3 Ways Latinos Are Better Than Americans
I have interacted with Latinos from a lot of different countries, both in their home countries and outside of them. Working as an interpreter and living in a city with a large Mexican population has allowed me to make some interesting observations about Latinos in America (living in the United States).
1. Latinos are nicer to us than we are to them
I don’t think this is any surprise. Prejudice against foreigners still exists in the United States, in spite of the country’s founding and long-term reliance on immigrants. The issues with illegal immigrants coming into the US often create tension between Americans and Latinos. Personally, I feel like an honorary member of the Latino community in my hometown, which is how I realized how much nicer Latinos in the US are to Americans than the other way around.
Almost all the Latinos I know are incredibly friendly and nice. They share their holidays, celebrations, family, food, and culture with everyone. Their patience with ignorant Americans is impressive. Latinos also seemed genuinely flattered when you try to speak their language in any capacity, no matter how much you butcher it.
2. Latinos in the US stick together
There are a lot of Latin American countries, and all of them have their own traditions, cultures, and versions of Spanish. When in their home countries, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans will trash talk each other, Mexicans will poke fun at the Spaniards, Central Americans may call Argentinians wanna-be Europeans, etc, etc. There are a lot of small (and basically meaningless) rivalries between Latin American countries, but when they’re in the US, the rivalries disappear.
Latinos stick together. They help each other find Spanish speaking services, food from their home countries, safe places to find work, and anything else they can do to make life in a foreign country easier. Sure, they still make jokes about each other’s cultures and have their own country-specific hang-outs, but overall, Latinos in the US stay united.
3. Latinos know a lot about politics and economics
I don’t know if this stems from the situations in their home countries, the way politics and economics in the US affect them, or both, but Latinos are crazy about either. I’m not a great political debater in the first place, but I stay far away from the subject of politics when I am talking to Latinos. They get fired up pretty easily, and it can get really crazy really fast. In fact, in Puerto Rico, many establishments will post signs banning the discussion of politics, just because they don’t want any fights to break out. And if you want to discuss a country’s economic stability or future, you better know your stuff. Because the Latino definitely will.
Of course, these are generalizations, but in my experience, they are true for the majority of Latinos in America.
What has your experience been?
Check out these other articles about the Spanish Language.
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