Comments on: Feature: Latino Or Hispanic? Let’s Settle This Once And For All

By: Guest

Guest — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:19:47 +0000

thats what makes the world go around. Each to their own. I prefer Brasilian.

By: Mindi

Mindi — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:37:45 +0000

I believe people should love who they are. There are people in Latin America who are Indegenous example I’ve met people with last names such as Morocho and Choes from Ecuador and Peru who are brown and speak spanish with an indegenous accent say “the native people in my country” as if they weren’t and they get angry if you refer to them as Indigenous when that is who they are. Africans in Latin America and The Caribbean Islands don’t like it if you call them African. If I move to China and have children there that does not make them of Chinese descent. They can call themselves Chinese by birth if that’s what they want but they are not Chinese. I think Indigenous and Africans should love who they are because they have wonderful treasures in their culture. Why do we have to call them Hispanic or Latinos when they are African and Indegenous.

By: chismosa

chismosa — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:50:40 +0000

as an azorean portuguesa, i secretly consider myself hispanic, but i know the perceived association with spain pisses of portuguese people, so i keep it to myself! but i mean really, what am i- Iberian?! nah… i’m most likely just considered a regular old white chick.

By: Mercedes

Mercedes — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:45:27 +0000

I really dont mind being called both because i think all or some latins are actually hispanics becasue the Spanish dominated Latin america, my last name traces back to Spain so I can be called both!

By: jose

jose — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 11:17:00 +0000

and let me add…
South American, or :”Sudamericano” will be the word of choice in most of the southen latin american countries.

By: Jose

Jose — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 11:11:57 +0000

Interesting article. The original question “Do Hispanic, Latino and Chicano Mean The Same Thing? [NBC]” can clearly be understood when you consider the majority of Mexicans in the States.
As Chileans, we do not identify with the term Hispanic at all, as we think it refers mainly to people of Mexican descent.
A very informal survey amongst some Argentinian and Chilean friends tells me that “Latin American” is the prefered word for some of us.

By: Vlad8a

Vlad8a — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 19:10:05 +0000

People is usually OK with boths but being that romance languages based on latin include some old continent countries (french italian,etc), the slightly more correct term would be hispanic since most of us speak Spanish and that is a more concrete group than latin-o.

It’s certainly the way it’s explained in some south american grammar schools

By: Caro

Caro — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 11:57:20 +0000

Who is this Miriam and how does she know so much about etymology? Is she related to the little black kid in that TV series?

The dictionary I have is Merriam Webster. Sorry, it’s the lit major and writing teacher in me.

And for the record, anything other than “Spic” or “Illegal” is fine by me.

By: Caro

Caro — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 11:55:40 +0000

Um, who is this Miriam Webster who knows so much about etymology and is she related to the small black boy in that TV series?

The dictionary I have is Merriam Webster.

Sorry, it’s the lit major and writing instructor in me.

And for the record, anything other than “Spic” is fine by me.

By: Tomas

Tomas — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 04:44:15 +0000

Chicano

By: cacy

cacy — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:34:50 +0000

I prefer latino because it incorporates so much more culturally. But really, even that term is a dead end in my family. I identify as Afro-indio y latino because of my Portuguese, East-Indian and African blood. I speak Portuguese, I speak Spanish, poorly; and I dream in Spanish and Portuguese. Tho my Spirit cannot be chained, it is South American. We need to stop defining ourselves based on white folks and their paperwork.

By: jm

jm — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:20:15 +0000

who cares? they all want to deport us anyway. but if i had to choose…tejano power.

By: Toot212

Toot212 — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:57:12 +0000

I personally think it is an East coast vs. West coast difference in terminology. Here, in NYC growing up and attending public school with a large population of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, I noticed that everyone used the term Hispanic. Of course, I was aware of the term Latino, however always assumed it was a west coast thing. Once I got to college though, I noticed that in academia the term Latino is used-it is Latin American Studies not Hispanic-American studies.

Also, as someone mentioned above older New Yorkers definitely used the term Spanish to identify Hispanic/Latin people. My parents (immigrants), who settled in the Bronx as kids and grew up with Puerto Ricans, to this day still refere to them as Spanish.

Here, in NYC is seems as if Spanish then Hispanic and now Latino was the progression of the descriptive term used. I believe language evolves as education and knowlege becomes available and widespread. Who knows what the next generation may use.

On another note most of my friends here definitely still go by hispanic whereas friends in Chicago and LA use Latino.

By: Janie A Go-Go

Janie A Go-Go — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:49:22 +0000

When people ask me what term they would like to define me as I simply reply: “Which ever makes you more uncomfortable”

By: DrGirlfriend

DrGirlfriend — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 08:24:00 +0000

Both terms are flawed. Both hearken back to European roots, and both seek to lump a group of people together when, in reality, each country has a distinct identity. I refer to myself as Puerto Rican, but I take no offense whatsoever at being called Hispanic or Latina. Life’s too short to get bogged down in fighting about terms, when neither one is without its pros and cons.