Who is Hispanic?
For the last few weeks and months, I've been hearing people use the
word "Hispanic" to describe people racially when in fact it's a term to
ascribe ethnicity or nationality. The truth is that I can be Hispanic as
anyone else if I was born and/or raised in a country or context that is
Spanish speaking. I know, it gets a little tricky and there's alot of
debate about it within and outside the Hispanic community.
But what seems more important is that when we say or think "Hispanic," what do we really mean? If we're honest with ourselves, we know exactly what we mean. Perhaps it's someone that's brown skinned, wears a sombrero, or works in a field. The stereotypes loom largely in our minds so that when we see people, we make presumptions and describe them as "Hispanic."
In Mexico, there's a young boxer named Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Based on his name and his origin, we would say, "He's Hispanic." Yet if you were to come across him on a street, you'd say "Nice Irish kid."
But what seems more important is that when we say or think "Hispanic," what do we really mean? If we're honest with ourselves, we know exactly what we mean. Perhaps it's someone that's brown skinned, wears a sombrero, or works in a field. The stereotypes loom largely in our minds so that when we see people, we make presumptions and describe them as "Hispanic."
In Mexico, there's a young boxer named Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Based on his name and his origin, we would say, "He's Hispanic." Yet if you were to come across him on a street, you'd say "Nice Irish kid."
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