[quote]doogie wrote:
Lorisco wrote:
This is the perspective of most Mexicans, and doggie has it backwards.
The real issue here is that the term Hispanic was a recent development in attempts for those from Mexico to disown or disavow their Spanish roots. At least this is how many Mexicans view the issue. So saying you are Hispanic really is saying that you are of Mexican Indian (Mayan, Aztec, etc) decent without influence of those nasty Spanish who conquered Mexico years ago.
No. You’re wrong. Wikipedia has it correct. Hispanic is the equivalent of saying Spanish.
I assure you that your explanation of Hispanic is the exact OPPOSITE of how it is used down here. Down here Hispanic is used by those who don’t want to be considered Mexican. It is used to distinguish themselves from “common” Mexicans–those that are a mix of Spanish and the native Mexican Indians.
Therefore they call themselves Hispanic (Spanish) instead of Mexican or Latino (which is never really used around here).
In fact, the only time Latin is used is in LULAC–League of United Latin American Citizens. Its use sounds as strange as Colored People in NAACP.
And if you asked what type of Spanish they spoke, they’d say Tex-Mex.
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Doogie, sounds like you are arguing just to argue. I have relatives in Juarez and El Paso and that is not how my family or any of my relatives view it. Also, go to New York and see what the people say there and it will be Latino. These are people from Puerto Rico and other non-Mexican countries. So the idea of Latino being synonymous with Mexico and Indians (who did not have a Latin based language) is a little off.
But hey, if the people you know feel better being called Hispanic, more power to them.