Like and admire Mexicans? I have patterned my life to emulate that most noble of Mexicans, Speedy Gonzalez
Cheese … yum …
Sua
[sub]Where the hell we get these kinda OP’s?![/sub]
I’m not Mexican-American, I’m Portuguese-American and live in a community that is heavily Mexican American in Texas. I see a lot in common between Mexican immigrants and immigrants from Southern Europe. I also come from a Catholic, “Latin”, background. My grandfather was a janitor, my grandmother was a school cafeteria worker, menial jobs. They were called slurs such as “dago” and “portagee” and belonged to a group that though legally “Caucasian”, was not considered “white” by many people in this country. Now here I am 50 or so years after they came here, relatively middle-class, a senior in college, and I’m lumped into the Anglo category, along side other such “Anglo Saxons” as Italians, Jews, and Ukrainians, even though I speak some Portuguese, and occasionally have a stranger ask me what time it is in Spanish.
Mexican-Americans are a diverse group of people, and any stereotype is foolish. Just what it means to be a “Mexican” is not always clear. Many Mexican Americans now marry “Anglos” and even within Mexico their is a great deal of racial diversity. Some Mexican Americans identify with being “Indian” other with being “Spanish”, or “Mestizo” -both. In New Mexico and Texas there is currently a great deal of contreversy about how to honor people such as Onate, Coronado, and other Spaniards who founded missions and towns, but enslaved and abused Indians.
Culturally there are Mex-Americans who speak almost nothing but Spanish, but many others don’t use Spanish with any fluency. Not all Mexican Americans are Catholics, many are Baptists, Pentecostals, or even Mormons. Mexican Americans are traditionally Democrats but increasingly vote for Republican, my congressman is a Mexican American conservative republican. G.W. Bush also carried about half of the Hispanic (presumably Mexican-Amer.) vote in Texas, not so much out of enthusiasm for Dubya’s bad Spanish or Mexican in-laws, but because the Democrats retread approach to campaigning to Mexican Americans (as a perennially disadvantaged “minority”) no longer works well with everyone.
Interestingly many of the people that are harshest in their attitudes toward Mexican Americans are other Mexican Americans, as those that came before and are “established” often look down on newcomers. When I went to high school for instance, fights and divisions were not between “Anglos” and “Mexicans” but between Americanized “Hispanics” and less assimulated “Mexicans”.
:rolleyes:
yeah yeah, i know the drill. Jews are smart, blacks are good athletes. whatever. :rolleyes:
fatherjohn, if you know the drill, you would have read Caliban’s first post and have noted that he is a Mexican-American who was describing his own family’s experience. 'Course you could have noticed that from the very post you quoted (“my grandparents included”).
Thanks for jumping in and calling Caliban a racist. It really helped move the debate along. :rolleyes:
Sua
“This is a common pattern for immigrant families.”
Perhaps it is. Common pattern does not mean “all”.
My father’s generation for the most part had little to no English skills, poor education, and for the most part couldn’t get well paid jobs.
Scottish actually, and yes, there was a stereotype of the lazy, stupid (and often drunken) Highlander.
Anyway, I can’t be arsed with the rest of this thread, and haven’t a clue what you’re all talking about anyway. I’m off for a pint. 
Are you implying that the Caliban’s assertion that immigrant families usually start off at the low end of the economic ladder is racist?! WTF? It’s true - the Irish, the Polish, the Italians, etc., didn’t disembark at Ellis Island and drive out to the Hamptons. Immigrant populations in U.S. history are generally poor and have lower levels of education. This isn’t a racist statement - hell, it’s the reason people emigrate. They want a chance at a better life for themselves or their children.
If you consider Caliban’s statement to be a stereotype, it’s not - it’s a generalization. If I say that “its a common pattern for suburban teenagers to get their drivers licenses at age 16”, I’m not stereotyping suburban teenagers, I’m stating a fact.
Sua
Gosh thanks Esprix.
I really enjoy Dexter’s Lab more than my son almost.
Its truly wacko.