Completely rhetorical question of course, but I think JL7 has some problems with being the sole Latino at UC Santa Barbara, which tends to be an all White community. Furthermore, he has set the bar so high for himself, he's in limbo between trying to excel and outshine everyone, while simultaneously getting pissed off at people who look like him, who haven't worked or studied as hard.
Like all of us, he has issues, case in point:
Quote:
Gamma on the other hand points out that I am "a minority in a highly Caucasian area"
Ever since I was little, I was immediately pulled away from 'my own' I learned English quickly and transferred into regular courses in elementary school while the kids I grew up with stayed behind. I say behind because I learned to define that type of progress as something negative. As I grew, my friends were again Never around me during class. While I studied n played ball n stayed out of trouble, I lost even more of my hipanic friends.
NOW im not saying that all of them were troublemakers or anything but they all did seem lazy, not driven, so willing to conform and my dad taught me to be completely different. He started his own business to move his family out of a home with multiple families, he tooks huge huge risks n they paid off.
I DONT SEE MOST latinos doing anything like this and this is why I joke, make fun, tease, etc because I dont feel like Im like the rest. I dont understand why they seem to not want to progress. N when hispanics are put down, I dont like it but at the same time how can I be proud of people that move to another country to improve their lives (which they are deeply criticized for anyway) but leave with little to show for so much work or are satisfied with the smallest amount of success??
My best friend for years has been asian and NONE of my hispanic friends from high school even made it past community college.
Its not that I detest my culture or race, I simply do not like that we are perceived as so unintelligent. What else could I do when classmates in calculus would talk about ppl speaking 'mexican' (which is like a pet peeve of mine cuz its fucking SPANISH) when they would never realize that there was "a Mexican" in their class?!
The American perception of Hispanics is what leads to my stereotyping and using race 'as an excuse' Its not an excuse, many times in my face its been shown as true. No.2 says girls just dont like "ME" well honeslty, at least over here, its not "ME" as a single individual -- I talked to a friend the other day who mentioned she never really noticed Hispanic guys around here other the one's cleaning restrooms or repairing things at her apartment complex. What kind of respect is that?! Other ppl say that a girl is satisfied if her man is Hispanic and at least has a job, let alone a car.
Until 'my race' truly advances (which they have the numbers for, jus need to work on the resources) then what am I left with to think? Im not ashamed of them, its jus that im REALLY REALLY hard on myself to be something signifcant in life and when ppl first see me, they stereotype and perceive me as someone common, something typical, which I absolutely hate.........
So the thoughts from this young student make me want to ask the following:
1. What's the first thing you think about when you hear the word "Mexican?"
2. How many times have you been ashamed of your own race?
3. What would you do or how would you approach being in a situation where you are in a community where you are different and you are the sole example of a scholarly person of color/gender_ ? In other words, you're the only smart one of your kind?
Now I realize that this is a very tender subject and I may be talking to myself for the whole thread. Fine, the existence of this thread may be short lived, and if I'm the only one posting - fuckit - but I gotta help this kid out. I can't believe I'm the only one who sees the miscues in his statement.
If you do contribute, please be honest. No offense taken whatsoever.
haha, mannnnnn. You shouldnt have named the thread like that tho.. cuz Im not ashamed of my race! Im ashamed of their mentality!
N definitely not the culture, im listening to Los Angeles Azules right now, im really picky about which cumbia I like but when I like it, Im down! :]
anyway, here's beanies reply so we add to this thread:
Beanie said:
It's good to be hard on yourself and want to better yourself. Don't get me wrong... i'm not trying to knock you down at all. Excuse was probably the wrong word... I just meant that it seems like you bring it up pretty often and it doesn't always seem to be joking around. I think it's very cool that you push yourself to be better (and got an A on that paper you were procrastinating on ). I have friends that could have cared less while they were in school and regret it now and others that have pushed themselves hard and are proud of what they've done either because of what they've come from or what they've made of themselves.
jL says:
Thanks, i didnt think u were tryin to 'knock me down' or anything, its hard to do so really. uh yeah i dont know why i bring it up often, guess its cuz ive been on the other side of the jokes for so long as i was growing up. Now everyone (around me) is so focused and willing to propel themselves, I start focusing too much on the negative stuff. N i know very well what u mean about ppl regretting not pushing themselves.
by the way, I got an A on a business plan, which is at times, much more involving than a paper, but u know, thats HOW I DO =)
__________________
got no smile and lack a lavish lifestyle but its cool cuz I came up hungry, jus a lil Latino tryin to make it and when I make it.. I promise the world wont lightly take it.
Ok.. I'll answer these questions honestly.. Let me explain a few things first.. I am not a racist.. I have friends of every race and I will address racism later in this post. I've always been raised in upper-class, mostly white cities so I have had my opinions formed by what I see and hear around me. But please do not mistake my answers as racially insensitive.
1. What's the first thing you think about when you hear the word "Mexican?"
- Racist
- Illegal
- Baby factories
2. How many times have you been ashamed of your own race?
I have only been truly ashamed of my race when they irrationally towards people merely based on race.. Like the White Power assholes are deplorable and they really tarnish the caucasian community.
3. What would you do or how would you approach...
Like I said, I am usually only around other upper class white people, but if I was the minority someplace, I would try to beat the overt stereotypes by working hard and trying to prove myself that I am equal/superior to everyone around me.. Possibly even more than I do now.
__________________
2006 | G35 Coupe | 6MT | Liquid Platinum | Stock.. There is no need to improve perfection.
So the thoughts from this young student make me want to ask the following:
1. What's the first thing you think about when you hear the word "Mexican?"
2. How many times have you been ashamed of your own race?
3. What would you do or how would you approach being in a situation where you are in a community where you are different and you are the sole example of a scholarly person of color/gender_ ? In other words, you're the only smart one of your kind?
1. First thing I think about is food. We have some of the best food around. The second thing I think about is migrant workers or the term Mexican being tied to illegal immigration. It's automatic, I can't help it. It's just word association. As a result, when people ask what's are you, I say Mexican. Just for that reason. I love being different, but it took me a long time to come to terms with this.
2. I have been ashamed of my own race many times. Jesus Christ, I have this side on my Mom's side that just add to the stereotypes. Drugs, prison, welfare, high school dropouts, etc etc . . hell my Mom's sister used to be a coyote (a person who smuggles illegal immigrants).
But if you were to ask me when was the last time I was ashamed for my own race was when we had that big march across the nation last year. I didn't attend the big one in downtown L.A. like I wanted to. I attended the one in San Diego which was much much smaller. It was held at Balboa Park. I saw a bunch of knuckleheads driving up and down 6th avenue with their Mexican flags honking, hootin' and hollering. One dumbfuck who was driving had a 16 ouce Budweiser in his lap. I said to myself, "I'm marching for this? I got so mad I said to the wifey, I'll deport this motherfucker myself if he keeps this up.
3. Being different is not easy in America. Some of you may say it is easy. Well, as for me, I've had a taste of two different worlds - both White and Brown. 31 years later, I gotta say that the only thing that separates you apart is how you respect yourself, how you express yourself, and how much confidence you have in your abilities. In fact, if I was to say what are the keys to succeeding in the business world, I'd probably say those same 3 things. But you do have to work that much harder, and you do have to think out of the box.
But please do not mistake my answers as racially insensitive.
I asked for candid answers hoping to get somewhere through honest debate. If I scold you, then we end up where we started - nowhere.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dwagner003
1. What's the first thing you think about when you hear the word "Mexican?"
- Racist
- Illegal
- Baby factories
Racist? Explain. The rest are self-explanatory. Baby factories . . . big families are great, but god damnit, it's like the term birth control is in Chinese!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dwagner003
2. How many times have you been ashamed of your own race?
I have only been truly ashamed of my race when they irrationally towards people merely based on race.. Like the White Power assholes are deplorable and they really tarnish the caucasian community.
You mean Metzger and his clan up in Fallbrook, or those guys in Santee/El Cajon?
Quote:
Originally Posted by dwagner003
3. What would you do or how would you approach...
Like I said, I am usually only around other upper class white people, but if I was the minority someplace, I would try to beat the overt stereotypes by working hard and trying to prove myself that I am equal/superior to everyone around me.. Possibly even more than I do now.
sounds like what I said. good for you.
Just curious Dan, how many Mexican friends do you have? How many did you have growing up?
haha, mannnnnn. You shouldnt have named the thread like that tho.. cuz Im not ashamed of my race! Im ashamed of their mentality!
So tell me . . . how do you differentiate between the two? mentality vs the people? I know what you mean, but it sounds to me like you're ashamed of how many Latinos think. Of course, I am grouping them into an aggregate to push buttons, but I didn't say you were ashamed of the history, or the traditions, but you definitely have some issues with the mentality. How do I differentiate?
Apologies for calling you out like this, but I've been looking for a good socio-political, socio-economic topic to discuss in this forum and I figure maybe we can all learn something from you, from me, from anyone who contributes . . .
or I could be talking to myself and just post-whoring with intellectual pettifoggery
1. What's the first thing you think about when you hear the word "Mexican?"
2. How many times have you been ashamed of your own race?
3. What would you do or how would you approach being in a situation where you are in a community where you are different and you are the sole example of a scholarly person of color/gender_ ? In other words, you're the only smart one of your kind?
1. Damn good food.
2. Never. I have been disgusted by particular examples of my race however.
One time will forever stick in my mind was on the way to an 8th grade away football game and the coaches told us to keep our helmets on at all times, not to look into the stands and immediately get back on the bus after the game. Not because it was a big/violent rivalry; but because the town we were playing in was very racist and our team was roughly 50/50 black/white.
3. Haven't experienced from a race/gender angle; but when I was big into sports before injuring my knee I was that rare jock that had an A/B average and was highly articulate. I would and still do make an issue of it when people say "stupid jock" and try to perpetuate the idea that all athletes are mentally inept.
I can see where JL is coming from though, we have a large and growing hispanic population here and for every 1 that is trying to better them self and their family there are a dozen more that are living off hand outs and/or dealing.
__________________
Everyone is finally equal. No one is smarter than anyone else. No one is stronger than anyone else. No one is better. Everyone is worse.
2. Never. I have been disgusted by particular examples of my race however.
One time will forever stick in my mind was on the way to an 8th grade away football game and the coaches told us to keep our helmets on at all times, not to look into the stands and immediately get back on the bus after the game. Not because it was a big/violent rivalry; but because the town we were playing in was very racist and our team was roughly 50/50 black/white.
Damn, I'd a felt dirty. In fact, I know that feeling very well. My step-father was a real racist bastard and he's done some things to certain individuals that are highly embarrassing and just flat out wrong.
What would you have seen if you looked into the stands?
Probably nothing, I suspect it was more to not provoke anything.
To give you an idea of the environment of the game here's a description of the town the game was played in.
Quote:
The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (Arkansas Faction): The Harrison, Arkansas-based Knights of the KKK, led by Thom Robb, is the largest and most active Klan faction operating in the nation today. Nonetheless, a rash of schisms and defections in 1994 has contributed to a dramatic decline in the Knights' numbers; from a total of approximately 1,000 members three years ago, the Knights today can claim a hard-core membership of at most 500, spread across seven states. In addition to traditional KKK activities, Thom Robb also maintains a Klan Web site on the computer Internet.
__________________
Everyone is finally equal. No one is smarter than anyone else. No one is stronger than anyone else. No one is better. Everyone is worse.
Location: ... i don't know!! 718, 808, 301 usually!!
Posts: 9,999
Quote:
Originally Posted by gammawolf
1. What's the first thing you think about when you hear the word "Mexican?"
2. How many times have you been ashamed of your own race?
3. What would you do or how would you approach being in a situation where you are in a community where you are different and you are the sole example of a scholarly person of color/gender_ ? In other words, you're the only smart one of your kind?
I. Corona
II. Just about everyday, but not just my race, humanity in general disgusts me!!
III. i would pretty much act the way i usually do, doesn't matter where, i'm am so caught on myself... i truly believe i am the only sentient life!!
Have you ever been ashamed of your own race?
