Contemporary Latino Cultures Essay

Different individuals lead various types of lifestyles. These types of lifestyles are referred to as cultural. A complex system known as culture includes knowledge, belief, attitude, art, morals, law, tradition, values and norms, as well as any other skills and behaviors that a group of people in a society has acquired and shared. (Spencer-Oatey 2). A group of individuals can be defined by their culture. People with Latino heritage are known as Latinos. They are referred to as Hispanics at times. There are, however, a few minor distinctions between Latinos and Hispanics. These disagreements have a societal and interpersonal component. Despite having Spanish titles, Latinos feel more like members of the Latin American race, while Hispanics say they are Hispanics because their first language is Spanish and their language have Spanish origin (CDC 1).Hispanics or Latinos may be of any race ranging from black or African-American, white or Caucasian-Asian, Native American or mixed race.

According to the United States Census Bureau population estimate 2008, 49.6 million Hispanics live in the United States, a representation of 15 percent of the total United States population. In this number, Mexicans are the largest with 65 percent, followed by Central and Southern Americans with 13 percent, Puerto Ricans with 9.4 percent, Cubans 3.9 percent and 7.5 percent representing the rest. Latinos population has experienced an immense growth in the near past decade (1990 to 2000) of almost 58 percent (U.S. Census 12-40). This is about four times the growth rate of the United States. This number may bring unnecessary competition. In 2013, 54 million Hispanics were recorded to be living in the United States, representing 17.1 percent of the total U.S. population (Rochin 5).

Whenever people come together, there must be agreements and disagreements. One of the main problems facing Hispanics or Latinos in the United States is racism. It has been a problem for quite a while with no proper solution so far. The following three article articulates the life of the Hispanics or Latinos in different perspectives.

Reflection about Race by NegritoAcomplejao (by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva). From: The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States (a John Hope Franklin Center Book)

This article describes the life of a mixed race or black Puerto Rican, all the way from childhood to adulthood. He himself did not like to be referred to as being black but later on accepted that he is black such that he leaned towards his black family than his white family. He felt hurt especially that it came from his father who is also of the same race. The racism in this era seems too strong that it even perforates their family. He notes that even his ‘white’ family are not so close to him as compared to his other siblings, who happen to have a lighter complexion. His aunts would bad-mouth the blacks, saying that they are used to living in shit and do not have class. This hatred is however not one way but two way. The white family members would retort back and call the white family ‘blanquitos’ to mean whiteys. As much as this sound bad, it is a term associated with wealth and money.

Another show of discrimination in terms of racism is seen during events such as weddings. The whites are seen seated together with other whites but separately from the blacks, who also sit with their fellow blacks only. This is brought about by the relations and interaction between the two races. The interaction between people of the same race is seen to be deeper while different races is too casual and rather formal, nothing beyond the obvious. For this reason, the author prefer being with his black family since they welcome him in a more jovial way than the white family.

The author goes on to prepare those who are new in the United States and are of different race to be prepared to encounter such discrimination, be open minded and avoid repeating the same mistakes made by their predecessors. He emphasizes on unity among the Latinos.

Overlapping argument the author makes is the discrimination part. It is true that someone will feel at home when around somebody he/she shares something with, be it age, gender or race. That explains the difference in interaction between the two different races. The divergent argument is the family interaction part. The author is a ‘mulatto’ and so is the mother, but his mother is closer to the white family than him. This doesn’t make sense as it is expected that same race will be closer to each other. I would therefore agree to the coinciding argument but disagree with the divergent one.

Hispanic Conservatism: Its Rise-and Fall? (By Geraldo Cadava)

This article is on political environment in the United States. It explains the entry and origin of Latinos (termed as Latinx in this case) and their political ambitions and the effect it has on other Latinos. The political difference between the whites and the black is brought up by the two candidates, Trump and Rubio. Two strains of conservatism are seen where one is demonstrating xenophobia (fear of strangers) which has been present for the past 50 years. The other strain is pro-business, anticommunism and favors immigration.

An incident is recalled in 1960s and 1970s where student activist called Hispanics ‘pochos’. This is a Spanish word for ‘fruits which have lost their colors’, and obviously discriminatory statement through race. A more recent is when Harry Reid, a Democratic Senate Majority Leader, wonders how anybody with Hispanic heritage can be a Republican. This question can be related to the one of Trump’s promises of deporting 11 million Mexicans and build a wall between the boarder of the United States and Mexico.

By the words of Ronald Reagan, Hispanics are conservatives with deep religious beliefs, strong family values, admirable work ethics and patriotism that should be emulated by all Americans. These values are supported by the chairman of Republican National Committee (RNC) Frank Fahrenkopf who added that they belong in the Republican Party. The connection of Hispanics and Republicans is seen by the congruence between Hispanics and United States conservatism. Both are seen to promote free enterprise and limited government apart from spreading the gospel of evangelism.

The overlapping argument is the fact that Hispanics are conservative. The qualities they possess make them good candidates for any party. This is not one person’s idea but two, making the statement more realistic and agreeable. There are a number of divergent arguments. The first one is some Hispanics supporting a candidate who has promised to deport a number of them. Another one is when Harry Reid wonders how a Hispanic can be a Republican. Does it mean that all Hispanics must be Democrats? How?

Latino City: Immigration and Urban Crisis in Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1945–2000by Llana Barber

The article begins by showing the rage between the whites and the Latinos in a riot. This was in 1964 when the anger which has been concealed for many years finally get opportunity to burst out. The whites claim that they are America and the Latinos should go back to their homes. Latinos claim that they are protesting against lethal prejudice from their neighbors and racial abuse by the police. They feel neglected as far as city governance is concerned.

The city where these scuffles take place is Lawrence which was once considered massively industrialized. The three quarters of thecity is inhabited by Latinos. The city is however now one of the poorest in the nation due to deindustrialization, suburbanization and lack of proper investment. This is a clear sign of neglect by the national government.

The coinciding argument is the fact that Lawrence was once an industrial giant but after immigration by the Latinos it turned out to be one of the poorest cities in the whole nation. The Latinos are also crying foul of being left unattended to by the city government leading to low tax revenues and high theft cases. This argument is quite agreeable since one thing led to another, that is, neglect of Latinos (who occupy three quarters of Lawrence) lead to impoverishment of the city. The divergent argument, however, is that the arrival of Latinos marked the beginning of poverty in Lawrence. This is quite disagreeable since the Latinos invested in the economy and institutions in Lawrence, a city which was already sinking, hence saving it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the lesson learnt in these excerpts is that racism has been and still is a problem, but not forever. Latinos and/or Hispanics may find it hard to finally unite due to constant immigration of new other races like Africans (Anderson 5-50). They are also concentrated in specific regions, mostly impoverished, hence limiting their chances of getting equal opportunities in education and employment. But all in all, in order to work together as a nation, both Americans and Latinos need to embrace their pasts and celebrate their heritages, be open minded, build coalitions, show up for one another, avoid issues of ‘divide and rule’ and create and share economic opportunities for one another. With these, America will be one.

References

Anderson, M. “African Immigrant Population in U.S. Steadily Climbs” Pew Hispanic, November, 2015. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/02/african-immigrant-population-in-u- s-steadily-climbs/ . Accessed 16th November 2017.

Barber, Llana. Latino City: Immigration and Urban Crisis in Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1945–2000. University of North Carolina Press, 2017.

Cadava, G. ”Hispanic Conservatism: Its Rise—and Fall?” NACLA Report on the Americans, vol. 48, no. 4, 2016, pp. 385-393.

”Cultural Insights, Communicating with Hispanics/Latinos.” CDC,

https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/pdf/audience/audienceinsight_culturalinsights.pdf

Accessed 16th November 2017.

”Pew Hispanic Centre.” Country of origin profiles-Hispanics in the United States. 2010. http://pewhispanic.org/data/origins/. Accessed 16th November 2016.

Rochin, R.I. ”Latinos and Afro-Latino Legacy in the United States: HIstory, Culture, and Issues of Identity.” Professional Agricultural Workers Journal, vol. 3, no. 2, 2016, pp. 5-15.

Roman, Miriam J. and Flores Juan:The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States (a John Hope Franklin Center Book). Duke University Press Books, 2009.

Saenz, R. ”Latinos and the Changing Face of America” Population Reference Bureau 2016. http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2004/LatinosandtheChangingFaceofAmerica.aspx. Accessed 16th November 2017

Spencer-Oatey, H. What is culture? A compilation of quotations. GlobalPAD Core Concepts. Available at GlobalPADOpenHouse, 2012.https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/globalpad/openhouse/interculturalskills/global_pad_-_what_is_culture.pdf. Accessed 16th November 2017

U.S. Census Bureau. Population estimates—Hispanic or Latino. Washington, DC, 2008a