[B.B.]

It seems to me that there is an increasing acceptance, tolerance, almost an embracing attitude among white people toward the Hispanic/Latino culture. I heard the other day that some 'white' people are actually claiming Hispanic heritage. Are my perceptions wrong? If not, in 50-odd years will the Hispanic and Latino cultures become similar to today's Italian culture? That is, will they be accepted as "white" with a touch of exotic ethnicity? And where does that leave "black" Hispanic and Latino people?

User Detail :  

Name : B.B., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Methodist, Age : 35, City : A. C., State : NJ Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Dan31659]

The majority of those called Latinos are not purely Spanish. 85 percent of all Mexicans are either Native American mixed with Spanish (mestizo) or purely Native American. Half of the Cuban people are black. Puerto Ricans have much black blood in them, and many are pure black; some even have Taino Indian in them. Brazilians are Portugese and/or black. Central Americans are overwhelmingly Mestizo and Indigenous. The Italian and German strains are growing faster in Argentina than the Spanish strains. The reason all 'Hispanics' are lumped together Eurocentrically was that back in the days of old, those who were considered Spaniards got better treatment than natives and blacks. Spaniards actually from Spain residing in the New World were practically treated like royalty, and Spaniards born in the New World were of the second tier. Mestizos and mulattos were beneath the Spaniards and treated like second-class citizens. Lobos (Indian/African mix), negros and Indios were considered bottom of the barrel and fit only for slavery and exploitation. Such thought carried over into the United States during the 19th century and for much of the 20th.

User Detail :  

Name : Dan31659, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[John K.]

You have to remember that in terms of racial identification, Hispanic is a largely political construct. It has been shown that in comparison to other 'racial' groups, Latinos have a much larger percentage of interracial marriages and relationships, suggesting that Latinos identify more culturally than racially.

This makes a lot of sense, as the term 'Latino' covers a wide variety of places of origin, where most racial terms point to a definitive 'homeland'.

To my knowledge, white people are not just randomly taking on Latino heritage, but Latinos of all points of origin are beginning to find a wider acceptance than used to be the case. Unfortunately, this starts in the most likely fashion, with 'lighter' Latinos getting greater acceptance than 'darker' Latinos. Some examples would be Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, etc. All of them are more or less clearly Latino, but also are seen as universally accepted within the overall white culture. I would like to see this trend carry over to all Latinos as well.

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Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 27, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lucy-H22676]

It's about time that Hispanic people were recognized for their contributions to this country. Those of Mexican descent have been considered foreigners in our own land far too long. Remember that the Southwest used to belong to Mexico before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It used to be an insult to call someone Mexican; you had to say they were Spanish. The children of Aztlan are finally getting the props we deserve, but it has been a long, hard battle. As a group, we have gotten more politically involved in our communities, and through higher enrollment in colleges and universities have increased our economic influence. Those conditions, combined with our increasing numbers, have forced the establishment to recognize us. Here in San Jose, we even have the first Latino mayor since California was part of Mexico. As for where this all leaves 'black' Hispanics, I don't know. But I do know that no one is going to just hand over the acceptance and recognition, because it means handing over some of the power as well. Work within the system - get educated, get a good job, make some money - and once you're in the system, work to change it from the inside.

User Detail :  

Name : Lucy-H22676, Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 25, City : San Jose, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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