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Some parts of the USA are Latino areas, border towns like San Diego, El Paso, Laredo, etc, meanwhile others in the North East like Vermont, New Haven, Mass, etc, are WASP territory.
I wonder if this makes a very deep different in terms of culture, economy, flavour, etc?
My wife and her family are from New England and they're upbringing sounds like Thanksgiving Land Theme Park. They don't get Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos, Quinceaneras, Tequila beyond Cuervo, or that you're supposed to heat tortillas before you eat them. They will go on and on about pumpkin patches, apple picking, shellfish, and falling leaves, which are nice things too.
My wife and her family are from New England and they're upbringing sounds like Thanksgiving Land Theme Park. They don't get Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos, Quinceaneras, Tequila beyond Cuervo, or that you're supposed to heat tortillas before you eat them. They will go on and on about pumpkin patches, apple picking, shellfish, and falling leaves, which are nice things too.
These aren't deep cultural divides, their regional things. And I pumpkins, apple picking, shellfish, and falling leaves aren't WASP things, they're New England things. If you meet a WASP in LA they're not going to be familiar with these practices either (I mean familiar as in practiced) and if you meet and black or Hispanic New Englander, guess what? They'll probably have gone pumpkin picking, or eaten a lobster or clam chowder, and they're definitely familiar with the changing colors and falling of the leaves because, duh, that's what happens where we live.
Quinceañeras I'm pretty sure are a Mexican thing, and so no you won't have New Englanders, even most of the Hispanics (most Hispanics here aren't Mexican they're mostly Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Guatemalan + Brazilians if you expand it to Latino instead of just Hispanic), practicing that tradition. Tortillas, also a very Mexican tradition. Cinco de Mayo...honestly do any Hispanics celebrate this anywhere? I was here in LA for it this year and nada. Dia de los Muertos, again, Mexican not Hispanic.
Of course their are differences between regions and of course they are heavily influenced by the environment (pumpkins, apples, and leaves happen here naturally), and by the predecessors (Spanish settlers vs. English settlers). Thanksgiving Land Theme Park is a stretch. Visit Bridgeport or Lowell or New Bedford or South Boston and see if you think the same thing. Also, we have long traditional groups here besides WASPs. Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island is the Portuguese coast, and they've been shaping the regional culture of the two Bristol counties since the Civil War. Plus the Irish and Italian and Jewish influences, African-Americans have a long history in CT cities as well as Boston. And Puerto Ricans in Springfield and Worcester and Woonsocket. Plus French-Canadians up in northern New Hampshire and Maine.
These aren't deep cultural divides, their regional things. And I pumpkins, apple picking, shellfish, and falling leaves aren't WASP things, they're New England things. If you meet a WASP in LA they're not going to be familiar with these practices either (I mean familiar as in practiced) and if you meet and black or Hispanic New Englander, guess what? They'll probably have gone pumpkin picking, or eaten a lobster or clam chowder, and they're definitely familiar with the changing colors and falling of the leaves because, duh, that's what happens where we live.
Quinceañeras I'm pretty sure are a Mexican thing, and so no you won't have New Englanders, even most of the Hispanics (most Hispanics here aren't Mexican they're mostly Dominican, Puerto Rican, and Guatemalan + Brazilians if you expand it to Latino instead of just Hispanic), practicing that tradition. Tortillas, also a very Mexican tradition. Cinco de Mayo...honestly do any Hispanics celebrate this anywhere? I was here in LA for it this year and nada. Dia de los Muertos, again, Mexican not Hispanic.
Of course their are differences between regions and of course they are heavily influenced by the environment (pumpkins, apples, and leaves happen here naturally), and by the predecessors (Spanish settlers vs. English settlers). Thanksgiving Land Theme Park is a stretch. Visit Bridgeport or Lowell or New Bedford or South Boston and see if you think the same thing. Also, we have long traditional groups here besides WASPs. Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island is the Portuguese coast, and they've been shaping the regional culture of the two Bristol counties since the Civil War. Plus the Irish and Italian and Jewish influences, African-Americans have a long history in CT cities as well as Boston. And Puerto Ricans in Springfield and Worcester and Woonsocket. Plus French-Canadians up in northern New Hampshire and Maine.
Whoa, way to get way to technical about a light-hearted post.
I understand WASP is white anglo saxon protestant, I was using it in a general sense for a predominantly white area, and I know New England is so much more than some simplified cliches, I've been multiple times. There's just some funny differences between the Massachusetts and Arizona sides of my family.
I assume by Wasp you really mean, English peaking White people of mainly northern European heritage (i.e. a lot of Catholics, German-Americans, French-Americans, etc.) since the percentage of true WASPs in America is a fraction of a fraction even if you include Scots-Irish.
Technically, the "P" in WASP stands for Protestant. White Ango Saxon Protestant.
This would exlude all Catholics.
Technically, the "P" in WASP stands for Protestant. White Ango Saxon Protestant.
This would exlude all Catholics.
Very good. Now reread my post paying special attention to the words.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABQConvict
I assume by Wasp you really mean, English peaking White people of mainly northern European heritage (i.e. a lot of Catholics, German-Americans, French-Americans, etc.) since the percentage of true WASPs in America is a fraction of a fraction even if you include Scots-Irish.
My wife and her family are from New England and they're upbringing sounds like Thanksgiving Land Theme Park. They don't get Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos, Quinceaneras, Tequila beyond Cuervo, or that you're supposed to heat tortillas before you eat them. They will go on and on about pumpkin patches, apple picking, shellfish, and falling leaves, which are nice things too.
Try the North Country and they barely even have apple orchards because the climate is too cold to support them. The Maple Festival and Winter Carnival end up being a bigger deal than apple season or pumpkin patches!
My wife and her family are from New England and they're upbringing sounds like Thanksgiving Land Theme Park. They don't get Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos, Quinceaneras, Tequila beyond Cuervo, or that you're supposed to heat tortillas before you eat them. They will go on and on about pumpkin patches, apple picking, shellfish, and falling leaves, which are nice things too.
That sounds a lot like Pittsburgh.
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