Fox News
I hear so many Latinos complain about us being slapped left and right with the Latino label. I personally don’t mind. We’re all aware of how Latinos were, until recently, the fastest growing minority in the country, how we have the greatest purchasing power of any ethnic group, and how some speculate we might even become the majority in the not-so-distant future. That’s worth taking note of, and they have. Who are “they”? The government, the media, and all the other inhabitants of the great U.S. of A.
And when this happens, who we are, what we think, and what we prefer becomes important. They want to figure out what makes us tick so they know what it takes to make us go out and vote or spend money. And for these purposes, they define all of us as Latinos. Does it offend you that we’re all grouped together? It doesn’t bother me at all. When I’m asked what I am, I say Puerto Rican, because I was born and raised there. But I also call myself a Latina. I’m proud to be part of the same group as my brothers and sisters from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, etc. After all, we share many of the same cultural characteristics, values and experiences.
As far as the argument that labeling us doesn’t allow us to integrate or blend into American society, I think assimilation takes time, and if you’re a dark immigrant, it takes even more time. Even blanquito Europeans who came through Ellis Island faced discrimination upon their arrival, but their whiteness probably helped subsequent generations be seen as simply “American” faster. Think about it. Bblacks in this country are still called African Americans, not just Americans. It is what it is. When you’re different, you stand out, and you have to put up with the good, the bad and the ugly.
The good in this case is that we are front and center right now, and despite the stereotypes and the discrimination (which all minorities have to contend with), they recognize our importance and they are trying to kiss our ass so we can help elect politicians, buy goods, and invest in the economy. And y’all better try to enjoy it while it lasts, because in case you hadn’t heard, Asians have surpassed us Latinos as the fastest growing minority. Pretty soon all we’re going to hear about is the Asian this and the Asian that. And, yes, they get grouped together too.
At the end of the day, I don’t care what I’m called. I am a Puerto Rican, a Latina, and an American. I am a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. But most importantly, I am a human being, just trying my best to live a productive life so I can feel that I have contributed to the society I live in and to the global community we all belong to.
By Taína Haiman, guest contributor
About Being Latino Contributors
i dont mind the latino lable i love it
I agree!!! I feel the same way!
I don’t mind at all
So many forget that no matter where you come from hablamos el mismo idioma…
I accept the Latino ‘label’ but I dislike when people call me Hispanic.
im proud to be cuban when ask me what am i i say im cuban of they make fun of me n discriminate me but i tell they shuld talk cuase america is mainly latin not to mention everyone born in usa is latino decendent
the thing i hate most is when they call out hey mexican weather you are mexican or not i belive we are proud and brave people and the richest in colture do you people agree?
yea and i just had a wonderful experience in a Indian reservation.,where i spoke aboiut the Tiano Indians to the american Indians.,we both been through the same issues.
I don’t mind it at all I am Mexican, and partly raised from my Puerto Rican stepdad…I love and am proud of being Latina
How about everyone calls themselves humans? And then all these racial issues go away…
Latino y orgulloso.
I’m happy to be Latino…i just wish there was more representation for Afro-Latinos… As of only the Dom. Republic has people of African Descent (people see the last name and immediately associate it for some odd reason with the Dom. even though I’m Afro-Cuban lol)
Im proud to be LATINA.. I love our traditions, food, music and values
I love being Latino and i hope i can become the true Latino.
The only time I get upset is when someone dresses up as the stereotypical Mexican….
Colombia all the way!..Muchos Besos para mi gente!
xoxo
Yo soy Latino…y pa que to los sepas!
que no me gusta es ser llamado es español. call me Hispanic, Latino or Puerto Rican i don’t care. but not Spanish we haven’t been part of Spain for some 200 years
I don’t mind at all we should be united we are the same race LATINO STAND UP!!!!
I’m Puerto Rican and get annoyed when other Latins/People don’t believe me. I can’t help it if they’re too estupid to not know the Lainos come in all shades and flavors.
Mexican,puerto rican,cuban,Colombia,dominican,perubian,argentinian,salvadorian,hondurian,chilenian,etc etc… There is no other people like us when we do some fiesta lol
I dont mind eather im puertorican and my wife is mexican
I’M PUERTO RICAN AND LATINO. THE ONLY HISPANIC I DON’T ASSOCIATE MYSELF WITH IS THE “SPANIARDS”. THEIR HISTORY WAS JUST TO BRUTAL FOR ME TO FORGIVE. OUTSIDE OF THAT, BUT I LOVE ALL MY LATINOS & LATINAS FROM SOUTH AMERICAN, CENTRAL AMERICA & MEXICO! QUE VIVA LA RAZA LATINO. BTW, THE PUERTO RICAN’S WERE THE ONLY GROUP TO EXTEND A HAND TO ALL LATINOS, STARTING IN THE 1950′s FOR A MEASLEY $2,000-$2,500. ASK YOUR ELDER, ELDERS ABOUT THAT NOT OFTEN SPOKEN ABOUT SECRET. A LOT OF INGRATES, NOWADAYS, WANT TO HATE ON US, BUT THAT’S ALL GOOD. THEY DON’T KNOW THE REAL LATINO HISTORY OF THE U.S.
My husband is Mestizo. I love Latino/Latina community.
While I identify with some common cultural aspects that many latino people share including how many of us think of family, and familial support, and many of us have collectivist cultures that believe in supporting each other. We also have a common colonial experience in which our ancestors underwent different forms of European domination.
And that’s the crux of what bothers me about that term. Not everybody who is Latino has indigenous heritage, but most do (If your skin is brown, you probably have some indigenous heritage) and that is erased when you choose to use a term that was historically used to legitimate the colonization of different indigenous people.
So, I use the term always with this caveat because we all have shared history and because I like to have solidarity with other people who have this history, including people of the Americas, the Islands and all over the world.
But I am immensely bothered by how many people with brown colored skin claim a strictly European heritage when that’s simply not true AND it’s ingrained self-racism that it happens so often. So, I’d rather be proud of my indigenous ancestry and not diminish it by focusing on the European aspects of my heritage in a world where most people have been taught to have shame for this heritage.
So, that’s the only problem that I have with the word Latino and the word hispanic. I also don’t like how people tend to think of Latino people as a lot more homogenous than we are. We are all kinds of different peoples with different cultures even if we also have shared similarities as well.
I personally don’t identify very much with the term Latino. As a Chicano who’s family has been in what is now the Southwest United States for over 400 years, I can’t claim any ancestry in “Latin America” in addition to having a unique set of problems that deal with alot more with the direct impact of imperialism and colonialism on our lands. However, we do get lumped in with the larger Latino community, and the issues that are unique to Chicanos of the southwest are often forgotten. This is not to say, however, that we don’t face similar issues like bilingual education, poverty, etc. I just don’t feel as though Latino is the proper term to identify myself and others who have faced similar historical situations.
Quisieron hacernos sentir como ‘cucarachas en un baile de gallinas’. Pero las ‘cucarachas’ crecieron tanto que ahora las gallinas les huyen.