Puerto Rican subcultures (homes, high school, college)
U.S. TerritoriesPuerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, etc.
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In the 1990s, I was a military dependent and finished high school in central Florida. I was excited at first as many of the students were Puerto Rican, and I am New Mexican Hispano (not a recent Mexican American). After being the only Hispanic/Latino student in a couple of places, and coming from a background with a superficially similar history I thought it would be welcoming.
Boy was I wrong!
The Puerto Ricans really rubbed me the wrong way, and I never made sense to them, not because I was another kind of Latino so much. That sort of hate was reserved to Dominicans, who were trash to these kids (and seemed to be singled out as being black, poor, and "stupid"). I was constantly asked if "I was really Spanish or white" (a question that made no sense to me, they are both white!). Or told "I am not "Spanish. I act white." My response was always "so you're from Madrid or Barcelona?"
These kids only listened to rap/black American music, or maybe merengue, but saw any Latino who liked rock or "white music" (even if not really white) as a "sell out." Even if they spoke Spanish, they emulated African-American culture, and clothes, and liked to call each other the n-word (which I refuse to use), and so on.
The other side to this, which was confusing as hell, is that these kids never saw themselves as "black" and if darker-skinned, would never consider themselves as such - if light skinned - would go out of their way to bash "gringos" to prove they were Puerto Rican, and so forth. They didn't have much to do with black or white Americans, but the emulated everything black or hip-hop - but not what I'd consider "quality" hip hop. (Mainy crappy "party bass" junk).
Anyway, for a while, I had a very negative view of Puerto Rican - excuse me "Spanish" kids, and for a long time, avoided any like the plague. I thought they were racist and ignorant. However; in college, I met Puerto Ricans with very different attitudes, who spoke much better Spanish, and a wider diversity of beliefs on music and culture. I suppose the kids I encountered in school were a very distinct subset? Maybe from a specific community, region, or generation? My impression was that they were migrants from Puerto Rico, though some came by way of New York/New Jersey.
The Puerto Ricans you met college were most likely actual Puerto Ricans who were attending college on the mainland.
There is a significant difference in terms of culture and values between island Puerto Ricans and mainlanders who are of Puerto Rican desent usually mixed with something else (Dominican, Black, other Latino, etc). Many mainlanders of Puerto Rican descent may wave the flag, do the whole "yo soy BORICUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " routine, etc but more often than not they are clueless about modern Puerto Rico. Many of them don't even speak Spanish. Some of them may never have even been to Puerto Rico.
Many island Puerto Ricans think that mainland Puerto Ricans are an embarrassment and give them a bad name.
The Puerto Ricans you met college were most likely actual Puerto Ricans who were attending college on the mainland.
There is a significant difference in terms of culture and values between island Puerto Ricans and mainlanders who are of Puerto Rican desent usually mixed with something else (Dominican, Black, other Latino, etc). Many mainlanders of Puerto Rican descent may wave the flag, do the whole "yo soy BORICUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " routine, etc but more often than not they are clueless about modern Puerto Rico. Many of them don't even speak Spanish. Some of them may never have even been to Puerto Rico.
Many island Puerto Ricans think that mainland Puerto Ricans are an embarrassment and give them a bad name.
The underlined portion of WIHS2006 message above reminds me of an event many years ago.
On a foggy Saturday morning around 7am, I drove my daughters to a nearby soccer field for their pre-game warmups. After droping them off at the field, I walked back to my car. In the foggy parking lot I noticed a guy standing near my car. The closer I got the more visible his emblems became. He sported a ballcap with the Puerto Rican flag emblazoned over the brim. His black jacket had the Puerto Rican flag drapped over his heart. He wore a neck chain with . . . THE PUERTO RICAN FLAG!
I got close to this obviously Puerto Rican guy and, with a smile, I said to him, "Oye, ¿tu seras Boricua de verdad?" His response: "Ugh . . . excuse me?"
The guy explained that his grandfather was Puerto Rican and that he spoke no Spanish.
The fact that they called themselves "Spanish" that makes me think they must have been from the NY area. I don't think a native Puerto Rican would call himself "Spanish".
The fact that they called themselves "Spanish" that makes me think they must have been from the NY area. I don't think a native Puerto Rican would call himself "Spanish".
No, they wouldn't. I only call myself Spanish for the non-Spanish Europeans and ignorant Americans who can't seem to grasp that white people actually exist in Puerto Rico. To Americans, calling myself Puerto Rican is the same as an Afrikaner calling themselves African. Yes I am ethnically Spanish, but I don't identify myself as such. Mainland Puerto Ricans also seem to have a serious problem grasping this especially.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chacho_keva
The underlined portion of WIHS2006 message above reminds me of an event many years ago.
On a foggy Saturday morning around 7am, I drove my daughters to a nearby soccer field for their pre-game warmups. After droping them off at the field, I walked back to my car. In the foggy parking lot I noticed a guy standing near my car. The closer I got the more visible his emblems became. He sported a ballcap with the Puerto Rican flag emblazoned over the brim. His black jacket had the Puerto Rican flag drapped over his heart. He wore a neck chain with . . . THE PUERTO RICAN FLAG!
I got close to this obviously Puerto Rican guy and, with a smile, I said to him, "Oye, ¿tu seras Boricua de verdad?" His response: "Ugh . . . excuse me?"
The guy explained that his grandfather was Puerto Rican and that he spoke no Spanish.
In my mind, and in a very Puerto Rican way, all I could hear myself say was "¡Me c_go en tu madre!"
That's like me saying I'm Spanish because my great grandparents emigrated from Spain to Puerto Rico. LOL, no that's so stupid. They are not Boricua, they are African-American-esque latinos. They don't act like most real latinos, that's for sure. The real gem that I got when first moved to Pennsylvania and went to school here, there were a few Nuyoricans in my classes. They had no idea I was from Puerto Rico, because in their words, they thought I was "another white boy" lololol. Yes, I am another white boy, who is of Spanish and German descent you morons If they were really from Puerto Rico, which was obvious they weren't, they'd know us boricuas come in all colors and backgrounds. My grandmother (who was born and raised in Germany) was friends with a Puerto Rican family and I considered them 100% boricua, even though they were 100% German (they were born and raised in PR). There's lots of German Boricuas in PR, but the ignorant "Boricuas" from the US wouldn't know
Puerto Ricans are not much different from other ethnic groups that populate The U.S. Similar to the Italians who swear they are 100% Italians, they are nevertheless disliked in Italy for being pushy, loud and uneducated. Although they eat spaghetti and swear that their food is better than that of Italy, European Italians beg to differ, they consider American Italians lower class.
Puerto Ricans, although American citizens, function more like an immigrant group. They keep loyalty to their group and ethnic symbols. but most just speak English, Spanish quickly disappears by the third generation. However different from Italians, (who were once classified as Black ) a large portion of Puerto Ricans have adopted Black-White racial attitudes that prevail in the US among Blacks. Having lived in poor ghettos all their life it's not surprising. Despite many go to college, ghetto attitudes die hard.
It's gotten so bad that visiting Nuyoricans are confused by the amount of whites they see in San Juan. Not just that, they wonder why most act white, really meaning they don't act ghetto, but act white middle class.
In the long run most Puerto Ricans living in the states will evolve into regular Americans after a couple of generations. Like the Italians before them they will keep their new identity, continue to dance salsa, eat rice and beans but will not speak Spanish.
These ethnic and national beefs might be offered explanations from the historian, sociologist, physical or cultural anthropologists, or even by neuropsychologists.
I had one biology professor that was in agreement with many physical (biological) anthropologists in categorizing and calling humans "apes." There are some behavioral similarities between humans and their distant genetic cousins the bonobos and chimpanzees. We humans are more violent than the bonobos but less violent than the chimps. But some would call us "hairless chimpanzees" due to some of our behavioral similarities which are expressed in the content and implied thesis of the original post.
Like chimpanzees we humans become very cliquish. Our nationalism, ethnic, racial, and family cliques that war with our discriminate against outsiders within our own species are in the minds of some, genetically heritable traits carried over from our distant genetic links with species like the chimpanzees.
A word on the term "n___a." There is controversy over this term that is derived from the earlier term "n___er." I have heard reasonable arguments from both sides over whether or not the term ending with the letter a should be used. My own conclusion is that the term is acceptable given the American English language tends to be very flexible and changing (e.g., "bad" can mean "good" and "bike" can mean "motorcycle."). And ultimately words only carry the meaning we give them. Case in point is the term "American" United Statesians apply only to themselves (Nigerians do not regard themselves as the only Africans in Africa and nor do the French regard themselves as the only Europeans in Europe). We might also consider the adaptive, evolved term "n___a" somewhat analogous to the controversy over the term "marriage" (which always connoted man and woman in the West) in the gay marriage controversy.
The term "n___a" is often used as a term of endearment. Not always, it depends on the tone and inflection in the voice. Not unlike some words I'm told in some Asian languages change meaning depending on the tone and inflection in the voice.
As a rule of thumb in the United States ("America") anything originating culturally with ethnic Black-Americans is low class and inferior. Until it becomes mainstream. This is the case with rap music. And I was raised up on rap music (though I don't listen to a lot of it today, and I listen to a greater diversity of music today).
At my predominately white Catholic high school I used to have white kids walking behind me beat-boxing as a form of mockery. That was before rap went mainstream and back when probably the majority of white kids listened to heavy metal.
Rap pretty much grew out of New York City among the blacks and Puerto Ricans in that city. So, NYC Puerto Ricans have historically contributed to the development of Hip Hop culture as well. And the term "n___a" is often used in the Hip Hop culture due to its strong Black-American roots.
Puerto Ricans born and/or raised in the United States are not the only ones to look down their noses at their ethnically tied "native lands" and its people. It is in fact a very common trait among most those who parents or grandparents came to the [mainland] United States ("America") from somewhere else. My former Africology professor probably knows more Italian words than most Italian-American kids today. The Hmong and other Asian ethnic groups deal with their kids becoming very Americanized and talking, behaving, and thinking like Americans often in the Hip Hop culture. Some of these young Asian kids in fact use the term "n___a" quite often. And Mexican-Americans born/and or raised in the United States typically look down their noses at Mexico and the Mexicans living there.
The American story is "The rest of the world sucks and we are not only the best but we do everything better and we have the best way of thinking too." And fundamental to the American way of thinking is judging human worth by its financial portfolio or monetary earnings. The material things the person has. So, if we have bigger homes than those in Mexico or Puerto Rico then we must be better.
Personally, my best experiences from strangers inside the U.S. on a face to face experience has usually been with Latinos. Mexicans or Puerto Ricans. They think I look Puerto Rican and approach me speaking Spanish. They've never brought hostility or hatred towards me. That has not always been the case for me with whites and Black-American strangers. I once had to finish my drink and leave a bar because the adult black gang bangers in the bar thought I looked Puerto Rican (which to them meant "Latin King" sense they were GD's). Even though they had been told once prior to that that I was not Puerto Rican but mulatto and ethnically Black-American. But my physical looks made me guilty enough I guess.
What you have experienced New Texico is the American experience. Embrace it. It is a culture with a superiority complex. You have also experienced a behavior common among humans and chimpanzees, to form cliques, and to be hostile towards outsiders (usually male for males).
In general, in my opinion, most humans are not that great of "deep thinkers." So, in the case of the Puerto Ricans you met, they will likely just follow the crowd. Whatever the crowd thinks is what they think.
The beginning of this video below shows Cambodians raised in the U.S. "Americanized," into rap and sounding "black" when they speak. Hip Hop. I add it just to demonstrate it's not something limited to Puerto Ricans here in the USofA.
Puerto Ricans are not much different from other ethnic groups that populate The U.S. Similar to the Italians who swear they are 100% Italians, they are nevertheless disliked in Italy for being pushy, loud and uneducated. Although they eat spaghetti and swear that their food is better than that of Italy, European Italians beg to differ, they consider American Italians lower class.
Eh... I've met a number of Italians from Italy, and you are right, they are a much different type. Although they are physically expressive with their hands and body language when they talk* they don't come across as loud as the stereotype of the New York Italian. And Sao Paulo in Brazil supposedly has more Italians than New York City but you'd never know it because they don't seem to be as "loud" about it as the New York Italians.
In truth, Italians and Sicilians in Milwaukee are not loud at all. They quietly, though sometime overtly, display their pride in their ethnicity. However, until fairly recently, there were ethnic beefs between the Italians and Sicilians of Milwaukee. That's not much the case today.
*I had two white Italian men from Italy when introduced to me greet me right away with kisses on both cheeks and "big" warmth. Almost floored me. I'm as dark as Halle Berry. No way some Italian-American is approaching some black or mulatto dude to kiss on the cheeks.
These kids only listened to rap/black American music, or maybe merengue, but saw any Latino who liked rock or "white music" (even if not really white) as a "sell out." Even if they spoke Spanish, they emulated African-American culture, and clothes, and liked to call each other the n-word (which I refuse to use), and so on.
The other side to this, which was confusing as hell, is that these kids never saw themselves as "black" and if darker-skinned, would never consider themselves as such - if light skinned - would go out of their way to bash "gringos" to prove they were Puerto Rican, and so forth. They didn't have much to do with black or white Americans, but the emulated everything black or hip-hop - but not what I'd consider "quality" hip hop. (Mainy crappy "party bass" junk).
Most of them, even most of the darker ones, are of mixed heritage. Remember that after all, Puerto Rico is a part of the Spanish Caribbean too and the Spanish mixed things quite heavily where ever they went. Also, recognizing a mixed heritage is a non-issue in Spanish speaking countries and even though Puerto Rico is not an independent country, it is Spanish speaking.
Its the same for why so many Puerto Ricans are proud of their American citizenship, but many do prefer to be Puerto Rican first, then US Americans or, at the very least, make a distinction between Puerto Ricans and mainland US Americans. Many Puerto Ricans even make a distinction between island born and raised Puerto Ricans vs those that were born or raised on the mainland, usually insinuating that the mainland Puerto Ricans are not 'true' Puerto Ricans because they have adopted way too many US customs, identity styles and general beliefs. Also, because many mainland Puerto Ricans are clueless about what it actually means to be Puerto Ricans or even what Puerto Rico truly is.
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If they were really from Puerto Rico, which was obvious they weren't, they'd know us boricuas come in all colors and backgrounds. My grandmother (who was born and raised in Germany) was friends with a Puerto Rican family and I considered them 100% boricua, even though they were 100% German (they were born and raised in PR). There's lots of German Boricuas in PR, but the ignorant "Boricuas" from the US wouldn't know
I've met a number of Italians from Italy, and you are right, they are a much different type. Although they are physically expressive with their hands and body language when they talk* they don't come across as loud as the stereotype of the New York Italian. And Sao Paulo in Brazil supposedly has more Italians than New York City but you'd never know it because they don't seem to be as "loud" about it as the New York Italians.
