Las Cabronas

Several Years ago, Enrique, a long-term friend and medical colleague introduced us to a Mexican drama with the title Ingobernable (Ungovernable). It was being streamed on Prime, if I recall correctly. Like most good dramatic series, it wove several storylines together. The main story was about the First lady who has been framed for the assassination of her husband, the President. In exile, she hides among the poor in a barrio of Mexico City called Tepito.

The second story is about the people of Tepito who are poor, endure discrimination, and are over-policed. A group of women who practice martial arts, fights for what they believe is justice, and engage in various underground activities. They call themselves Las Cabronas de Tepito – The Bitches of Tepito. This is the name that they have chosen for their group – as an honorific rather than a disparagement.

I haven’t thought about this series in years, but last night it came to mind. The American right, particularly the far-right, excels at framing the debate, and have a penchant for doing it with titles. Take for instance, Pro-Life. The name itself claims the moral high ground. What, you’re going to claim be against life? Then there are the Moms for Liberty. What, you’re going to stand against Liberty? And there is the Koch network PAC, Club for Growth. What, you are against Growth? How about the Party of Family Values? I could go on, but I’m sure you get the picture – he who frames the discussion and can dominate the narrative wins the argument regardless of the facts. We’re not talking logic, history, policy, ethics, or any of that leftist crap. We’re talking Marketing! Trump excels at this – especially marketing grievance and victimhood.

And this is why Las Cabronas (the bitches) came to mind. My quandary is not knowing how best to leverage the moniker. Should the left rename Moms for Liberty – Bitches for Liberty? It doesn’t really have that je ne sais quoi. Perhaps it would be better to make the moniker our own – perhaps using Bitches for Democracy for the Squad. Or Bitches for Literacy to counter the illiterate Moms for Liberty.

As I said, I don’t know how best to use this narrative tool to counter the mendacity of the political right, but we really need to counter their marketing in order to unmask them.