U.S. Cultural Perceptions of Latinos

I was recently inspired by my friend Sara's video of common questions Latinos in the U.S. get asked quite often. After seeing the video, it made me think about everything I have ever been asked during my lifetime of identifying as Mexican-American. For some reason, perceptions of Latinos in the U.S. are not as open-minded as one may think. And it is something me and many other Latinos experience on a daily basis.

The "What Are You?" Question - Latinos, Hispanics Are Constantly Asked Their Race by Sara Inés Calderón

Ethnic stereotypes are visible in every culture, and extremely so for Latinos. Latinos come in every shape, color and size, and some people still need to get used to that fact. Although many of us have indigenous roots, many of us also have Spanish blood or have ancestors from Spain that immigrated to Latin America.

Stereotypes may form because of what media has portrayed as a "typical" Latino, or it may have to do with the need to have some sort of identity, whether it be cultural or not. Based off what we determine as our identity, usually leads people to treat others according so.

"Because people have a script in their heads: how to act and what to say when they meet certain people. If they don't know 'what' someone is (man, woman, gay, straights, Hispanic or not) they feel lost and they don't know how to act," said Vashti, a native of the island of Puerto Rico who moved to the U.S. when she was 17.

But with the popularity of stereotypes, also becomes "fact" for many. For many, seeing or hearing stereotypes becomes accurate because that is what they are most used to and the only info they can rely on about Latinos.

"I think that because Latinos aren't integrated into many aspects of our society — corporate boardrooms and places where decisions about media content are made for example — stereotypes replace actual knowledge about what latinos are, or are like. So then you get stereotypes becoming "fact" for some people, though the rest of us are left which a much more complex reality in which latinos -- just like people in the u.s. -- come in all shapes and sizes (and colors)," said Calderón, Director of Social Media and Partner Development at MiTú Network.

Stephanie Cuevas, who identifies as Mexican-American, encountered an interesting situation when she was marked as "White" instead of "Hispanic" by a police officer "Since we don't have the freedom to claim our identity in government forms as we please, I think people are confused when they look at others. I think the type of thought process people stumble upon when they find a racially ambiguous person is, 'You don't quite fit that box that I know, but you must fit into a box'," said Cuevas.

Cuevas corrected her speeding ticket.



Cuevas continued, "I would compare America's portrayal and perception of race to the census. The census asks us to "check off boxes" according to our background. It tries to put populations into monolithic categories, yet these categories shift. For example, in 1930, Mexican was considered a race. However, in 1940, and future recordings of the census, it was no longer offered. The races listed on the census can be listed like nationalities in some cases, and other cases it's clor of skin, like white or black. The list of "races" has grown and changed over the years, and I find that completely fascinating. We're supposed to fit into these boxes, and yet the "categories" are shifting constantly. It's as thought there is an outside entity that's trying to define us, when we should have the freedom to define our own identity."