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To: American Female; Luis Gonzalez
A little touchy are we? My comment was taking a humorous tone and I am sorry if you don't agree with me, however I am perplexed at your response. Yes, only evil, white, "bigots" such as myself .....Furthermore, Polybius, I would expect more of an intelligent debate coming from someone so accomplished. Calling me a bigot and insinuating that I am a racist because I state the obvious is an oversight on your part. "Anyone in Cuba talented at taking to the water is an American by now soaking up your tax dollars in Miami."

Ummm......Where did I ever mention the word "racist", American Female? Could you please show us where?

I labeled your remark as "bigoted and ignorant".

Your "racist" comment is another case in point in ignorance. In your world, are only those people that don't speak Spanish eligible to be "white"?

My family, as do many Cuban families, has roots in the northern Spanish regions of Galicia and Asturias which were Celtic regions during the Roman conquest. (Thus the name "Galicia" from the Roman "Gallaecia" meaning "Land of the Celts".) As such, my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, myself and my children had and do have blonde hair and blue eyes and the skin under our bathing suits is just as white as yours.

My brunette cousins that take after the Castillian sides of the family are no less "white" than a brunette Frenchman.

How did we surrender our "whiteness" to you?

A "bigot" is defined by Webster's as "one obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his own church, party, belief or opinion." Such intolerance is often displayed by generalizations demeaning another group in broad terms.

Nineteenth Century examples were comments such as:

Anyone who is Irish is a drunk.

Anyone who is Catholic can never be a loyal American as Catholics owe their allegiance to Rome.

Twentieth Century examples were comments such as:

Anyone who is Jewish is deceitful and avaricious.

Anyone who is Polish or Russians is a Slavic untermenchen and is inferior to the German Aryan race.

Anyone who is Black is lazy and likes watermelon.

Your "humorous" example was:

"Anyone in Cuba talented at taking to the water is an American by now soaking up your tax dollars in Miami".

If I were to engage in such statements, I could contribute:

Anyone who is a college student will spew forth ignorant and sophomoric comments.

However, not all and, as a matter of fact, most college students do not spew forth such comments.

Your comments about every illegal alien that ever crossed the border are dumped right on the lap of all Cubans in Miami in general.

An occasional bigoted remark does not a bigot make. Defending such remarks and claiming that they are justified....well, that's another matter.

Every population group has crime and every population group has welfare dependents. The Pacific Northwest county that I now live in has one of the highest welfare rates and teenage pregnancy rates in Washington State and it is almost exclusively "Anglo" and lily white.

What generalizations should I draw from that?

In order to judge a population, you need to look at it's statistic as a whole. As a whole, Cuban Americans have been one of the most financially successful immigrant populations in America and financial success means you pay more taxes.

In 1997, 55.1 percent of second-generation Cuban Americans had an income greater than $30,000 versus 44.1 percent of "Anglo Americans", 36.9 percent of second-generation Cuban Americans had an income greater than $50,000 versus 18.1 percent of "Anglo Americans" and eleven percent of Cuban Americans had incomes greater than $100,000 versus nine percent of Anglo Americans and less than two percent of other "Hispanics" or "Latinos" or whatever this label is to describe anyone with a Spanish surname.

Of course, I realize that we shouldn't be so "sensitive" to your "humorous" generalizations.

Maybe Luis and I need to learn how to be less sensitive and maybe you and your college professors can help us in this regard.

Next week, American Female, go to one of your African American professors, bring him a watermelon and make a "humorous" comment about how anyone who is Black likes watermelon and how anyone who is Black is "soaking up our tax dollars".

Next, go to one of your Jewish professors and make a "humorous" comment about how anyone who is Jewish must really know how to take the money out of a Gentile's pocket.

Please write back to Luis and me about how your African American and Jewish professors handled your sophomoric "humor" so that we may learn to be just as good sports as they were.

35 posted on 06/08/2003 5:33:27 PM PDT by Polybius
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To: Polybius
"Anyone who is Jewish is deceitful and avaricious."

I thought Jewish people were wealthy and good with money.

And anyway, I notice that you didn't jump on Luis when he ALSO made a joke about the Cuban rowing team in the Olympics. While I doubt the tax dollars part is true, I thought the swimming remark was funny. Get a sense of humor. People who can't laugh at themselves aren't any fun. I don't get all annoyed when I get called a redneck since I'm from GA. It's because I can laugh about me and my fellow rednecks.
37 posted on 06/08/2003 8:39:59 PM PDT by honeygrl (Don't be a PC-Nazi.)
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