “barrio,” I grew up in an all white suburb. Do not get me wrong I know a
lot of Spanish history, but my cousins never wanted to accept me, because I did
not share the same hard knock lifestyles that they did. The only thing I ever
wanted from them, though, was to belong. It was as if they were ashamed of me,
because I acted “too white” for them, just as Miklo’s skin was “too white” for
Chicano gangs. So, before this turns into a written counseling session, I will
just say that, one of the biggest reasons I love this movie so much, is for its
realistic sense. Everyone, regardless of color, can relate to one (or more) of
the many characters in the movie. I agree one hundred percent with the writer
of this movie and the realism he gave it. It gives me, at least, the sense that
I am not alone, and that discrimination does not just happen to me. This movie
is about trying to fit in this world, struggles and changes these three men
face. These are things real people are going through everywhere, everyday (yes,
even still today). Acceptance seems to be so important in our society, that it
consumes many of us trying to be in with the “in” crowd.
Focusing on Miklo, it is sad to see a life wasted in jail and living a thug
life, simply because his skin was always too light. I speak of him as if he is
real, because somewhere in the world, he really is. There may be a boy or girl
out there going though the same exact problems he went through. The only
difference is the name. We live in a society where race means so much, when it
really does not have to. As children, we are taught that all men are created equal
with equal opportunity. However, it is simply not true. In the movie, Miklo was
able to get into places at the prison, because of his skin color. Racism and
favoritism still exist, it is just not as blatant as it once was. The thing is
both will still exist years from now, because we still have to check our race
at the door. Meaning, just about every piece of paper you fill out asks for
your ethnical background. Miklo says it best when he said the color of his skin
should not keep him out, but looking at it from another angle, it should not be
the factor to be let in, either. There is so much more to a person than just
their skin color. People should not be excluded or included, because of their
skin color.
To look at his race issue from another point, he used his color to get ahead in
life, which was not good. Everyone was using him, and not even him. They were
using his color, his blue eyes and blonde hair. It did not matter though, it
was all for the sake of him fitting in, and that is all he ever really wanted.
A person’s color should be the least of anyone’s concerns. It is all about what
is inside. Your color should not decide who you are and who you want to be. You
yourself should decide that, and that is what I took away from this movie.