Latin-American Studies

Phantom Discourse is a short theatrical play that was written and directed by Adrian Hulberto Molina. Molina decided to pursue his goal of writing the play at the time when he was realized that he was not actually bent on pursuing a career in law although he was already about to graduate from the program with only a semester left.  Being a Chicano, Molinas pride for his race was his inspiration in writing down the entire play. Being an activist, his adherence to the cause of social justice, equality, and freedom was the motivation that led him to complete the script and to actually produce and direct the play.  As someone who wishes to see people, not just touched, but moved by the message of the play, Molina wrote it in the manner that is easily understood.

As the Phantom Discourse script suggests, the production is not grandiose. There is virtually no need for intricate backdrops and lightings.  The characters costumes are to be kept simple but effective enough in portraying messages just by its appearance alone.  It might be because of Molinas minimalist tendencies in art but it is obvious that he found the message too important to be just drowned by the glaring visuals provided by a sophisticated costumes and stage design.  The gist of the play revolved around two factors that he dealt with at the time when he began writing it.  One was the memory of his deceased close friend who inspired him to become aware not just of his intellectual self but of the plight of others. The other was his realization that the legal profession was not the path he should follow.

The plot of the play, in fact, provides the audience the idea of the dilemmas that the author went through.  Through the characters acting and words, they come to understand every angle of the contradictions that troubled Molina.  Ultimately, they also witness how the author finally arrived at a decision that would dictate the manner that he will live his life without compromising his principles.

Phantom Discourse correctly points out the issues that haunted Americas Chicano communities.  These are the same issues that prompted the Chicano movement that was at its strongest in the sixties and seventies.  Through the poems recited by Chicanisma or Old School, two characters in the play that hold strongly to the ideals of the Chicano movement, the issues of lack of educational opportunities, decent jobs and wages, and the various forms of injustice, including racial discrimination are discussed.  A number of lines from poem I am Joaquin by Corky Gonzales, on the other hand, are recited by Old School to express how the Chicano communities of the past decades began to grasp their own sense of identity as a distinct race with its own rich culture and history.  Apparently, this is a call for Chicanos of today to continue the struggle for equality and social justice.

However, the main conflict of the play was not really on the contradictions between the Chicano population and government or corporate policies that put them at a disadvantage.  It is the contradiction that the younger generation of Chicanos that is highlighted the most.  Through the character of New School, it portrays the dilemma they face and must overcome.  They have to choose between to follow the path of activism and continue the struggle started by the generation of their parents or to seek accommodation in the system that their parents wanted to change.  New School wants to see social change achieved too but he has grown cynical about the struggle.  Aptly representing the wavering attitude of his generation, he entertains joining the corporate world and tries getting rich through the system he was a rabid critic of.  However, choosing the easier and more individualist path of alleviating himself by succumbing to the temptations of the corporate world is not easy.  He is Chicano, first and foremost, and turning back from the struggle for social justice and equality means running away from his origin and denying his identity.  At the end of the play, however, New School eventually decided to set aside his personal interests for the good of the community which he belonged and fought for.

The play did not limit itself to the presentation of the predicaments being experienced by the Chicano of the 21st century.   The enticement of the Americas capitalist serve yourself and get rich mentality may have become more irresistible, especially when a token number of Latinos, who have made it to societys upper crust, are being underscored by media.  However, the majority of the Chicano communities are still suffering from economic backwardness while only a few Americans are basking in affluence.  Because of this, the Chicanos will always have basis to advance their movement for social, justice, freedom, and equality.  In the words of La Muerte, one of the plays important characters, You must understand, my friends, that the struggle never dies. (Scene 3)

The perseverance and determination in the Chicanos struggle for identity and social justice may remain unchanged even in these contemporary times.  The new generation of Chicanos, most of who were not born yet when the movement was at its peak, will continue to follow the footsteps of their predecessors.  This is because the same problems beset American society, the same issues that adversely affect the Chicanos and all the other minorities in the country.  The play also pointed out that despite the overwhelming ideological influence of consumerist America, the Chicanos have been able to preserve their own distinct cultural identity.  In fact, they have enriched their own dialect and influenced the English language too.
While the Chicano cause may be carried onward by the younger generation, there will be adjustments in the methodologies applied.  This is to attune the strategies for achieving its objectives with the particular conditions of the present times.  Such strategies will be the distinguishing mark of the current crop of activists from the Chicano youth.  They will not differ at all from their militant predecessors of the past decades in terms of principles but they will be more creative in raising the political consciousness, in organizing, and in mobilizing the people.