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"Hispanic" is a term made up by Nixon who was worried about growing black political power. It's a political term more than anything else. Spanish language ability does not determine your race. Any race (white, black, Native American, mixed) has the capacity to be from Latin America and speak Spanish. Due to the fact that Mexican descended people make up 70% of the Latino population in the US, it's pretty safe to say that "Hispanic/Latino" will pretty much just mean Mexican ultimately.
More good links about the idiocy of the term "Hispanic" The Hispanic Myth Home Page
"Amid the African American civil rights struggle of the 1960s, many of these groups joined hands to demand voting rights, bilingual education and social services. Here they received a big assist from an unlikely source: Richard Nixon. Eager to bring Mexicans and other Latino immigrants into the Republican fold, Nixon also saw them as a potential bulwark against black political aspirations.
"All Spanish-speaking Americans share certain characteristics -- a strong family structure, deep ties to the church, which makes them open to an appeal from us," wrote one GOP campaign strategist on the eve of Nixon's 1972 presidential reelection bid. "The Democratic Party is under suspicion for favoring politically potent blacks at the expense of the needs of Spanish-speaking people."
So Nixon threw his weight behind bilingual education, which has since become a bete noire for the GOP. He also ordered the Census Bureau to add a query on its 1970 form asking whether respondents were "Hispanic," hoping to further solidify this new voting bloc.
Census Bureau officials balked, noting -- correctly -- that the term lacked scientific and historical precision. They also worried that respondents wouldn't recognize it. So the most commonly used census form in 1970 asked respondents if they were of "Spanish" origin, not whether they were Hispanic." Judge Sotomayor, a mythic 'Hispanic' - Los Angeles Times
Because it's easy to do so and they feel they have their own distinct culture which does not fit mainstream America I'm assuming? I think people already are aware of the stuff you listed. It doesn't take a genius to realize it.
Not in the U.S.A. I am tired of the ignorance.
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Originally Posted by eek
honestly, i think that the majority of americans are ignorant to the above.
I strongly agree with you.
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Originally Posted by missRoxyhart
If you mean officially, they don't. Hispanics are considered an ethnicity by the government not a race, the only officially recognized ethnicity I think, but anyway, you can be Black or White and still be Hispanic.
Arabs and people of Middle Eastern and North African descent are actually considered White by government categorization.
And Jews are considered a religious group, but maybe an ethnicity too, I could see an argument for that but I don't think they're counted that way.
Unofficially, who knows the whole answer, but I'd say it's mostly due to culture and color.
I'd say our whole concept is wrong anyway, sure it's easy to classify as Black, White, Asian, or whatever, but then we screw it up by adding in smaller of more precise groups. It should be the same rules for everyone, or find a new type system. Hispanic includes so many different peoples, so does Arabs, but it's still more precise than Black and White, but why do some groups get more precision than others? I honestly don't like being called White, it groups tons of different people together that aren't at all the same, same with Blacks. I'd take Slavic as an ethnicity, which in my opinion it is, or Polish or Western Slav cause it's even more precise, but whatever, I don't get insulted being called White, what can I do? I do insulted being called Anglo though, you don't hear that much on the East Coast, but when I encountered it I was pretty damn insulted, that's like calling all Spanish speaking people Spanish or Mexican, or like calling all Asians Chinese.
But anyway, it's obviously really complex and I doubt you'll get any satisfying answers. I'd say the overall reason for our classifications are based on historic and cultural attitudes and values. You're not really gonna get more than that.
True, the concept of race should be abolished period. It has no biological backing as it stands under U.S. classifications.
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Originally Posted by dollaztx
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity. If you are a white hispanic from say Argentina it is fairly easy for you to classify yourself on the census. You would check white under race and Hispanic under ethnicity. It is also easy if you are a black hispanic. The problem arises when you are either amerindian, mestizo (half white, half amerindian), or just any part amerindian. This is due to the fact that Native American is the closest thing to amerindian but this term only refers to amerindian from the US. All other Amerindians aren't an option which is a huge mistake. Most hispanics are of some amerindian percent so because of this problem they just say they are hispanic or latino but it is not a race.
Again the complexity of the issue is another reason why the U.S. Definitions should be abolished.
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Originally Posted by Thomas R.
The idea there even is "races" is disputed in anthropology. Although there does seem to be genetic varieties among humans. If we deem those races than I would say that Semites, Arabs and most Jews collectively, are actually "a race." Or at least I seem to recall Semites share certain genetic markers. Of course that could lead to another question.
Why do Americans consider East Africans and West Africans to be of the same race? From what I can tell their haplogroups tend to be different and in appearance there are differences in factors like "lankiness" and head shape. For example Obama's father was of a Nilotic people, but African-Americans are primarily of Niger-Congo ancestry. Putting aside his white mom Obama is therefore of a "different race" even as an "African American" if race is about haplogroup. (I wanted to use a less political example, but I had trouble thinking of a good alternate Nilotic-American)
Although back to the main issue even if Semitic could count as a race, Latino/Hispanic wouldn't be a "race" because it's people of many ancestries and haplogroups. I think even the census counts it as an ethnicity and allows that Hispanic/Latinos can be of any race. Although I think most are "mixed race."
Abolished the terms, educate he masses.
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Originally Posted by Mike Peterson
Where do you see, hear people referring to the Arab race, the Jewish race, Hispanic race?
Some may refer to others by the terms Arab, Jewish, Hispanic "people", which there are those groups of people.
And then you can't have the sense to be a little more specific with your thread but would rather group all Americans in that group you are saying refers to them that way.
"Why do Americans still feel these are races in 2010?"
Being those that have applied for citizenship and gotten it or have lived here all their lives would be considered American then you must think that Arabs, Hispanics and Jewish people that are American citizens are doing this also.
I hear it all the time in different parts of thr U.S. Statements such as, "your not white/Black/Asain/ect, your Latino/Middle Eastern/Jewish."
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Originally Posted by ABQConvict
I contest that 'Arabs' describe anyone who speaks Arabic just as I contest that 'White' describes anyone who speaks a European language.
Arabs (Saudis, U.A.E., Iraqis, Kuwaitis, Palestinians) are Arabic.
Moroccans, Algerians, and Libyans are not Arabic. They are Berbers and other assorted peoples.
Most north Africans appear multiracial under the U.S. Definition and are often clumped with those from the Middle East.
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Originally Posted by Thomas R.
"Who is an Arab?" is a pretty controversial question in that part of the world. I think the Arab League said that you're Arab if you "share our culture, share our language, and consider yourself part of us" or some such. So Arab-speaking Sudanese are "Arabs" by some definitions even though ethnically they're largely Black/Nilo-Saharan.
Same response as above.
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Originally Posted by 10013
Who cares what Hispanics are on government forms, as if it has any relevance on their day-to-day life? Hispanics aren't seen as white people in the real world. Period. It's just the way it is. They look different from what we classify as "white", have a completely different culture than typical "white culture". We can sit here and argue for hours, but nothing will change that fact.
And while we're at it, why are blacks and Asians (or white) classified as races? It has been proven over and over again that biologically, there is no such thing as race.
Read what I wrote again and why I find the term to be negative. Also there is no Hispanic look, as they can be of any race. The cultures are all also very unique to one another.
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Originally Posted by hideandseekforever
"Hispanic" is a term made up by Nixon who was worried about growing black political power. It's a political term more than anything else. Spanish language ability does not determine your race. Any race (white, black, Native American, mixed) has the capacity to be from Latin America and speak Spanish. Due to the fact that Mexican descended people make up 70% of the Latino population in the US, it's pretty safe to say that "Hispanic/Latino" will pretty much just mean Mexican ultimately.
More good links about the idiocy of the term "Hispanic" The Hispanic Myth Home Page
"Amid the African American civil rights struggle of the 1960s, many of these groups joined hands to demand voting rights, bilingual education and social services. Here they received a big assist from an unlikely source: Richard Nixon. Eager to bring Mexicans and other Latino immigrants into the Republican fold, Nixon also saw them as a potential bulwark against black political aspirations.
"[i]All Spanish-speaking Americans share certain characteristics -- a strong family structure, deep ties to the church, which makes them open to an appeal from us," wrote one GOP campaign strategist on the eve of Nixon's 1972 presidential reelection bid. "The Democratic Party is under suspicion for favoring politically potent blacks at the expense of the needs of Spanish-speaking people."
So Nixon threw his weight behind bilingual education, which has since become a bete noire for the GOP. He also ordered the Census Bureau to add a query on its 1970 form asking whether respondents were "Hispanic," hoping to further solidify this new voting bloc.
This "made up" term has basically defined a people, in many negative ways people fail to realize.
Last edited by nykeroutoftown; 10-17-2010 at 03:08 AM..
Great link btw hidenseek. Nails my opinion head on. In the U.S. we even have medical studies being conducted lableing Hispanic/Latino as a race. Unbelievable.
For the most part, Jews and Arabs are Caucasian. Some people think Caucasion means fair skinned. There are many tan white people. Think:Italians, Greeks, Portugese... Race is surprisinly not about the color of your skin as many believe.
The term 'race' semantically can mean a lot of things I guess. Arabs, Jews, and Hispanics are not races in terms of having one color or general look, but they do have a common root culture, Arabs in Arabia, Jews in Israel and the ancient Hebrew culture, and Hispanics in Spain.
The problem with the term 'race' is that it was used for millenia to refer to ethnic cultures. Even as late as the early 20th century people spoke and wrote of the 'English' race, the 'German' race, the 'Japanese' race.
Then in the era of African chattel slavery in the New World, the nascent scheme of biological races was conceived to lump cultural categories by observable biological traits, mainly skin color, so that various European 'races' like the English and the Dutch were defined as 'White' while the diverse tribal cultures of Africa were lumped together under the pseudo-biological label of 'Black' (or Negro).
It was only advances in biological and anthropological thought that encouraged this misconceived idea that genetics was cut-and-dried between the so called 'biological' races. The U.S. just went one step further and mixed up the two formulas: cultural, such as the term 'Hispanic' describes, and biological, such as the words 'White' and 'Black' (supposedly) describe.
Race should be abolished period. The American system/idea especially is so inaccurate. Here is something I posted in another thread on this site with a few more added:
Quote:
Here is a list of some more multiracial celebrities you may have always thought were just White or Black:
Seen as White in the American public eye:
-Nicole Richie (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Carmen Diaz (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Johnny Damon [NY Yankees] (Asian/White)
-Kim Basinger (White/Indigenous)
-Cher (White/Indigenous)
-Carmen Electra (White/Indigenous)
-Shannon Elizabeth (White/Indigenous, possible/most likely Black down the lineage due to Middle Eastern [Lebanon/Syria] decent)
-Brett Favre (White/Indigenous)
-Christina Aguilera (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Jessica Alba (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Colby O'Donis (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Fergie (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Vanessa Anne Hudgens (White/Indigenous/Black/Asian)
-Soledad O’Brien (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Keanu Reeves (White/Indigenous)
-Raquel Welch (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Freddie Prinze JR. (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Jamie-Lynne Sigler (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Paula Abdul (White/Black)
-Selena Gomez (White/Black/Indigenous)
-Michelle Branch (White/Asian)
-Catherine Bell (White/Black)
-Lindsay Price (White/Asian)
-Frankie Muniz (White/Black/Indigenous)
Race should be abolished period. The American system/idea especially is so inaccurate. Here is something I posted in another thread on this site with a few more added:
Shakira is a Columbian women of Spanish, Lebanese, and Italian decent. The likely hood of her having Black ancestry is pretty much a guarantee through her Lebanese background especially. The Middle East is a highly multiracial society despite what their oppressive, racist governments want them to believe. An area who's ancient civilizations extended into Africa. Europe had a lot of mixing as well during the periods many Ancient civilizations took control of modern day countries such as Italy and Spain. The Roman Empire alone spanned three continents.
Moderator cut: image removed BTW, this is a picture of Shakira in her natural Black hair color.
Moderator cut: image removed
Resembles stereotypical (insert model here) from any Latin American country, southern Europe or even the Middle East/North Africa.
Shakira is a Columbian women of Spanish, Lebanese, and Italian decent. The likely hood of her having Black ancestry is pretty much a guarantee through her Lebanese background especially. The Middle East is a highly multiracial society despite what their oppressive, racist governments want them to believe. An area who's ancient civilizations extended into Africa. Europe had a lot of mixing as well during the periods many Ancient civilizations took control of modern day countries such as Italy and Spain. The Roman Empire alone spanned three continents.
BTW, this is a picture of Shakira in her natural Black hair color.
Resembles stereotypical (insert model here) from any Latin American country, southern Europe or even the Middle East/North Africa.
So you started a thread complaining about why some people label others as certain races but you feel you can "pretty much guarantee" that she has black ancestry.
Brilliant.
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