Hispanic-an ancient adjective and noun-was mainstreamed as a political label in the United States in the early 1970's. The purpose for the introduction of such an ancient adjective by the Nixon administration was ostensibly to create a political label solely for the purpose of applying the constitutional anti-discrimination standard of โstrict scrutinyโ to anyone who was labeled Hispanic. The label had the immediate effect of linking the entire population of the 19 nations that comprise Latin America, as well as, distinguishing the "Hispanic" colonial heritage of Latin American Countries from the "Anglo Saxon" colonial heritage of the United States.
Before the colonization of the Americas, a person had to be solely from Hispania-Spain and Portugal together- in order to be called Hispanic. Today, Hispania has 21 progenies: two in Europe (Spain and Portugal), and nineteen in the Americas (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela).
But there is more to think about: America is a country where one would not consider mislabeling a Scotsman an Irishman, for such would be an insult to the Scotsman, and visa versa; where one would not describe Canadian culture as being the same as Australian culture because such would be an insult to Canadians and visa versa. Yet, sadly, America is also a country where schools are educating the masses into believing that all people who immigrate or descend from the twenty-one distinctly different progenies of Hispania are: culturally alike, vote as a group, dance salsa, speak Spanish or Portuguese, can't cut it in the schools, work in menial jobs, join gangs, get aids, look alike, think alike, prefer to be separated from โAngloโ America, and have no heritage other than what is being accomplished in the USA by anyone politically labeled Hispanic.
America is a country where Hispanic heritage month no longer honors Hispania's progenies as unique, various and sundry cultures. America is a country where Hispanic heritage month is politically misused for the purpose of pressuring everyone labeled Hispanic into accepting that an attribute applied to anyone labeled Hispanic is an attribute applied to everyone labeled Hispanic, regardless of their different national heritage, and their different cultural backgrounds.
America is a country where the political label Hispanic is being used to camouflage one key fact, and that is that 66.9 percent (as of the 2002) of those labeled Hispanic in the United States do not represent the twenty-one progenies of Hispania, but rather only one progeny-Mexico.
The political label Hispanic is not a physical description of any kind.
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A racial group created by the U.S. government to put all people who descend from Spanish speaking countries into one meaningless group. Hispanic is NOT a racial group. They can be white, black, native american, asian, or any combination of these peoples. Hispanic countries are just as racially diverse as the United States, thus this term has no real meaning.
Moron says: Why does he look white? I thought he was hispanic?
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People that come from Spanish speaking countries regardless of race and continent. Not to be confused for a race or ethnicity. People colonized by Spain. So those from Spain, Ecuatorial Guinea, Philippines, and Latin Americans.
Hispanic : Comes from Spanish speaking country. Not that hard.
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Phobia of fake spanish people; extremely contagious disease. Mostly caught by non-hispanics
Hispanic originally meant someone from Spain, but in the New World it has taken on a new meaning, where many Hispanics have little, if any, Spanish ancestry. In the New World, 'Hispanic' often refers to Amerindians and Mestizos.
For instance, the CIA World Fact Book figures Mexico to be: 60% Mestizo, 30% Amerindian, and less than 10% European (Spaniard). Regarding the make up of mestizos, Rubรฉn Lisker analyzed DNA markers of lower-class mestizos from Mexico City and found them to be: 59% Amerindian, 34% European (Spaniard), and 6% Black (African).
"Most Hispanics in the USA are not white."
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a word created by the united States Census Bureau that is now commonly used to lump spanish speaking people into one broad category, for better or WORSE. Also this word was incorrectly used today by the officer who decided to identify my "race" on the speeding ticket he gave me.
Officer, without asking me, you wrote down that I was hispanic, but actually I am South Asian.
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An ethnicity, not a race, just like German, French, and Irish, except it refers to all Spanish speaking countries instead of just one country. The term "Hispanic" refers to someone from ANY Spanish-speaking countries, including those not in Latin America (Spain and Ecuatorial Guinea). Not to be confused with Latino which refers strictly to those with origins in Latin America.
I have Spanish ancestry, making me Hispanic.
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