Let's have a polite discussion about cultures & ethnic groups in Mia... (Miami: live, restaurant)

[harrycrat]

I believe that so far this is a model thread for polite discussion...

Pandora = pan ( all ) + dora ( gifts ) ,she who brings gifts to all...
Similar concept of the judeochristian "forbidden fruit "...Let's open the box,let's bite the fruit...

Interesting are the variations within the same ethnic group,some of them see themselves as a "minority",some others not,depending even on generation & location...

As for the phenomenon of people of the same ethnic origin desiring to live in the same neighbourhood,it is only natural...They want to form a critical mass,for success in mon & pop stores & family run small businesses...

Maybe we should redefine the term "racial/ethnic tensions"...Maybe it is just anti social behaviour of a small group of people ,found within almost any community...

I may sound naive but do the "Latin " people understand each other's language ...?
Supposedly,they speak variations of the same spanish language...
Do Cubans understand Colombians,Haitians,Nicaraguans,in their native language ?
Is the Brazilian/Portuguese language understandable to them ?

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by harrymiafl

I may sound naive but do the "Latin " people understand each other's language ...?
Supposedly,they speak variations of the same spanish language...
Do Cubans understand Colombians,Haitians,Nicaraguans,in their native language ?
Is the Brazilian/Portuguese language understandable to them ?

Yes to all except for haitians. We wouldn't be able to understand their language. I remember back in the day, Haitians learned to speak some Spanish, like the Brazilians. I'm not around haitians anymore, so I don't know now. Portuguese is very easy to understand though.

Originally Posted by harrymiafl

Maybe we should redefine the term "racial/ethnic tensions"...Maybe it is just anti social behaviour of a small group of people ,found within almost any community...

I think so at least within the hispanic community. The tensions within black, whites and hispanics are real, but probably not as bad as other part of the country like LA or Chicago. Many white nonhispanic do resent the fact that Spanish is spoken way too often by service employees, and honestly I don't blame them, only when they blow it out of proportion. The black tensions are another thing that probably require their own topic.

[T5000]

I lived in Miami for several years. I'm going to be brutally honest; Miami is not the melting pot that it makes itself out to be. In fact, Cubans vote for Cubans, i.e. ethnic voting. Miami is basically a city run by Cubans, for Cubans. I'm not bashing Cubans here, just stating fact.

Miami would actually benefit from true diversity, i.e. sizable Chinese, Russian, Italian and Irish communities, all living in tandem with the existing Cuban / other Latin American communities. If Miami were truly diverse like other American cities, I believe that it wouldn't be a bad place to live. People would naturally assimilate into mainstream US society, while still keeping their cultural ties (best of both worlds). Unfortunately, Miami has morphed into a city that is very polarized and not at all welcoming, in the sense of cultural differences. I mean, try running for Mayor of Miami if you're NOT Cuban. When I was there, it seemed as if many Cubans disliked everyone else, even other Latin American cultures.

[Thomas Jefferson]

Originally Posted by crisp444

I don't have any specific numbers on the increase in the European population in Miami-Dade. I'll elaborate a little about what I do know, though.

Russians/Eastern Europeans have taken residence in Aventura and Sunny Isles Beach, and to a lesser extent in Miami Beach.

Spaniards and Italians have taken residence in Brickell, Downtown, Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and even a little in the Dadeland and coastal South Miami area.

Miami is dirt cheap in the eyes of affluent Europeans. One can buy so much for so little there. The weather is good for vacationing, and for Spaniards and Italians, the area has a Latin flair to go with their home culture. The rise of the Euro over the American dollar is yet another reason why Europeans will continue to move to Miami, especially to coastal areas that are half as expensive (or less!) compared to the Mediterranean.

Man, I know you are busy studying law in the big apple but you should take a time to write an article about Miami’s demographics and socioeconomic situation, and send it to some big magazine like National Geographic. I mean, so far, you have a pretty good picture of this wonderful city. Rep to you.

Moderator cut: Flaming

[Bono983]

Miami is a latin city because it is populated by a majority of latin cubans who are the offprings of Africans and Spaniards. The Spaniards were invaded by arabs and moors for 800 years, so those spaniards who mixed with the africans in Cuba were already mixed before they arrived to the American continent.

Who cares? This country is not germany or austria. We live in a new world country formed by immigrants.

Crisp, there are no minorities in the U.S.... We are all mixed.

[doggiebus]

Ok lets get off the personal accestry history and get back to the topic of, Miami's different cultures and the relationships between them. I think this can be done in a civil manor, if not it will get shut down.

[doggiebus]

I personally would love to know why Cubans have a problem with the Mexican and black community? My yard guy who is Cuban told me about this issue, which I was shocked by. As I come from a background were I except everyone and can't understand why someone would have a dislike of others, just because of their background. For me growing up/going to school in Miami with the different backgrounds, I think it helped to make me more accepting of people from different backgrounds. I believe, when people grow up/hang out with only people like themselves, then can have more unwarranted dislikes of people not like themselves. I know that in our County there are areas that are not as mixed and maybe that is one reason for the animosity. Can someone tell me in a polite/civil way (in this thread or private), why there is this animosity.

[SobroGuy]

As an outsider looking in (NYC resident), it is nice to see Miami folks having a healthy discussion. Crispy has a good grasp of racial issues in Miami (and NYC it seems), which is helping frame the debate and keeping in on track. My comment is from the perspective of a Puerto Rican "white/whitish" resident of NYC. I can say in general, we have an Hispanic identity which emphasizes the Spanish, while the Latin indentity ("Latino") moniker seems to be driven by the Latin American contingent that is influenced greatly by the indigenous population, and less on Spain/Spanish. The recent influx of South Americans, most notably Mexicans, in NYC has increased the use of the Latino term, but it is still a distant second to Hispanic (for those non-Latin American derived people).

I will agree though that those Hispanics in NYC, white or otherwise, tend to identify themselves as people of color, rather than the more typical Cuban mindset of simply "white." However, I will note that many of those people who have moved to areas like Florida from NYC, oftentimes have embraced equally as much the "White Hispanic" and marginalized the "person of color." When I visit Florida that population is usually confounded by my self-description of "colored" (person of color) rather than "white." It makes for interesting conversation.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by SobroGuy

The recent influx of South Americans, most notably Mexicans, in NYC has increased the use of the Latino term, but it is still a distant second to Hispanic (for those non-Latin American derived people).

Mexico is in North America, not South America.

[Bono983]

Sobroguy, mexicans are north americans. Guatemalans, hondureans, and those american Indians countries are all north americans. Do a Wikipedia search: north america. There is the list of the countries that are located in north América (the continent). Central América is not a continent, it is part of north América. South América starts in Colombia down to Argentina, and the continent North América starts in Panama up to Canadá.