The standpoint theory is a theoretical perspective that argues that anybody knowledgeable is stemmed from a social position. The standpoint theory acknowledges diversity by welcoming the oppressed group of women (Halpern, 2019). The documentary shows that the US and Mexico border is the only line that separates the two nations. These two nations have massive differences between the developed and the developing countries. Mexico is a developing country; hence the US attracts many Mexican citizens who search for greener pastures. Arturo posits that one train usually goes to the US from Mexico, known as “The Beast.” The trains define the life that Mexicans were given and the life that they chose. For the immigrants, the US is an ideal place to seek refuge. Having registered many wars, Mexico’s Patronas breathe life into the lives of people who hang on the train. The migrants hang dangerously on La Bestia and pass women who stand by at 25 miles per hour.
Women wake up in the morning to prepare food in great pots in seek of life for the migrants, bringing out the oppressed group’s welcoming connotation. They prepare rice, beans, and tortilla and serve people whom they do not know. All they want is for the Mexican migrants to travel with full stomachs. Their social position is doing well for the people who hang loosely in search of greener pastures. They may think that such migrants might support their country one day even if they do not feel the impact directly. The women toss food to people they do not know in plastic bags (“Watch All of Me | Prime Video”, 2021). The food thrown is accompanied by a bottle of water. Few people recognize their effort, and they are not paid for their actions but remain optimistic about the future. These women also endanger their lives because they risk being pulled onto the train and crushed while giving out the food. The standpoint view shows the power of women in society.
Genuine Muted Groups Theory
The theory states that certain people in society remain powerless compared to others. The male has remained dominant in the society hence making women’s opinions remain muted in the society (Jule, 2018). In the small village called La Patrona in Central Mexico, with an estimated two million migrants actively crossing into the US from Mexico every year. It is the women who think about the migrants’ well-being while hanging on the train. The women in the society think it is ideal for them to prepare such migrants’ food and throw it to them while on transit. The men in the community cannot give a helping hand to their brothers on transit. Despite this, the Las Patronas live from hand to mouth with low wages and limited opportunities in the employment sector (“Watch All of Me | Prime Video”, 2021). It means that such women are kept silent and muted from the societal outlook.
The director Arturo Gonzales further posits in the documentary, the women in the rail side take the migrants as their children, and they know they are forced to flee the country for a better tomorrow. It is upon the women in the society to ensure that they are full while on transit because the hunger alone can make them weak or even have fatalities while the train is moving. The women handle the migrants with warmth, and it gives such a migrating population some hope. Female resilience has been under-looked as its relevance is assumed in society. It is through women’s actions in the community that makes the country as a whole have a positive outlook. If men were the ones serving the migrants, it could be assumed that their chances of being pulled into the train are minimal because of their masculinity. Despite their masculinity, they do not offer any help for the women along the rail.
Genderlect Style Theory
The theory suggests that men and women talk in different cultural dialects or mannerisms. The differentiation is what shapes women’s and men’s languages in the society (Irawati, 2017). In the documentary that Arturo Gonzalez Villasenor directs, it is evident that men are prone to hang on the train and flee to the US than women (women are less likely to be illegal migrants). Men take high risks in some activities compared to women because of their nature of masculinity and their view of life. In the documentary “All of me,” it is evident that women show their determined generosity in giving the migrants food and water (“Watch All of Me | Prime Video”, 2021). It is the women that cook and pack the food while men focus on fleeing Mexico. The societal mannerism posed by Genderlect style theory tributes the language of women and men’s legalities with utmost precision. The societal mannerism and advocacy notate that it is rare to find men doing what Las Patronas were doing.
References
Halpern, M. (2019). Feminist standpoint theory and science communication. Journal of Science Communication, 18(04), 64-182. Web.
Irawati, T. (2017). Analysis of genderlect style in Pigmalion. JEELL (Journal of English Education, Linguistics and Literature), 4(1). Web.
Jule, A. (2018). All Together Now: Using Conversational Analysis and Muted Group Theory to Understand Gendered Classroom Discourse in a Cameroonian Primary Classroom. African Journal of Teacher Education, 204-255. Web.
Watch All of Me | Prime Video. Amazon.com. (2021). Web.