Comments on: Why do some Latin Americans talk about "la raza" when it doesn't even exist?

By: Seabiscuit

Seabiscuit — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:58:30 +0000

All the people you mentioned are mixed and that is what la raza basically means, the race of the mixed.

By: Zonian1989

Zonian1989 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:58:30 +0000

Just a cut and paste from the Wikipedia article in the sources:
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La Raza (Mexican Spanish IPA: [la ˈrasa]; Castilian Spanish IPA: [la ˈraθa]) is a Mexican Spanish phrase which literally translated as "The Race" however a more accurate translation would be "the people" or "the community". It is used to denote the people of Latin America and the Hispanic world, who share the cultural and political legacies of Spanish colonialism, including the Spanish language and culture. The term La Raza is mostly used by patriotic Mexicans and Mexican Americans. The term may also refer to a racial significance associated with mestizo (mixed race).

The term originated in the book La Raza Cósmica written by a Mexican writer, José Vasconcelos. He described La Raza Cosmica as the product of racial mixing over time that was already in progress in the Hispanic world. Vasconcelos believed that eventually all of the people within the Spanish Empire would completely mixed into a new race that had the best attributes of all the cultures; armies of these people would then go forth around the world professing their knowledge and initiating the "universal era of humanity".

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When I used to work at Baskin Robbins back in college, someone tried to use it to get me give them a discount for "la raza"

By: orangeknight69

orangeknight69 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:58:30 +0000

The latinos confuse culture with race. Latinos are a mix of all three races, but that is true of most people. Latinos use La Raza as a "cover" for being illegal aliens, so they can claim racism when confronted by Americans for being here illegally. They think that liberals and socialists will support them, and they will be treated like American citizens.

By: Peace n Justice

Peace n Justice — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:58:30 +0000

Why do we use any ethnic terms at all, for that matter? Every ethnic term is socially constructed i.e. people choose a term and validate it based on their own criteria. I think many people choose the term "La Raza" the way Jose Vasconcelos conceived it: La Raza Cosmica. Vasconcelos took a good look at the beautiful way so many different ethnic groups "mixed" together in so many parts of this hemisphere –including Mexico. Many people don’t like the term "Latin" America because Latin is a dead language that was spoken by the Romans in what is now Italy. If you consider the countries south of the U.S. border to be "Latin" then what do you consider the lands north of that border? Obviously, you (like most people in the U.S.) are using a European model on this hemisphere. Specifically, you are defining people by the languages they speak now and you are drawing a parallel to Europe (Germanic languages in the north and Romance/ Latin-based languages in the south). So if you consider Mexico and countries to its south "Latin" then you must consider the U.S. and Canada "Germanic" by extent. You mentioned the rivalries between people of different Spanish-speaking countries, what about the racism between themselves? Have you ever watched a telenovela? Most of the heroes/heroines are the most Teutonic/Germanic/Aryan people you have ever seen in your life. Obviously, the eurocentric aesthetic permeates all colonized societies. Maybe you are a "Hispanic," someone of "pure" Spanish heritage. This does not apply to the countries you listed. Many aren’t even part Spanish. There are still millions of Indigenous peoples and African-origin people in those countries as well. Colonization is not pretty. We are still dealing with the legacy of racial oppression, the theft of our ancient homelands, the suppression of our languages, the destruction of our religions. I hope you will reconsider your opinions. Where did you get your ideas? I bet all of your teachers would agree with every single word you said. Who taught your teachers? What values inform their opinions? There is freedom in truth. I hope you will consider researching the roots of your opinions. Good luck.

By: Izzie

Izzie — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:58:30 +0000

The term was born with the Mexicans immigrants, even the rest of Hispanics do not understand the reason is so important for Mexican (Chicanos) refer to themselves as La raza.

Cheers

By: Gary R

Gary R — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:58:30 +0000

I don’t really know the meaning or the history if this remark, but as a young Latino, I can tell you that this word gave the young Latinos of the 90’s a form of identity. It was mainly used by the gangs in California and Chicago to describe the Latino culture within the American society. I myself don’t like the term. I think it alienates Hispanics from the rest of the American culture. I believe this has a huge impact on the current events, as undocumented, hard working people try to find a way to legalize their status, the last think we need as a culture is a label that separates Hispanics from the rest of society. I find the meaning itself offensive to a certain extend. "La Raza" can be translated into "the race". How would we feel if white people were going around cheering up for their race? We should unite as one nation and remember that American is a melting pot, not a two flavor country. All previous immigrants have eventually reached success in our country because of intergration, not separation. But that’s just my opinion…

By: molli maire

molli maire — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:58:29 +0000

it does exist, viva la raza