Need some clarification... what's the difference between "Hispanic" and "Latino/a?"

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Carbo

Diamond Member
Aug 6, 2000
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Optimus, point well made and taken. However, I prefer to give someone the benefit of the doubt and assume the best of the possibilities, rather than the worst, until proven otherwise. Makes getting through the day more pleasant.
 

kuk

Platinum Member
Jul 20, 2000
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<< Brazilians are not considered Hispanic, but they are considered &quot;Latino/a&quot;, since they are not of Spanish origin. >>



Amen to that! :)



Well, from my point of view, stating that every country south of the US is Latino is too much of a generalization. The term &quot;Latin/o/a&quot; is a reference to the language spoken, all from a Latin origin. That is, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and French (among other small ones). But the term then became restricted to those speaking these languages in the American continent.

In the Americas, the Spanish conquered most of the land, so Latino became almost a synonym. In spite of that, as Rio Rebel said, Brazil is a latin america country that speaks portuguese. And the small French Guinea speaks French. There are actually a small problem ... some countries in the considered Latin America don't have Latin-based languages, such as Suriname (Dutsch), and a couple of Caribbean islands.
 

huanaku

Golden Member
Jan 20, 2001
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When I lived in south america, i would hear &quot;el mundo hispanico&quot; (meaning the hispanic world) referring to spanish speaking latin-america. The US (America) was never referred to as &quot;america&quot; because they are part of the americas too. Latin/Hispanic to me is synonomous. That's with the Bolivian culture side of me, so to a mexican or guatemalan, it might be different.
 

Rio Rebel

Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Carbo,

You still don't get it. The political correctness movement is a BIG problem, and we should all be concerned about it. But when you make a highly offensive stereotype basically calling all Latin women cheap whores, don't try to paint up people who object as being &quot;pc&quot;. No, it's called having standards, and it would be really nice if you developed some for yourself.

I'm not all that upset about it. I get the impression that you're a pretty good guy with just a little different sense of humor. Just think about what Optimus said - we can only go by what you say here. We have no body language or personal background to help us interpret others' remarks, so we have to say what we mean and mean what we say...or at least add a smiley or something to let people know how the comment should be taken.

:)
 

Spoooon

Lifer
Mar 3, 2000
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I don't know if anyone said this, but Hispanic is basically a term the census people came up with to describe people of Mexican, Latin American, and Spanish descent.
 

Cyberian

Diamond Member
Jun 17, 2000
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Well, it's nice to see that there is a consensus of opinion here about what Hispanic/Latino means.

Obviously the answer is that there is no answer, as the terms have been significantly altered from what they may have originally meant.

I don't think that people from Portugal are usually referred to as 'Hispanic' although it was part of 'Espana'.
I also don't think that people from France are called 'Latino' even though they speak a Romance Language.

I think the misunderstanding stems from other people trying to 'pigeonhole' everyone into a neat little box.
 

brtspears2

Diamond Member
Nov 16, 2000
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Heck, I think we should just have a broad word for classification of race. I've see fights just break out since someone just didnt know the difference between Latino and Zapotec.

Think of the nitemare if the whole world felt that they needed their own special word. Lets see...many Indian tribes, nomads, ect. Just keep it simple, and everyone can get on their lives. Theres a time for pride, and theres a time for keeping it simple and easy for everyone.
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
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I'm gonna call my nephew and niece &quot;Caucasomongoloid&quot; when they grow up. Despite their mix, however, my nephew looks Hispanic with nice olive skin, and my niece looks Inuit except without all the stereotypical snow. I think when they have kids, they should mix it up even more. Confuse the hell out of everyone. :D
 

Carbo

Diamond Member
Aug 6, 2000
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Rio, I found something we can agree on: PC is BS! Now, having said that, I must also say that &quot;cheap whores' are your words, not mine. Never said it, never would. That's despicable.
I mentioned my wife is from Colombia and she certainly doesn't fit that category. Now, her sisters........
See, there I go again. Hey, I like to laugh and have fun. Sometimes at my expense, sometimes at others. Stereotypes are caricatures, and by their very nature must shock to succeed. A stereotype that doesn't offend is just a failed attempt at humor.
And you're correct, I am a nice guy. I gather that you are, as well. So why the hell are we arguing? Can we agree on this: here in south Florida at 9:30AM it is already hot as blazes.
Would you care for a margarita? Good. Does this make me an alcoholic, too, in addition to a redneck bigot? ;)
 
Feb 7, 2000
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didnt read the thread

a hispanic is somebody who's ansestors came from spain - thus any mexican or latino is also hispanic

a latino is somebody who comes from latin america - south american, central america.

i could be off by a bit
 
Feb 7, 2000
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An aside, there was never any confusion when I applied for financial aid. Hispanic/latino = more college money!

thats not true. how much you get or are eligible for is based on how much your parents make, assuming they claim you as dependent on their tax returns.
 

Emos

Golden Member
Oct 27, 2000
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<< Can we agree on this: here in south Florida at 9:30AM it is already hot as blazes. >>


No doubt! I was hanging out by the pool to catch a few rays and swim a few laps...needless to say I ran back inside less than an hour later! Just wait until August... :p