BRAZIL
"Young, Sexy, and Transnational in Mexico and Brazil: Commodifying the Generation X in Antonio Serrano’s Sexo, pudor y lágrimas and Its Film Versions"
"South of the US–Mexico border, the Generation X label is not used popularly, especially in the field of cultural production. Chilean writer Alberto Fuguet (b. 1964), generally associated with Generation X, declared back in 1994 that the term was too “manoseado” [hackneyed] (García). In Latin America, the moniker has been relegated to the contexts of marketing and advertising, and dismissed by cultural critics as another manifestation of American cultural imperialism. Most of the discussions about Generation X in Latin America did not happen until well advanced the first decade of the new century, and they are taking place online, mainly in digital magazines, websites for market research companies, and blogs specializing on marketing or human resources. However, we can affirm that there is a Latin American Generation X cultural sensibility as strong and heterogeneous as its American counterpart. Thus, it is necessary that critical attention be allocated to the Gen Xers’ cultural production in the 1990s and the new millennium to start acknowledging and understanding the contributions and identity politics of this generation in the region. Latin American authors, performers, musicians, and directors are exploring themes and embracing aesthetics that could be linked to Generation X: the new millennium cinemas in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico (Beale; Preston); many of the playwrights around the Nuevo Teatro Mexicano, with similar promotions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, among other countries; the new Latin American narrative by authors born in the 1960s, like the literary group of the Crack Generation in Mexico (Poniatowska), or those included in the transnational McOndo anthology of new Hispanic narrative edited by Chileans Alberto Fuguet and Sergio Gómez (LaForte; León); and punk or rock bands like Los Argies and Los Fabulosos Cadillac in Argentina, Legião Urbana and Plebe Rude in Brazil, or the Mexican bands Maná, La Maldita Vecindad, and Molotov. In a significant proportion, these cultural producers delve into thematic common denominators: urban dynamics and the city; search for identity in a postmodern, globalized world; the abandonment of the modernist project of the nation; the effects of consumerism and neoliberal economic policies; the presence of transnational or foreign characters in the main narrative; the impact on everyday life of American pop culture and goods; a strong interest in people’s relation to media, advertising, and technology; and, the loss of faith in all institutions. Some of the aesthetic traits and styles include: the fusion or blurring of genres; the parody or questioning of canonical discourses; the use of black humor or cold, jocular detachment in the performance of violence (e.g., tarantinoesque violence); the incorporation of the aesthetics of comics or other avant-pop artifacts." ~ William García, Excerpt from Generation X Goes Global |
Bicho de siete cabeza (dir. Lais Bodansky)
Lower City (2005), dir. Sérgio Machado (b. 1968)
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For further reading:
* Online discussions on Latin America’s Generation X in Portuguese (Brazilian sites).
“A chamada Geração X: Por que a geração X encontra-se desconfortável com a vida
corporativa?” Bonde (Section “Mundo Corporativo: Destaques”). Bonde, 27 June 2008. Web. 10 May 2011.
<http://www.bonde.com.br/bonde.php?id_bonde=1-28--9-20080627>.
Modelli, Naira. “As geniosas e talentosas Gerações X e Y.” Gestão de Pessoas em Blog!
WordPress, 2 June 2, 2009. Web. 15 May 2011.
<http://nairamodelli.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/as-geniosas-e-talentosas-geracoes-x-e-y/>.
Kullock, Eline. Tag Archive “Geração X.” Foco Em Gerações, 2009-2011. Web. 15
Apr. 2011. <http://www.focoemgeracoes.com.br/index.php/tag/geracao-x/>.
“WGSN apresenta as ‘Ageless’, uma compressão etária.” Fashion Business. SENAC
Rio, 19 May 2010. Web. 15 May 2011. <http://www.fashionbusiness.com.br/site_novo/?p=749>.
* Online discussions on Latin America’s Generation X in Portuguese (Brazilian sites).
“A chamada Geração X: Por que a geração X encontra-se desconfortável com a vida
corporativa?” Bonde (Section “Mundo Corporativo: Destaques”). Bonde, 27 June 2008. Web. 10 May 2011.
<http://www.bonde.com.br/bonde.php?id_bonde=1-28--9-20080627>.
Modelli, Naira. “As geniosas e talentosas Gerações X e Y.” Gestão de Pessoas em Blog!
WordPress, 2 June 2, 2009. Web. 15 May 2011.
<http://nairamodelli.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/as-geniosas-e-talentosas-geracoes-x-e-y/>.
Kullock, Eline. Tag Archive “Geração X.” Foco Em Gerações, 2009-2011. Web. 15
Apr. 2011. <http://www.focoemgeracoes.com.br/index.php/tag/geracao-x/>.
“WGSN apresenta as ‘Ageless’, uma compressão etária.” Fashion Business. SENAC
Rio, 19 May 2010. Web. 15 May 2011. <http://www.fashionbusiness.com.br/site_novo/?p=749>.