Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have always been fascinated by how many Puerto Ricans in New Jersey have held on to their heritage at the same time assimilating to their home culture. As other ethnic groups in the past and continue to be doing. But it makes me wonder if Puerto Ricans are finally accepted into the mainstream culture considering the fact that they were here since the 1950s as the oldest Hispanic group. Any input?
I think it varies. Some latinos, even ones here in the US for like 2 weeks, look down on Puerto Ricans as "ghetto." Many of the Puerto Ricans I have known have been great people and are as "American" as everyone else. So like with any other group, it really comes down to the individual.
Are Puerto Ricans considered "white" in New Jersey, socially?
I have always been fascinated by how many Puerto Ricans in New Jersey have held on to their heritage at the same time assimilating to their home culture. As other ethnic groups in the past and continue to be doing. But it makes me wonder if Puerto Ricans are finally accepted into the mainstream culture considering the fact that they were here since the 1950s as the oldest Hispanic group. Any input?
It may be innocent or intentional on your part, but to me, the way you worded your post baits for racist dialog. You imply that being accepted into the mainstream culture and being considered white are synonymous. That's ridiculous.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyntmac
Come on now. How is it possible to give a generic answer on this?
Are Puerto Ricans "white"? It depends on their ancestry. Cyntmac's response is right on! Someone of Puerto Rican ancestry may be white, black, Taino, or mulatto; so it is impossible to give a generic answer to this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EBWick
I think it varies. Some latinos, even ones here in the US for like 2 weeks, look down on Puerto Ricans as "ghetto." Many of the Puerto Ricans I have known have been great people and are as "American" as everyone else. So like with any other group, it really comes down to the individual.
I've observed that the majority of New Jerseyans care far less about race and ethnicity than their parents did, who cared less than their parents, and so on. If someone acts with American character, they'll get treated like one. Act with foreign character and they'll not be treated like an American -- and that's not "bad" or "disrespectful," just foreign.
Regarding your question about Puerto Ricans assimilating into American (home) culture, I don't know -- maybe they assimilate into American culture more easily because they are Americans by birth? For example, my Puerto Rican father-in-law is a WW2 U.S. Army veteran. That early exposure to mainstream American culture set a pattern for life. He retained the best of island culture while adopting mainland American culture, and he raised his family to do likewise. He now has four adult American offspring who are living the American dream.
Regarding white or non-white, sure there are racists among us -- but they come in all colors! Frankly, I don't give a damn what color someone's skin is or where they are from, and I don't think the majority of New Jerseyans do either. Want proof? Just look at who we voted into the White House.
Accordingly, the question for me is, "Do you or do you not want to be an American?" More so, "Do you or do you not want to be my countryman?" If someone's primary focus is on the color of another person's skin or the place of their ancestry, that's alarming to me. I'm an American of European ancestry. My children's mother is an American of Puerto Rican ancestry. To us, the term "white" is somewhat outdated and irrelevant.
And it's with this attitude that we may finally realize Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I share that dream. We're not there yet -- but we're a lot closer than we were 25 years ago, which is much closer than we were 50 years ago, and so on.
It's first about character, it's then about culture, and it's lastly -- if at all -- about skin color.
hmmm my wife is puerto rican and she considers herself white. i remember when we were in school an african american girl tried to make it clear to her that she isnt white, she is a minority like them.
a lot of what happens depends on the groups you associate yourself with.
When we lived in Bergen County my wife, who's Colombian and darker complected, would take our young son (who's "white" looking) to the Ridgewood Duck Park and the park in Glen Rock. You'd be surprised how many times she got "oh, are you his nanny?" while the children were playing together. Americans in suburbia are still pretty clueless about race and at times pretty rude about it. I personally would never ask "are you his real mom?" when I see Americans with little Asian kids playing
It's not just the burbs. I was once employed in the Silk building in the East Village, which is all luxury condos and it happened there. Everyone with a kid had a nanny and a west Indian woman I knew at the time (who happened to have a mixed child) got the same thing there. She was less offended because these people were really strangers but at the child's school she would have been less than pleased.
Goodness gracious, what is the point of this post.
not everyone has the same sensitivities when it comes to discussion issues like this as most americans have been trained to have. puerto ricans tend to be more open about their differences.
but puerto ricans who were born and raised in PR and ones born and raised here generally have significantly different cultures.
Why don't we ask Justice Sotomayor? or Jennifer Lopez? or Marc Anthony? or Ricky Martin? or one of those Puerto Rican women who are the most successful competitors in the history of the Miss Universe pageant. Marisol Malaret, Miss Puerto Rico 1970, the first Puerto Rican to win the Miss Universe title. The four other Puerto Rican delegates who have won the Miss Universe title are Deborah Carthy-Deu (1985), Dayanara Torres (1993), Denise Quiñones (2001), and Zuleyka Rivera (2006). Or we can ask JOSEPH M. ACABA, NASA ASTRONAUT, or former US Ambassador Cesar Cabrera of Mauritius. The list goes on and will continue to grow! I am Puerto Rican and moved to New Jersey in 1979. I grew up in Jersey and graduated from Rutger's-Newark with High Honors. I have been a Public Servant for 17 years fighting crime in mainstream U.S.A. and I am one of the few Hispanic GS 15's represented in the Federal Government. If this isn't mainstream, I don't know what is. Lastly, your question regarding being considered "white" socially doesn't warrant a response as it is misleading.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Character and Culture trump Color
