Posted on 03/18/2015 7:29:37 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Latino Americans – or Hispanics – occupy a stigmatized status in America alongside blacks. For some, that is cause for activism, social change, lobbying for legislative action, or preservation of their ethnic heritage. For others, it is a reason to deny their own heritage and abandon their genetic makeup. Sadly, the number of folks who choose the latter option seems to be growing.
According to a recent Pew Research study, more than one million Americans who previously identified as Hispanic and “some other race” on the 2000 US Census checked Hispanic and white on the 2010 census form. While the number of people who change their race on the federal form varies every decade, this is the first time these statistics have been analyzed on such a large scale.
The study went on to note that most people who identified as white, black or Asian on the 2000 census remained in the same category in 2010. So, it is truly confounding that so many Latino Americans changed their ethnic identity over the course of ten years. One writer noted that much the same trend occurred for Germans, Italians, and the Irish when they first immigrated here. He notes that the arc of change for many immigrant populations is relatively identical. New generations are predominantly English speaking, children attain more education than their parents, and wealth increases intergenerationally. On its face, this seems to be an ethnic Cinderella Story.
Sadly, it’s not. Since race in this country is typically dichotomous and conceived of in the form of a black-white binary, it can be said that what Hispanics and Latino Americans are doing on the aggregate is further distancing themselves from blacks to assimilate with the dominant white culture. While this isn’t true for all Latino Americans, it is certainly true for some. Pew writer, D’Vera Cohn, alluded to this phenomenon saying that this could be happening because of certain “benefits associated with being identified with some groups.”
She said it the politically correct way. I will say it the blunt way. Many Hispanics see that they can get further in America if they simply say they are white, even if it isn’t true. She also noted that the number of people changing their ethnic identity might be higher in the real population. In other words, some people of color are closeted, checking their ethnic identity on the box for the federal government yet presenting themselves as white in public spaces.
This is not just a bad thing. This is a terrible thing. It is the Melting Pot Theory aka Colorblindness aka Post-Racialism at work. These individuals, after being bludgeoned over the head repeatedly by white ideas about beauty, respectability politics in the workplace, and white-washing of media images marketed to children, have acquiesced to the omnipresence of white supremacy. There are certainly benefits to being – or becoming – a member of the majority. But, is it truly worth it if it means one has to abandon their own identity in the process? Certainly not.
Many have said that whites will one day become a minority in this country. With Latino Americans standing as the largest minority group, they were said to surpass whites in total population – making the US a majority-minority country as early as 2043. How exactly will that happen if Latino Americans are becoming white? It simply won’t.
You see, this is the danger of systemic, ingrained, institutional racism. It even has the power to change the ethnic identity of living breathing human beings. Sadly, this leads one to wonder if there is really any way to defeat white supremacy at all or if all of us activists are just chasing our tails. While I would love to say this is not a threat to our collective well-being, I can’t. It is a threat, an imminent threat. And, it just makes our fight that much harder.
Interesting. The capture of America by the Democrats by changing the makeup of the population may not go according to plan. :)
Aren’t many Mexican illegals essentially Indians?
You see, this is the danger of systemic, ingrained, institutional racism. It even has the power to change the ethnic identity of living breathing human beings. Sadly, this leads one to wonder if there is really any way to defeat white supremacy at all or if all of us activists are just chasing our tails. While I would love to say this is not a threat to our collective well-being, I can’t. It is a threat, an imminent threat. And, it just makes our fight that much harder.
WOW! So much for not Judging a Man by the Color of his Skin but by the Content of his Character!
That will put the Racism industry out of Business in a heartbeat.
Imagine that. Could it be assimilation?
What the hell? She says it like it’s a bad thing.
It’s not
Yup. Native and Spanish mixed. Go to the Mexico City area and you will see pure European Spanish. That is why they want to rid the country of the undesirables..they got a word for them.
Been told this by many Spanish Mexicans that do business across the border.
Hey lady — Visit any number of California cities and your fears will be quickly put to rest.
As time goes on, immigrant Hispanics(Democrats) will become a smaller percentage of the total Hispanic-American population. That's a positive trend.
Nothing more frightening to the race baiters than the idea of the bubble collapsing.
Well at least they're finally being honest about their goal of ripping the country to pieces.
Yeah, try watching any Mexican TV news, soap opera, or whatever crap they have on the tube and show me one of the indigenous people. It might as well be broadcast from Madrid.
Yes. Or mixed race with a high percentage of Indian, which in Mexican Spanish is called "Mestizo"
I grew up in northern New Mexico. The Spanish people were insulted if they were called Mexican. Some of the Spanish people I knew were blonde. They were proud Spanish-Americans.
Yeah but those are not the Mexicans we are getting. I live in a California town overrun with them and I don’t care what ‘box’ they check they will never be mistaken for white.
The last two paragraphs are delightful. The left is openly praying to ethnically cleanse America of white people, and they are disappointed that the majority culture is going to persist, even if their plan works.
“Since race in this country is typically dichotomous and conceived of in the form of a black-white binary, it can be said that what Hispanics and Latino Americans are doing on the aggregate is further distancing themselves from blacks to assimilate with the dominant white culture.”
Liberal Bull. It is culture that matters to getting ahead in America, not race, and not racism.
Blacks get off the boat everyday in America from the Caribbean and Africa, and do just fine - better than Mexicans on average. They achieve this performance, despite being typically “blacker” than the typically mixed race “black” whose family has been here since slavery.
Integrating into a more successful culture is adopting better practices - education, ambition, work ethics, etc. The alienation from such cultural best practices is why the African American underclass under performs the average - high crime rates, low educational achievement, broken families, etc.
So why aren’t the Casino Indians standing with them in solidarity? It would seem to be a winning strategery with ‘Rats.
Mexicans are one of the three:
1. Europeans
2. Indians
3. Mestizos [Children of Europeans & Indians who have procreated. this is the largest part of the Mexican population].
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.