Confused: Why is Calling Someone from Mexico a Mexican Offensive?

[lacrosse_lady72]

Please understand, I don't mean anything hurtful. I am genuinely curious.

Why is it considered calling someone from Mexico a Mexican considered offensive? Am I missing something here? I'm not going to be mad if someone calls me an American. I have a friend in Australia who doesn't get offended that I call her my Australian friend sometimes... well, I usually say Aussie friend... same thing.

Can someone please enlighten me?

TIA.

Please, I really don't mean to offend, I just don't get it.

ETA: How this was brought to my attention was in dealing with someone from Veracruz, Mexico. He got all offended when another person referred to him as Mexican... this person wasn't saying anything mean or in a certain tone, I can't remember what he said which I am annoyed at now... but it's not the first time I have come across this. There is a decent sized population in my area of people from Mexico... I was going to ask the guy from Veracruz but he seems so wound up.

I can understand when someone is from Nicaragua and being called Mexican and they don't like it but I don't understand still why some people freak out about it so much. I am half white half Hawaiian and I could pass off as being someone from Mexico. People try to talk to me in Spanish sometimes, or they just assume I am, or are surprised when I don't have an accent but I don't care. I don't go out of my way to correct them and I certainly don't get angry about it.

 

[vettechick99]

I thought the other nationalities were the ones who got upset when called Mexican?

 

[Ceila]

What was the context of the comment that was deemed to be offensive?

 

[Christine]

I didn't think it was offensive...Is someone offended by it?

I think when you call someone from another Latino or Hispanic culture "Mexican" they get offended. But I don't think that people who are actually from Mexico get offended.

So, did you call an El Salvadoran and Mexican?

 

[DebbieB]

Please understand, I don't mean anything hurtful. I am genuinely curious.

Why is it considered calling someone from Mexico a Mexican considered offensive? Am I missing something here? I'm not going to be mad if someone calls me an American. I have a friend in Australia who doesn't get offended that I call her my Australian friend sometimes... well, I usually say Aussie friend... same thing.

Can someone please enlighten me?

TIA.

Please, I really don't mean to offend, I just don't get it.

The question is the context of how it was used.

 

[eduk8r26]

What are you supposed to call them? Latino or Hispanic refers to ethnicity, not country. You can be American and still be Hispanic or Latino.

 

[NMAmy]

It's not offensive for someone from Mexico to be called Mexican. It is offensive for someone from Panama or Brazil or Puerto Rico or any other country to be referred to as Mexican when they're not. It's also offensive to hispanics whose families have lived in areas of the United States for many generations.

 

[Imzadi]

I looked this up on Google a while back as George Lopez proudly calls himself a Chicano in his HBO special, (which is hilarious, BTW, ) and I hadn't heard that word in a long time. This (approximately) was from Wikipedia which may be (in)accurate.)

Mexicano & Chicano are people distinctly from Mexico. Chicano is shortened & derived form "Mexicano."

Mexicano & Chicanos do not take in the people from the Panama region, Puerto Rico and the islands, or the Latin American region of South America. They are rightly called Latinos/Latinas or Hispanic, (Spanish Americans.)

So while a Mexicano/Chicano is Hispanic or Latino, the reverse is not necessarily true, if they are not specifically from Mexico.


Same for the term, "African Americans." Not all of the Africans brought over ended up in America. Some are in the Carribean Islands, Virgin Islands & aren't American. They hate being called African American, because they are not. The history & culture of African slaves brought to the contiguous U.S. is very different from Island slaves.

Actor, Sidney Poitier, had never heard the "N" word of had experienced the amount of racism against blacks until he came to the U.S. as an adult. That's why he was able to have so much natural outrage against that word and carry himself with such natural grace & self-respect. It's what helped put him the forefront during the Civil Rights movement. He hadn't grown up with the belief he was inferior. The "N" word was created by the slave owners of the U.S. southern state plantations. So, it wasn't part of his upbringing. Sugar slaves on the various islands had a very different reality.

 

[FireDancer]

No word is in itself offensive, it is up to each person how they react to a word. I'm Sicilian and Polish and I don't care if I am called Italian, Sicilian, Polish, Dego, Whop, Guinea, Polack or anything else because I don't give the word the power to offend me.

Some people aren't happy if they aren't causing drama and allowing any word to offend you is just one of many ways to cause drama.

 

[diznygirl]

Could be a matter of some pride of their ancestry - we have an aunt from South America who is offended at being Hispanic or South American. She is Spanish, thankyouverymuch, descended from Spaniards from Spain, just to be even more clear. We've learned to be careful around her.

 

[maddmike]

We need to get rid of the terms mexican-american, african-american, chinese-american...etc. If you come to this country and want to be an american then adopt the cultures, traditions and the language of the United States of America and be an American. If you want to be recognized as Mexican, etc. the stay in that country.

 

[LoraJ]

All I could think of was this quote from Clueless:


Cher: Lucy, you know I don't speak Mexican.
Lucy: I NOT A MEXICAN.
Lucy: [storms off]
Cher: Great, what was that all about?
Josh: Lucy's from El Salvador.
Cher: So?
Josh: So, it's an entirely different country.
Cher: What does that matter?
Josh: You get mad if anyone thinks you live below Sunset.

 

[Liberty Belle]

We need to get rid of the terms mexican-american, african-american, chinese-american...etc. If you come to this country and want to be an american then adopt the cultures, traditions and the language of the United States of America and be an American. If you want to be recognized as Mexican, etc. the stay in that country.

I feel differently. Why not show pride of where you came from and where you are?

 

[JoMarie]

All I could think of was this quote from Clueless:


Cher: Lucy, you know I don't speak Mexican.
Lucy: I NOT A MEXICAN.
Lucy: [storms off]
Cher: Great, what was that all about?
Josh: Lucy's from El Salvador.
Cher: So?
Josh: So, it's an entirely different country.
Cher: What does that matter?
Josh: You get mad if anyone thinks you live below Sunset.

That's the first thing I thought of! And I said it in the same exact way Lucy did and then wanted to slam my Windex on the counter.

 

[Imzadi]

That's the first thing I thought of! And I said it in the same exact way Lucy did and then wanted to slam my Windex on the counter.

Windex? Wait, that was used in My Big, Fat GREEK (American) Wedding.

 

[PlainJane]

OP, are you sure they were in fact Mexican? Otherwise it could have to do with how "Mexican" was said. I know, I've been places that I've been called an "American" in a not so nice tone of voice or a condescending way. I was not offended by being called an "American." I was offended by how they said it.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I am half hispanic. I was born and raised in the United States, but have one set of grandparents who came here from Mexico when they were little. I have friends who are from or who have ancestors from Mexico, Central and South America. They all feel differently about this topic. I personally don't use the word Chicana. Not that there is anything wrong with it. It's just not a word that I would use to describe me. I call myself American, but if someone asked what my heritage is, I would say Hispanic or Latina. It's kind of hard for me to identify myself as Mexican, seeing that I was born here and can't even speak spanish.

I have other friends who would say Chicano/a. I think it's a matter of preference.

 

[SydSim]

This question reminds me of an episode of "The Office" when Michael asked Oscar if there's another word, less offensive than Mexican, that he'd like to be referred to as.

 

[Art 1]

There is nothing wrong or inappropriate about calling a person from Mexico a Mexican.

 

[PoohnPglet]

My uncle married a lady whose family has resided in Mexico for a couple of hundred years. However, they are Spaniards not Mexicans. In her words "we have NEVER intermarried with the natives and we are pure."

Oookkkaaay...

Honestly - there is a huge hierarchy in the Spanish speaking world that I had no idea existed until I met my aunt.