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It's also visible that the hispanic identity is very artificial and of little importance once you get out of the US. In Cuba people don't consider themselves Hispanics, same in Mexico. (most people in Mexico City probably wouldn't even think about themselves when they think of the term "Hispanic")
identity is something complex and very subjective. Which is why America does a terrible job at creating these racial labels that are never congruent with the diversity of peoples/cultures/ways of seeing life around the world!
Be careful with these tyes of comments. There are people in certain non-Hispanic Caribbean nations who can, in fact, watch a Colombian film or Mexican telenovela. My father is a Trinidadian who came to U.S. trilingual, speaking English, Spanish and Kreyol.
Trinidadians sing in Spanish every Christmas. It has been that way since the island was Spanish. Parang/parranda is Trini culture. You will find songs from Venezuela and Colombia, etc. sung there, as a number of us have roots in Venezuela.
Yet, it is not a Hispanic nation.
I agree that language is related to culture but don't make assumptions about the cultures of others when trying to make your point.
There are Chinese people who speak Spanish. There are people from India who speak Spanish. But the majority of people in these nations do not speak Spanish. The majority of people in Trinidad do not speak Spanish.
the Caribbean is a mixture of cultures, a person from the Caribbean in places like Cuba will have more affinity or perhaps know more about a Jamaican, than about a person from Bolivia.
I know this first hand
for example few people mention this but there is a huge cultural divide between Mexico and Spanish speaking part of south America, completely different cultures, ethnicities, ways of seeing the world, different gastronomies, histories. The only thing that links them is the common Spanish colonization!
But the US and Nigeria were also colonized by England. Does it mean they are connected and share the same culture?
Architecture is pretty similar. Religion is similar. Language (Spanish) is the same. There's overlap in media. And the climate of Mexico City isn't so different from the climate of certain Andean nations. Cool, mountainous.
Back to the US and Nigeria, Nigeria is mostly Black nation where many people still speak various African languages. The US is racially predominately white, and very similar to other predominately white nations formerly colonized by Britain. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Mexico had a large number of Natives, same as much of South America,and then the Spanish came in. Some Africans were brought in as slaves. So Mexico's racial mix and history are essentially the same as South America. Throughout Latin America, you have a significant percentage of the population that doesn't necessarily identify as white, or black, or native and Mexico is no different.
It's also visible that the hispanic identity is very artificial and of little importance once you get out of the US. In Cuba people don't consider themselves Hispanics, same in Mexico. (most people in Mexico City probably wouldn't even think about themselves when they think of the term "Hispanic")
identity is something complex and very subjective. Which is why America does a terrible job at creating these racial labels that are never congruent with the diversity of peoples/cultures/ways of seeing life around the world!
People go back and forth between Latin American nations, and media and music is fluid between the borders. They have no need to call themselves Hispanics or Latinos, because the common identity and cultural and racial similarities are there regardless. Mexico is similar to the Andean nations of South America in terms or race and ethnicity. Northern South America is similar to both the Spanish Caribbean and Mexico. Brazil is similar to the Spanish Caribbean in terms of race and ethnicity. Across the region most Latin Americans eat lots of yuca/mandioca, rice and beans, with certain meats, eat certain tropical fruits, and pop culture certain is fluid between different Latin American nations.
the Caribbean is a mixture of cultures, a person from the Caribbean in places like Cuba will have more affinity or perhaps know more about a Jamaican, than about a person from Bolivia.
I know this first hand
for example few people mention this but there is a huge cultural divide between Mexico and Spanish speaking part of south America, completely different cultures, ethnicities, ways of seeing the world, different gastronomies, histories. The only thing that links them is the common Spanish colonization!
But the US and Nigeria were also colonized by England. Does it mean they are connected and share the same culture?
Having been to the Spanish Caribbean and lived in Spanish Caribbean communities in the US, I've never ONCE met a Spanish Caribbean person who identifies as a Jamaican. You won't find large numbers of people presently going from Jamaica to any Spanish speaking nation, or vice versa. I think certain Black and Anglo Caribbean people are upset that Latinos have an out from the negative stigma that Black has in the US by being identified as Latino (or the fact that many Latinos simply call themselves mixed), and people get hysterical over it.
I can assure you Jamaicans are not represented in Spanish speaking media of any nation, nor do Jamaican figures play a prominent role in any of the Spanish speaking nations.
Architecture is pretty similar. Religion is similar. Language (Spanish) is the same. There's overlap in media. And the climate of Mexico City isn't so different from the climate of certain Andean nations. Cool, mountainous.
Back to the US and Nigeria, Nigeria is mostly Black nation where many people still speak various African languages. The US is racially predominately white, and very similar to other predominately white nations formerly colonized by Britain. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Mexico had a large number of Natives, same as much of South America,and then the Spanish came in. Some Africans were brought in as slaves. So Mexico's racial mix and history are essentially the same as South America. Throughout Latin America, you have a significant percentage of the population that doesn't necessarily identify as white, or black, or native and Mexico is no different.
You're failing to see the big picture here. People outside the US do not identify with the labels Americans use.
Latin Americans often despise the terms hispanic/latinos because of three huge reasons:
1. They are American terms, not universal terms and Latin Americans already have their own cultural identities defined, no need for the US to come and tell them what they need to call themselves!
2. The term is extremely Mexican-American centric. Notice how during the so called Hispanic heritage month in the US the celebrations pretty much focus on Mexican food, Mexican-American celebrities, Mariachi music. If you're not Mexican, it is very hard to really relate to it!
3. Latin America is VERY DIVERSE, with huge cultural differences between countries and communities. While US hispanic/Latino culture is pretty much a recollection of stereotypes, and US hispanics sort of dwell on these stereotypes to feel "Latino". Just watch youtube! Stupid videos made by US born hispanics about top ten things you do if you're latino!
As if Latin Americans all acted the same way or liked the same things!!!
As if a German born in Paraguay was gonna have much in common with a Mexican American.
As if a black Colombian was gonna like the foods, things, Texan hispanics value sort of tex-mex food, ranchero music etc.
You're failing to see the big picture here. People outside the US do not identify with the labels Americans use.
Latin Americans often despise the terms hispanic/latinos because of three huge reasons:
1. They are American terms, not universal terms and Latin Americans already have their own cultural identities defined, no need for the US to come and tell them what they need to call themselves!
2. The term is extremely Mexican-American centric. Notice how during the so called Hispanic heritage month in the US the celebrations pretty much focus on Mexican food, Mexican-American celebrities, Mariachi music. If you're not Mexican, it is very hard to really relate to it!
3. Latin America is VERY DIVERSE, with huge cultural differences between countries and communities. While US hispanic/Latino culture is pretty much a recollection of stereotypes, and US hispanics sort of dwell on these stereotypes to feel "Latino". Just watch youtube! Stupid videos made by US born hispanics about top ten things you do if you're latino!
As if Latin Americans all acted the same way or liked the same things!!!
As if a German born in Paraguay was gonna have much in common with a Mexican American.
As if a black Colombian was gonna like the foods, things, Texan hispanics value sort of tex-mex food, ranchero music etc.
You're failing to see the big picture. Going from nation to nation in Latin America is nowhere near the difference of say going from Puerto Rico to South America, or from the DR to China. There are major cultural similarities across the region, despite how some people on this forum think. There are linguistic and cultural ties as well. I saw Mexican and Colombian telenovelas while in the Dominican Republic. Art, media, and music flow between nations because they speak the same language.
German born in Paraguay? Big deal, Germans are born all over Latin America. You have Germans born in Mexico. I've met one.
And apparently you know nothing about US Latino culture. Mexicans are a comparatively new presence in the Northeast, which was mostly Puerto Rican and Dominican. Florida was mostly Cuban (Mexicans are a new presence there). These days many Puerto Ricans move to FL and Texas. Certain parts of NY have lots of South America immigrants. LA these days gets a lot of people from Central America, and Puerto Ricans and Dominicans have somewhat dispersed and you'll find them in increasing numbers in California.
So nobody equates US Latino with Mexican. You're trolling.
There are Chinese people who speak Spanish. There are people from India who speak Spanish. But the majority of people in these nations do not speak Spanish. The majority of people in Trinidad do not speak Spanish.
Trinidad is not a Hispanic nation.
That's exactly what I stated. Trinidad is not a Hispanic nation, yet Trinis sing in Spanish every Christmas. It has been that way since the island was Spanish. Parang/parranda is Trini culture. You will find songs from Venezuela and Colombia, etc. sung there, as a number of us have roots in Venezuela.
So your assumptions about non-Hispanic nations are false. They are not a monolith.
The peecentage of Asian Indian Hispanics is extremely low in Hispanic nations and those who are often have ties to Caribbean/West Indian nations.
Everyone knows there are Chinese people who speak Spanish. Just like there are Chinese who speak English, French or German.
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