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 Johnny Sánchez, actor (USA), 07/11/2009
Johnny Sánchez is a Brooklyn born actor, writer and producer. As an actor, he has worked with directors Frank Oz, Steven Soderbergh, John Badham, Herbert Ross, Max Mayer, Michael Bay, Arthur Hiller, Richard Benjamin, Danny Leiner, Hugh Wilson, etc. |
When you cried last time and, if no secret, for what reason? Most men might mock me for saying this, but I recently shed a tear when I took my wife to the airport because I realized I would miss her. Still, luckily for my idea of 'manhood', she did not see me do that since I wiped my eyes fast - or maybe she did see me but decided to quietly keep it to herself and appreciate it silently. Who knows, either way, it happened. Now in direct relation to the question regarding Freedom of Expression, a deep cry I had that I recall was during the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Here was the situation... anyone who lives in or has visited Downtown L.A. knows that there are tons of homeless there. Many conservatives might say that homeless people are a nuisance and should be arrested for that alone. I expect that reaction from conservatives, but I never imagined the Democrats would react the same. The Democratic Party, supposedly the liberal party that represents a progressive agenda, decided to 'sweep' the streets of downtown LA for the DNC convention, since it would look more Presidential. Therefore, the homeless were cited or arrested and the mainstream Democrats never protested this move, instead they kept silent. Further, the police also denied they were arresting the homeless for this reason... although the homeless had not been previously harassed at the level which occurred during the DNC convention. Scores of left wing liberal activists took this very personal and protested the mainstream DNC for keeping quiet about this. During the protest, marchers demanded the homeless problem be addressed along with other issues too.. such as police brutality. I attended the protest and at one point, during the protest, I found myself at the head of the march. This happened without me planning it, especially since I was simply just a participant and not an organizer. I imagine that I was so passionate about these issues that I was determined to reach the Staple Centers and face off with mainstream Democrats who I felt were abandoning the working class and the homeless. So, based on that fervor, before I knew it I was standing at the front and I was helping lead the chants. Now, all of these details are important because the SWAT team was keeping an eye on the protesters leading the march. By the time we actually reached the front of Staples Center, where the DNC convention was taking place, I stepped back from the front of the pack and went back into being a participant in the march again. Later on, when I left the march and walked back to my car to head home, I felt everything had gone smoothly. I felt a sense of hope because there were no arrests that I saw or fights that I witnessed, just good ole' American Freedom of Expression, right? Wrong. As I walked back to my car, I turned a corner. I should add that by this point I was alone. As I turned the corner I noticed a SWAT vehicle parked... the SWAT vehicle's door was open and about 5 or 6 SWAT officers, in full gear, were standing just outside the vehicle. I felt a concern as I saw them and my intuition was to back away and walk another street. But I decided to give these SWAT officers the benefit of the doubt, particularly because near me the cops had abused no one during our protest. I was a law-abiding citizen, we had permits for the protest and were only expressing our right to freedom of expression in a non-violent way. So, I logically said to myself, the police are here to protect people, not hurt. With that thought in mind, I walked towards my car that was in the direction of the SWAT team. As I approached them, one of the SWAT officers saw me and said... "Hey, you're one of the protesters." I replied, "Yeah, how did you know?" He said, "I saw you there, I saw you leading the protest. We see everything." As he said that, and I wish I was not exaggerating, he grabbed his weapon... and although I don't know much about weapons (Thank God) I could tell it was some kind of semi automatic rifle and I think even one of the other guys had like a type of shot gun on his side. Anyway, he grabbed his weapon and props it up... in an intimidating manner... and asked me: 'What's your problem?" At that moment, I got scared. I took a deep breath, accessed my situation and realized this could be dangerous for me. The SWAT team had guns and wore bullet proof armor. I was alone and unarmed. If anything happened, it was my word against theirs. Needless to say, I was worried. But I firmly, yet calmly, replied: "We're protesting, it's within our legal right." At that moment, I felt the officers starting to surround me and I froze still. As I was being surrounded, one of the other guys chimed in and said: "You're a waste of time. Stop wasting our time. Do something constructive. Become a teacher." Interestingly, when I tell this story, most people assume that all the SWAT officers were of white ethnicity. For some reason, that is what people imagine when I tell this story... but I recall seeing one Black Officer and another officer that seemed Latino to me. So, as I saw the Black and Latino officers, I automatically wanted to say... "If it wasn't for people like Martin Luther King, JR, who many cops arrested and also beat up due to his protests, some of you wouldn't even have the opportunities you have today." But I didn't say that because I realized it would get a rise out of them. So, I just took a deep breath and looked within myself. I don't remember the exact words I said but it was along these lines: "I'm fighting to hopefully make the world a better place for everyone. Sometimes, there are people who can't speak out for themselves... like the homeless... but that does not mean they should be ignored and that's what we are hoping to accomplish with the protest." I also said that this was not about me against them. Meaning, I did not show up to fight with cops... I showed up to ask for justice. Though I barely recall the exact words I said, I do recall I spoke from place of love while still sharing my truth. One of them looked at me, spit right by my side hitting the floor and said: "Just get out of here." I walked away. As I walked to my car I felt a swell of tears hit me. Tears because I was scared, but more so, tears because I had felt a threat by those who are sworn to protect us. The police. I realized at that moment the wall is real. A wall where people on one side have weapons and hide behind them to intimidate. I cried because I realized how hard and difficult this struggle is. I got to understand why MLK had been shot, why Malcolm X was killed, why Gandhi was killed and why so many other people were killed. I experienced, first hand, although every patriotic flag waving American says this is the land of freedom, Freedom of Expression isn't so alive or free in America and can even be dangerous to embody. Those in power are threatened by dissent, and the cops are the first barrier in that line of power structure, the military being the next barrier. But no matter how hard I cried, I did not want to hate the cops and I realized I don't want to use weapons at all, the way cops use them. I rather die for life then kill and shoot back and create death. That was when I cried in the name of Freedom for all.
There are some events during our life, when it seems as there is no way out. That could be tragic circumstances or such assessment of them. At that time, what's the thing to do? When I feel as if the tunnel is never ending and I feel enveloped in darkness without hope of light, in times like that, there are many things I do. I find that I recall the stories of struggle that others have undertaken, stories of the people I admire that have faced and overcome. I use their stories as an example and reminder that life is composed of struggle and facing struggle. All those stories remind me that without struggle there is no progress, and are examples of people who have made positive change in history for all or they may even be stories of my own friends and family of how they've overcome adversity in their own personal way. Either way, I use stories as an example and a map of life when I feel lost. But there are times I am faced with a struggle that I don't understand and for which I have no previous examples to pull from. In moments like that I find strength in faith. Now, please, do not misunderstand me and think I mean blind faith because there is a difference. The faith I speak of is rooted in an internal understanding that cannot be placed in the context of a textbook. Blind faith, on the other hand, ignores any and ALL understanding and simply goes off personal whims. I believe we all have an internal compass, which guides when no other examples exist. Like when I was faced with the SWAT team, I didn't know what to do. Logically, maybe I should have just kept quiet and not spoken back. Someone else may suggest, when faced with cops in such a setting, just say they are right, apologize and walk back towards the crowd of people. But I did neither of those 'logical' textbook suggestions, instead I sincerely spoke my truth and that truth was an answer I found inside of me. That moment created for me an experience beyond just my rational material-environment. That is the faith I speak of. That does not mean I ignore matter, or science. It means I embrace my internal knowledge and push forward with it. Some call it meditation and others call it prayer. Whatever name, I feel it is part of the essence of our being and I think that essence within us goes a long way because it inevitably connects us to love. To me, true love is more than mere hope. It is strength that attracts life, truth and goodness. It is a conscious act though, not blind, because I have to remind myself to avoid reactionary responses when in the midst of any darkness. I have to remind myself, when I feel all is dark, that light is there. This act takes a certain type of conscious faith.
Could you please choose any event of last days, weeks or months, that has distressed you? It can be any happening on a local or international scale. How could you comment on it? I must say, this question brings up a lot of thoughts for me. Several things bring up distress. I think about global warming and the destruction we are creating on our planet. I also think about how many people think that it is ok to treat our planet's natural resources the way we do. There are many people who deny conventional wisdom and think it is ok to live the way we do, creating waste. We live with an illusion of comfort, all for our instant gratification. That worries me because we, as humans, have created material laws in order to preserve some semblance of harmony. But the laws needed to maintain a healthy environment are being ignored because most of us actually prefer to make money than to protect our planet, we prefer our immediate comfort to our long-term harmony. That says to me that we are still a long way from understanding what our duty is in relation to creation and our surrounding nature. The other thing that worries me is patriotism. I know that this seems crazy what I am about to say but it comes to the core of what separates us. I think it was Oscar Wilde who said: "Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious". I agree with that, strongly. Patriotism is about saying 'my country and my land'. It is not about saying, everyone's world and everyone's land. Patriotism divides nations and it is the modern form of tribal mentality. My tribe is better than your tribe, mentality. My sports team is better than yours, and my religion is the only way to God. It is about me and mine only, it is not about everyone. Patriotism allows us to justify immoral wars and allows us to say those people are a danger to us, so we have to stop them. We have yet to look past imaginary borders, past our personal needs and consider the needs of others. We are all guilty of that mind frame, not just some of us, all of us. It's even translated itself to political parties, Democratic or a Republican. Being a member of a political party is apart from the issues that need to be addressed, it means I must support my party regardless of what my party is doing because those other ones are out to get us. The other problem I feel tribal mentality creates is that anyone who does not fit into either of the 'accepted' tribes is left out of the arena and not allowed to participate. I see that in the United States a lot. I either have to vote for Obama or John McCain because no one else is considered a 'real choice'. The majority of voters who pick by party affiliation did not consider Cynthia McKinney a 'real choice'. Dennis Kucinich, since he does not getting the support of mainstream Democrats, was also not considered a 'real choice' as a Presidential Candidate – he is too different from the rest of the tribe. That cuts down possibilities and forces us to think we have to choose one way only. It is limiting enough to have to choose a team, rather than an ideology, to represent me. It is even worse when my pick is limited to just two teams. I have been told that if I vote for a third party that I am throwing my vote away. But this is not a comment that I get just from Republicans; I also get it from Democrats. I am throwing my vote away if I don't pick Democratic. If the Democrats, the supposed forward and liberal thinking party, tells me I am throwing my vote away because I do not vote for them… then tribal mentality is alive and well. As a matter of fact, I should not even criticize Democrats because then I am supporting the Republicans. Never mind that what I criticize are political ideologies, because it becomes about teams we must support. I find my back against the wall for questioning Obama. When I feel Obama gives in to an ideology that is not representative of the needs and the rights of all the people – many Democrats (including my friends) call me a type of deserter and even compare me to a Republican, even though my ideology holds no similarity to the Republican ideology. On the other end, Republicans call me a 'liberal-left-wing-socialist' who must be opposed and silenced because I am unpatriotic. Both parties have a tribal mentality. Tribal mentality also worries me because it allows people to say that those people are different. They may even be evil sinners who should not be allowed the same rights as the rest of us. Hence, gays cannot marry… or undocumented citizens do not have the right to be here. If that is how we treat one another then imagine how we treat the planet we live on and the helpless animals that inhabit this planet with us. No wonder we are in a web of destruction, but I think there is a way out. If we deeply look at the words written in the American Declaration of Independence, July 4th 1776, we may find a way. Why do I say that? Because for the first time in modern recorded history a document, representing a government for all people, was declared and which spoke about self-evident and unalienable rights. Let me recite the words I refer to. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The founding fathers clearly said it: "We hold these truths to be self-evident… all men are created equal." It does not say only heterosexuals or only Americans with proper citizenship, but rather it says all. If we adhere to those words I think we must agree that for everyone to be truly be equal then we must afford gays the same rights non-gays. No Democrat or Republican can argue that. This is not a party issue; it is one about self-evident truths, a truth that cannot be stalled one more day by a Democrat or Republican. Unless, of course, someone thinks that gays are evil and should not be treated equal or that there are more important things to worry about instead of the rights of gay people. As for the right to life, let's consider what it means. We know that in order to live life one must be healthy, that is self-evident. But how can one have a right to live life if, when one is terminally ill, one can't afford to see a doctor to help keep one's life? Although there may be treatment for one's illness, without the proper access to medical care the only other option remaining is to embrace an inevitable death – not life. As well, how is a pregnant mother supposed to receive the care she needs for the birth of her child, her child's life, if both mother and child can't receive medical treatment? Also, how does a hard working adult, who just lost their job, have a right to life if they can't afford a medical treatment? By that alone, the right to life is not being upheld. Even a type of cheap health insurance is just a second tier right because it does not offer full proper medical access. In order for everyone to really have a full right to live life then we must provide the best health insurance for all, and not just a privileged few. On the right of Liberty, when we say those people are not American, they do not have the right to be here, and should not be afforded the same rights; it shows tribal mentality has won. Therefore, we sadly ignore the founding principles of the United States that speak of the right to Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness for all – and not just the documented. If certain people want to pursue happiness in this country and work here but they do not hold a document permitting them to do so, then they are not considered equal and are arrested for that. That is a second tier citizenship and disregards their unalienable rights which, as per the Declaration, are self-evident and our Creator endows us all with. This also impacts homelessness because if a family loses their work and consequently their home, we have a duty to insure their lives are not lost to the streets or, along with that, their ability to pursue of happiness. Therefore, by that premise alone, banks should not determine whether someone should have a home or not. Our founding fathers declared the right to the pursuit of happiness; no healthy adult will tell you that his or her homeless family is achieving the pursuit of happiness by living on the streets or in dangerous shelters. Also, homelessness is barely surviving so it's an attack on life itself. What I'm saying here may seem radical, but when one considers the principles listed by our founding fathers it goes from radical and becomes self-evident. If we embrace the full meaning of those words we realize we are not living up to them and we have opted instead to uphold some tribal mentality; a them and us scenario where only a privileged few are afforded benefits. So, rights become privileges and cease to exist as rights for all. When rights for all are ignored, we must recall the rest of The Declaration of Independence to insure we establish those rights – just as our Founding Fathers declared. "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
There's always a new danger watching for humanity in its way, always a new temptation we're ready succumb to. What's the danger of our days? And what's the way to avoid this trap? I think there are several dangers of our days and instant gratification is one of them. The other danger, I feel, is not demanding that the privileged few (and wealthy) sacrifice for the rest. I think fear is another danger, fear of the unknown and instead we create enemies. Which leads me to humility; we lack humility but are quick to proudly embrace a system that's leading us toward destruction – capitalism, the patriotic American way.
What are the main obstructions to apply humanities principles at our today's life? Could they be solved? I think lack of education is a major obstruction. For example, many people do not know how to read or write, so the words I'm typing here will not be read by many people simply because they cannot read. Therefore, they lack much access to information. What did the slave owners do to control the slaves, and their liberty and pursuit of happiness? They restricted many things; chief among them was education. Slaves were not allowed to learn to read because education is a powerful liberating weapon. Women, for many centuries, were also forbidden to learn to read. Even, until about 150 years ago, the working class was forbidden to read the Bible because if they read the Bible then they would have access to the information and interpret the scriptures of their own accord. Once the masses started to read the Bible it became harder for the church to tell the churchgoers how to interpret the writings. So, the new game for religion is to every so often create new revisions of the Bible in order to keep control of what is being read and hence believed, this is evident by the countless versions of the Bible that exist today. Humans seek progress and education is an essential tool needed to progress. There is a reason why it's said the pen is mightier than the sword. Anyone can point and shoot a gun; even a six-year old child can do that. But not everyone can write history and, consequently, affect the course of progress. Until we change that, until we overcome illiteracy and all people can read and write, then the privileged few will continue to dictate the course of history to the masses. That is why I feel that, if we are committed to the well being of our planet as a whole, a conscious well-rounded education is the first step in that endeavor. So, do I think universal progress is possible and if today's problems can be solved? Yes, I think so, by creating equal access for all to a well-rounded education.
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| Comments: 6, would be great to get one of yours... |
tina polzin, 01 Dec 2009 10:19 pm |
| So well written and with understanding as well as an outcry against injustice. |
Karen, 11 Nov 2009 04:04 am |
| you bring up a lot of points worth thinking about, the wheels are spinning! |
Anjalika, 10 Nov 2009 11:21 pm |
| as usual, johnny, very inciteful! |
stephen, 09 Nov 2009 11:00 am |
| johnny sanchez is a great guy. thanks for the interview. |
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