AOC does not represent “the Heights”
If you saw the same trailer that I did, you would expect In the Heights to be another woke film from Hollywood elites trying to enlighten the masses on issues that they know nothing about. However, In the Heights is actually way more substantive than the advertising leading up to the movie’s release.
One could fill an entire column on the flawed strategy of pandering to a more liberal audience that Warner Bros. has taken with the advertising of this film. Adding “they are going to kick out all the Dreamers” then cutting to a scene of a rally makes one believe that this is a movie about political activism. It is not.
While some elements of activism leaning in one direction are present in the film, (I will touch on this at the end) the centerpiece of the story focuses on the necessity of community, the value of hard work, and the inspiration of the American Dream: things that we should ALL be able to get behind.
Before I opine on how the movie provides a strong contrast to the progressive vision for America, let me set the scene. (I will try to do so with no spoilers because you really should watch the movie. It’s even on HBOMax for a while.)
In Washington Heights, a neighborhood in the north part of New York City, Usnavi, (the protagonist, and no I will not divulge the origin of his name) dreams of following in his father’s footsteps, but he is stuck in his job; the same one he has been working since high school. He is surrounded by an interconnected community that eats, works, and dances together in a vibrant display of Latin culture. Folks from all walks of life from the hairdressers to the taxi dispatchers to bodega owners come together in excitement, grief, good times and bad times.
In the barrio, folks work hard for their livelihood but are full of joy. The only thing that they are more proud of than their story of building something from nothing is how they are building up the next generation to exceed their wildest dreams. There is a pride in the entrepreneurial spirit that is woven into the DNA of their community and into this movie.
Their community faces adversity on a number of fronts. Some of these are circumstances out of their control but others are symptoms of larger issues happening in cities across our country. As more and more people move to cities, bringing more progressive views to dense population centers, taxes go up, housing prices skyrocket, and new arrivals to the city need to find areas in their new city to live.
As I introduce politics to this conversation (you’ve been warned), I want to contrast the difference between the progressive agenda encapsulated by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), a member of Congress that represents similarly situated constituents in the Bronx and the virtues presented in the movie. (Again, I will do this without spoilers because I do want you to see this film.)
I will touch on three areas of contrast: The Green New Deal, spending & inflation, and helping AOC’s abuela.
Perhaps the most notable concept AOC has put forward in her time in Congress has been the Green New Deal. This legislation seeks to reorder the entire United States economy to combat climate change with a few other progressive wish list items attached. While others have analyzed the concept in detail, I want to hit on one thing. The removal of non-renewable energy sources immediately from the US energy sector would be devastating. The likelihood of people being priced out of cooling their own homes or in more dire circumstances, cities being forced to manage limited amounts of available power is a very real possibility. States already encourage residents to cut energy use during peak use times. The people this would hurt the most are blue collar folks who like in “the Heights” are already saving pennies.
Progressives, in order to push their agenda, which would put the country trillions of dollars to the national debt, have begun to argue that the debt is essentially irrelevant as long as the economy grows. However, while trillions in spending to force growth in specific areas of the economy flushes some with cash, it comes with the consequence of inflation.
Inflation at its most basic level is when the value of money is unable to keep up with the price of goods and services. Ever wonder why a soda used to be 5 cents and now it is pushing a dollar? In Washington Heights, that means your cafe con leche is going to cost you more and that money that you use to pay rent is just not going to go as far next year. I would not expect many people working “in the Heights” to be receiving a cost of living adjustment every year unlike those working in the progressive think tanks targeting workers telling them the solution is to pass a $15 minimum wage.
Finally, in a recent personal note, AOC shared that she was flying down to check on her abuela who had been affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Not letting crisis go to waste, she let her followers know she blamed the past administration for the woes of the Hurricane victims.
Hurricanes are extreme weather events and government certainly plays a role in coordinating emergency services. That said, to blame government, a year plus out from an event seems to demonstrate a lack of assistance at the local level as well as illustrate the need for the type of community that is found in Usnavi’s barrio in Washington Heights.
When emergencies strike during the film, 911 is called and the government-sponsored hotline connects to the necessary services. However, government does not replace community. When grief enters the community, government does not heal the wounds, only personal connection among neighbors can bring real healing. This dynamic is a centerpiece of the movie.
Whether it is coming together as a community in tough times or joy found in chasing the American Dream, Lin-Manuel Miranda gets right what AOC gets wrong. AOC’s vision for America looks more like $9 per shirt organic dry cleaners than El Sueñito.
I said that I would touch on the activist element of the movie at the end, so we here we are. Is this an activist movie? No, but proper context is necessary.
There is one thread in the movie that touches on the precarious legal position of those who immigrated illegally into the United States including those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. On DACA, it is important to remember that the program was created not by law but by executive order during the Obama Administration. Working outside the legislative process, the administration created a second-class group of people that would then have to renew their status periodically to stay in the country.
While some argued that the program helped identify individuals brought here by no fault of their own for legislation down the line, the program has made these individuals more of a political football than a group being served by those who make platitudes about their status.
Rather than finding a solution that protects this group, Democratic leadership has not budged from their priority legislation on the issue: the DREAM Act, from which the Dreamers get their name. This false dilemma: pass the DREAM Act or nothing else, is the real reason these individuals lack protections in law. After all, there is a strong bipartisan consensus on this slice of the immigration debate with a 2020 poll finding “68 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of conservatives … and 69 percent of those who voted for Trump in 2016” supportive of legal status for individuals in the DACA program.
Far too often, the narrative on immigration is hijacked by those who want to say one side loves and the hates on the issue, but looking at the vibrant community of In the Heights, it would be hard to find someone that disagrees with pursing the American Dream.
In closing, pandering rings false went compared with the real thing. While still a creative adaption of the Latin communities not only found in New York but also California, Texas, Florida and elsewhere, In the Heights strikes at the vibrant core of 1st, 2nd generation immigrants from south of the border.
Perhaps this is why McAllen, TX, the fourth most Hispanic city by percentage of population (84.6%) just elected a Republican for the first time in decades. When the veil of political pandering is removed, Hispanic individuals (especially those who are Catholic) have strong traditional views that reject radical proposals to remake the family and promote abortion on demand.
In the Heights will make you smile, tear up, dance in your seat, and everything in-between. I highly recommend you see it and consider the values at play when you do.
Finally, a movie that doesn’t give away the good parts in the trailer!
