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We are a people (Latinos) who have a very strong culture and is hard for us to try to assimilate to other cultures. And "La Raza" is referring to "The Race". Amerindian and Spanish.
I don't know if you intended it this way, ProLogic, but this statement sure doesn't seem to give much hope for any kind of multiculturalism in America's future. If Latinos find it hard to assimilate to any other culture, (because they're a "strong" culture), then it seems like the only immigrants we should seek are those with a WEAK culture. If we have two, three, or 12 "strong" cultures, all competing with, and annoying, and working at cross-purposes against each other, that doesn't sound to me like a very happy future.....it sounds like the (former) Soviet Union---and look what happened to THEM...
I don't know if you intended it this way, ProLogic, but this statement sure doesn't seem to give much hope for any kind of multiculturalism in America's future. If Latinos find it hard to assimilate to any other culture, (because they're a "strong" culture), then it seems like the only immigrants we should seek are those with a WEAK culture. If we have two, three, or 12 "strong" cultures, all competing with, and annoying, and working at cross-purposes against each other, that doesn't sound to me like a very happy future.....it sounds like the (former) Soviet Union---and look what happened to THEM...
I'm not saying its impossible-- I know a lot of people from Mexican decent who have totally ignored their Mexican culture (besides the drinking of course). I'm just saying it will take a generation or two to change their ways of rationalizing and acting. Still even Mexican culture is very popular among American consumers. Ever seen those rap videos with their.. "PATRON IN MY CUPP!!".
We are a people (Latinos) who have a very strong culture and is hard for us to try to assimilate to other cultures. And "La Raza" is referring to "The Race". Amerindian and Spanish. I don't think Latin Americans from other countries refer to themselves as La Raza-- It's just a Mexican thing. Who knows.. Jorge in the taqueria and Cameron Diaz could trace their blood lines back to Spain and you could be surprised.
No. Not all "Latinos" have a hard time assimilating to other cultures, and that's the problem. You must not know any other "kinds" of Latinos besides "Mexicans."
And really, outside of Central America, "La Raza" combos (Amerindian and white Spanish) aren't found in the quantities found in Central America. Especially in South America, where majorities are European decent (which may be why racist Latin culture tendancies are pronounced amongst South Americans who often look down on "Chicanos" - and why I laugh when Aztlaners think that "Hispanic" America will support their vision of a third world Southwestern US).
Go back far enough and Spain and Portugal were one entity. Yet Brazilians aren't "Hispanics," and neither are people from Portugal. Face it, this group that you identify with is a made up, artificial group that outside of the United States really has no common bond besides Catholicism and Spanish language (and even then, some types of Latin American Spanish are just garbage compared to Castillian!)
Do people in Colombia refer to themselves as "Hispanic"? Chile? Dominican Republic?
No. Not all "Latinos" have a hard time assimilating to other cultures, and that's the problem. You must not know any other "kinds" of Latinos besides "Mexicans."
And really, outside of Central America, "La Raza" combos (Amerindian and white Spanish) aren't found in the quantities found in Central America. Especially in South America, where majorities are European decent (which may be why South Americans look down on "Chicanos").
That seems to be like that is your opinion.
Go back far enough and Spain and Portugal were one entity. Yet Brazilians aren't "Hispanics." Face it, this group that you identify with is a made up, artificial group that outside of the United States really has no common bond besides Catholicism and Spanish language (and even then, some types of Latin American Spanish are just garbage compared to Castillian!)
And if this group is made up why does the Government use it?
And if this group is made up why does the Government use it?
Hahahaha, you should do some independent research on that. It will be enlightening for you. It came into popular usage in the United States in the 1970s, and today, it's often misused and misapplied.
Wikipedia on the term "Hispanic" is informative on the etymology of the term:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipedia
In the modern times, the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking peoples of the New World have also adopted other cultural labels to identify themselves. The most important of these labels is the term Latino, which stems from a contraction of latinoamericano (Latin American)[4]. But the term Latino already has a meaning in Spanish, which is, literally, Latin[5], and it is used to refer to all the Latin peoples, both from Europe and the Americas. Therefore, using Latino as a contraction of latinoamericano results in a corruption of the Spanish word of the same name. Indeed, many of the people to whom the term Latino originally applied would no longer be identified as such under its present usage.
The corruption of the terms Hispanic and Latino has been especially apparent in the United States of America. In the latter parts of the 20th century, both terms went from being used as a cultural label of various cultures to being misused as a racial label that describe mixed-race people, further confusing the meanings of the terms. The corruption of these terms has the effect of racially grouping together the white population of Spain and Portugal with the large non white Castilian speaking populations of Latin America, which is predominantly Amerindian.
In addition, cultural and linguistic issues related to Spaniards and Portuguese are often confused with those of Mexicans or other Latin American people. While some are conscious of this issue, many of the people to whom the labels Latino or Hispanic are applied are not aware of it. As such, they often help perpetuate further misuse of these terms as racial labels instead of cultural ones, to the point that today the term is excluding the Hispanics to whom the labels originally applied.
Especially in South America, where majorities are European decent (which may be why South Americans look down on "Chicanos").
That seems to be like that is your opinion.
No, it's a personal observation and life experience insight. If you're allowed to use your perspective of what you "see" and "experience" in a heavily-Mexican populated area, I'm allowed to use my perspective living amongst throngs of Cubans, Venezuelans and other assorted white Hispanics in a place with some REAL Hispanic diversity besides, "Central American" (which we have quite a lot of too).
There's a racial hierarchy prevalent in Latin America, and you simply cannot deny it. Why is Vicente Fox white as any German, yet Mexico itself majority Mestizo? How come if I watched Univision or Telemundo on mute I'd think I was watching Irish TV? (except Sabado Gigante, of course).
So? Why are you not getting this? I could swear I've had this same argument about 20 times on this board.
It's a MADE UP TERM that at its core means NOTHING. If I moved to Uruguay as an American white of various Western European lineage and had a kid with a white immigrant from Australia, my kids would be labeled as "Hispanic" in America. Nobody ever claimed American laws and classifications made sense.
Do you think the census departments of individual Latin American countries have "Hispanic" on their forms?
So? Why are you not getting this? I could swear I've had this same argument about 20 times on this board.
It's a MADE UP TERM that at its core means NOTHING. If I moved to Uruguay as an American white of various Western European lineage and had a kid with a white immigrant from Australia, my kids would be labeled as "Hispanic" in America. Nobody ever claimed American laws and classifications made sense.
Do you think the census departments of individual Latin American countries have "Hispanic" on their forms?
I'm pretty sure its only a term used to describe people from Spanish speaking backgrounds in the U.S. THERES A FREAKING 'HISPANIC MAGAZINE'. I GET IT EVERY MONTH. Even Spanish channels use the term 'Hispano' which is the Spanish version of Hispanic.
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