# What's more respectful-- Latino or Hispanic? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 13, 2007, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815 "2007-01-13T06:55:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/21 "2007-01-14T15:21:35Z")
It can be so very confusing. Being an employee of a state agency in the middle of an area that is largely Hispanic, we had to have training on this. The dude who gave the training was from Puerto Rico. He insisted that Latino/a was preferred. However, my co-worker Tony, whose parents where immigrants from Mexico, and who did most of our document translations, and had a side business in our community doing translation/interpretation assured us that Hispanic is much perferred by the people in our area. Best of all is to find out where the person comes from and refer to the nationality. My former boyfriend, Pablo, preferred to be called Ecuadorian to being called Hispanic. And my Spanish teacher, who was from Chile, much preferred to be recognized as white since her parents immigrated from Germany. And her husband preferred to be known as Cuban, as that’s where he was exiled from. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/22 "2007-01-14T17:55:35Z")
> [@](#): > > It can be so very confusing. Yeah, I’m beginning to see that. Perhaps it’s regional, and I am better off just asking wherever I go. ---
**Author:** ![Guillermo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Guillermo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guillermo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/23 "2016-03-01T07:20:17Z")
This question is defiantly answered based on the city you live in, in my experience living in Texas I have seen white people be offended by other non Spainish speak white people by the term “Hispanic” than any actual “Latino native.” That being said in Texas I hear both and I believe Latin/a is more so correct, although Latinos generally don’t care what term you use as long as it isn’t said out of disrespect. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/24 "2016-03-01T14:05:29Z")
In my area (NJ) ISTM that Latinos/Hispanics generally refer to themselves as “Spanish guys”. (Seem to be mostly Mexicans, but there are a lot of others as well, and I don’t know if or how this might vary by country of origin.) ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/25 "2016-03-01T14:06:32Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Oh, and Spanish- speaking is incorrect, since Brazilians and Portuguese don’t necessarily speak Spanish, yet they’re definitely Hispanic (the word comes from the Latin term, which mean the whole Iberian Peninsula). Latino is shorthand for “latinoamericano” so in theory it doesn’t include Spaniards and Portuguese, but that’s _very_ theoretical. theoretical ? Spanish and Portuguese people are “White”. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/26 "2016-03-01T14:10:07Z")
Except for those who come in other colors. And I’m both Hispanic and white, TYVM. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/27 "2016-03-01T14:15:20Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And I’m both Hispanic and white, TYVM. By your lights. For many Americans, the former precludes the latter. Of course “whiteness” is a construct either way, so there is no objective answer. I believe there was an involved recent thread on this, before this old one was revived. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/28 "2016-03-01T14:19:18Z")
And those Americans insist in thinking I’m American. That still doesn’t give me a navy blue passport. Hispanics consider me White and Hispanic. The US census considers me White and Hispanic. Morons who refuse to look at the maroon passport aren’t someone whose opinion I give much of a hoot about, except when they also refuse to stamp it properly. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/29 "2016-03-01T14:29:58Z")
Well, I’m in the UK and I’ve never heard anyone use either. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/30 "2016-03-01T16:54:14Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > In my area (NJ) ISTM that Latinos/Hispanics generally refer to themselves as “Spanish guys”. (Seem to be mostly Mexicans, but there are a lot of others as well, and I don’t know if or how this might vary by country of origin.) I go with “Spanish” too, based on the folks I knew in NYC. “Hispanic” is right out based on college in the last 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/31 "2016-03-01T17:05:59Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > Spanish and Portuguese people are “White”. Hispanic/Latino is a cultural identifier, not a racial one. That’s why the US Census asks what race you are and then asks if you are Hispanic too. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/32 "2016-03-01T17:12:08Z")
I find it odd that hispanics from across the border seldom identify as Native Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/33 "2016-03-01T17:13:39Z")
What makes you think they don’t? Race politics in Mexico are even more complicated than ours, with everyone broken down into tiny grounps based on how much Spanish, native and/or black blood they have. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/34 "2016-03-01T17:18:05Z")
Because there’s no clear guideline, these days I either try to refer to specific national origin (when possible) or say, “Latino…er…Hispanic…er…which one is preferable?” And whomever I’m with gives me their preferred term and we’re cool and I get points for having sense enough to ask. > [@scotandrsn](#): > > “Don’t call me Hispanic! I’ve never even BEEN to Hispain!” - attributed to [El Vez](http://www.elvez.net/), the Mexican Elvis impersonater. If anyone calls me “Caucasian”, I’m going to say that I’ve never been to the Caucasus mountains. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/35 "2016-03-01T18:21:18Z")
And some Black people aren’t African-Americans; they’re Africans. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/36 "2016-03-01T18:34:08Z")
> [@scotandrsn](#): > > Bostonian transplant to LA. > > IME, on the East Coast, Hispanic is fine. On the West Coast, no dice. It’s considered disrepectful. I was in a Latino Studies class out here about four years ago, and brought up the fact that Hispanic is OK back east, and the rest of the class was shocked. > > “Don’t call me Hispanic! I’ve never even BEEN to Hispain!” - attributed to [El Vez](http://www.elvez.net/), the Mexican Elvis impersonater. > > Chicano is OK for people over 50 who have a history of political activism. > > Calling a young latino “chicano” would be like calling a young black man “soul brother”. Horribly dated to the point of verging on insulting. Maybe true in SoCal, but in NorCal, both are used pretty much interchangeably. Hispanic…Latino, \*lo mismo, amigo. \* [_Mira_.](http://www.sanjosehispanicchamberofcommerce.org/index.html)[Y aqui](http://www.hfsv.org) ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/37 "2016-03-01T19:55:59Z")
On a side note, I rather like the recent trend to writing “Latino/Latina” or “Chicano/Chicana” as “Latin@” and “Chican@” and even Angelin@ for residents of Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/38 "2016-03-01T20:02:11Z")
“Chicanat”? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/39 "2016-03-01T20:13:41Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > “Chicanat”? Chicano/a ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815/40 "2016-03-01T20:17:19Z")
How do you get “o/a” from the at sign? ETA: I suppose it kind of looks like an A inside an O. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-more-respectful-latino-or-hispanic/387815.md?page=3)