Places to Chat
Hispanic Heritage Month
Chatterbox: Down to Earth
Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is here, and I thought it would be a good time to get some things off my chest. Whenever I go to the library, or listen to the radio, or whatever, people are always talking about Hispanic culture, which is lovely - it's great to have all the Latins in the US acknowledged. BUT. People keep saying things about Mexican culture that are just so untrue, and I wanted to point them out so I could do my bit to contribute to a True Image of this wonderful culture. (I'm Mexican on one side of my family, American on another.) Here are some of the Culture Myths I've noticed:
-Mexican culture is "macho." *sobs* Everyone says this and it is unbelievably far from the truth. If you don't believe me, just go read a few good Germán Dehesa essays, or some Mafalda cartoons, or something, and you'll see what I mean. Women and men are treated exactly equally - the thing is, nobody cares if you're a man or woman. They just look at you as a human. The result is that women don't have this whole history that women in the US do, of being denied their rights and being told they don't count. Of course, historically, women in Latin cultures weren't allowed to vote and all that stuff, but they often had more legal rights than women in, for example, the US. For instance, women were allowed to keep their maiden names after marriage, which in itself shows that they were seen as their own people rather than being attached to their husbands. Some other facts that show how respected women are:
-the entire city of Guadalajara was founded when the men who wanted to found it were bickering about where it should be, and a woman who was there got fed up and said it would be in the place where they were at the moment, and they listened to her. Result: the beautiful, amazing, wonderful city of Guadalajara.
-One of Mexico's best poets and playwrights, Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz, wrote in the 1600s, openly, as a woman, and nobody batted an eyelid. In the 1600s!!
-Both of Mexico's presidential candidates right now are women.
-Women don't think they have to prove that they can be "like men." Instead, they know that they can be feminine and yet be strong - being feminine doesn't mean you have to be weak. This means they can be themselves (yes, a lot of women are quite feminine, thank you). On the other hand, if you happen to not feel very feminine, that's 100% okay too.
Okay, some more culture myths about Mexico:
-The Spanish who conquered it slaughtered all the Native Americans. Not true!! A lot of them died from disease, but it wasn't because the Spanish were trying to kill them. The ones who survived carried on with many of their old customs. A few decades ago, for instance, in very rural areas, many people didn't even speak Spanish.
-The children of Mexican immigrants to the US feel rebellious and come into conflict with their strict, horrible families. I've noticed YA novels portraying this a lot. Again, not true!! Mexican families are usually some of the most loving, accepting ones I've ever heard of. They do expect you to be a nice, polite, caring person, but that's all.
-A lot of novels about Latins seem to involve ghosts and dead people and stuff like that - I don't know why. Traditionally, Latin culture has absolutely no references to magic or anything like that. It's very grounded in reality. We do have the Day of the Dead in Mexico, but the media portrays it as way more grisly than it really is. It's actually quite a minor holiday, not at all like Christmas or Easter, and there's no emphasis on death or ghosts or skeletons - it's just a day to remember your loved ones who have passed on, and quite beautiful.
-Mexicans can be classified as "brown." *sobs again* This one's complex to explain. Lots of Mexicans are brown-skinned; some even look mulatto. Others are super, super pale. So it's very inaccurate to call us "brown people." But there's another reason I object to calling us this - it's irrelevant what skin color we are. If we must be grouped, I'd rather we were grouped according to culture, not skin color, which has nothing to do with who we are. It seems to me degrading for people to assume that we can be labeled according to that. Imagine if Mexicans started referring to Americans as "Blond People" all the time instead of calling them Americans.
Anyway, I guess all of this is just to ask that please, please, you take everything the media says about Latin culture with a grain of salt. It's so sad for me to see my culture being turned into something shallow, alien to everything I've grown up with. I really want to show people what it really is like, both in its beautiful customs and traditions, and in its happy, independent, fun-loving worldview. I hope this helps with that. If you want to learn more about real Latin culture, which I would definitely recommend, feel free to ask me for the names of books, music, movies, etc. that would give you a good idea of it! I'd be very happy to share them (and, aside from portraying Latin culture, I promise they will all be funny, interesting, entertaining, etc. in their own right). And, to conclude, if there are any stereotypes or misconceptions about your own culture that you've noticed, feel free to share those too! I definitely want to be sure that I'm not getting a skewed picture of anyone else's culture :)
Okay, that's it. Probably a very long thread, but hopefully interesting :)
submitted by Poinsettia, age who knows
(October 14, 2023 - 3:05 pm)
(October 14, 2023 - 3:05 pm)
same to you! :) and wow that's amazing that you know so much about your ancestry!
(October 21, 2023 - 6:30 pm)
Actually, the only reason I know those roots is because I am part Sephardic by ancestry, which by definition is the group of Jews that were expelled from Spain during the Inquisition in 1492. From various resources, I have determined that I am Latvian, Belarusian, Polish, Lithuanian, Greek, Turkish, Italian, and Spanish.
(October 24, 2023 - 1:54 pm)
More recs at last :) i definitely urge anyone who's interested to check these out - they're all super interesting and they just really represent what Mexico and other Latin cultures are like.
Things to listen to:
-the Mariachi Eterno radio station in Mexico City; can be found online and has great music <3
-Radio Perla Guadalajara, also available online, so that you can see what type of pop music is common in Mexico
-"Mi abuelo" by Amparo Ochoa
-"Dicen que cuando mueres" and "Mama feisbuquera" by Monedita de Oro
-"Nada vale mas que la libertad" by Paco Padilla
-Mexican national anthem
-"El hijo desobediente" by Trio Calavera
Things to watch:
-Ladrón que roba ladrón and Ladrones. Adventure movies about Mexican-Americans; rather interesting, and quite exciting, after the manner of most adventure movies.
-You could also look up some photos or videos of Morelia, Mexico City, the Barranca de Oblatos valley, and Guadalajara, just to see what they look like in reality.
-See also my comment @Tsuki on the first page, where I mentioned some really good movies/documentaries.
Things to read:
-Julieta and the Romeos by Maria E. Andreu. It's about an Argentinian-American girl, and therefore somewhat Americanized, but it's definitely influenced by Latin culture. The character of Julieta's grandmother also reminds me a whole lot of the typical kind, feisty Latin grandmother :)
-My Heart Lies South by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño; it shows what Mexico used to be like. It's written by an American woman who married a Mexican and went to live with him in Monterrey. In it, she describes her experiences of living in Mexico and her love for it. It's not completely accurate, but it does explain a lot of Mexican culture very well, and it's full of warmth, humor, and skilled portrayal of places and people.
-Mafalda cartoons by Quino. Idk if they've been translated into English, but they're very funny and absorbing; there's a whole host of characters, mainly kids, living their daily lives in Argentina. It's pretty similar to the daily life of any middle-class Latin American; going to school, going to work, going to the park to play with friends, living in a little apartment in the middle of a big city, spending time with family. And nary a sombrero, taco, or siesta to be seen.
- No basta ser padre by Germán Dehesa. I'll probably post some translated quotes from this book at some point. It's a collection of the newspaper columns Dehesa wrote back in the 1980s-90s, ranging from politics to the travails of his family life. They're hilarious and optimistic, and extremely identifiable for any Mexican. Because Dehesa uses such colloquial language and refers so much to Mexican life, I'm not sure if it would make much sense to anyone who wasn't Mexican; it's basically targeted at a specific audience who will understand what Dehesa is talking about. But if you speak Spanish well and you're feeling adventurous, go for it! It's a wonderful book, and if you have any questions I shall answer them as best I can :)
-My own entry for the Stylist Writing Contest a couple months ago: https://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/inkwell/node/551467?page=2
-Los árboles mueren de pié by Alejandro Casona, a Spanish playwright. It's romantic, beautifully written, and so poignant; one of the best plays I've ever read. It's about a mysterious young man who heads an organization dedicated to making people's lives better - "an institution for the soul." Together, he and his companions carry out deeds both large and small to change the lives of others in desperately needed ways. Then one day an elderly man approaches him with a mission that seems like any other - but when he decides to undertake it, it changes his own life forever.
-The poetry of Juan Ramon Jimenez. It is utterly gorgeous and the best poetry I have ever read. I have spoken.
-Life in Mexico by Fanny Calderon de la Barca, a fascinating Scottish woman who traveled around Mexico in the 1800s. Her book is a collection of her letters to her family, describing her trip. Detailed and insightful, the letters paint an accurate and understanding portrait of Mexico at the time.
annnnd that's it for now; lmk how y'all like these! i can probably dig up some more if anyone wants :)
(October 21, 2023 - 4:42 pm)
(October 21, 2023 - 4:51 pm)
hiiiii! i hope this doesn't sound rude or pushy, but i was just wondering if you'd seen that i gave you the music recs you asked for? i posted them as a reply to your comment on page 1 of this thread, so they're kind of buried in the sea of comments. just wanted to let you know they're there :)
(October 22, 2023 - 7:46 pm)
Ackkk thank you so so so so so much Poinsettia somehow I didn't see that so sorry thanks for checking back in ackk I'll try to listen to all those when I have time thank youuuu
also no it didn't sound rude/pushy at all! :)
(October 23, 2023 - 11:23 am)
oh good! and you're welcome, hope you enjoy them :)
(October 24, 2023 - 12:59 pm)
(October 23, 2023 - 10:23 am)
oops, I hadn't seen that you'd posted your thoughts about the songs, @Celine... anyway, that's interesting that you felt that "Mariana Pineda" told a story, because it actually does! it's all about a Spanish woman in the 19th century, called Mariana Pineda, who was part of a movement to make Spain a republic instead of a monarchy. Sadly, she ended up being executed for it, so she's still remembered today as a heroine of Spanish history. if you like it, "A la una yo naci" by Alalumbre Folk is also a beautiful example of Spanish music that's sort of in the same style.
yep, I put "Rayando el sol" on the last Monthly Playlist, I believe. it's one of my favorite pop songs :)
hmm, in this case Google Translate is correct - "Las mamas tienen radar" does mean that, and the song is about how whatever you do, your mom will inevitably find out about it. something we can probably all identify with.
oh yeah, the commercials and suggested videos you get do change according to what you watch, unless you use private windows and close the window after you're done watching stuff... it is sort of creepy, like you said :/
anyway, glad you liked them! and thanks for posting what you thought about them! it's always interesting to see other people's interpretations and feelings about songs :D
(October 25, 2023 - 2:25 pm)
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! All of your posts and comments on this thread have been so interesting, Poinsettia--clearly you know a lot about your culture! I love listening to music in Spanish so I'll definitely check out some of your song recommendations.
I'm 1/8 Mexican, but no one in my family speaks Spanish or has any ties to Mexican culture anymore. I wish we did--Mexican culture is so rich and beautiful, and Spanish is such a melodic language. But I love learning more about that culture, so thank you for taking the time to teach us about it!
(October 28, 2023 - 8:40 pm)
you're welcome! i'm glad you gained something from this thread. i love sharing stuff about things i love :)
also, hiiii! i feel like it's been a while since i've seen you around! how's it going?
(October 29, 2023 - 11:00 am)