White Hispanic and Latino Americans

The use of identifiers like “Hispanic” or “Latino” has been loosely used by governmental agencies in the United States, in hopes to capture a proper census on populations of Spanish and Latin decent. Yet over time, many have opposed a singular identification in order to maintain heritage based on individual country of origin. Choudhuri, Santiago-Rivera & Garrett (2012) note that there is a complexity in the variety of dimensions in which a Latino individual affiliates with in an ethnic group,…

Displacement: The Immigration Experience of Latino” Summary In their article, “Stages of Displacement: The Immigration Experience of Latinos,” Cynthia Serrata and Jerry Fischer thoroughly discuss the stages that Latinos immigrants go through when moving into the United States and the things that they must adjust to. More specifically, Serrata and Fischer cover the acculturation, attitudinal, behavioral, cultural identity shifts, and transition characteristics of Latino immigrants. The authors…

Is TV Too White? Most, if not all characters featured on television programs are white. On the off chance that there are Asians, Blacks, or Latinos, they all usually have one thing in common. Asians are depicted as quiet, sexless, geniuses. Blacks as loud, comical, uneducated, or sassy. Latinas are portrayed as feisty, sexy, domesticated, and dumb. Anyone who has ever seen ‘Modern Family’ knows Sofia Vergara’s character, Gloria, is a walking stereotype. Though inclusion is important on…

superior in some way, regardless of which races are being compared. Ridiculous is the best word for it, as history proves this is a natural disaster in and of itself. If you look back in time, to the birth of the United States, you find a story of white supremacy. English and Spaniards came to America and ultimately used their own entitlements…

is made up of Hispanic (also referred to as “Latino”) individuals. The term “Hispanic” refers to an individual whose nation of origin is Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, or Spanish-speaking countries of Central America or South America (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, Alden, Olchansky, 2016, p. 104). Additionally, Hispanics accounted for about 26.3% of births that took place in the United States in 2012 (Cohn, Livingston, & Passel). With over one-fourth of potential patients being Hispanic, a…

the gap between the American Creed and American Institutions. The premise of his claim is that the essence of American Creed is flawed by humans. Human beings are naturally fallen and therefore, the IvI gap will never be able to fully close. I think Huntington’s argument involving the gap between institutions and ideals never closing is accurate, however, how this takes place, I lean in another direction. Personally, I think the discrepancy really lies in the nature of the American Creed and its…

ambivalence featured in Latino stardom. Ambivalence is defined as the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone. In other words, Homi Babha defined ambivalence as “a feeling of “off-ness” towards something you don’t understand”. I will be pulling from Are All Latins from Manhattan? Hollywood, Ethnography, and Cultural Colonialism (Ana M. Lòpez, 1993). A problem that is featured with ambivalence in the rise of Latino stardom is the fact that Latinos are…

Los Vendidos The play written by Luis Valdez, Los Vendidos, an interpretation of how American people see Mexican Americans is played through a drama. A secretary from Governor Reagan, Miss Jimenez, comes to a shop in hopes of finding a Mexican to bring to a gathering to create diversity in the crowd. The “shop” owner, Honest Sancho, is a business man trying to sell these Mexican Americans. Miss Jimenez is looking for a Mexican who is perfect. While Sancho is trying to help find the perfect…

In Ray Suarez’s book entitled Latino Americans he shares the rich history of Latinos who helped to shape the United States. Latino Americans share the personal success and struggles of what it means to be an immigrant and the obstacles they have faced. The book offers a rich history of immigration and certainly reflects present day events of the United States. It tells the story of how people from different regions and continents across the globe came to be one. It also allowed me to see how…

Being a Mexican American, you are born and raised in the United States with Mexican blood. At home you live in your deep Mexican culture and at school you’re surrounded by American culture. With my Spanish not being perfect and neither is my English. Many from my culture judge me for loving the US, and many Americans criticize me for being “too Mexican.” I’m torn between two worlds of a deep rooted culture and a new founded one. I am not from here nor there, I am Mexican American. My life is…