The American dream narrative advances the idea that any citizen can achieve success through hard work, but research shows that meritocracy is continually denied to minorities both systemically and through acts of gatekeeping. ABC’s Cristela (2014–2015) presents a quintessential American dream narrative, and we are invited to cheer for the legal intern protagonist because she is hardworking, well-educated and makes sacrifices to get ahead. Nevertheless, Cristela faces strong gatekeeping from Anglo law firm owner Trent Culpepper. How will she respond? To understand how the protagonist surmounts this gatekeeping, this article considers circumstances of series production that necessitated speaking to two audiences simultaneously. For Anglo viewers, Cristela encodes submission to power structures as a positive act of assimilation, while for Latinos, it develops a narrative of submission as an ambivalent survival strategy. The cost of citizenship thus becomes what Cristela must sacrifice to gain access to the American dream, portraying the complexity of “making it” in America.

中文翻译：

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公民身份的成本：Cristela 的同化和生存

美国梦的叙述提出了这样一种观点，即任何公民都可以通过努力工作取得成功，但研究表明，无论是系统地还是通过守门人的行为，少数族裔都不断拒绝精英管理。ABC 的 Cristela (2014–2015) 讲述了典型的美国梦叙事，我​​们受邀为法律实习生的主角加油助威，因为她勤奋、受过良好教育并为取得成功做出了牺牲。尽管如此，Cristela 仍面临来自 Anglo 律师事务所老板 Trent Culpepper 的强力把关。她会如何回应？为了理解主角如何克服这种把关，本文考虑了需要同时对两个观众说话的系列制作环境。对于盎格鲁观众，Cristela 将服从权力结构编码为一种积极的同化行为，而对于拉丁裔来说，它发展了一种服从的叙述，作为一种矛盾的生存策略。因此，公民身份的成本成为 Cristela 为实现美国梦而必须牺牲的东西，描绘了在美国“实现”的复杂性。