What its like to be Hispanic in America

[TexasMexican]

Following on the heels of such vaunted threads such as "What its like to be Black in America," and "What its like to be White in America," I now present to you "What its like to be Hispanic in America."

I dont feel there is much "institutionalized" racism against hispanics as people say there is against blacks.

I personally dont feel that I have been discriminated against in any way that really matters. I've never had anyone call me names or made me feel uncomfortable about my ethnicity.

While working as a cashier I've come across a few people who have made me feel that they might be racist but at the end of the day I dont really care what thier opinions of me are.

In my part of the world, South Texas, as I have seen it, racism isnt much of a problem. We hispanics make up about 60% of the population in my city.

IMO the biggest problem with us hispanics is that we arent that active in politics. We need to get more people registered and voting.

FWIW I would assume that our position in things is sort of in the middle. Racism against us isnt anything like how many blacks on this board have described, so we have it better than them in that regards. That being said I would also assume we have to deal with some racism that whites dont have to, however we arent "white devils" and dont have to deal with the guilt over whatever.

I'd like to here what other hispanics in other parts of the country think.

[La_Serpiente]

1. I am not hispanic

but I would understand that you wouldn't face that much discrimination if you lived in a highly-populated hispanic area. But I have had hispanic friends that have been chastised publicly for speaking Spanish in public. I would find that really offensive because nobody else should interfere with the conversation of another. Also, I really do think that the criminal justice system is biased against other hispanics. For example, my hispanic friends were always pulled over by the cops for really doing nothing. The cops wouldn't ask them for ID's or anything. He would just cause trouble. That's racial profiling for you there.

So that is why affirmative action is so important in the hiring process for Police Stations. It builds tolerance in a area that is deserpately needed. Also, there is a disproportionate amount of hispanics and blacks in prison compared to whites. Now, there is a possibility that there could be discrimination on the part of the cops and the judge in the courtroom, but the likelyhood of that happening has diminished significatly since the 1950s. But most of these people are the product of their environements. So the question is, how can we change those environments in order to create a healthire societies for those minorities. Well, there can always be social programs and business development at the same time.

[TexasMexican]

2. yeah...

I'm sure discrimination might become more apparent in areas with lower hispanic populations.

Just some ramblings...
Earlier this summer me and white friend of mine went by bus up to New London, CT to see one of our friends who was graduating from the Coast Guard Academy.

Of course the bus drove out to East Texas through the South then up the Eastern Seaboard.

While going through the South there were alot more blacks than I thought there would be. It did make me feel wierd, I guess some of it is the ingrained racism that our culture puts into most people, another part I guess is the fact that I was now in the minority in that part of the world. After thinking about it for a bit I imagined that many blacks from the South who have never been to South Texas would feel wierd too around so many hispanics.

Finally after several stops we finally got there I felt kind of wierd against being the minority, althought not as much so as in the South. I guess its because I'm somewhat used to being around whites and have several white friends, but dont have any black friends.

Anyways after my friends graduation we then had a road trip back down to Texas, my friend who graduated provided his vehicle and we all took turns driving. Overall the trip was really fun and a good learning experience. Alot of times I know I would just compare and contrast the different sights and scenes with what I was used to back home, and at times I was thinking I wonder how these people percieve me.

When we were staying at my friend's girlfriend's friend's place in Long Island, we were going to a 7-11 (on the supposed semi-partially-badside of town, which after all was said and done didnt look that bad to me). One of the girls with us said something like, "dont worry, nothing bad will happen because you are here and you would probably scare them because you are different."

I suppose some people would say that is a racist remark, however at the time I just thought to myself (being from Texas and thinking I'm macho), "yeah I could probably intimidate and beat whatever passes for a punk of gang member up in this white upper to upper-middle class part of the world."

When we got there, there were a few teenagers hanging around outside, and as we were heading inside one of them came up to us asked my white friend (the one who drove on the bus with me) if he could buy him a beer and that he would give him the money. My friend told him, "where I'm from if you want a beer and are too young to buy one you just run in there and steal one yourself."

This is probably long enough now so I'll just stop.

The only other somewhat racial thing that I can think of on the trip was when I didnt feel like getting out at some gas station in sometown somewhere in the western part of Virginia to ask the locals for directions to an Italian restaurant. If anyone cares to hear that story I'll post it, but dont feel like it right now.

[La_Serpiente]

5. You can post is later

:-)

[leftyandproud]

3. No intiendo. No soy de Mexico.

heehee...I listened to a beginner's mexican CD I got at the library. How is my spelling?

[La_Serpiente]

4. Correction

no entiendo. No soy de Mexico.

[leftyandproud]

6. gracias mi amigo!

I still can't quite get the r+L sound they make for 'r' words...or the y+g sound for y words.

It's over there.
Esta ayi
or
Esta agi

it's a combination of those I think..but I don't have it down yet.

[TexasMexican]

8. Aqui

should be aqui instead of agi.

[leftyandproud]

9. thanks...but..

how is it pronounced...the lady on the audio said ayi, as well as agi...with the "g" sounding like the gzh sound in the french word "bonjoir"

[TexasMexican]

7. How should I know...

Do you think I'm from Mexico or something. :mad:

LoL J/K.

Actually I dont write much in Spanish so if I ever needed to it I would have to do it phonetically or look it up. I assume La_Serpiente has it correct.

I think I'm 4th generation Mexican-American. I can understand spanish well, I can speak it okay, I cant write it much.

[scarlet_owl]

10. I'm Hispanic, and most people don't even know unless

I tell them. Before I was married, and my last name was Rivera (high school), I heard a few racist slurs thrown my way, (I went to a small town-all white high school), but I wasn't too discouraged. I had confidence in myself and I knew that those people who would do things like that were just ignorant anyway. I was admitted to the University of Illinois, and being Hispanic did help me get in. Unfortunatley, my illness prevented me from going. Growing up was more of a problem for my mother. It was back in the sixties, and she grew up in an area of St. Louis where some people had never seen a Hispanic person before. Her and her sisters were the only hispanics in their schools throughout their school careers, and they were called names. My mother and one of her sisters were always used to looking different from everyone else, but my other aunt has red hair and green eyes. We come in all kinds of colors. I guess being Hispanic hasn't really impacted my life too much. I just don't think about it a lot. I'm just me.

On Edit: I was in your area in February, TexasMexican, and I fell in love with it! My father and I went on a birding and reptiling tour of south Texas which included places like Laguna Atascosa and Santa Ana. You live in such a beautiful area and the people are so wonderful!