ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that despite the shortcomings of ethnic humor in ¡Ask a Mexican!, the column plays a unique and important role in promoting dialogue and mutual understanding among US mainstream society and Mexicans especially through the column's use of new media and social networking tools. The appearance and popularity of ¡Ask a Mexican! highlights the need for better understanding of and inquiry into Latino uses of cyberspace and social networking and the connections between technology and advocacy. Gustavo Arellano's personal Twitter site comments on other Twitter posts and includes information about local events of interest to Latinos. By allowing for the "expression" and valorization of "diasporic identities online," Arellano's column could perhaps be said to "circumvent the traditional powers of imperialism" that seek to devalue and impose limits on the expression of such identities. In the postcolonial cyberspace that is ¡Ask a Mexican!, The Mexican has the upper hand and the final word.
