"La Cucaracha": An In-Depth Analysis using Lasswell's Three Functions of Media

Lasswell's three functions of media; surveillance, correlation and transmission, as described in Clint C. Wilson, Felix F. Guitierrez, and Lena M. Chao's book "Racism, Sexism, and the Media: The Rise of Class Communication in Multicultural America" directly apply to Lalo Alcarez's daily newspaper comic strip "La Cucaracha." Surveillance appropriately relates when considering how Alcarez underscores stigmas frequently related with Latino-Americans. Correlation is accurately depicted by Alvarez through playing on stereotypes commonly associated with Latino-Americans. Transmission …

…these publications. In this way, La Cucaracha is no different. After the strip originally appeared in newspapers across the country it was pulled from many of them because Latino-Americans complained that it was racist. Clearly, Alcarez applies all five functions of media: surveillance, correlation, transmission, entertainment and economic service to his comic strip La Cucaracha. He accomplishes this with a combination of sarcasm, stereotyping and a hint of his own social/political point of view.