I’ve watched about 15 episodes of my Telenovela Relaciones Peligrosas so far, and something that has really stood out to me is the way they discuss the law in the show. The main love story follows a student/teacher forbidden relationship. This makes the law and the idea of legality central to the main plot. Another important point of note is that this show takes place in Miami, Florida with characters that are from Mexico but going to school and or living in Miami.
There are so many conversations about how the characters could go to jail for one thing or another, but there was a specific conversation that stood out to me. In one scene a mother told her son “this isn’t Mexico, they can arrest you and put you in jail for anything here.” I think there is a strong perception that doing something “wrong” in the United States carries a much heavier weight legally than it would in Mexico. One reason for this is most likely the United States being very proud (in general) of its police officers and prison systems. We tend to very tightly protect our idea of justice for illegal behavior as a harsh prison sentence and many people also tend to hero worship police officers. There is also the added element of racism and anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. The characters have to worry about being seen as a cultural “other” and or a danger to society because of their immigrant status. This would make them view the American law system as scary and unfair instead of the blind trust that most United States white citizens put into the legal system.
There was another moment in the show that caught my attention. One character is physically in prison talking to his lawyer when the lawyer tells him “you can’t do anything with that information without proof. You need proof here. All this innocent until proven guilty stuff.” This reveals another large difference between the United States and Mexican legal system. In the US you need to prove that something more likely than not (generally) occurred. I’m not sure exactly how it works in Mexico, but from that line I can assume that proof is not as important there when it comes to charging someone with a crime. What was the most telling, however, was the condescending tone with which those lines were delivered. It seemed as if the lawyer thought the United States legal system need for proof was ridiculous and stupid. It made me wonder if citizens of other countries don’t think the “innocent until proven guilty” mantra of the United States is a good ideal. I have always believed in it as a protective measure for citizens. Hearing that citizens of other countries might not see it as an ideal was a little shocking for me. It made me start thinking that other legal systems that may seem non-ideal or scary to me might seem comforting to the citizens that they protect.
Overall, the Miami setting of Relaciones Peligrosas has allowed me a little bit of an outside perspective of the United States legal system. It’s been interesting to evaluate my innate beliefs against those of people with different perspectives.
I really liked the points you made about different people’s perspectives on the US legal system. It seems opposite to say that people can be sent to prison easily, but that it’s also difficult to prosecute. Like you mentioned, though, I can see how both are connected in the context of profiling and long trial periods in the US. I also wonder how “innocent until proven guilty” plays out in other regions; I’m sure it’s not an exclusively American ideal, but it may not be applied as strictly to individual laws depending on the country. In the scene with the lawyer, it could be another piece of what you brought up earlier with unfairness – that the idea of “innocent until proven guilty” appears only to apply to people with certain backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteAs I was looking around for my own telenovela, I didn’t see many that focused on heavier topics like prison and immigration unless they were historical or narconovelas, so I think it would be interesting to watch a telenovela set in a more familiar setting that included those issues.
I have read several blog posts this evening, deciding which to comment on and this one really interested me. Sometimes we don't think about what it would be like on the outside looking in but I love that you were able to pick up on this. As U.S. citizens we are accustomed to the legal system we have always lived in. Legal systems in other countries don't particularly attain to us, especially if we have never been outside of the country. Therefore, we don't think about the differences. The fact that this issue was brought up in your telenovela is so important in the progress of educating audiences.
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