In the spirit of an exercise my friend JP did some time ago (where he sent an email to everyone he knew to try to get in touch with the Clintons and Oprah Winfrey regarding a world peace conference...and actually did!), I am sending a mass message to see if any of you can get me in touch with Salma Hayek or her production company, Ventanarosa.

The reason?  I think White Alligator is right up her alley and Ventanarosa has quite the proven track record (and we're a little film with big dreams - we need some help).

Salma Hayek has been saying for years what White Alligator is saying.  Just this past Sunday my husband hands me an article he cut out for me from the Metro newspaper that quoted Salma's recent interview with German Vogue as her saying, "I hardly had any memories of what it is to be a Mexican woman; my life is completely different now," in response to how it felt to film Traffic ten years ago.

A Latino blog named Guanabee.com took issue, stating, "What did Salma mean by basically saying she forgot what it's like to be a Mexican woman? That she's too French and rich for our blood?"  I then took mild offense to Guanabee's comments, thinking to myself, "What do you mean by basically assuming that all Mexicans are poor and are unable to learn any other language but Spanish?"  In fact, Salma's
father is half Lebanese and I believe she grew up speaking both French and Spanish in her household.  He was a wealthy businessman specializing in oil. 
Yes, a wealthy, cultured Mexican/Lebanese businessman - now what is so strange
and unusual about that?  The answer is absolutely nothing.  But you obviously
won't find that portrayal of a Mexican in any movies coming out soon.

And I sat there at my piano and took a sip of my almond milk cappuccino in my UWS one bedroom and considered this Guanabee quote.  I thought to myself: would they consider me not to be a Puerto Rican because I play the piano and am
vegan?  Are cappuccinos and the enjoyment of said drink too French for a Puerto
Rican?  And am I at fault because I learned French in high school and college?  Is it too much for them that I even went to college?  What exactly would make me a Puerto Rican in their eyes? 
 
The truth is there are Puerto Ricans poorer than me.  And there are Puerto Ricans richer than me.  And there always will be a wide range of Puerto Ricans and any other ethnicity for that matter.

WARNING: THIS MAY BE CONSIDERED CONTROVERSIAL

Last night, I was the unfortunate witness to a Facebook bullying and criticism of my dear cousin's "lifestyle."

He's gay, people, let's just say it, he's openly gay with no regrets. Moving on.

So what happened was he posted something about Chick-fil-A on Facebook, and
another (somewhat estranged) family member started attacking him simply for being gay. This bully was attacking a family member, someone he grew up playing
with as young boys on the island of Puerto Rico.

How did we all get here? Where a family member is attacking another?! At one point, someone said to this gay-hating cousin, "How could you say these things?
You're a minority!" Thing is, he didn't see himself as a minority even though he's Puerto Rican (it's a small island). As a white, heterosexual, Christian male, he considered himself in the majority and with the power to bully "everybody else."

How fascinating. He could not see his own vulnerability and therefore was unable to develop empathy. This man exists in a bubble where he is king and what he says goes.

You usually see this kind of behavior mostly in...well, kings. Or that modern version of royalty, the 1%.

What's funny to me is the reason that the controversial 1% wins so many battles is that they have managed to convince the 99% that they are all separated into a very careful hierarchy of importance. American, white, Christian, heterosexual, male is the highest level in this hierarchy, right? Then deductions follow according to religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, skin color and sex.

But if you start adding up all the possible minorities - women (ha), Jews, Muslims, Asians, Indians, LGBT, little people, blonds, paraplegics, Irish, Atheists, etc. - you're going to find that the minorities are in the majority. And the reason they get pushed around so much is that they've bought into the "us" versus "them" model that the kings have sold us over the centuries. But instead, if we adopt the "there but for the grace of God go I" model, we become powerful and plentiful and there is no stopping any of us. We will not be bullied, we will not be harassed or marginalized. We will stand together, ALL OF US, and win the war.

This is not just a movie. This is a movement.