The Bicycle Thief: An Analysis

I am your typical pseudo intellectual liberal, but don’t get me wrong pop culture does not turn me off. Mention the Kardashians and I won’t run away in disgust, roll my eyes, or give you the side eye. My google searches range from ‘Is twerking a good exercise?’ to ‘What is Putin’s economic/political interest in Syria?’. I don’t find Woody Allen films boring and I don’t think Sharknado is trash. I will argue with any film snob about why the entire Shrek series is more profound than de Sica’s The Bicycle Thief. As you can see I am all over the place as far as my interests, but the most is race. This topic turns off many people and perhaps you’ll read many personal statements about the struggle of being a minority in America, but my story is not that of roadblocks and discrimination but that of enlightenment. Like many of my fellow white passing Hispanics I have used my light complexion to shield myself from racism and my culture.
As a kid in elementary
It started with dancing. At an international festival held in my city I was invited to by my aunt to watch her daughter dance with her traditional Mexican dance group. As I sat in the huge audience that had came out to see them I realized how stupid I was. the vibrancy of the colors on the girls traditional dresses and the rhythm to which they moved combined with their infectious energy I was mesmerized. I walked away feeling proud, proud because that is part of me. Now I know that sounds beauty but self-acceptance doesn’t happen overnight. But through the help of the #Black Lives Matter movement and my new love for al pastor tacos I’ve come to see myself as a proud Latina. The 12 year old Maria would have fallen into venomous rhetoric of Donald el estupido Trump but 18 year old Maria sees past the bigger than life personality. So as I navigate life through this post de facto racism era in America my analysis of racial issues will not be blinded by