Esta Tiera no es Tuya

Propaganda and/or education? It's a thin line, isn't it? Last night's program at Hoover was Sones de Mexico Ensemble [Chicago]. "The mission of Sones de México Ensemble is to educate, research, preserve, arrange, present, perform, and disseminate Mexican folk and traditional music and dance to children and adults of all nationalities, physical abilities, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds." The members of the group seem to all be Americans of a variety of ethnicities who focus on Mexican folk and traditional music and perform as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. I don't have a problem with that. Remember that dance group from central Ohio, Zivili, that preserved Yugoslavian, Bulgarian, south Slavic etc. folk music and dance (terribly minor key) and most were not of East European ancestry and didn't know any Serbo-Croatian except what they were taught in song? Did the dissolution of Communism and the civil war kill that group? Haven't seen them in awhile.

And possibly La Raza's [The People, The Race] strength and politics will kill this government approved, Grammy nominated ensemble. La Raza also believes "Esta Tierra Es Tuya" (This land is Your land, this land is MY LAND). Given its militancy, disturbances on Cinco de Mayo, and kids not being allowed to wear or display the American flag at schools in the SW, I think I'd remove that one from the repertoire.

I left after that retooling of an American favorite, went back to the cottage, made some pop corn and watched two ABC comedies I'd never seen before--"Cougar Town" and "Modern Family." After the docu-faux-drama of Washington DC and the media trying to whip up racism and hate, these were exceptionally funny.