Bill Moyers and Luis Alberto Urrea on The Devil's Highway
Summary
TLDRThe speaker initially approached the U.S. Border Patrol with a preconceived negative bias, viewing them as 'bastards' due to personal and cultural reasons. However, through interactions with agents, particularly Senior Supervisory Agent Ken Smith, his perspective changed dramatically. Smith's openness and humanity, especially during a revealing moment on the 'Devil's Highway,' challenged the speaker's assumptions. The agents' request for an honest portrayal, despite potential personal risks, highlights a desire for truth in media representation, often felt to be lacking.
Takeaways
- 📚 The speaker initially had a negative perception of the U.S. Border Patrol, viewing them as 'bastards' due to personal biases and experiences.
- 🔍 The speaker's attitude towards the Border Patrol began to change after engaging with them, realizing that their initial interactions were a form of testing.
- 👮♂️ Senior Supervisory Agent Ken Smith played a pivotal role in altering the speaker's perspective, showing a human side to the Border Patrol agents.
- 🛣️ The 'Devil's Highway' is a significant location both historically and in the context of the speaker's book, symbolizing a place of dark and complex history.
- 🌵 The speaker describes the stark reality of the borderlands, emphasizing the absence of a physical barrier and the stark contrast between the U.S. and Mexico.
- 🔒 The Border Patrol's actions were under scrutiny in the script, with allegations that they may have intentionally caused a catastrophe for their own purposes.
- 🤝 The speaker highlights a turning point in their relationship with the Border Patrol when they were trusted with sensitive information despite their preconceived notions.
- 💔 The emotional impact of being trusted by the Border Patrol agents is underscored, as they handed over their careers and reputations to the speaker's narrative.
- 📖 The agents' request for the speaker to tell the truth about them, despite potential personal risks, emphasizes their desire for an accurate portrayal in the media.
- 🔍 The speaker acknowledges the agents' feeling of being misrepresented by the media and their hope for a fair and honest account of their work.
- 🌟 The script conveys a message of transformation and understanding, as the speaker's journey leads to a deeper appreciation of the Border Patrol's role and humanity.
Q & A
What was the initial perception of the U.S. Border Patrol by the speaker?
-The speaker initially perceived the U.S. Border Patrol as the 'bad guys', influenced by his background in the Chicano literary world and personal experiences.
What was the speaker's initial approach to writing about the U.S. Border Patrol?
-The speaker approached the subject with a preconceived notion of the Border Patrol being antagonistic, without prior personal interaction or understanding of them.
How did the speaker's view of the U.S. Border Patrol change over time?
-The speaker's view changed after spending time with the Border Patrol, particularly with Senior Supervisory Agent Ken Smith, who showed him their work and humanized the agents.
What significant event in the speaker's research involved Ken Smith?
-Ken Smith took the speaker on patrol, showed him how to track and read the dirt, and had a heart-to-heart conversation on the significance of the Border Patrol's work.
Why did the speaker feel that the U.S. Border Patrol initially made his life difficult?
-The speaker believes they were testing his resolve and authenticity, as it's not common for someone to walk into a police organization and request access to their secrets.
What was the turning point in the speaker's relationship with the Border Patrol agents?
-The turning point was when the agents began to trust the speaker and shared their personal experiences and perspectives, despite knowing his background and potential biases.
What did the speaker learn about the Border Patrol agents that surprised him?
-The speaker was surprised to learn that the Border Patrol agents had hearts and souls, and that they cared deeply about being truthfully represented in his writing.
What did the speaker discover about the Border Patrol's perception of the media?
-The speaker discovered that the Border Patrol felt misrepresented and misunderstood by the media, and they sought someone who would tell their truth.
What was the speaker's final takeaway from his interactions with the Border Patrol?
-The speaker's final takeaway was the importance of truth in nonfiction writing and the trust that the Border Patrol agents placed in him to tell their story accurately.
How did the speaker describe the location of the 'Devil's Highway'?
-The 'Devil's Highway' is described as a dirt road in southern Arizona along the border, with a history of dark and significant events, and is also the endpoint of Cormac McCarthy's 'Blood Meridian'.
What did the speaker mean when he said the agents were his 'jackbooted thugs in shining armor'?
-This phrase signifies the speaker's realization that despite their tough exterior and the negative preconceptions, the Border Patrol agents were protective and had a noble purpose.
Outlines
🤔 Initial Bias and Encounters with U.S. Border Patrol
The speaker begins with an admission of initial arrogance and bias against the U.S. Border Patrol, stemming from personal and political beliefs. They recount their initial perception of the Border Patrol as the 'bad guys' due to past experiences and the Chicano literary background. The speaker describes their challenging introduction to the Border Patrol, where they were initially met with resistance and testing of their resolve. This experience was part of their research for the book 'The Devil's Highway,' which discusses a catastrophe possibly caused by the Border Patrol for their own purposes.
🛡️ Transformation of Perception through Personal Connection
The narrative shifts as the speaker recounts a transformative experience with Senior Supervisory Agent Ken Smith, who played a significant role in the book. Ken Smith took the speaker on patrol, demonstrating tracking and reading the terrain, revealing a depth of skill and humanity that challenged the speaker's preconceived notions. A pivotal moment occurred on the actual 'Devil's Highway,' where Ken Smith confronted the speaker's assumptions, leading to a profound realization about the complexity of the Border Patrol agents' roles and the speaker's own biases.
🤝 The Power of Trust and the Quest for Truth
The speaker reflects on the trust that was placed in them by the Border Patrol agents, despite their potential to be critical. This trust was a significant turning point, as it demonstrated the agents' desire for an honest portrayal of their work and lives. The agents, feeling misrepresented by the media, asked for a truthful account of their experiences, which the speaker acknowledges as a responsibility and a moment of 'grace.' The narrative concludes with the speaker's commitment to tell the truth about the Border Patrol, recognizing the importance of accurate representation.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Devil's Highway
💡U.S. Border Patrol
💡Chicano literary world
💡Catastrophe
💡Trials and lawsuits
💡Ken Smith
💡Rescue run
💡Tracking and reading the dirt
💡Blood Meridian
💡Jack-booted thug
💡Trust and truth
Highlights
The author initially had a negative perception of the U.S. Border Patrol, viewing them as the 'bad guys' due to past experiences and biases.
The Border Patrol initially tested the author with intimidation to gauge his resolve before opening up.
Senior Supervisory Agent Ken Smith played a pivotal role in changing the author's perspective, showing him the human side of Border Patrol agents.
The author learned tracking and reading the dirt techniques from Ken Smith, gaining insight into the Border Patrol's skills and methods.
A transformative moment occurred on the actual Devil's Highway, where Ken Smith challenged the author's preconceived notions about Border Patrol agents.
The Devil's Highway is a significant location in both history and literature, adding depth to the author's experience and narrative.
Ken Smith's self-description as a 'jack-booted thug in shining armor' was a turning point for the author, humanizing the Border Patrol agents.
The author was surprised to find that Border Patrol agents have hearts and souls, contrary to his initial assumptions.
Border Patrol agents trusted the author with their stories and careers, despite knowing his background and potential biases.
The agents' main request was for the author to tell the truth about them, as they felt misrepresented by the media.
The author emphasizes the importance of truth-telling in nonfiction writing, especially when dealing with sensitive subjects and people's livelihoods.
The narrative highlights the complexity and humanity of individuals working in law enforcement, challenging stereotypes.
The author's journey from prejudice to understanding reflects the power of personal connection and empathy in overcoming bias.
The story serves as a reminder that first impressions and assumptions can be misleading and that deeper understanding requires engagement.
The author's experience with the Border Patrol illustrates the need for open-mindedness and the willingness to challenge one's own beliefs.
The narrative underscores the importance of accurate media representation and the impact it has on the public's perception of law enforcement.
The author's account provides a unique perspective on the U.S.-Mexico border situation, offering insights beyond the typical headlines.
Transcripts
I walked into doing the devil's highway
rather arrogantly in that I thought well
I have now established myself as the
writer of the people except those
bastards
those bastards over there that I don't
like u.s. Border Patrol now I didn't
know the Border Patrol
I'd never hung out with Border Patrol
guys nor would I want to because you
know I'm not gonna out anybody but I
will say that they have chased around
certain relatives of mine you know there
are people who came across and I'm from
Tijuana and I'm liberal all those things
and I came up in the Chicano literary
world so I was like bad guys and I at
the time when the devil's highway was
was was formulating as a book the
various prosecutions were underway there
were trials there were lawsuits and one
of the points of the trial was that the
catastrophe written about in the book
was caused perhaps intentionally by the
u.s. Border Patrol for their own evil
purposes or their amusement all they
really needed to do was to get enough
doubt that the Border Patrol might do it
so I went in there thinking they were
bad guys and they didn't do anything to
disabuse me of that notion at first they
terrorized me you know I realized they
were teasing they were messing around
with me checking to see if I had you
know any grit but they made my life
really hard for a little while but I
understood later that you know you can't
just walk into a police organization of
any sort out of the blue and say hey can
I write about your biggest secrets pal
you know they're like who are you and it
changed for me with I talk about him all
the time but one of my dearest friends
senior supervisory agent Ken Smith he
was the guy who called out the the
rescue run to save the lost men in my
book and Kenny is the one who took me
out on patrol Kenny showed me how he
tracks and how he reads the dirt you
know he he was this remarkable guy and
it was this moment when we were standing
on the devil's highway which is the
actual dirt road that
through the southern Arizona along the
border Cormac McCarthy's blood meridian
ends at the end of the devil's highway
that's where the Glanton gang goes down
I mean it's a scary place with a long
history of weird dark dirty dealings and
we were standing there looking in New
Mexico and there's nothing more vivid
because there is no fence you know
there's a dry gully there's nothing and
there's Mexico and we're standing there
and exactly what you said he said to me
I know what you think of me and I said
really what do I think of you he said
you think I'm a jack booted thug now
we're out you know hundred miles from
anybody and he's the guy with the gun
and I thought uh-oh
how do I agree she ate myself to him and
he said to me you don't know what I am
I am your jackbooted thugs in shining
armor you know what a moment I I was
just devastated in a way because he
started talking to me like you say man
to man human to human heart to heart I
didn't know that was possible
and for some stupid reason I didn't know
that the Border Patrol agents would have
hearts or souls or I don't know what I
thought and in that moment talking to
Kenny and when Kenny I call it grace I
don't know what else to call it
especially if you're working in
nonfiction when there comes this moment
that seems to come from outside of you
when someone against their better
judgment even trusts you
these men handed me their careers and
their fortune knowing that I was
mexican-american but I wrote books about
the Mexican poor that I was a liberal
they still gave me their trust knowing I
could hurt them and all of them almost
all of them said a version of this to me
I don't care what you write and I don't
care if you don't like us what I care
about is that you tell the truth cuz
nobody tells the truth about us these
are all you know conservative guys that
I met who felt that they'd been burned
by the media
either side made fun of and
misrepresented and they just asked me
please tell the truth cuz we'll be
watching if you do or not
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