Yes, Peggy, regarding your comment about not knowing which is
worse---comments about your ethnicity from Anglos or from Mexicans: my
husband was made fun of by a group of Mexicans in the Marines when he went out
on the lawn at Camp Pendleton to lie down and try to get a tan. Though he
was as white as snow, they still thought it was inappropriate for someone named
Antonio Garcia to get a tan, that only "gringos" should do that. Also,
when he hears someone speaking Spanish and he joins in, he gets surprised
looks. As for the comments from Anglos, I recall another incident at his
workplace later that someone told him, "Oh, I didn't know you were
Mexican. The only Mexicans I have ever known were little brown guys
working construction". Yes, the political incorrectness comes from both
sides.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 7:37
PM
Subject: RE: [ranchos] Re: double
surnames
Peggy: It can even happen among friends. Our high school
class still tries to get together once a month for lunch and we always meet at
a Mexican restaurant. We were over 600 in our class, but usually we are
just about 20 present. And almost always I am the only Hispanic
present.
Two lunches ago I was asked about what I was doing. I stood up
(because I was in a hurry to return to work) and quickly explained about the
excitement of working on my family tree and my trip to Mexico. In a
voice loud enough to be heard throughout the restaurant, one of the fellows
commented; "Oh, I didn't know you were Mexican!" Everyone
froze. People at the other tables turned in our
direction. I was speechless. "I'm American." and
before I could continue, a classmate added in a you-idiot-kind of
voice as she glared at him. "...of Mexican
descent." "I hope that isn't a
problem..." I added, even as I felt anger coming over me. But I
managed to smile, wave and left. I could hear them berating
him.
As luck would have it, I sat next to him the next time. And
when it was announced that one of the group had moved to Mexico, can you
believe it, he belted out "Oh, I didn't know she was Mex..." He didn't
finish the sentence. Everyone turned to stare at him. The poor fellow
froze. "You never learn.." someone hissed. "She moved there
because she loves it there. Is that a problem?" Then he
noticed I was sitting next to him. He winced. I don't think
it was malice, but maybe insensitivity or even
ignorance. No, I didn't hurt him. I rather enjoyed watching the
others reacting to him.
But you know, it works the other way, too. I don't look Hispanic
and more than once when I speak Spanish, someone has exclaimed
"Oh...I didn't know you were Mexican. I always thougth you were a
gringa." Sigh. I don't know which is worse.
Happy New Year!
Mary
Peggy Delgado <peggydee@...>
wrote:
Linda, I get something like that when asked what nationality I
am.....one time at my work's cafeteria, a man approached me and asked,
"Excuse me, what are you, from India? Oh no, I got it, you're
polynesian...you look so exotic! (not sure whether he was flirting or
not)"....so I'm just staring at him and I said, "No, I'm
Mexican-American...." I said this with a proud smile on my face.
He looked shocked. He was like "No, you couldn't be Mexican....are you
mixed with something else?" At that point, I gave this pest my famous
"raised eyebrow" and a smirk, turned and walked away. Now mind you, I
don't know what people mean when they say, "you don't look Mexican"....I
just chalk it up to peoples ignorance.
Peggy
Erlinda:
The whole Chicano vs.
Mexican-American vs. Latin@ vs. Hispanic debate
is a very contentious
one in the United States. I think that all of
those terms are
very politically laden such that there is no single
one that everyone
would agree with. There is an interesting episode
where the
renowned author Sandra Cisneros balked at being featured in
Hispanic
magazine because of such a disagreement. She agreed only
after
the magazine agreed to show her on the cover in a profile shot
with a
fake tatoo reading "LATINA" across her arm.
There is an interesting
article on this:
http://www.hispanicmagazine.com/2000/dec/Features/latino.html
I
suppose that if you want to designate descendancy from peoples of
Mexico, Mexican or Mexican-American would be the most precise. I
will leave my commentary at that lest I get myself in
trouble.
Interesting thing though, I have run across documents
where the
indigenous peoples of the area around Colotlan and Totatiche
would
refer to the indigenous colonizers from the south (Tlaxcaltecs,
Otomis and Huastecs) as "mexicanos" designating that they spoke the
Mexican language (i.e. nahuatl) and they did not consider themselves
as such, since they spoke a different (Tepehuan) language. One
of
these references appears in an interview with one of the last
tepehuan speakers in Azqueltan, Jalisco in 1912!
I think that
the term Mexican to designate all of the ethinicities of
Mexico was
probably not adopted until after independence. I imagine
that
those of pure Spanish descent would not consider themselved
Mexican
before that, especially when the term specifically refered to
the
nahuatl-speakers of central Mexico.
--- In
ranchos@yahoogroups.com, "Erlinda Castanon-Long"
<longsjourney@y...> wrote:
>
> I want to thank
everyone for the input on double surnames and y
versus
> de...
I had forgotten that I use a double surname too! I felt I
>
didn't want to give up my Hispanic maiden name so just hyphenated
it
> with my married name. That makes me Castanon-Long, I guess
in
Latin
> America that would make me Castanon y Long .. I
found at the
family
> reunion that most of my female cousins
from my generation did the
> same. Many of us did not marry
Hispanic but would have kept our
> maiden name regardless. Just
like someone said, it's a matter of
> family pride..
>
> One more question.. which is 'politically' correct to designate
our
> nationality of origin if we or our ancestors were from
Mexico...
> Hispanic, Latino, Mexican-American or
American-Mexican? I find I
> really upset some people when I
call myself Hispanic. I'm told that
> excludes my Indio blood...
People ask me what my nationality is
> because I'm just brown
enough to not be Anglo but have light green
> eyes, my sister get's
the same thing and she has blue eyes and
> freckles. I still laugh
when told I don't look like a Mexican...
what
> does a Mexican
look like!!!!
>
> Linda in
Everett
>
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