When it comes to Mexican culture,
there are few words that raise more controversy than "naco" and "pocho."
"Naco" is a slang term often used
in Mexican Spanish to describe poorly-educated, bad-mannered people, regardless
of their economic and social status. "Pocho" is an American of Mexican descent,
considered by Mexicans to not be "Mexican" enough and by non-Mexicans of not
being fully "American."
Both terms are at the heart of Naco-Pocho,
a made-for-Web documentary by mun2, the Telemundo sister cable network
targeting 18-to-34-year old bilingual Hispanics.
The documentary, which also
touches on the culture behind pochos, features interviews with some of
Mexico's most famous celebrities, including Luis de Alba, Gloria Trevi and
Jenni Rivera. It also turns to scholars, business owners and music producers,
including cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz and writer/editor Gustavo Arellano, founder
of the syndicated column Ask a Mexican.
Though the series was produced
for the Web, a mun2 spokeswoman said the digital documentaries will eventually air
on the cable network. Each year, the network's online team produces at least
two such documentaries in-house.
