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I am from Colombia, and Hispanic-Latino are US created identities that we do not relate to, here in Colombia no one would really see themselves as Latinos or Hispanics. Why would we? We have our own identities, no need to adopt a United States created identity!
We are a country of regions, with people who are fiercely proud of their regional culture and ethnicity, so being Llanero, Rolo, Sanntandereano, Costeño, Paisa, Chocoano, Raizal, Guajiro, Valluno, Pastuzo, etc. It's more important than being Colombian (and we love being Colombian), yet our differences divide us a lot. So imagine how unimportant being Latino-Hispanic must be for the average Colombian.
Most people here probably would not even know what a Hispanic means from a USA perspective. Latino has become more popular mostly in certain groups of young people who listen to reggaeton music, but Latino is just too gringo sounding for us.
I will admit that I used to hate to call myself Latino or Mexican-American and just refer to myself as strictly American only when I was a younger teenager, because one, the serious racial and ethnic identity issues that Latino/Hispanics have always had for a long time because of how our culture is diversely mixed and far from an original, homogeneous traditional culture and race like the East Asian and European cultures.
Two, I used to look at the Latino culture as a wannabe-white purist European culture that teaches Latinos to deliberately deny their non-white European ancestry just so they can feel more socially accepted by "pure white" people both in and outside of Latin America(especially if it's when they're traveling to Spain) and three, Latinos seems to be incredibly hypocritical about crying racism in the US yet have a bunch of racism of their own(in the Latino culture) hiding in the closet, with the way they treat indigenous and dark-skinned people in general while trying to completely "Whitewash" or Europeanize the whole Latin American/Mesoamerican culture and teach Mestizos to deny their indigenous ancestry(regardless of how painfully obvious it is by their skin tone and facial structure) while looking down on others who have even less white European blood in them. In the US, Latinos would cry racism when they suffer from it and act as if it's as bad as the Jews being wiped out in Nazi Germany(which I think is ridiculously laughable) while they'll proudly call themselves the white race only when it benefits them socially in the US, despite how obviously mestizo they look.
Again, this is all how I used to feel when I was a younger teenager and now as young adult in his early 20s, I had a change of heart and learned to not let my ethnicity or racial background(whatever it is since I'm very light skinned with some non-white features) describe who I am as an individual person and just ignore how other Latinos want to identify themselves and let them identify however they want regardless of how wrong or right they may be of their racial background. In the end, I matured and tried not to compare myself to others or worry so much about how other Latinos think or want to identify themselves since it only just stresses me out more about my true ethnicity or true "race". Life is too short to stress over such things that are tiring to thoroughly think about.
Colombia is a multiethnic society, with people proud of their origins.
Some like it European, some like it African, some prefer it Chibcha (Our natives), I don´t see what is wrong with that!
No offense but you sound very American based on the simplistic way you think of Latin America in terms of identity.
I have noticed hate for ones identity, only when they come to the US of A. Not when they are back home.
some choose to take sides or are too embarrassed to embrace their culture, only when they decide to identify as white or black. Or if their is a op large opinion of a group of people, and they do not want to be part of that opinion.
I will not name countries, but it happens when one feels the need to fit in. No one want to be the opposition.
I have great respect for people that can embrace their heritage, and still assimilate in the US. It can be done.
If only the Latin American countries were ever to unite as one, no one would want to come to the US.
I have noticed hate for ones identity, only when they come to the US of A. Not when they are back home.
some choose to take sides or are too embarrassed to embrace their culture, only when they decide to identify as white or black. Or if their is a op large opinion of a group of people, and they do not want to be part of that opinion.
I will not name countries, but it happens when one feels the need to fit in. No one want to be the opposition.
I have great respect for people that can embrace their heritage, and still assimilate in the US. It can be done.
If only the Latin American countries were ever to unite as one, no one would want to come to the US.
I think acculturation is a better word it means some changes take place but yet the person retains some of their language, customs and food. Once a person starts identifying primarily with the stupid American categories of white, black and hispanic it's pretty much cultural suicide. Those categories are sly ploy to strip people of their heritage.
My case isn't "self-hate" since I'm Mayan, from Guatemala, and I never liked (and still don't like) being referred to as "Latino/Hispanic" even though I'm lumped in with these people. I always saw it more for the people who are of European/Spanish ancestry like the Mestizos and those who spoke Spanish as their first language.
My case isn't "self-hate" since I'm Mayan, from Guatemala, and I never liked (and still don't like) being referred to as "Latino/Hispanic" even though I'm lumped in with these people. I always saw it more for the people who are of European/Spanish ancestry like the Mestizos and those who spoke Spanish as their first language.
Yes Guatemala is largely an indigenous country. Unfortunately there is a lot of self hate there. I see it when indigenous people speak only Spanish. I see it in mestizos also. I had a conversation with some Salvadorean friends about the unification of Central America and I said honestly Guatemala has a better chance of splitting up (along ethnic lines) than it does with joining one of its neighbors.
Yes Guatemala is largely an indigenous country. Unfortunately there is a lot of self hate there. I see it when indigenous people speak only Spanish. I see it in mestizos also. I had a conversation with some Salvadorean friends about the unification of Central America and I said honestly Guatemala has a better chance of splitting up (along ethnic lines) than it does with joining one of its neighbors.
I completely agree with everything you said there.
You have self-haters, but you also have people who authentically love their Indigenous culture (I think it's a reason why Indigenous clothing and languages have survived and sorta grown over the years in Guate while Indigenous cultures have somewhat declined in other countries outside of South America).
I have noticed hate for ones identity, only when they come to the US of A. Not when they are back home.
some choose to take sides or are too embarrassed to embrace their culture, only when they decide to identify as white or black. Or if their is a op large opinion of a group of people, and they do not want to be part of that opinion.
I will not name countries, but it happens when one feels the need to fit in. No one want to be the opposition.
I have great respect for people that can embrace their heritage, and still assimilate in the US. It can be done.
If only the Latin American countries were ever to unite as one, no one would want to come to the US.
I do not think not calling latino means you are hating yourself.
Latino is a USA label created, why would an entire continent call itself Latino just to conform with the USA perspective of the world.
To me as a person from South America is illogical to use a label from the USA. Maybe in North America these race labels function but not here, I do not consider myself Latino. I am a human being and then I am Colombian in nationality but it is just a paper that says that is my country, I feel more a citizenof the world.
I dont see myself as Latino. i actually think it is a very negative label associated with American stereotypes that are degrading.
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