Hispanic DU'ers

[Celeborn Skywalker]

Is the term "Hispanic" considered offensive to Mexican-Americans? I was talking to a Mexican-American in class and she told me that Hispanics are only people from Spain. She said that Mexican-Americans are mostly of indigenous descent.She said calling Mexican-Americans "Hispanic" is a form of cultural castration designed to shame Mexicans of their indigenous heritage. So, what do you think? Should I stop using the term in reference to Mexican-Americans?

[Kanary]

1. It's my belief that everyone has the right to be called what they wish

If it were me, I'd simply ask her how she preferred to be addressed, and then do that.

It's just courtesy.

Kanary

[Hello_Kitty]

2. One of my professors told me the term "Mexican" is offensive

Which surprised my Mexican-American boyfriend and his family when I told them that.

[smirkymonkey]

11. Why? If you are from Mexico, why would "Mexican" be offensive?

I would be considered "American" in another country instead of Anglo-Dutch-Italian. I think there is an assumption on the part of your professor that somehow being from Mexico is shameful, which is wrong in itself. Unless, of course, I am misunderstanding his/her rationale.

I can see it being offensive if someone calls you Mexican and you are NOT from Mexico or if someone uses it as a catch-all for anyone of Latin origin.

[TX-RAT]

35. Have no problem with Mexican.

I'm half Mexican and so is my wife.

[kwyjibo]

36. Sometimes when I hear "Mexican," it comes with a demeaning tone

just like "Liberal."

I think that may be why some find it offensive, because it is so often said with disrespect.

[donheld]

49. The Professor is nutty

Nobody, even a profession cannot say ALL when making a statement like that. Even if he/she is mexican or whatever they cannot speak for everyone.

[The empressof all]

3. Pardon my ignorance here

I was told long ago that Latino is preferable to Hispanic. Would all individuals from Mexico on south be considered to be Latino or Hispanic. You raise an interesting point about the indigenous peoples-but what about South American individuals of Northern European or Asian descent. It would appear that neither definer would apply.

So what's the general consensus then. Latino or Hispanic? Is there a difference?

I'm genuinely curious and would like to know more.

[GOPNotForMe]

4. This always confuses the hell out of me

I've had conversations about this with a few of my Cuban-American friends. I don't think THEY even know what each person is supposed to be called. I thought Hispanic simply referred to anyone who was from a Spanish-speaking country, whereas Spanish referred to someone from Spain. I use Chicano/Chicana to refer to my Mexican friends, which no one has objected to. And Latino, well, shit, I have no idea to whom that applies. Someone was telling me once it had to do with hemispheres or something, but I got so confused I flushed that bit of conversation out of my memory.

[demosincebirth]

6. As a M/American from a N Ca city, many

Mexicans do not like to be called "Hispanic." I've seen many young people wearing T-shirts with "I'm not Hispanic, I'm not Latin, I'm Mexican," So I guess, it depends on how much into their culture they are immersed

[queerart]

5. Here In New Mexico..............

The norm seems to be "Latino/Latina"..........

Never would one want to call >>anyone<< that is Latino "Mexican", (at least not here in New Mexico) as that could very well result in a fight right on the spot. Of course calling them "Anglo" could make for an even worse fight. I have seen now (here at least) that those check boxes on applications for this or that... they list Latino White, Latino Non White.....

Here the word Mexican is seen as a bad thing...... and I know I am gonna get in trouble here....

But even New Mexicans of Mexican backgrounds... see themselves "very different" (Hispanios) than someone who may have just arrived in the US.

When I first moved to New Mexico from a very small town in the Midwest (Illinois), I bought a home in a tiny ranching town in New Mexico named Belen (Bethlehem in spanish). So one day I hired this Latino fellow to re-stucco my house. (As God as my witness) My neighbor from across the street "Mrs. Torres" called on the phone and said to me as calmly as if she was talking about the weather...

"Who Is That Wetback That You Have Working On Your House"?

Somebody could have knocked me over with a feather! Mind you, both her and her husband's parents were from Mexico! Way too strange!

[LaReservaPr]

7. Hispanic

is from the latin word for Spain.
And Latino(a) is short for latinoamericano.

[Bridget Burke]

40. The first Spanish speakers arrived in New Mexico about 1500.

Of course, they were chased out in the Pueblo Rebellion (1580?) but returned. All this happened long before "Mexico" was a country. They've got a long history & are proud of it.

(In a work conversation, somebody said their friends had moved to Santa Fe but didn't like it, because "those Mexicans & Indians act like they own the place." I bit my tongue.)

[Snotcicles]

8. I think any term depends on citizenship

If the person is an American citizen then Amercan should be stated first, Like American-Irish.
If not a citizen, then descent should be stated first. Like Irish-American.
I know this is off point but I think by acknowledging ones descent first emphasizes just that, and once one becomes a citizen the whole becomes emphasized.

Just an opinion

[smirkymonkey]

9. I went to a very liberal graduate school in San Francisco where

it was understood that the proper term was Latino/Latina. Also, it was Asian and not Oriental. However, when a professor asked the only Japanese student in the class what she preferred to be called, she said Oriental. Go figure. I think it's a matter of just trying to be culturally sensitive.

I think Latino/Latina is best because many people can't tell if you are Mexican or Guatemalan or Puerto Rican or Dominican just by looking at you, so it's probably best not to refer to a specific nationality unless you know for certain.

[LaReservaPr]

10. You can tell by the accents.

[smirkymonkey]

12. A lot of us can't tell, unless we have grown up amongst

Latin populations and speak Spanish, just like I can't tell the difference between Scandinavians by their accents, never having grown up amongst native Scandinavian populations.

[LaReservaPr]

13. Well its that I am puertorican and i live in Puerto Rico

so i can tell.

Puertoricans for example, we shorten words
and Cubans minimize things in a way, words sometimes end with (itito).
People from Spain and Argentina kind of have the same accent(mostly they use of the Z), except that Argentina is more slang.
and Mexicans well that i cant describe i can just tell.
But there is also a lot of racism between hispanic and latino races.
Sometimes if someone is of a darker skin theyll instantly start with "Oh that person must be dominican" and it is said in a way to sound offensive. Even though being latin you could turn out to be any color of the rainbow.

[itcfish1]

14. Hispania

was the Latin Name for Spain, When Spain came to the Americas they referred to as the Hispanic territories. Spain is referred to as the Iberian not hispanic.

[Modem Butterfly]

15. I prefer it when people use my first name

:P

I personally don't find anything wrong with Hispanic or Latina. Just don't call me "beaner" "spic" or "wetback". I'm kind of touchy with chicana, too.

[musiclawyer]

16. Just use Latino/Latina

Assuming we are on this hemisphere, latino/latina works well because it's a ubiquitous term that offends no one and is the literal translation of the term we Latinos call each other when we are using the Spanish language. It can cover all Spanish speakers, except Spaniards. I hate the term Hispanic. It's a made up term coming from outsiders.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. Which comedian was it who said he hates the word hispanic because

"panic" is right there in the middle of it?

[Cleita]

19. Paul Rodriquez, I believe.n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. I think you are right.

[Cleita]

18. Well, I'm part Chilean, although my mother claimed to

be of Spanish decent only, I'm sure we have Native American blood in us as well. I don't like the term because I don't know where Hispania is. Spaniards would also take exception to being called Hispanics for the same reason.

It's a racial term invented by legislators to segregate a large portion of the population because of the language they speak, or more bluntly, that they aren't Northern European in appearance. There is no other way to divide up this population because they are so diverse and even language isn't a good demographic because a large number of South Americans speak Portuguese and many of the indigenous languages like Quechua and others that aren't Spanish. Also, like in my case, I have a Germanic surname because of my father and no one knows I am Hispanic and Spanish speaking unless I tell them.

No one can even claim it's because those people are from South of the Rio Grande because many so-called Hispanics are Native Americans who have Spanish names and are Spanish speaking on account of the Spanish missionaries. There are so-called Hispanics throughout the Southwest who haven't been south of the Rio Grande since before Columbus.

Although I have heard the argument that the designation is necessary to receive government funds for certain programs, I find that government funds can easily be distributed by the type of program, whether for the handicapped, head start, or poverty programs, no one really needs to know what their race is.

[GreenPartyVoter]

21. What about college entry? Do you think that people

should be sorted out by race or other factors when selecting incoming students or get in solely on their merits?

[Cleita]

22. Maybe a better way to sort out students would be

by family income level. It would actually accomplish the same thing because most minorities are poorer as a demographic than white people. It would probably also help a lot of poor white people as well, who might be passed over in favor of some affluent preppy from a private school background. Our Prezidunce got into Yale not only as a legacy but also because he was a graduate of Andover academy, never mind that his better grades were C's.

[GreenPartyVoter]

25. This is true. However, what do we say if we find that changing

to an income level situation leads to a drop in "minority" student enrollment? Should we just trust that the Admissions committees will not put poor white kids ahead of others? (Even if race is not listed on the applications, sometimes names are a possible indication of racial or ethnic background. I can't recall for sure, I think it was on Common Dreams, but I saw an article about a study on job applications and the frequency of being called for interviews based on racial or non-racial sounding names. The results showed there tended to be favor shown toward the Janes and Jills over the Tamequas and Keneshas of the world.)

[Cleita]

27. Inherent racism.

Most universities and other institutions of learning aren't supposed to discriminate because of race or ethnicity, or even gender, but many individuals within those institutions still do. So I don't think it will make a whole lot of difference unless the ethnicity of the staff making these decisions isn't diversified as well.

I know this is the argument for the Hispanic label as you just outlined, but I think it's kinda like "the Federal Government never runs anything right" cannard the right wing always tries to bring up in talking about smaller government. Of course they always bring up the DMV, which are usually State or even County run. The Federal Government doesn't do the DMV. It's not a legitimate argument for that label.

Most of us "Hispanics" are well aware it's a racist term pinned on us by outsiders with the excuse it's for our own good. Anytime someone brings me gifts "for my own good", my BS antennae shoot right up.

[GreenPartyVoter]

41. Understood. I thought that we should not put names on applications

just our soc security numbers. But jeez, who wants to be just a number? And even if folks make it into the interview portion of the process, they could still get weeded out due tp racism after that.

So I agree, there should be diversity in the committees selecting students. That might help somewhat.

[Bridget Burke]

23. I'm not Hispanic, or Latina, or Chicana....

But no one term is universally appropriate. As with any naming convention--find out what's preferred on a case-by-case basis. Make the best guess possible & accept any "correction" with an open mind.

Some people don't like Latino because it's too much like Ladino--a descendant of the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. Their language is "Ladino"--an offshoot of Medieval Spanish.

When completing demographic data, Hispanic may be an option (along with White, Black, Asian, etc.). I've found that natives of Spain (& Argentina!) often choose "White". Different terms are used in the various Latin American countries; or the same terms are used differently. And where do you put the Brazilians?

Of course, some of us Anglos have a problem with "Anglo". That's short for "Anglo-Saxon" & many of us are not descended from the Sassanach.

[Cleita]

24. As far as "white people" are concerned, I find

calling them of European ancestry more correct than Caucasian, Anglo, white, yankee, etc..

[Bridget Burke]

28. I'm not even offended by "Gringa"

It's highly informal but there are far ruder terms.

[Cleita]

29. Where I came from a Gringo was anyone

who was on the blond blue-eyed side of the spectrum (you didn't have to be that blond or blue-eyed either, just a shade or two lighter than the majority), spoke English or another non-Spanish language. (Those born in the country and who were Spanish speaking, were called Rubios, or blonds, not Gringos.) Germans and Brits were also called Gringos. It's not really insulting like the "N" word in English, but it's not that flattering either.

[scarlet_owl]

26. I'm not offended by "Hispanic". Then again I don't have a

whole lot of indiginous blood in me. I think that word has more to do with the Spanish language than anything else, but I could be wrong.

[doctor klahn]

30. As was noted earlier...

Half of South America speaks Portuguese, so refering to a Brazilian as "hispanic" would just be plain wrong. It's also amusing that a clear majority of Americans at least, have no idea that the above is true...Everytime I tell someone I speak Portuguese, they immediately comment "Oh, its just like Spanish, right?" Ummmm, no.

Even the know-it-all Alex Trebek on Jeopardy, takes great pains in anunciating Portuguese words (when they do come up) as if he were speaking Spanish...This always cracks me up...

[LaReservaPr]

31. The word "Gringo"

My history teacher told me once that when the Americans first came to Puerto Rico and also other places like latin america, the military was dressed in green and since the people did not know english very well or at all they would say "Green go home" and from there came the word "Gringo".

[Cleita]

32. Thanks for the history lesson.

I really never knew where that term came from.

[Uzybone]

37. I dont think that is correct

first off.. the military didnt start wearing green (camo) till the late 19th century.

I heard in my history class that gringo came from a sond that Anglos (cowboys) used to sing. It began with the words "green grows...." And the Mexicans formed gringo from that.


Here is a link
http://www.bajainsider.com/notebook/insider_gringo.htm

[Bridget Burke]

38. Another derivation of "Gringo"

It's from "Griego"--an old Spanish word for "Greek". Sort of means "foreigner" ("it's Greek to me"). I know a blue-eyed Cuban who was called a Gringo by blacks living in Venezuela. In Argentina, Italians are called Gringos.

A less plausible source: During the Mexican American War, the US soldiers often sang "Green Grow the Lilacs"--hence, "Greengrow"...

[bearfan454]

33. No.

My Dad is from Spain, my Mom from San Antonio. I call myself Hispanic.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

34. It's so common I don't take offense and even use it myself

Lots of us have indigenous blood in us, however it is commonly mixed with Spanish blood. This is my case. My great grandmother was indigenous and was "taken" by my great grandfather, a Spainard, when she was 13 and I believe he was 26. Because the indigenous population was absolutely decimated by the Spanish, my other Hispanics have mixed blood as well. I can understand your friend's concern. We did not choose to have Spanish blood. Our indigenous ancestors were raped and taken as property by the Spanish. However, unfortunately we still can't deny that we have Spanish blood in us. I guess it would be as though you were Irish and somewhere way down the ancesteral line one of your relatives was raped by a Viking. Would you call yourself a Viking? Would the black decendants of Thomas Jefferson call themselves white because they have his blood in them?

[LaReservaPr]

39. Well, my bad.

My history teacher was very anti U.S. anyway. Instead of giving us a normal class he would spend the day bashing the United States. Until he got fired for sending porn to students. That was a good day.

[queerart]

42. Isn't It Funny.........

The reason he got fired?

[itcfish1]

43. Spaniards

were cruel, but many many intermarried and you see indigenous people all of Mexico and South America. North American Indians barely there. Father Juniper protected many of the Natives.

[doctor klahn]

44. Ummm...

The conquest of Latin America by Spain was extraordinarily brutal. Yes there are still indigenous peoples, mostly in area that are inaccessible due to geographic conditions (ie: little economic value). In some ways, the colonial system set up by Spain is to this day, causing suffering in Latin America. Further, indigenous peoples in Latin America are still being oppressed horribly.

Of course, blaming modern day Spain/Spaniards would be pointless. However, you seemed to be defending the actions of the conquerors in your post.

ON EDIT: The reason intermarriage was common in LA was that the europeans who went there arrived as armies (ie: no women). Whereas in North America, settlers came with families, etc.

[itcfish1]

46. Sorry

But I disagree, Spaniards were no way as cruel as the English to the American Native. All you have to do is go to Mexico or anywhere in South America and you will see native faces everywhere. Try to find a Native American anywhere in the NE of the US.

[doctor klahn]

48. Didnt mean to start an argument

Of course the colonialists in North America were cruel...I never meant to imply otherwise...

However, trying to distinguish which group was CRUELER, is kind of like comparing coke to pepsi.

[itcfish1]

47. I am Not

Defending the conquerors, But when you compare the British with the Spaniards, Spaniards were far less cruel. I repeat you see native faces anywhere in Mexico or South America. Try to find a Native American in NE US.

[Cleita]

45. Unlike the English and Dutch, who brought their families

and wives with them, the Spaniards were mostly men and very few women. So when they conquered a group of Natives, they took the prettiest and youngest girls as wives and had children with them. This is why most populations are part Spanish and part indigenous Native American in race.

[AlbertoMo83]

50. I Don't like the "Hispanic" label

Hispanic's are people from Spain, my parents aren't from Spain. My parents are from El Salvador, so I just tell people that I'm Salvadorian or that I'm Latino.