Is Miami more like an American city or a 'Latin' American city? (live, areas)

[Your.Decision]

Originally Posted by TheJetSet

Agreed, people don't seem to understand the meaning of diversity. This is why I don't why people call Miami an international city, it is in a Hispanics world but what about the rest of the planet?

Nail hit firmly on the head.

Miami is (no doubt) an important gateway city to Latin America, an important port and a world renowned holiday destination. Howver, Miami is not a truly diverse city. I live here, as an Irish-American. I do not find it diverse at all, unless your definition of diversity is restricted to South and Central America, along with the Caribbean. Miami is predominantly Cuban though, whether the pro-Miami crowd choose to admit it or not. Cuban culture dominates Miami in every possible way and that doesn't = diversity in my book. Miami is no bastion for diversity. Even many of the Latin groups here do not like eachother and don't even get me started on how disadvantaged the black people are here, partly because of the Cuban influx that has proven to be 100% self-serving.

[FlyMIA]

Originally Posted by Your.Decision

Nail hit firmly on the head.

Miami is (no doubt) an important gateway city to Latin America, an important port and a world renowned holiday destination. Howver, Miami is not a truly diverse city. I live here, as an Irish-American. I do not find it diverse at all, unless your definition of diversity is restricted to South and Central America, along with the Caribbean. Miami is predominantly Cuban though, whether the pro-Miami crowd choose to admit it or not. Cuban culture dominates Miami in every possible way and that doesn't = diversity in my book. Miami is no bastion for diversity. Even many of the Latin groups here do not like each other and don't even get me started on how disadvantaged the black people are here, partly because of the Cuban influx that has proven to be 100% self-serving.

It is not an "important gateway" to Latin American it is THE gateway of Latin America, Miami connects Latin America to the world, it is its most important economic hub. Miami is predominately Cuban but Chicago is predominately Mexican, LA too. Every city is going to have some large minority group over the other.

Originally Posted by TheJetSet

Agreed, people don't seem to understand the meaning of diversity. This is why I don't why people call Miami an international city, it is in a Hispanics world but what about the rest of the planet?

The problem with just about every one's argument about Miami not being diverse is I guess those people that see Miami as just Hispanics A) Known nothing about Hispanic culture, B) Don't know too much about Miami and current immigration trends in the city, and C) Are not cultured.
Miami is a diverse city just as much as Chicago. Colombians are MUCH different then Cubans, Brazilians are completely different from Argentineans, Hondurans are different from Guatemalans or Peruvians, Haitians are not Jamaicans or Dominicans etc.. I can just keep going on and on! Imagine if someone said oh, XYZ city is not diverse it is just full of people from all over Europe! Would that make any sense?? NO it would not. Just like the French or different from Italians and the English are not Irish Colombians are not Cubans and Haitians are not Jamaicans. Anyone who says its all the same just because they speak the same language are just uncultured and uneducated. Miami is an extremely diverse place with people from ALL of Latin America and the Caribbean, that there is VERY diverse. Not to forget its large South African, Finnish, Russian, French, Italian, German and Spanish population. Saying Miami is not diverse is like saying LA is not diverse its only Mexicans and Asians as if all Latins are the same and all Asians are the same. So please people, stop with the Miami is not diverse stuff. Also Miami has a large foreign born population, families of Polish decent who have been in the area for 100 years is not going to bring the same international feeling as new immigrants, not saying there are not new Polish immigrants in Chicago there are, but not at the numbers of new immigrants Miami has. Go up to a group of Latin Americans and tell them all their cultures are pretty much the same and have the same feel to them and see what they say to you.

[polo89]

Originally Posted by Your.Decision

Nail hit firmly on the head.

Miami is (no doubt) an important gateway city to Latin America, an important port and a world renowned holiday destination. Howver, Miami is not a truly diverse city. I live here, as an Irish-American. I do not find it diverse at all, unless your definition of diversity is restricted to South and Central America, along with the Caribbean. Miami is predominantly Cuban though, whether the pro-Miami crowd choose to admit it or not. Cuban culture dominates Miami in every possible way and that doesn't = diversity in my book. Miami is no bastion for diversity. Even many of the Latin groups here do not like eachother and don't even get me started on how disadvantaged the black people are here, partly because of the Cuban influx that has proven to be 100% self-serving.

I will echo FlyMIA's sentiments and say, every city has a PREDOMINANT culture. As diverse as NYC is, it's MAIN, largest ancestry is Italian, Jewish and Irish by far. Chicago: Italian, Los Angeles: Mexican, Boston: Irish, etc, etc. Let's be real. And I don't know how you can ignore the high Russian, Jewish, English, Haitian, Jamaican, Canadian, Bahamian, South African, Finnish, populations. Like FLYMia said, it's not any different than any other city and there predominant culture and the diversity surrounding those cultures.

[Your.Decision]

Originally Posted by polo89

I will echo FlyMIA's sentiments and say, every city has a PREDOMINANT culture. As diverse as NYC is, it's MAIN, largest ancestry is Italian, Jewish and Irish by far. Chicago: Italian, Los Angeles: Mexican, Boston: Irish, etc, etc. Let's be real. And I don't know how you can ignore the high Russian, Jewish, English, Haitian, Jamaican, Canadian, Bahamian, South African, Finnish, populations. Like FLYMia said, it's not any different than any other city and there predominant culture and the diversity surrounding those cultures.

The cultural and ethnic diversity in Miami-Dade is only really present in Miami Beach -- a small microcosm, compared to the rest of Miami. Are you seriously going to tell me that Kendall, Hialeah and Sweetwater are "diverse"? Those places are the real Miami. They are about as non-diverse as anywhere else in FL.

Many of you who are here defending Miami really don't get it, or you simply choose not to. Such a truly diverse city would not be run only by Cubans.

[polo89]

Originally Posted by Your.Decision

The cultural and ethnic diversity in Miami-Dade is only really present in Miami Beach -- a small microcosm, compared to the rest of Miami. Are you seriously going to tell me that Kendall, Hialeah and Sweetwater are "diverse"? Those places are the real Miami. They are about as non-diverse as anywhere else in FL.

Many of you who are here defending Miami really don't get it, or you simply choose not to. Such a truly diverse city would not be run only by Cubans.

How is Miami run only by Cubans? Florida isn't non-diverse, it is one of the most ethnically diverse states in the nation. We discussed this in another thread, I forgot which thread it was, but we had actual statistics. Florida has the 3rd highest Hispanic population, 7th highest Asian, 2nd highest black(many West Indian), and one of the highest white populations. I wasn't calling Kendall, Sweetwater, and Hialeah diverse, OBVIOUSLY there not, ESPECIALLY Hialeah which is somewhere around 93% Hispanic. But you have areas outside of Miami Beach that have a diverse populous, like North Miami Beach's Haitian, Jewish, Indo-Chinese community, Miami Lakes middle-eastern community, Argentines in Surfside, Haitians, in North Miami, Bahamians in Coconut Grove etc. You just can't ignore the different ethnicities.

[DANNYY]

I don't know if I've said this before but technically being American can mean you have a background nationality from anywhere in the world and still be American.

So meaning people of Cuban descent, Dominican descent, Haitian descent are all American's too. You live here, you're in America, thus you're an American.

Meaning Miami is more of an American city, but has large cultural influence from Latin American customs.

[clean_polo]

Originally Posted by Your.Decision

Nail hit firmly on the head.

Miami is (no doubt) an important gateway city to Latin America, an important port and a world renowned holiday destination. Howver, Miami is not a truly diverse city. I live here, as an Irish-American. I do not find it diverse at all, unless your definition of diversity is restricted to South and Central America, along with the Caribbean. Miami is predominantly Cuban though, whether the pro-Miami crowd choose to admit it or not. Cuban culture dominates Miami in every possible way and that doesn't = diversity in my book. Miami is no bastion for diversity. Even many of the Latin groups here do not like eachother and don't even get me started on how disadvantaged the black people are here, partly because of the Cuban influx that has proven to be 100% self-serving.

Last time I checked you were a black dude from Boston, am I wrong?

[clean_polo]

Originally Posted by Your.Decision

The cultural and ethnic diversity in Miami-Dade is only really present in Miami Beach -- a small microcosm, compared to the rest of Miami. Are you seriously going to tell me that Kendall, Hialeah and Sweetwater are "diverse"? Those places are the real Miami. They are about as non-diverse as anywhere else in FL.

Many of you who are here defending Miami really don't get it, or you simply choose not to. Such a truly diverse city would not be run only by Cubans.

Go to East Los Angeles and let me see if you think it's diverse. Your argument holds no weight, overcourse there are neighborhoods that are dominant in one nationality or race, but you are just being ignorant.

[clean_polo]

I know I post this a lot, but I'm going to post it one more time, because for some reason people still don't think Miami is diverse. Today, the Miami area has a sizable community of citizens, undocumented populations, and permanent residents, of Argentines, Bahamians, Barbadian, Bolivians, Brazilians, Canadians, Chileans, Chinese, Colombians, Costa Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, Ecuadorans, French, Germans, Greeks, Guatemalans, Guayanese, Haitians, Hondurans, Jamaicans, Koreans, Indians, Italians, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, Panamanians, Peruvians, Russians, Salvadoran, Spanish, Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Turks, South Africans, Venezuelans, and Puerto Ricans. While commonly thought of as a city mainly of Latino and Black Caribbean immigrants, the Miami area is home to large French, French Canadian, German, Italian, and Russian communities. Also, you can't forget about the Jewish population as well.

[OMG2010]

Originally Posted by FlyMIA

It is not an "important gateway" to Latin American it is THE gateway of Latin America, Miami connects Latin America to the world, it is its most important economic hub. Miami is predominately Cuban but Chicago is predominately Mexican, LA too. Every city is going to have some large minority group over the other.




The problem with just about every one's argument about Miami not being diverse is I guess those people that see Miami as just Hispanics A) Known nothing about Hispanic culture, B) Don't know too much about Miami and current immigration trends in the city, and C) Are not cultured.
Miami is a diverse city just as much as Chicago. Colombians are MUCH different then Cubans, Brazilians are completely different from Argentineans, Hondurans are different from Guatemalans or Peruvians, Haitians are not Jamaicans or Dominicans etc.. I can just keep going on and on! Imagine if someone said oh, XYZ city is not diverse it is just full of people from all over Europe! Would that make any sense?? NO it would not. Just like the French or different from Italians and the English are not Irish Colombians are not Cubans and Haitians are not Jamaicans. Anyone who says its all the same just because they speak the same language are just uncultured and uneducated. Miami is an extremely diverse place with people from ALL of Latin America and the Caribbean, that there is VERY diverse. Not to forget its large South African, Finnish, Russian, French, Italian, German and Spanish population. Saying Miami is not diverse is like saying LA is not diverse its only Mexicans and Asians as if all Latins are the same and all Asians are the same. So please people, stop with the Miami is not diverse stuff. Also Miami has a large foreign born population, families of Polish decent who have been in the area for 100 years is not going to bring the same international feeling as new immigrants, not saying there are not new Polish immigrants in Chicago there are, but not at the numbers of new immigrants Miami has. Go up to a group of Latin Americans and tell them all their cultures are pretty much the same and have the same feel to them and see what they say to you.