One of my biggest pet peeves would be when people assume I'm Mexican or Puerto Rican soley due to the fact that I'm Hispanic and you can always find me talking in spanish. But that is not the case. I am Colombian and Guatemalan, and very proud to be Hispanic. This does not mean that I have anything against Mexicans or Puerto Ricans, it's just that there's this sterotype that needs to be eliminated that most of the Hispanics that you see are from the same nationality. Latin America has a great amount of cultures and traditions within each country. It's not like there is some sort of rivalry between the Latino nations, it's that we are all unique in our own ways.
This blog was probably quite random, but I couldn't help it. I I was visiting a school the other day, and the majority of the people there were white. Not that I care, I'm used to being the minority in a school. But when one of the people there went up to me and asked "hey, you must be mexican, right?", I couldn't help but be disappointed that these people still have such ideas in their head. I've pointed that out to the kid, and now he realizes that he simply needs to think before he speak.
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Though I'm not Hispanic, I understand where you are coming from. My girlfriend is Mexican (not a stereotyped Mexican, but an actual Mexican from Mexico), but due to her fair skin most people assume that she is Spanish or Argentinian when they here her speak Spanish. (I live in an area with a high population of Argentians natives). If she isn't speaking Spanish she usually is assumed to be "just another white girl" So I feel you on the issue of stereotype, because it fails to recognize the diversity and richness of Hispanic culture.
I get annoyed when they do the same thing to Asians, because apparently every Asian walking down the street is Chinese. :\
I wish people would stop being so ignorant and take time to learn and understand that there are differences between the different types of Spanish-speaking people, people of different Asian cultures, and just people in general.
yea i agree with you. i live in a neighborhood that's primarily asian populated, and i see their reactions if they are called as "chinese" for instance, when they're really not. People need to simply get to know their people more and realize that although we may look alike, that doesn't mean we do the same things. =/ it's going to take a longgg time until people really do change their ways of thinking
It will take some time, yes, but it starts now. It starts with people forgetting about stereotypes and generalizations. It starts with people realizing that their attempt at being funny may be successful with their friends, but unfortunately it ends up hurting others.
My mom deals with it all of the time. She works at a convenience store and and is of Asian origin. In fact, at one point she was a fob. She came to this country twenty-three years ago from Vietnam (which obviously means she's not Chinese). When people get upset with her and they don't know (or in most cases, they don't care), they tell her to go back to China, because apparently that's where all Asians come from.
But yes, thank you for your reply on my comment. It's nice to know that someone else sees what I see in every day American society.
This is a misconception I try really hard to correct. I'm white and so was most of my high school, but a large portion of the school was Hispanic. Everytime I heard someone go "Oh, blahhity blah...that Mexican person", I'd ask, "How do you know they're Mexican?". In my Spanish classes I met people that were Guatemalan, Colombian, Cuban, Argentinian, and Mexican, so obviously not every Hispanic-looking person in our school was Mexican.
I get where inadvertentintelligence is coming from too, with the misconception that all Asian-looking people come from one country. I go to UC San Diego, where the majority of students are Asian, so people learn quick not to make that mistake.
I think the most important thing to be aware of is that all countries in Latin America or Asia are different and have their own cultures and histories and that's one of the biggest reasons why its not fair to lump them together.
Common sense is as rare as genius. ~Emerson
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thank you...and i really like the quote you used as well
I completly agree! I'm also colombian, but only a quarter. So when I tell people I'm hispanic they laugh at me. People make judgements and really need to think before they open their mouth.