I often tell people that I was born Cuban and became Hispanic in 1980. This is an inside joke for Hispanics/Latinos. Remember Freddie Prinze Sr. from the 1970s sitcom Chico and the Man? Unfortunately, he died in 1977 at the young age of 22. Freddie was born Puerto Rican and remained that way his entire short life. Freddie never had the chance to become Hispanic in 1980.
There were no Hispanics before 1980. The term is a fabrication enacted by the U.S. Congress that was first used in the 1980 decennial census to identify people with a Spanish-speaking ancestry. Now consider that most U.S.-born Hispanics speak English better than they speak Spanish, according to a new study from the Pew Hispanic Center.
Pew also reports that most Cubans, Puerto Rican, Mexicans, Guatemalans, and all the rest of those supposed Hispanics view themselves as something other than Hispanic. They do not view themselves as Latino either. They are nonconformist non-Hispanic-Hispanics who are not too keen on the label imposed on them by Congress.
According to the Pew study, an immigrant Colombian is more likely to think of himself or herself as Colombian – not Hispanic. Their children will think of themselves as part Colombian and part American. The immigrant’s grandchildren will view themselves as mostly American. Part of the reason is that 26 percent of Hispanics will marry a non-Hispanic. I am one of the 26 percent. Interestingly, over 80 percent of Hispanic parents do not mind if their children marry a non‑Hispanic. They just want them to get married (my opinion, not Pew’s). This is very Hispanic (my opinion again).
The Pew report, When Labels Don't Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity, states that the majority of Hispanics believe they do not have a common culture. This means that Ecuadorians view themselves as culturally distinct from Hondurans, who view themselves as different from Argentinians, and so on. Ironically, only whites, Blacks, Asians, and others seem to believe Hispanics are a homogenous group.
I often tell audiences that there will not be any Hispanics in 2030. Most Hispanics get it, others not so much. Given the high rate of Hispanics marrying non-Hispanics and the increasing Americanization of each subsequent generation, it is not a stretch to see the not too distant future where being of Hispanic ancestry is no different from having Italian, Irish, German, or Polish origins. It will be nice to talk about your family’s Hispanic history, but it may become irrelevant in our day-to-day lives.
Hi Orlando,
Thank you for
Hi Orlando,
Thank you for sharing your personal experience of the term “Hispanic.” You show how it’s just too broad of a brush to paint with. I don’t mean to promote the CT Health blog, but this one post illustrates the challenges around collecting data on Latinos or Hispanics as a homogenous group: http://www.cthealth.org/blog/comparing-apples-to-apples
How can we accurately track & improve the health of people who may share a region but just aren’t the same? We need to ask better questions.
Jenn
And Latinos/Hispanics can be
And Latinos/Hispanics can be black, white, Asian, native, etc., as well.
And what about Brazilians? They, also, of course, come in all kinds of colors and ancestral origins, however, they live in “Latin America”, but speak Portuguese, not Spanish.
I suppose you can call them “Latino”, but not “Hispanic”?
I’ve always felt these terms, “hispanic” and “latino” made little to no sense.
They don’t denote any cohesive “race”, Latinos being of all races.
They certainly don’t denote any cohesive cultural or ethnic group.
Even the language approach is inconsistent, what with one country in South America speaking Portuguese and another speaking French.
So, what DO they mean?
I know many, many Americans think Latinos are all descendants of Native Americans and all speak Spanish, but these same myopic folks think we all eat burritos and tacos and listen to mariachis. Those same folks are missing out on a rich diversity of culture.
Somos bien diversos.
I would also like to
I would also like to note:
“Hispanics/Latinos” aren’t having an identity crisis.
The crisis is that non-“latinos” are lumping into one group, one identity, a multitude of identities that never were one, unique identity in the first place.
geographical density, pattern
geographical density, pattern of segregation, social class and race are critical variables to take in consideration when talking about identity formation. Are you implying that 3rd generation Latinos feel completely incorporated into American culture? I do not think that the pattern that you are suggesting stand particularly when you are talking about Latino urban youth.