BLOG #2: Telenovela's positive influence on society

Today in class we looked at how telenovelas can be used to advocate for progressive and equitable ideas. As I continue watching my chosen telenovela, "Arelys Henao, Canto para no llorar", I'm appreciating how they touch on the difficult situations women face in Latin America. I would even go ahead to confirm there's a focus on gender violence seen throughout the telenovela. The telenovela begins with two young girls and a mother washing their clothes in a river. They hear gunshots and run through tropical mountains back to their home. Unfortunately, as they are feet away from the safe grasp of the dad and four walls protecting them from physical danger, one of the little girls is shot. Unfortunately throughout the series, other acts of gender violence constitute domestic, verbal, psychological, sexual, and socioeconomic violence. 

Despite having to watch these very graphic scenes, I am grateful that these depictions of gender violence are being used to advocate against it. As mentioned in my previous blog post, telenovelas can be used to allow a vast group to digest and normalize certain behaviors. If we continue to use telenovelas as a way to guide society away from normalizing gender violence, we might create societal change that protects and supports women. However, despite the telenovela's advocacy efforts, I am unsatisfied with some of their depictions of solutions such as a domestic abuse survivor having to rely on a new romantic partnership with a man to escape her current situation. I appreciate the effort of creating dialogue around these sensitive topics but I'm also criticizing the fact that it falls short of true advocacy and progressiveness. I am still in the first quarter of my telenovela leaving me with about 45 episodes left. I am hoping these narrative shifts and we can obtain substantial advocacy allowing viewers to digest progressive and kind ideology.