Why is the reconquista movement taboo? (represent, controversial, Mexican, crime)

[msina]

It started because their Main language, Spanish, is a latin based language and because their countries were for a time under the Spanish flag. A lot of the indigenous languages were lost as more people spoke Spanish. It was a way of identifying themselves as a group, "Latin America". BTW there is a large Japanese population in Peru I do believe.

[Swordfish]

I think it's simply the luck of education. Also some idiot somewhere must have learned a little Spanish and started calling himself a Spaniard. I bet you it must have been some of the Spaniard’s indigenous interpreters in the conquered lands.

[macmeal]

Originally Posted by Swordfish

That doesn’t really answer my question of why the indigenous people are called Latinos or Latinas…

This type of labeling NEVER makes sense...that's why it sounds silly, because it IS silly..but it's a human trait to want to "label" others. This helps separate "us" from "them".

You may be confusing the term "Latino" with "Ladino", a term used in Guatemala for non-Indians.

But nevertheless, ALL attempts to label people eventually end up sounding silly and contradictory. Here in California, we may be the worst. In our University system, in admissions, we find that--

(1) An Italian-descended white from Argentina, a Black from Panama, an Indian from Bolivia, or a mestizo from Mexico are ALL "Hispanics"..but a person from Spain is NOT..He's a "white European"...

(2) An Italian-American isn't "Latino"--he's "white"

(3) A Mexican-American who speaks only English is "Hispanic"---but a Lithuanian-American with a degree in Spanish is an "Anglo"...

(4) A white born in Anchorage is not an "Alaska Native"---but an Aleut born in Seattle IS...

Labels are silly. Years ago I read of an elderly man here in LA who'd just graduated from High School at age 82. They ran an article on him. He was born in the Ukraine, (spoke Ukrainian), emigrated at age 17 with his brother to Argentina, where he'd married and raised a big family.(And, of course, became fluent in Spanish). At age 80, he'd come to California, and enrolled in an inner-city High School, about half black and half Hispanic. He was having difficulty learning English.
One student was quoted as noticing the "old Anglo dude" in the class....

EXCUSE ME? An old man ,born into the Ukrainian language, speaking Spanish most of his life, barely able to speak English...suddenly becomes an "Anglo"?
What exactly is an "anglo", anyway? (the newspaper, of course, never questioned the quote)..

Anyway, as I said, all attempt to assign labels eventually just look silly..

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Swordfish

That doesn’t really answer my question of why the indigenous people are called Latinos or Latinas…

There is no Hispanic race at all---------they run the gamut from Nordic White to Black.

We can blame the US government for coming up with the so-called 'Hispanic' label.

A 'Hispanic' is a person whose ancestors came from either Spain or Latin America------even if his/her name is David Johansen (yes, there is a real Mexican with that name).

Now; Belize is not Hispanic because it was a British colony till 1981 (British Honduras).

Miss Gibraltar

Despite many 'Gib's' having Hispanic names------Gibraltar being a British colony, everyone there would be 'Anglo' under US government guidelines.

[macmeal]

Originally Posted by msina

BTW there is a large Japanese population in Peru I do believe.

You are correct, there's a large Japanese presence in Peru-remember President Alberto Fujimori, a few years back?
There's a much larger Japanese population in Brazil--one of the largest in the world, in fact...

[ProLogic]

Originally Posted by msina

It started because their Main language, Spanish, is a latin based language and because their countries were for a time under the Spanish flag. A lot of the indigenous languages were lost as more people spoke Spanish. It was a way of identifying themselves as a group, "Latin America". BTW there is a large Japanese population in Peru I do believe.

That is correct. One of my moms good friends is from Peru and they have a large Japanese population. And from what I know they are well respected.

[Swordfish]

When I say uneducated I mean some People in the U.S. It is here that people generalize all Spanish speaking people from the Americas as Spanish. Yes, I think it is because of the Language. You won’t find people from the Americas referring people from the U.S. as English however.

[macmeal]

Originally Posted by Swordfish

I think it's simply the luck of education. Also some idiot somewhere must have learned a little Spanish and started calling himself a Spaniard. I bet you it must have been some of the Spaniard’s indigenous interpreters in the conquered lands.

Native Indians in Spanish colonies often took Spanish surnames. Most California "misson" Indians (like my wife) have Spanish surnames. Probably a combination of upward "social climbing" and efforts by the Catholic Church to "civilize" them.
Many Indians in N. California and farther North have "anglo" surnames....

[macmeal]

Originally Posted by Swordfish

When I say uneducated I mean some People in the U.S. It is here that people generalize all Spanish speaking people from the Americas as Spanish. Yes, I think it is because of the Language. You won’t find people from the Americas referring people from the U.S. as English however.

There's a bit of racism here, too. During the Civil Rights era of the 1960's many dark-skinned Spanish people in the states suddenly became "Mexican". They always HAD been, but it was now "socially acceptable" to say so...

[ProLogic]

Originally Posted by macmeal

There's a bit of racism here, too. During the Civil Rights era of the 1960's many dark-skinned Spanish people in the states suddenly became "Mexican". They always HAD been, but it was now "socially acceptable" to say so...

Although it has changed. A lot of Mexicans who have been here for 2 or 3 generations no longer consider themselves of Mexican decent. They are of European descent . Brings us back to Mexican racism based on color and social status.