Mexican/Latino/Hispanic

[Werewolf]

I came across a guy wearing a T-shirt with an interesting political statement. It said, essentially, that he wanted to be called a Mexican. It said "Not Latino (an Anglo-European from Italy)" and "Not Hispanic (an Anglo-European from Spain)." (I think it's related to this (http://www.mexica-movement.org/).)

I'll leave it to others if they think Latino means Italy and Hispanic means Spain.

What I found most interesting is that after complaining that Latino and Hispanic are not appropriate terms for Mexicans, the creator of this t-shirt used Anglo to represent all whites, when this term comes from the Angles, a Germanic tribe that settled in England. Nice and hypocritical.

[Oblomov retired (student)]

I'll leave it to others if they think Latino means Italy and Hispanic means Spain.
I always assumed Latino came from Latin America came from Roman Catholics. But what do I know?

[O. Hannah]

To me, Latino is a pretty general term and I've heard it used broadly in terms of ANYBODY whose ANCESTRY is from S. America, Central America, parts of the Carribean etc. (If you met someone who's 50/50 French/Spanish and grew up in Mexico...they would prob. be "latino" but if they grew up in Spain or France....they wouldn't be.)

The confusing part is that a whole lot of people from those regions have a least a smidge (or a whole lot more) of French, Spanish blood in them.

I think the beef of the guy in shirt is that he loves being a Mexican and doesn't like being lumped in with a dozen or more other countries....OR...he got the shirt out of a bargain bin and was going to go paint his house.

[Loner]

Hispanic does NOT mean an Anglo-Europeac from Spain - it means a nyone form a Spanish speaking country. Tell him to check the dictionary.

This is like those nitwits who "decided" Oriental refers only to furniture and is therefore derogatory. There's enough REAL offensive stuff out there without making stuff up out of thin air.

[Moe Szyslak]

Perhaps the guy feels loyalty to his country and feels that is a better way to describe him. Americans are probably called Americans in Mexico and maybe "anglos" was a way to point that out.

[Malik Shabazz]

I think you guys have missed the point of the shirt, which was linguistic:

- Latino is from Italy because its root, Latin, means Roman

- Hispanic is from Spain because its root is Spanish

I don't know the etymology of Mexican, but I would venture that it is a European garbling of a native Mesoamerican word. Frankly, I think most Mexican super-nationalists/anti-Europeans use the word Azatlan, not Mexico.

Note: I still think the argument is specious.

[Utanapishtim]

I`ve always found those terms a bit confusing (no, not Mexican). I certainly didn't think they referred to white (or anglo) europeans...

But, do they entirely overlap, or are they supposed to be complementary? Would a Cuban be Hispanic while a Brrazilian is only Latino?

[Fightin Engineer]

Are Haitians Latineaux?

[Pseudolus]

There's enough REAL offensive stuff out there without making stuff up out of thin air.

I think this type of thing is a way of getting/demonstrating power. If I make you stop saying A, and start saying B, then I have demonstrated that I and my group wield some degree of power over you. Whether or not A is actually offensive is entirely beside the point.

[Triweasel]

I don't have a problem with T-shirts.

As long as they're wet, I have no problem with them either.

[The Diabolical Biz Markie]

I came across a guy wearing a T-shirt with an interesting political statement. It said, essentially, that he wanted to be called a Mexican. It said "Not Latino (an Anglo-European from Italy)" and "Not Hispanic (an Anglo-European from Spain)." (I think it's related to this (http://www.mexica-movement.org/).)


A. Some people have way too much time on their hands.

B. I doubt there is very much Italian blood floating aroung the Latin world.

C. "Anglo" means English. No one thinks the Hispanics are of English descent.

D. Latino and Hispanic aren't pejoratives, and etymology aside, they specifically identify a group of people in an understandable way

I think this guy is just a retard. He wants to be upset about something. You didn't come across him at one of those silly IMF/World Bank protests did you? Sounds like the work of a professional malcontent.

[Will Durant]

B. I doubt there is very much Italian blood floating aroung the Latin world.
Any second now MH will start talking about Argentines in an attempt to refute this statement.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

"Welcome to our country!!"

It's philosophy like this that keeps some peoples from melting into the pot. Keeps people clinging to their own racism while getting to claim racism against them. Conveniently lacking in critical thought.

[The Diabolical Biz Markie]

B. I doubt there is very much Italian blood floating aroung the Latin world.
Any second now MH will start talking about Argentines in an attempt to refute this statement.

BTW....in paddy's rant in your sig line...did he really say "weaker men then me"?

That would be too perfect.

[Tim><]

B. I doubt there is very much Italian blood floating aroung the Latin world.
Any second now MH will start talking about Argentines in an attempt to refute this statement.

BTW....in paddy's rant in your sig line...did he really say "weaker men then me"?

That would be too perfect.

Your mouse broken?

[The Diabolical Biz Markie]

B. I doubt there is very much Italian blood floating aroung the Latin world.
Any second now MH will start talking about Argentines in an attempt to refute this statement.

BTW....in paddy's rant in your sig line...did he really say "weaker men then me"?

That would be too perfect.

Your mouse broken?

No. Thanks.

[Will Durant]

B. I doubt there is very much Italian blood floating aroung the Latin world.
Any second now MH will start talking about Argentines in an attempt to refute this statement.

BTW....in paddy's rant in your sig line...did he really say "weaker men then me"?

That would be too perfect.
I originally had a [sic] there. But after much discussion over it (who would have thought a sig line could cause so much argument), I decided the actual thought (such as it is) behind the words was much stupider than the three grammar mistakes in ten words.

[2pac Shakur]

B. I doubt there is very much Italian blood floating aroung the Latin world.
Any second now MH will start talking about Argentines in an attempt to refute this statement.

BTW....in paddy's rant in your sig line...did he really say "weaker men then me"?

That would be too perfect.
I originally had a [sic] there. But after much discussion over it (who would have thought a sig line could cause so much argument), I decided the actual thought (such as it is) behind the words was much stupider than the three grammar mistakes in ten words.

How about mine?
You chose it for qualities other than grammar?
What was it about that post that you admired most?

[The Diabolical Biz Markie]

How about mine?
You chose it for qualities other than grammar?
What was it about that post that you admired most?

For use of the word "gummint".

[Will Durant]

How about mine?
You chose it for qualities other than grammar?
What was it about that post that you admired most?
It's not customary for the judge to explain his decision. But I will share that that particular post was possibly the only thing that's been posted in recent memory that rivaled Paddy's post for utter stupidity.

[2pac Shakur]

How about mine?
You chose it for qualities other than grammar?
What was it about that post that you admired most?
It's not customary for the judge to explain his decision. But I will share that that particular post was possibly the only thing that's been posted in recent memory that rivaled Paddy's post for utter stupidity.

Cool.

[2pac Shakur]

How about mine?
You chose it for qualities other than grammar?
What was it about that post that you admired most?

For use of the word "gummint".

That is now part of our collective vernacular.

[Snageye]

I knew this Cuban lady who used to refer to anyone from the Central Amer/Caribbean/etc. as Latinos.

Funny story: One time, this non-latino guy said 'Happy Cinco De Mayo' to her. She snapped back, "Do I LOOK Mexican to you?"

[Malik Shabazz]

I knew this Cuban lady who used to refer to anyone from the Central Amer/Caribbean/etc. as Latinos.

Funny story: One time, this non-latino guy said 'Happy Cinco De Mayo' to her. She snapped back, "Do I LOOK Mexican to you?"

Is it funny that the non-latino guy didn't know the difference between a Mexican and a Cuban? Or that a Cuban is offended at being considered a Mexican?

[Snageye]

It was mostly funny(laughy funny) just because the guy was trying to be culturally sensitive and nice and was shocked by the reply(he didn't think the holiday was anything more than a day of celebration), but it was also funny(makes-you-think funny) because I had at that point not known that people from outside the US could also have racial preferences.

[Malik Shabazz]

the guy was trying to be culturally sensitive and nice

"Culturally sensitive" by wishing a Cuban a happy Cinco de Mayo? It's like wishing a Canadian a happy Fourth of July.

I had at that point not known that people from outside the US could also have racial preferences.

In my experience, most Latin Americans consider their own country of origin superior to all others. Actually, that's been my experience with most North Americans and Europeans as well. If I knew more Asians and Africans, I'm sure the same would be true of them too.

To think otherwise is roughly the same as saying "Gee, you guys all look the same to me."

[Pseudolus]

the guy was trying to be culturally sensitive and nice

"Culturally sensitive" by wishing a Cuban a happy Cinco de Mayo? It's like wishing a Canadian a happy Fourth of July.

They don't have a 7/4 in Canader?

They don't have a 5/5 in Cuber?

[Will Durant]

I knew this Cuban lady who used to refer to anyone from the Central Amer/Caribbean/etc. as Latinos.
The adjective "latino" is the usual word in Spanish for what you gringos mean when you say "Hispanic." The word "hispano" is more often used only to refer to someone/something specific to Spain ("ibero" more exactly refers to this).

Funny story: One time, this non-latino guy said 'Happy Cinco De Mayo' to her. She snapped back, "Do I LOOK Mexican to you?"
That happens to me every year. Happened to me this year, will happen again next year. I guarantee it. I don't really get worked up about it, but I also don't understand why Anglos can't tell the difference.

[Snageye]

Malik,

Believe it or not, at the time I didn't know what May 5th was except for Budweiser beer advertisements and I also didn't know that European-Cubans looked down on Mexicans with native indian ancestors. I was trying to make the point you just stated that there is racism in every country.

[Pseudolus]

I also don't understand why Anglos can't tell the difference.

Do you mean that we can't visually differentiate between, say, a person of Mexican ancestry and one of Cuban ancestry? I'm sure I couldn't. I just don't have the experience.

[Will Durant]

I also didn't know that European-Cubans looked down on Mexicans with native indian ancestors.
In general, we do not "look down on" them. I am just constantly amazed that Anglos don't know that if someone is obviously of native indian descent, then he can't be Cuban.

Admitedly, the other way is harder, since if a Hispanic is Caucasian, he could be from any country.

[Will Durant]

Do you mean that we can't visually differentiate between, say, a person of Mexican ancestry and one of Cuban ancestry?
If a Hispanic is of native indian ancestry, he can't be Cuban. The natives in Cuba all (literally all of them) died before they mixed with the conquistadores.

If a Hispanic is mulatto or black, he is more likely to be Caribbean than from Central or South America.

If someone is Caucasian, it's an open question since they can be found in every Latin American country.

[Pseudolus]

If a Hispanic is of native indian ancestry, he can't be Cuban. The natives in Cuba all (literally all of them) died before they mixed with the conquistadores.

Interesting. Didn't know that. So then today's Cubans are all decendants purely of European ancestors? Euros + African slaves? Something else?

[Will Durant]

If a Hispanic is of native indian ancestry, he can't be Cuban. The natives in Cuba all (literally all of them) died before they mixed with the conquistadores.

Interesting. Didn't know that. So then today's Cubans are all decendants purely of European ancestors? Euros + African slaves? Something else?
Mostly Euros + African slaves.

There are some people of Chinese ancestry, but that is more recent (starting 1900 or so).

[Malik Shabazz]

They don't have a 7/4 in Canader?

You know Canadians. They have 7/4 the day after 6/4. :wink: