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Ok, this is a question not only for Latinos but for everyone who still have parents in the U.S. who were born in other countries. How do Americans native people who were born from parents from other countries (parents that live in the U.S.) deal with those parents who stubbornly keep their culture?
Some families for every type of reasons (cultural, age, personality etc.) never/barely embraced the American way and just keep their culture. So it calls the attention that sons from these families are kind of divided in two. You have them acting as Latino (in the case of Latinos not sure about others) when in family but then speaking English and doing the American way when in jobs or other different circumstances far from family. So it's like seeing two type of person. I've spoken with some of them and some feel proudly Cubans (in the case of Cubans) even when they weren't born there, while others just don't feel identified with the Latin culture and feel more American.
So I figure out in both cases how big would be the gap for those who don't feel so Latinos/Italian/Russian etc.. or don't feel so Americans in terms of cultural thing. What kind of issues you have to had to face when tried to decided what way to act? For example: In Latin culture is well seen sons still living with parents after 20-25's. In contrast, this type of behavior is considered as "loser" in other states. Another example would be like Latinos normally like to call in without announcing or calling you before but this is not well seen in American culture. I know for sure that Latin culture has VERY strong influence on kids so it is not that easy to get rid of them. But, how difficult has been for you? and, has it changed when moved to another state for example? Do you act more American or more on your native parents culture way when you go out with parents?
Leave your thoughts.
Last edited by angelscorpio; 11-24-2014 at 09:51 AM..
My father is an immigrant (well, that whole side of my family, basically) from Portugal.
I have an "American" mother/side of the family though, so I personally was always caught in two worlds for holidays, traditions, etc. However, I identify first as American, especially as my father did not aggressively enforce his culture in our household. My cousins with two Portuguese parents had more cultural immersion. Even then, though, I think the majority of us in our family identify heavily with being American.
I think as a family as a whole though we have been lucky in that we were taught to respect the old culture, have pride in roots, traditions, food, etc. (finally found a good restaurant around here that serves food the way grandma used to make it!)
The differences are very obvious whenever you travel to the "old country"... they know you're Americanized, even if you can't see it. After a couple of generations, there's very little left of that old identification, except superficialities.
Hispanic American (wise) encompasses a whole sub-continent that shares similar traditions, the same language and a historical and ancestral background from Spain, sub-sahara and the natives of the Americas.
Under this group we have other sub-divisions such as Cuban-Americans, Mexican-American, Colombian and so forth, but all at the end are America in itself, this is what makes America what it is today. Choosing to keep their native cultures strongly, doesn't make them less American then you and me.
Ok, this is a question not only for Latinos but for everyone who still have parents in the U.S. who were born in other countries. How do Americans native people who were born from parents from other countries (parents that live in the U.S.) deal with those parents who stubbornly keep their culture?
Some families for every type of reasons (cultural, age, personality etc.) never/barely embraced the American way and just keep their culture. So it calls the attention that sons from these families are kind of divided in two. You have them acting as Latino (in the case of Latinos not sure about others) when in family but then speaking English and doing the American way when in jobs or other different circumstances far from family. So it's like seeing two type of person. I've spoken with some of them and some feel proudly Cubans (in the case of Cubans) even when they weren't born there, while others just don't feel identified with the Latin culture and feel more American.
So I figure out in both cases how big would be the gap for those who don't feel so Latinos/Italian/Russian etc.. or don't feel so Americans in terms of cultural thing. What kind of issues you have to had to face when tried to decided what way to act? For example: In Latin culture is well seen sons still living with parents after 20-25's. In contrast, this type of behavior is considered as "loser" in other states. Another example would be like Latinos normally like to call in without announcing or calling you before but this is not well seen in American culture. I know for sure that Latin culture has VERY strong influence on kids so it is not that easy to get rid of them. But, how difficult has been for you? and, has it changed when moved to another state for example? Do you act more American or more on your native parents culture way when you go out with parents?
Leave your thoughts.
I'm an immigrant myself. I came here when I was 10 from Cuba; now I'm 24. The cultural gap is pretty wide between my parents and I. However, I don't think its that different from the boomer and millennial culture that white Americans have between generations. Sure, my parents speak a different first language than I do, but overall we can still communicate.
My parents and I are Americans, but at the same time I feel that we cannot be completely assimilated. We've gone up north and in white people's eyes, we will always be foreigners/immigrants.
And how do you define the "American way?"
As for the whole kids living their homes at 18;it's a recent invention. The recession changed the way native born Americans perceive inter-generational cohabitating back to before WW2. It's pretty evident when you have all of the big house construction companies pushing for an independent living space inside new houses.
Ok, this is a question not only for Latinos but for everyone who still have parents in the U.S. who were born in other countries. How do Americans native people who were born from parents from other countries (parents that live in the U.S.) deal with those parents who stubbornly keep their culture?
Some families for every type of reasons (cultural, age, personality etc.) never/barely embraced the American way and just keep their culture. So it calls the attention that sons from these families are kind of divided in two. You have them acting as Latino (in the case of Latinos not sure about others) when in family but then speaking English and doing the American way when in jobs or other different circumstances far from family. So it's like seeing two type of person. I've spoken with some of them and some feel proudly Cubans (in the case of Cubans) even when they weren't born there, while others just don't feel identified with the Latin culture and feel more American.
So I figure out in both cases how big would be the gap for those who don't feel so Latinos/Italian/Russian etc.. or don't feel so Americans in terms of cultural thing. What kind of issues you have to had to face when tried to decided what way to act? For example: In Latin culture is well seen sons still living with parents after 20-25's. In contrast, this type of behavior is considered as "loser" in other states. Another example would be like Latinos normally like to call in without announcing or calling you before but this is not well seen in American culture. I know for sure that Latin culture has VERY strong influence on kids so it is not that easy to get rid of them. But, how difficult has been for you? and, has it changed when moved to another state for example? Do you act more American or more on your native parents culture way when you go out with parents?
Leave your thoughts.
Italians, Germans, Spanish, Russians, Mexicans, Israeli Jews, all immigrants require 2 generations to assimilate.
Florida is a latino state, it was founded by Spanish and historically populated by people of latino ancestries. Miami is similar to Puerto Rico, both are Latino regions of the USA.
The AngloSaxon American culture is not really similar to that of Germany or England, the same way the Latin American culture is not exactly similar to that of Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
The only thing that Latin Americans have to adapt to is the fact that Christmas are called Holidays here due to the Israeli Jews feelings. In Latin America, Christmas is called simply Christmas, Latin American are religiously more European compared to all the middle eastern and Asian holidays there are in the USA.
Imaging if the USA had walkable cities, the avenues and squares would be a rainbow of colors, ancestries, and cultures.
A little bit of adaptation also takes place with sports, specially with Football, in Latin America football is a sport played with feet and actual balls (Spheres), in the usa football refers to a sport played with hands and a non-spherical object that is a 3d vesica piscis.
Latin American cities follow the European model. Cities built for people to walk, drive, and commute by subway or buses. Cities in the USA are designed for cars and you need a car even to go to a bakery/grocery store.
Latin Americans and Europeans are more sexually active, and have healthier bodies. Obesity here is rampant. This due to U.S. non-walkable cities where the average U.S. citizen never experiences the level of social interaction that Europeans and Latin Americans have on a daily basis. That is why match.com, Facebook, and all those internet non-physical social interaction websites were invented in the USA. People here could commute to work and then back to home without interacting with people other than their co-workers.
If you compare the level of sexual activity of an average cuban and a u.s. citizen the difference is too big. Cubans are wayyy more sexually active than U.S. Americans are. Latin Americans party, get together, socialize on a weekly basis.
Last edited by MiamiResident; 11-25-2014 at 06:52 PM..
Italians, Germans, Spanish, Russians, Mexicans, Israeli Jews, all immigrants require 2 generations to assimilate.
Florida is a latino state, it was founded by Spanish and historically populated by people of latino ancestries. Miami is similar to Puerto Rico, both are Latino regions of the USA.
The AngloSaxon American culture is not really similar to that of Germany or England, the same way the Latin American culture is not exactly similar to that of Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
The only thing that Latin Americans have to adapt to is the fact that Christmas are called Holidays here due to the Israeli Jews feelings. In Latin America, Christmas is called simply Christmas, Latin American are religiously more European compared to all the middle eastern and Asian holidays there are in the USA.
Imaging if the USA had walkable cities, the avenues and squares would be a rainbow of colors, ancestries, and cultures.
A little bit of adaptation also takes place with sports, specially with Football, in Latin America football is a sport played with feet and actual balls (Spheres), in the usa football refers to a sport played with hands and a non-spherical object that is a 3d vesica piscis.
Latin American cities follow the European model. Cities built for people to walk, drive, and commute by subway or buses. Cities in the USA are designed for cars and you need a car even to go to a bakery/grocery store.
Latin Americans and Europeans are more sexually active, and have healthier bodies. Obesity here is rampant. This due to U.S. non-walkable cities where the average U.S. citizen never experiences the level of social interaction that Europeans and Latin Americans have on a daily basis. That is why match.com, Facebook, and all those internet non-physical social interaction websites were invented in the USA. People here could commute to work and then back to home without interacting with people other than their co-workers. (so true)
If you compare the level of sexual activity of an average cuban and a u.s. citizen the difference is too big. Cubans are wayyy more sexually active than U.S. Americans are. Latin Americans party, get together, socialize on a weekly basis.
yes yes and yes to everything....
I miss my ppl I feel like in a virtual world...
Hey and I would add that people in America are incredibly and stupidly paranoid about security. So ridiculous. They have erected walls around them to a disturbing level of darkness. And yes, you'll feel safe but also will lose the good things life has to offer you. Being independent is seen as a "value". That only brings selfishness and kill every type of social interaction. We all are humans and need to nurture each other. just saying..
Hey and I would add that people in America are incredibly and stupidly paranoid about security. So ridiculous. They have erected walls around them to a disturbing level of darkness. And yes, you'll feel safe but also will lose the good things life has to offer you. Being independent is seen as a "value". That only brings selfishness and kill every type of social interaction. We all are humans and need to nurture each other. just saying..
I agree with you 100% on this, its something that I don't really associate with given my parents background. The need for gated subdivisions, security guards, neighborhood watches, patrol/surveillance, guns, alarms and all that- it feels like some people believe they're living in a warzone. I think Doral is beautiful sometimes because its really clean and trimmed, lush and new - BUT it feels like there is no sense of community, no commingling. Everyone is driving to the strip malls and barricading themselves in their mcmansions, gated subdivision fortresses. Personally, its something that I can't deal with regarding most American cities/suburbs.
Also, I wanted to add that with regards to social interaction, one thing that I found is a big cultural gap between immigrants/their children and others in the US (for the most part and mostly hispanic here in miami from what I know) is the way people physically interact with each other. I can be very physically comfortable with latinos here in Miami, I hug people, give them kisses on the cheek and I can be physically close to them without them acting weird about it. You always have some people, even hispanics, who don't like that - But it pales in comparison to the some of the anglos that I know who act SO AWKARD when i get close to them. They even feel threatened by a hug (Especially men), and when we sit on couches - there has to be a space between us so that we don't touch (and if you do touch its that awkwardness after). Perhaps its just something i've noticed, but visiting family/friends in Spain (or here), Im always able to be so much more relaxed and comfortable than when I encounter other people from around the US.
I agree with you 100% on this, its something that I don't really associate with given my parents background. The need for gated subdivisions, security guards, neighborhood watches, patrol/surveillance, guns, alarms and all that- it feels like some people believe they're living in a warzone. I think Doral is beautiful sometimes because its really clean and trimmed, lush and new - BUT it feels like there is no sense of community, no commingling. Everyone is driving to the strip malls and barricading themselves in their mcmansions, gated subdivision fortresses. Personally, its something that I can't deal with regarding most American cities/suburbs.
I think Doral is bad example of a typical American suburb. It's my understanding that Doral has a high percentage of foreign born residents from Latin America. It's also my understanding that the affluent neighborhoods in Latin American cities wall them selves off from the rest of the city due to the high crime and class divide in those cities. What you see in Doral is probably influenced by the large number of Venezuelans and other Latin Americans who come from high crime cities.
In the older Miami neighborhoods where you see more Americans and Europeans mixed in, you see fewer gated communities. Large subdivisions are common in the suburbs of U.S. cities but they are rarely gated. They have a cookie cutter appearance which isn't nice but they generally have a nice sense of community.
Those "cookie cutter" American houses that the neighbours's dog can come and **** in your property is just revolting. So yes, walled houses will be the future, what do you want to have a garden for everybody enjoyment?
Good for Americans, but I don't think that that model will survive in Miami.
Except for the language I think most people assimilate. In reality, the cultures are not that different since the US has been selling its lifestyle through Hollywood for many decades.
The other say I saw that some retailers were holding "black Friday" sales in Spain. Could things get more absurd?
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Wow..
(so true)
I feel like in a virtual world...
