In Richard Rodriguez’s article, “Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans”, he states using race as a basis for identifying Americans is not valid, culture should be what defines a person. For example in the essay Rodriguez states, “I am Chinese and that is because I live in a Chinese city” (91). This indicates that just because he is categorized as Hispanic it does not define who he really is, since he is saying that since he grew up in a Chinese culture and he knows more about Chinese cultures than he knows about his own family culture. Rodriguez defines himself Chinese also because he grew up the Chinese way and not the Hispanic way, but deep down Rodriguez knows his race is actually Hispanic but he rather define himself as Chinese because
Race and ethnicity as socially-constructed categories separates friends from the same background. In the article “Best of Friends, Worlds Apart,” Cuban immigrant Joel Ruiz finds himself stuck between two worlds after landing on American soil. Ruiz’s childhood friend Valdes traveled to the United States together and settled down near one another. Valdes lives a well-off life in the Caucasian community as a Cuban. On the other hand, Ruiz identify himself as Cuban, yet, whites see him simply as black.
In the essay “Blaxicans and other reinvented Americans” author Richard Rodriguez demonstrates how skin color should not define you, but instead, your cultural roots should define you. For example, Rodriguez states “in the Latin American, one sees every race of the world. One sees white Hispanics, one sees black Hispanics, One sees brown Hispanics who are Indians, many of whom do not speak Spanish”(line 94-96). This reveals that the government puts the people in a category without their consent. For example, people from Mexico are Hispanic also people from El Salvador are considered Hispanics, but they are two completely different cultures and traditions.
Richard Rodriguez’s claim about a person's identity is the using race as a basis for identifying Americans is not valid; culture should be what defines a identity. Richard Rodriguez says that newcomers were being “welcomed within a new community for reasons of culture. “ (136-137). Richard Rodriguez says that newcomers were welcomed when they were identified by their culture. Richard Rodriguez also says “I am Chinese, and that is because I live in a Chinese city and I want to be Chinese.“
Alternative Assignment Option Nomocracy in Politics In Natural Liberty in the Bible Belt: An Explanation of Conservative Voting Patterns in Southern Appalachia, Barry A. Vann discusses how the voting patterns of people in Appalachia may have explanations as far back as their ancestors in Ireland. The people of southern Appalachia have had a history of voting for the politician who promises to not enact policies that pit ethnic groups against each other. Many people credit this voting trend to the Appalachians’ need to cling to God and guns. Barry A. Vann makes the argument that “the ethnic roots of the people who call these two sub-regions home have played roles in creating distinctive voting patterns between them.” Many Appalachians have a strong resistance to a big, centralized government and tend to want to give more power to individual states rather than giving power to a strong federal government.
Human tendency to categorize others extends to simple instinct. From the moment a baby is born, the first question already categorizes the baby: boy or girl. In Richard Rodriguez’s Brown: The Last Discovery of America, he addresses these ideals of categorizations, untangling arduous inner conflicts in the process. Due to his diversity, Rodriguez feels unwanted and omitted in his day-to-day life. Feeling uncategorized, Rodriguez journeys to discover new parts of himself and embrace them, as well as question societal norms.
1 Samantha Carrillo Ms. Alcala ELA 11 Period 3 14 August 2017 Within the essay “ Blaxicans and other Reinvented Americans “ by Richard Rodriguez, Rodriguez’s uses irony throughout his essay by stating to be Chinese but in reality, he is Hispanic. He also mentions how he is Mestizo, not only does he go by one race but by several races that in reality are not what he is. He identifies himself as Chinese because of fact that he lives in a Chinese city and well because he wants to be Chinese.
Although, I understand being able to categorize each other can be helpful at times, sometimes it does feel confusing and limiting. Often times I don 't know which box to check mark when the only options for race are White, Black, or Asian, because I don 't identify as either. Hispanic and Latino are technically ethnicities, but sometimes they are included in these lists. Hispanic generally refers to someone from a Spanish speaking country such as Spain, while Latinx can refer to anyone of Latin American descent. I agree that the US as a whole needs to "reevaluate their stipulations on health, assistance and
Up until the 1960s Anglo social scientists wrote most of the literature about the people of Mexican- descent in the United States. Their analysis of Mexican American culture and history reflected the hegemonic beliefs, values, and perceptions of their society. As outsiders, Anglo scholars were led by their own biases and viewed Mexicans as inferior, savage, unworthy and different. Because Mexican scholars had not yet begun to write about their own experiences, these stereotypes were legitimized and reproduced in the literature. However, during the mid- 1960s scholars such as Octavio Ignacio Romano, Nick Vaca, Francisco Armando Rios, and Ralph Ricatelli began to reevaluate the literature written by their predecessors.
I believe the term, hispanic, itself does not define who I am. I define who I am and who I want to become. However, I do come from a Mexican heritage. Coming from a Mexican heritage has influenced and deeply impacted my life. My heritage has taught me a lot.
The author, Rodriguez, introduces his audience to the reality of the process of Americanization: regardless of origin, one cannot inhibit the power of indoctrination of the American culture. One may derive from a primarily Mexican, Middle Eastern, or say, Pacific Islander heritage, however, the “majority culture” in the region of residence is what will soon come to define an individual. Hence why Rodriguez propagates that we all have a little Chinese within us. Rodriguez establishes his ethos as a renowned expert and speaker in the process of Americanization. He then introduces the fear that is often exhibited by the older generations – the loss of distinct heritage among our youth.
Culture is an essential part of a community’s identity, because it links individuals to a collective bond. The Americas have always contained a vast variety of cultural communities, especially in the United States. The US is known for being one of the most diverse nations in the world, housing hundreds of different cultures. Mexican-Americans display a strong sense of a cultural background, which falls as a subset of the bigger Latino culture that links all Latinos. Oral history is a major aspect on the Mexican culture, which contributes to the truth of how history in the United States actually happened.
Choosing to be a Mexican over American Today I feel more like a Mexican than anything else even though I was born in the united states. I may have papers and be American but hearing other ethnicities call my people immigrants and illegal makes me feel more like an immigrant myself. I feel this way because although I am considered an American I would much rather stand by my people and my culture. I would label myself as a Mexican-American, Latina, person of color, and as a minority. I describe myself as a Mexican-American because I was born and raised in Chicago and from Mexican descent.
As I was growing up I never looked at myself as a complete Mexican. My parents raised me Americanized. However, my Freshman year of high school I had experienced linguistic profiling in a different form. Patricia Rice, author of “Linguistic Profiling”, states, “Many Americans can guess a caller’s ethnic background from their first hello on the telephone” (187). In other words, Rice believes people begin judgement by the sound of a voice.
Race, nationality and ethnicity Race and ethnicity are seen as form of an individual’s cultural identity. Researchers have linked the concept of “race” to the discourses of social Darwinism that in essence is a categorization of “types” of people, grouping them by biological and physical characteristics, most common one being skin pigmentation. Grouping people based on their physical traits has lead in time to the phenomenon of “racialization” (or race formation), as people began to see race as more of a social construct and not a result or a category of biology.
Ethnicity is a group or an individual’s conception of cultural identity and refers to cultural separation between and within societies. “Ethnicity is often woven into our self-identification, especially in the United States. Most Americans are a compilation of many nationalities, each with its own cultural traditions”. Ethnic constraints are seen in many environments and can eventually lead to negative stereotypes that are objectionable. “There are ethnic groups with great internal cultural variation, and there are clear boundaries between ethnic groups whose mutual cultural differences are difficult to spot”.