The word "Hispanic"

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Speaking of words that we should get rid of in political discourse how about the word "hispanic"? A completely bureaucratic invention (even if many "Hispanics" now identity with it... which only shows the absurdity of national or supranational identity) which has no meaning in actual reality except to lump all those in the Americas living south of the Rio Grande into one nicely organized pile for Anglo-Americans. The US census even now counts it as a 'race' (! - Investigate the racial origins of say, Mexicans and Dominicans and it quickly becomes clear how absurd this is).

Based on this some racist in a newspaper here claimed "the white race is dying" thanks to the projected decline in 'whites' in the US (and Argentines and Chileans are?)

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Actually the Wikipedia article on "Hispanics" (not "hispanic" which is just Lolz) almost perfectly pins this down.

[ilikeverin]

Ridiculous, but, if Hispanics are affiliating with the term "Hispanic" or "Hispanic-American", then it is therefore useful.

[minionofmidas]

It doesn't define it as a race, it has a separate question on it underneath the race question. Main reason for that is that offering it as a race leads to an undercount of "Hispanics", as most undeniably white Hispanics won't define as such under these terms.

There's one problem with the Census Definition: it asks "is this person of Hispanic origins?" It doesn't ask, how much? That is to say, the question is defined so as to, theoretically, make almost every American a Hispanic in, say twenty generations or so without any further immigration.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Ridiculous, but, if Hispanics are affiliating with the term "Hispanic" or "Hispanic-American", then it is therefore useful.

Yes but that's because Anglo-Americans invented the word first as a conventient category. (How much does your Average American know about Guatlemala say, or even Mexico?)

Thanks for clearing that up Lewis, seems I was misinformed. Actually coming to think of it, how many American "Hispanics" (not just white ones) consider themselves "Hispanic" or "Latino" (an even dumber word)?

[specific_name]

Gully Foyle, you really are from Ireland right? If you are, you probably have no idea what you're talking about. Hispanic means something in the US, so that's all. It means something period.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

LOL@stupid Gully...again. Hispanic is a race on the Census...LOL!

[??????????]

Gully Foyle, you really are from Ireland right? If you are, you probably have no idea what you're talking about. Hispanic means something in the US, so that's all. It means something period.

It doesn't mean sh*t to me. They're white just like me, the way I see it.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Gully Foyle, you really are from Ireland right? If you are, you probably have no idea what you're talking about. Hispanic means something in the US, so that's all. It means something period.

It doesn't mean sh*t to me. They're white just like me, the way I see it.

     I could identify as Hispanic if I wanted to. I have a Spanish first name, as well as being 3/16 Spanish. In reality though, nobody would ever believe that I'm Hispanic.

[muon2]

Ridiculous, but, if Hispanics are affiliating with the term "Hispanic" or "Hispanic-American", then it is therefore useful.

Yes but that's because Anglo-Americans invented the word first as a conventient category. (How much does your Average American know about Guatlemala say, or even Mexico?)

Thanks for clearing that up Lewis, seems I was misinformed. Actually coming to think of it, how many American "Hispanics" (not just white ones) consider themselves "Hispanic" or "Latino" (an even dumber word)?

I live in a community that is about half Hispanic according to the Census. I find more of the people so labeled prefer Latino to Hispanic. Latino/Latina connotes more of a sense of community to those in that group.

[minionofmidas]

Some Mexican-Americans use "Hispanic" as an insult for a prissy middle class Mexican-American.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Some Mexican-Americans use "Hispanic" as an insult for a prissy middle class Mexican-American.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

For Hispanic Being a "race" on the census: I was merely going on something (a usually reliable) college lecture told me, so don't trust your teachers, kids. It involved a discussion around censuses (there needs to be a better plural - censae?)

My point here is that the word "Hispanic" was a word invented in the US to describe a significant percentage of the world's population, a percentage which has nothing* particularly in common except 1) they were all at one point part of the Spanish Empire and 2) a good proportion to huge majorities of their populations speak Spanish as their first language thanks to #1. A definition which is hugely arbitrary.. and then there is "latino" culture which references this distinction.

My Point isn't that the word means something in the US and because I'm from Ireland I know jacksh**t and etc, etc. I know that the word means something in the US but it is a stupid, random defintion invented by Anglo-Americans to define parts of the world where alot of immigrants come from and know little else so they were lumped in together as "hispanic". Then "Hispanics" in the US due to this defintion start defining themselves as "hispanics" (at least some do) and so an "hispanic" identity is created. Catch my drift?

* - yes, I know that nothing is a bit of exaggeration but if anything the nations of modern day Latin America are growing further apart from each other not closer together. The Pan-American dream is dead.

[minionofmidas]

For Hispanic Being a "race" on the census: I was merely going on something (a usually reliable) college lecture told me, so don't trust your teachers, kids. It involved a discussion around censuses (there needs to be a better plural - censae?)

Censi.

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Seen in that light, it makes sense to call it a "race". They're constructions too after all.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

For Hispanic Being a "race" on the census: I was merely going on something (a usually reliable) college lecture told me, so don't trust your teachers, kids. It involved a discussion around censuses (there needs to be a better plural - censae?)

Censi.

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Seen in that light, it makes sense to call it a "race". They're constructions too after all.

True that. Just this word happens to annoy me.

[King]

I prefer to be called Hispanic over "Latino."

[Ban my account ffs!]

Hispanic is a better term than "Mexican" like many Americans like to use for anybody from Spanish speaking origins.

To me, Hispanic is an ethnic term to define people from Latin America... much like European is used to define Europeans though you could argue that European is not synonymous with white.

It is the same as "Anglo-Americans" or "French Canadians"

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Hispanic is a better term than "Mexican" like many Americans like to use for anybody from Spanish speaking origins.

To me, Hispanic is an ethnic term to define people from Latin America... much like European is used to define Europeans though you could argue that European is not synonymous with white.

It is the same as "Anglo-Americans" or "French Canadians"

Sorry about this but... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!1111

[Rob]

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Both.

[Sensei]

I prefer to be called Hispanic over "Latino."

yeah. "Latino" sounds like I clean someone's pool or mow lawns or something for some reason. I don't like it.

[War on Want]

Some Mexican-Americans use "Hispanic" as an insult for a prissy middle class Mexican-American.

haha then me and my Mom are definitley "Hispanics".

[nclib]

general question re: hispanics

If Hispanic is not a race, why is there a common skin color of many Hispanics?

[ilikeverin]

For Hispanic Being a "race" on the census: I was merely going on something (a usually reliable) college lecture told me, so don't trust your teachers, kids. It involved a discussion around censuses (there needs to be a better plural - censae?)

Censi.

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Seen in that light, it makes sense to call it a "race". They're constructions too after all.

Precisely.

Think of it this way, Gully: over in Ireland, your religion matters.  A lot.  Or, at least, it did back in the day.  But when Irish immigrants came to here, they tended to form one united, "Irish-American" bloc.  The religious divisions that were salient over in Ireland suddenly lost their meaning in the United States, because now there was a whole huge "non-Irish" bloc that would have made "Protestant-Irish-American" and "Catholic-Irish-American" completely untenable on their own.  In order to maintain some independent identity, the members of each group had to shed some of their own.  (note: I'm not saying this happened in some sort of creepy monolithic sociological way.  this was the consequence of thousands of individuals' independent decisions)

You can see this in my family tree.  My mom's maiden name is Walsh, but her mom's maiden name is Hall, and on both sides there's quite a few Scottish names.  Her mom was Presbyterian before she got married.  Based on this evidence, I'm fairly sure a significant chunk of my family is originally of Scottish descent, perhaps descendants of some of the families shipped from Scotland to try to Protestantify Ireland.  Yet my grandmother has fond memories of relatives with Irish accents, and my mom proudly identifies herself as 100% Irish.  In fact, I'm sure during the time period my ancestors were moving over here, the thought of a Catholic Walsh (my mom's dad) and a Presbyterian Hall (my mom's mom) would have been unthinkable... but, over here, as both their families considered themselves members of the "Irish-American population", there was no significant barrier to the marriage (okay, my grandma had to convert, but... blame it on the Catholic traditions ).

A thousand pardons if I pretended to understand the social structure of pre-1900 Irish society and completely misjudged

Because, in the U.S., completely separate identities for every single Spanish-speaking country would be almost entirely untenable, except in certain, special cases (cubanos in Miami, puertorriqueños in New York City, though I suspect that last one is starting to wane), we see the same things we've seen throughout all history.  Perhaps immigrants try their best to maintain individual culture (I know sure as heck we did not celebrate Día de los Muertos in all my Spanish classes, because of the individual teachers' predilections), but their kids sure as heck don't.

[??????????]

general question re: hispanics

If Hispanic is not a race, why is there a common skin color of many Hispanics?

Why are Italians considered Europeans if you want to go that route? And their are quite a few very light skinned folks from Cuba & PR.

[phk]

general question re: hispanics

If Hispanic is not a race, why is there a common skin color of many Hispanics?

Hispanic is a culture and not a race.

You can be White, Native American, Black and even Asian (yes I know a Chinese Mexican with roots in Mexicali) and be Hispanic.  I'v grown up in Miami aka Democratic Cuba and in Fresno aka First World Mexico.

An example for a country where each ethnicity predominates except Asians..

White - Argentina
Native American - Bolivia
Black - Dominican Republic

Now here's a question, would a third generation Mexican-American in Central California who is a Protestant and can't speak Spanish be considered an Hispanic?