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

[harrycrat]

Oops,I lost it,the song is "Americanos ".by ex-FGTH singer Holly Johnson...

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by Rock Newman

I can assure you that most non-Hispanics not all but most tend to group all Hispanics in the same light ... as a white non - Hispanic married to a Hispanic woman I can tell you that before I met my wife , started travelling into Latin America on business , learned the language ( not fluent but close ) and actually made good solid friendships with Hispanics .. I thought the culture was all the same ... , not all Hispanics are Mexicans , not all Hispanics eat beans and tacos , not all Hispanics like salsa music and wear gold chains and bling like some of our Cuban and Puerto Rican amigos like to do ... and first and foremost their accents and terminology in Spanish is so different .. I actually thought Brazilians were Hispanic and did not know they spoke Portuguese !!

Most surprising to me was the diversity of races among Hispanics ... white , black , mestizo , asian ... I especially saw this when I began travelling in Latin America and saw how European especially people were in Argentina , Uruguay , Southern Brazil and most of Chile were ... all Hispanics are most definitely not the same ... music , food , dress , accents , dialects .. what they do share is Catholic culture , common language albeit with some differences and they all come from countries with corrupt leaders and where the white minorities have most of the power ... Chile may be the exception and is most close to being part of the 1st world .

This apparent confusion sometimes occurs when other races and ethnicities are viewed by people from outside the grouping. So often people refer to all Asians as Chinese when they are referring to persons who might be Japanese, Korean, Filipino, etc. And what a gaffe that can be when one considers the history of animosity, politics, warfare that have kept some of those apart for centuries.

Even here in America when the issue is often clouded in black vs. white, one can argue that such a generalization based on pigmentation only sweeps aside the diversity within each classification and can result in meaningless - and sometimes detrimental - analyses.

Finally, one must recognize that the commonality of behavior, interests, predispostions of Americans as a national grouping vis-a-vis other nations can sometimes preclude the distinctions that so many spend a lifetime grieving over.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Some very interesting and thoughtful posts.

For an interesting historical discussion about this topic, a recent book called "Coming to Miami: A Social History" was released in 2009. The author is Melanie Shell-Weiss, a historian at Johns Hopkins University.

She traces the demographic shifts and social history of Miami from before 1900 to the present. The books pays particular attention to gender, race, migration, social networks, and the historical evolution of Miami's laboring (or working class).

[EnPeeCee]

Originally Posted by Pear Martini

I wonder if the 50% of people born outside of the states were born in France, Germany, and Holland there would be less racisim and hate crimes against the immigrants and the word "immigrant" wouldn't come off as derogatory when used in a negative tone.

I believe that if there were more imigrants from France, Germany and Holland, the language barrier would be all but gone. Hispanics either find English too difficult to learn, or they're just not interested. Spanish, to a Hispanic, is very important. There are spanish language commercials on English language TV channels. This is beyond my comprehension. If three people sit together for lunch, and two are hispanic, the language will eventually be turned to spanish. And please don't say this doesn't happen. It happens to me all the time.
I

[harrycrat]

English lang is very close to Spanish lang...

I can understand 60 % of a text in Spanish...

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Lol - I'm sorry that is so not funny, but it is true!! I love when people try to talk smack in Spanish and then you flip it on them and they are like oh damn she speaks it - I'm guessing you look more Hispanic than I do princess - I rarely get "are you puerto rican" it is usually argentinean, Italian, Spanish - rarely puerto rican - but I am just what ever about that!

My Mom was Italian. She was constantly taken for Hispanic. In fact when she went down to Delancy Street, the store owners there would speak to her in Hebrew! Dark haiir, eyes, and skin can be deceiving.

[Shoegal1075]

Pinocho?

TAn - you just never know what you will get - my Hubby is argentinean but could very well be mistaken for a Pakistani man. He is not your typical Argentine - he is on the darker side but has hazel eyes - but as soon as he opens his mouth all of Buenos Aires comes out LOL.

[Neng.]

Originally Posted by bale002
Great post, crisp444, it reads like a professional chronography, well done.

I am particularly interested in the following, with a few questions.

Do you have any statistics on the amounts of Spaniards and Italians who are registered property owners in Miami?



Thre are 20.000 Spaniards recorded at the Spanish Consulate in Coral Gables. As to property owners, there were quite a few Spanish Real Estate Developers in Miami before the crisis. They had a large amount of properties.

Most Spanish owners act under the umbrella of investment companies and banks to dodge Spanish "Hacienda" (IRS).

[Neng.]

Thomas Jefferson

Cubans, and I guess it also goes with Puerto Ricans, do not view themselves as people from the mainland. During their long war against Spain, no Latin American country moved a finger to help them. They also lack the everpresent "indigenous" component present in the mainland since their indigenous population was wiped out 500 years ago.

The case of Cuba is far more blatant. All the Latin American countries have supported Castro since the beginning. Historical relations between the last Spanish colonies and the mainland were next to zip. The two islands are far more related to their two, or even three "Colonial" powers, Spain, United States and...USSR.

It would be like considering Haitians as Latins or packing them with people from the mainland. Haitians are only related with France, Africa and the US.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Sorry but Cubans and Puerto Ricans are apples and oranges. They couldn't be more opposite. Yes the listen to Salsa and some practice Santeria but that's about it.

Puerto Rico being a US territory has been greatly influenced by American media. Cuba being a dictatorship has been isolated from the rest of the world and their culture is the least related to the USA culture.

I would say Puerto Ricans(from the Island) are more related to the USA culture than any other Latin American nation. I have noticed that Puerto Ricans from the island are probably the most intellectual Latin Americans and the ones from the USA tend to be very open minded and have more interracial relationships that any other Latin Americans. Cubans on the other hand have not been influenced by the Civil Rights movement much. That's why you constantly see these posts of how white Cubans are, how little Taino blood they have, how they are more Spaniard than any other nation. You don't see that in the Orlando board.