Discrimination Against Latinos in The U.S.

[the last donut of the night]

I´m starting this thread because I believe racism against Latinos or those of Latino descent in the US is going unstopped in a way that racism against Blacks isn´t (although I´m not saying that prejudice against them is dead, a common lie here). Racism against us, disguised in immigration policies, has reached a point in the right-wing media that is simply disgusting. Being part of a high-school, I also see that kids here also hold many of these prejudices. So this thread, I hope, will be a place to discuss the nature of racism against Latinos in the US and what would be the best form to struggle against it. And please, I don´t need one-liners from users who just want to be witty. I need serious discussion and debate. Thanks.

[SoupIsGoodFood]

I'm latino and I've taken a fair amount of shit from ignorant assholes of every race. People automatically assume you mexican if you latino (I'm Cuban). Mostly for me its people making "Mexican" comments, or the people who know I'm Cuban say shit about "Coming here on a door" or whatever. Honestly I've gotten more shit from black people than white boys about my race, but thats probably cause I live in a majority black neighborhood.

[pierrotlefou]

It's hard for the middle and upper classes to respect the people they see as their work force. That's why blacks had/have such a hard time. Plus, what would they do without the mexicans as their work force? They use the racism to hold back latinos because they need them in the place they are in in this society. IMO if anyone in the US needs to read marx it's the US Latino population.

[sandragnash]

Plus, what would they do without the mexicans as their work force?

The same thing they did BEFORE they were exploiting Mexicans as their work force.

How did the United States reach the position it was in during the 1960s, when they put a man on the moon? Who picked all the crops, and did all the building jobs back then?

[9]

No doubt, racism against Hispanics has become one of the most severe - and overt - forms of discrimination in the US in the present. There are a variety of factors which account for this, but it seems that the most relevant of these is the fact that the US shares a border with one predominantly non-"white" country, namely Mexico, which thus provides a convenient scapegoat during times of domestic turmoil. In addition, the bourgeois media and politicians employ fear-mongering by exploiting and exaggerating the 'trend' of Mexican immigration to the US by repeating ad nauseum the despicable claim that "illegal aliens" (a deplorable, dehumanizing term in and of itself) are "invading" 'our' [white] country to "ransack" 'our' [white] resources and "raid" 'our' [white] social services, and frequently the assertion is made that this "invasion of illegal aliens" is a - if not the - leading cause of the economic recession.
It goes without saying that many Americans equate all Hispanics with Mexicans and all Mexicans with "illegal aliens", although this sentiment would be no more 'correct' or acceptable if it were directed solely against Mexican immigrants to the US who are without legal documentation.
Regardless, the danger and prevalence of this discrimination is greatly amplified by the (superficial) legitimacy and social acceptance afforded it by its ability to operate under the guise of the "tough on immigration" stance and Malthusian (bogus) "practicality". As a result of this air of legitimacy, discrimination against Hispanics is, throughout most of the country, far more open and socially acceptable than, say, anti-black racism.
With regard to methods of combating anti-Hispanic racism, it is difficult to say. Certainly it is crucial to raise awareness among friends, family, and coworkers and to correct any oft-repeated drivel we happen to hear about "invasions" of "illegal aliens". We should also stand in solidarity with immigrants' rights movements and other efforts to fight discrimination. I think it is also crucial for leftist organizations to take heed of this issue and put an added emphasis on ensuring that Hispanics are adequately represented within the organization and added attention is given to the struggles and input of victims of anti-Hispanic discrimination and Hispanic workers in general. And I imagine there will be organizations that think they are somehow "above" such measures, and will attempt to write off such efforts as "bourgeois" or divisive or "identity politics"; however, I have little respect for such organizations to begin with.

[respectful87]

I´m starting this thread because I believe racism against Latinos or those of Latino descent in the US is going unstopped in a way that racism against Blacks isn´t (although I´m not saying that prejudice against them is dead, a common lie here). Racism against us, disguised in immigration policies, has reached a point in the right-wing media that is simply disgusting. Being part of a high-school, I also see that kids here also hold many of these prejudices. So this thread, I hope, will be a place to discuss the nature of racism against Latinos in the US and what would be the best form to struggle against it. And please, I don´t need one-liners from users who just want to be witty. I need serious discussion and debate. Thanks.

I'm white and I agree however they don't help their cause with things like la raza (which I don't have much of an opinion on but anything called "the race" in bound to be racist) and others in the chicano power movement.

Hispanics are being used as a scapegoat. In rual areas they are blamed for helping urbanization, the alex jones bs, and a host of other things. In fact the funniest thing (also the sickest lamo) I have been around was a women who was extremly racist. She was calling mexicans and blacks dirty....until she got worms!! And honestly she was extremly dirty herself...should have been accusing other of it.

The best way to fight discrimination of all kinds is education. It is only a matter of time until all realise their discriminatory views are unfounded. However, latinos have to realise it isn't just a race thing but also a "class" thing. I tried to use this arguement when I lived in the "barrio" when I went to school in Houston. However I was met with extreme racism. Its going to take education on all sides.

[respectful87]

I also wanted to add the media really is one of the key reasons anti-latino sentiment has reached a high (well that mixed with the economic downturn). In situations such as the one our society is in at this point in time it is common for the populace to pick a scapegoat, someone who is different.

[Bright Banana Beard]

I'm white and I agree however they don't help their cause with things like la raza (which I don't have much of an opinion on but anything called "the race" in bound to be racist) However, it la raza can also mean our people in metaphor, thus the poorly translation made the right-wing to take this measure.

[Revy]

agreed.
La Raza is taken out of context.

Latino / Hispanic is actually a culture, a multiracial one. That's why the census says "Hispanic of any race". Because you can be black, white, indigenous, Asian, mixed and be Latino.

The racists base their hate off two things, their hatred of other languages besides English, and the mixed racial heritage that Latinos often have. And they try to mask that by using undocumented immigration as a right-wing populist rallying cry.

[Raúl Duke]

I'm hispanic but never really got much heat for that because I'm "white" and can speak good english (in fact, I probably got more problems for looking "white" in Puerto Rico then for being hispanic in the U.S. Reason probably being is that most people assume I'm just white.).

In this area (SW-FL) most hispanic discrimination is targeted to Mexicans, which are most abundant I guess, although this:

People automatically assume you mexican if you latinois common here as well depending on how you look.

While I was in Miami however, people assumed less of where you were from.
(i.e. people did not automatically assume that I was not hispanic due to being white...because white hispanics exist and I bet there's people in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, etc that look like me.)


That's why the census says "Hispanic of any race". Because you can be black, white, indigenous, Asian, mixed and be Latino.I've actually seen a hispanic asian (A cuban with chinese ancestry) while in Miami and even other hispanics have a hard time believing it! But yes they exist.

Hispanic is more of a cultural term, referring to people who lived/raised in a Latin-American cultural background.

[kharacter]

agreed.
La Raza is taken out of context.

Latino / Hispanic is actually a culture, a multiracial one. That's why the census says "Hispanic of any race". Because you can be black, white, indigenous, Asian, mixed and be Latino.

The racists base their hate off two things, their hatred of other languages besides English, and the mixed racial heritage that Latinos often have. And they try to mask that by using undocumented immigration as a right-wing populist rallying cry.
I read that Día de la Raza is sometimes celebrated as the anti-" " of Colombus Day, and people resist the European conquest in the name of the natives. I'm sure there are some who consider only Mestizos able to celebrate this, but with the correct mindset (regarding culture instead) that takes into consideration the multiracial nature of Latin America, it is not objectionable at all.

I also remember when I as young that we used to learn the entire continent as "America" in Mexico, there was no north or south. But most people all around the world know "America" as the US. I wonder is there is some form of illegitimate dominance by the superpower in the spread of that particular way of naming.

[scarletghoul]

Racism against Latinos, as well as the severe legalised discrimination and exploitation of illegal immigrants, is a huge issue in the USA. I've said this before, but its freakin' stupid that no socialist parties seem to do anything about this or even take it into account.

Comrades in the USA should be helping and organising the illegals, educating them about the causes of their opression. This is a millions-strong section of the population which is ripe for revolutionary action.

And as for discrimination against latinos in general, comrades should be speaking out against this and be at the forefront of resisting this bullshit. I havent seen any parties making a big deal of it, even though it is such a huge issue.

The communists' lack of action in this issue is part of a wider problem. Socialist parties in America (and UK) seem so out of touch, trying to transplant the revolutions of 100 years ago into modern first world context, not taking into account the unique conditions we face today.

[Lacrimi de Chiciură]

The Southern Poverty Law Center did a 64 page report called "Under Siege: Life for Low-income Latinos in the South" that documents a lot of the discrimination against Latinos in the U.S, especially the South but I think it applies to pretty much everywhere. http://www.splcenter.org/legal/undersiege/

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http://www.splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=375

Low-income Latino immigrants in the South are routinely the targets of wage theft, racial profiling and other abuses driven by an anti-immigrant climate that harms all Latinos regardless of their immigration status, according to a report released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The report — Under Siege: Life for Low-Income Latinos in the South (http://www.splcenter.org/legal/undersiege) — documents the experiences of Latino immigrants who face increasing hostility as they fill low-wage jobs in Southern states that had few Latino residents until recent years.
"This report documents the human toll of failed policies that relegate millions of people to an underground economy, where they are beyond the protection of the law," said Mary Bauer, author of the report and director of the SPLC's Immigrant Justice Project. "Workplace abuses and racial profiling are rampant in the South."
Under Siege is based on a survey of 500 low-income Latinos — including legal residents, undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens — at five locations in the South. The locations were Nashville, Charlotte, New Orleans, rural southern Georgia, and several towns and cities in northern Alabama.
The survey findings, coupled with accounts from in-depth interviews, depict a region where Latinos are routinely cheated out of wages by employers and denied basic health and safety protections. They are racially profiled by overzealous law enforcement agents and victimized by criminals who know they are reluctant to report crime to these same authorities. Even legal residents and U.S. citizens of Latino descent said racial profiling, bigotry and other forms of discrimination are staples of their daily lives.
A number of immigrants in the survey described the South as a "war zone."
"The assumption is that every Latino possibly is undocumented," Angeles Ortega-Moore, an immigrant advocate in North Carolina, told SPLC researchers. "So it [discrimination] has spread over into the legal population."
Maria, who came to Tennessee from Colombia, told SPLC researchers her immigration papers are in order, but she is still afraid of being stopped by the police. "You never know when you will come across a racist police officer," she says in the report.
Discrimination against Latinos in the region constitutes a civil rights crisis that must be addressed, the SPLC report says. The report concludes that comprehensive immigration reform — including a workable path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants — is the only realistic, fair and humane solution.
Reform legislation must be coupled with strong enforcement of labor and civil rights protections. This would make crime victims and communities safer, curb racial profiling and other abuses, and better protect the wages and working conditions of all workers, according to the report.
"We're talking about a matter of basic human rights here," said SPLC President Richard Cohen. "By allowing this cycle of abuse and discrimination to continue, we're creating an underclass of people who are invisible to justice and undermining our country's fundamental ideals."
(emphasis mine)

"undermining our country's ideals" :rolleyes:

[respectful87]

However, it la raza can also mean our people in metaphor, thus the poorly translation made the right-wing to take this measure.

Damn I wish I had more reliable media. Well thanks for the info. I am just careful with anything that makes a big deal over racial prides or whatever (like a guy said in another thread: being proud of your race is like being proud of a predisposition to colon cancer).

I have been around people involved in that movement and race does seem to be a factor. Of course if everything was to my liking people with a hatred for imperilism would all unite forgeting their differences.

[the last donut of the night]

I believe that anti-latino racism is also due to a right-wing nationalism that uses racism to feed itself. An example is that ``those people´´ are coming from other countries. Also, the common cry of `deport´ in the right-wing madmen department eerily reminds me of that common opinion in the 1820´s that called for free Blacks to be `deported´ back to Africa.

[New Tet]

Racism against Latinos, as well as the severe legalised discrimination and exploitation of illegal immigrants, is a huge issue in the USA. I've said this before, but its freakin' stupid that no socialist parties seem to do anything about this or even take it into account.

An excerpt of the most recent resolution on immigration by the SLP:


In addition, the SLP recognizes that millions of workers who have immigrated to the United States in hopes of improving their lives have been bitterly disappointed and subjected to the most ruthless exploitation by the American ruling class. Indeed, the recently proposed but defeated “guest worker program” was similar to and in some respects indistinguishable from past efforts by America’s capitalist class to control and import cheap labor to maximize profits, e.g., the infamous Bracero Program that brought in millions of poor, unskilled Mexican workers on a temporary basis from 1942 to 1964.

http://www.slp.org/res_state_htm/immigration07.html

[the last donut of the night]

What I don´t understand -- and some of yu may help me explain this -- is why the capitalist class would be against `illegal´ immigration? I mean, it brings a cheap labor source.

[Bright Banana Beard]

What I don´t understand -- and some of yu may help me explain this -- is why the capitalist class would be against `illegal´ immigration? I mean, it brings a cheap labor source.
It is used to divide the working class rather than blaming on the capitalist who exploit them. Even the cheap-labor has become acceptable rather than being a problem.

[Oneironaut]

Damn I wish I had more reliable media. Well thanks for the info. I am just careful with anything that makes a big deal over racial prides or whatever (like a guy said in another thread: being proud of your race is like being proud of a predisposition to colon cancer).

I have been around people involved in that movement and race does seem to be a factor. Of course if everything was to my liking people with a hatred for imperilism would all unite forgeting their differences.

Do you think you may think this way only because you are white? Think about it, you live in a predominantly white society where being "white" is simply the norm. People don't look at you differently for it when you go looking for a job, shopping for groceries, or even the park. You can escape from the color of your skin because it hasn't been critical in the forming of your 'identity'. Think about someone who maybe isn't white and the prejudices they have endured based on the color of their skin. Would that not be crucial in forming their 'identity'? Asking someone to forget their identity is like asking a 60 year old catholic grandma to give up her faith... it isn't going to happen. It means too much to them already.

[the last donut of the night]

Yes, but we all have to try. This coming from a Latino. We shouldn´t forget our culture, but race is just a social construct.

[Oneironaut]

Yes, but we all have to try. This coming from a Latino. We shouldn´t forget our culture, but race is just a social construct.

Just because race is a social construct doesn't make it any less real for us as humans. Culture is on the same account still a social construct. Yet, it is impossible to completely leave your culture behind and embrace an entirely different culture. Race is as integral to someone's identity as culture.

[willdw79]

I´m starting this thread because I believe racism against Latinos or those of Latino descent in the US is going unstopped in a way that racism against Blacks isn´t (although I´m not saying that prejudice against them is dead, a common lie here). Racism against us, disguised in immigration policies, has reached a point in the right-wing media that is simply disgusting. Being part of a high-school, I also see that kids here also hold many of these prejudices. So this thread, I hope, will be a place to discuss the nature of racism against Latinos in the US and what would be the best form to struggle against it. And please, I don´t need one-liners from users who just want to be witty. I need serious discussion and debate. Thanks.
As far as which is the most hated racial group a lot of people have a case. The amount of abuse toward women is staggering too. The amount of subjugation against all people all of the working class is outrageous. That is why we should unite and destroy capitalism.

[9]

Just because race is a social construct doesn't make it any less real for us as humans. Culture is on the same account still a social construct. Yet, it is impossible to completely leave your culture behind and embrace an entirely different culture. Race is as integral to someone's identity as culture.

I have to disagree with you here that race and culture are both equally "social constructs" - I do not think that is an accurate analysis. Race is certainly a social construct. Culture, on the other hand, exists due to various traditions and practices, languages and crafts and styles of cooking, etc. etc. which one can't really accurately suggest were created by the capitalist class to divide the working class. It is true that the capitalist class has exploited various cultures to further their agenda and fuel racism. But remove the capitalist class from the picture, or go back before the time of capitalism, and cultures still exist in all their variety and diversity.

[Oneironaut]

I have to disagree with you here that race and culture are both equally "social constructs" - I do not think that is an accurate analysis. Race is certainly a social construct. Culture, on the other hand, exists due to various traditions and practices, languages and crafts and styles of cooking, etc. etc. which one can't really accurately suggest were created by the capitalist class to divide the working class. It is true that the capitalist class has exploited various cultures to further their agenda and fuel racism. But remove the capitalist class from the picture, or go back before the time of capitalism, and cultures still exist in all their variety and diversity.

I don't see exactly how you are trying to argue that culture isn't just as much constructed as race. Culture is not something we are ingrained with, it is something that we learn through primarily experience, considering I am still learning aspects of 'my' culture at the age of 21. This process of enculturation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enculturation) begins right when we are infants and doesn't really ever stop considering culture is constantly changing. In many ways, enculturation boils down to 'how' to do this, 'why' we do that, 'who' you are in relation to everyone else i.e. the social construction of your identity.

[9]

I don't see exactly how you are trying to argue that culture isn't just as much constructed as race. Culture is not something we are ingrained with, it is something that we learn through primarily experience, considering I am still learning aspects of 'my' culture at the age of 21. This process of enculturation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enculturation) begins right when we are infants and doesn't really ever stop considering culture is constantly changing. In many ways, enculturation boils down to 'how' to do this, 'why' we do that, 'who' you are in relation to everyone else i.e. the social construction of your identity.

Well, I suspect this is going to boil down to a debate over raw semantics vis-a-vis the terms "culture" and "social construct", and I don't really want to derail the thread much further.
Though I will say that I am arguing that culture isn't "just as much constructed as race". As I said, I don't think one can argue that culture (in the sense that I'm using it, anyway) was created by capitalism as an instrument to divide the working class if only because culture has existed since time immemorial.
Culture, in the sense that I am using it, is essentially a largely-regional variation in language, dialect, cuisine, mythology, music, crafts, relationships, values, etc. While one can argue that certain aspects of culture are "social constructs", it would be a far more difficult case to argue that cultures, as a whole, are social constructs. And assuming for the sake of argument that one succeeded in making the case for the latter, it is still not true that culture exists for the same reasons that the social construct of race exists. Nor would I desire for (or believe possible) the abolition of cultures to accompany the abolition of capitalism, as I consider the non-oppressive aspects of culture very positive. This, in contrast to "race", which absolutely should and would be abolished in a healthy post-revolutionary society.

[Oneironaut]

Well, I suspect this is going to boil down to a debate over raw semantics vis-a-vis the terms "culture" and "social construct", and I don't really want to derail the thread much further.
Though I will say that I am arguing that culture isn't "just as much constructed as race". As I said, I don't think one can argue that culture (in the sense that I'm using it, anyway) was created by capitalism as an instrument to divide the working class if only because culture has existed since time immemorial.
Culture, in the sense that I am using it, is essentially a largely-regional variation in language, dialect, cuisine, mythology, music, crafts, relationships, values, etc. While one can argue that certain aspects of culture are "social constructs", it would be a far more difficult case to argue that cultures, as a whole, are social constructs. And assuming for the sake of argument that one succeeded in making the case for the latter, it is still not true that culture exists for the same reasons that the social construct of race exists. Nor would I desire for (or believe possible) the abolition of cultures to accompany the abolition of capitalism, as I consider the non-oppressive aspects of culture very positive. This, in contrast to "race", which absolutely should and would be abolished in a healthy post-revolutionary society.

I see your point and it is very valid. Culture, at least to me, is the shared understandings and beliefs among a group or population of people. I think you and I may just have different ideas to what a social construct is, considering I think a lot more things are social constructs when most people just consider them as 'things'. I wasn't trying to argue that culture should be abolished after capitalism but that culture, along with race, are important in forming ones identity in the present. Hopefully someday when racism ceases to exist and people actually 'stop' seeing color, then race will become arbitrary. Until then, race is still important in forming ones identity. Capitalism sure didn't create culture, but it is sorta scary seeing how it is destroying many cultures. Now there is a "global" culture that seems to have penetrated literally every corner of the world. Fucking McDonalds... but besides the point... we won't derail anymore!