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

[cbmstephanie]

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.

How's the Grand Wizard? Tell him hello!

 

[Art 1]

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.

You have no idea, and what you describe is very typical. However, the lady is a citizen of Mexico and is a Mexican.

 

[Abbie]

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.

That's what popped in my mind too. And Oscar clearly said that it is not offensive for someone from Mexico to be referred to as Mexican.

OP, I wonder as others have mentioned if there was a certain "tone" to it?

 

[Imzadi]

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....

Was she from a band of Spanish gypsies that intermarried?

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

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.

I'm in the same boat, except I'm mostly hispanic. I am 3rd generation hispanic, and sadly, can't speak a word of spanish.

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

That's not entirely true. My grandmother's family lives in Mexico, however they are are NOT Mexican's, they are Spaniards.

OP, perhaps your friend whilst from Mexico, is in fact not Mexican. If it were me, I would correct you and tell you my actually heritage.

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

Oooooh yeah.

 

[Art 1]

I'm in the same boat, except I'm mostly hispanic. I am 3rd generation hispanic, and sadly, can't speak a word of spanish.

That's not entirely true. My grandmother's family lives in Mexico, however they are are NOT Mexican's, they are Spaniards.

OP, perhaps your friend whilst from Mexico, is in fact not Mexican. If it were me, I would correct you and tell you my actually heritage.



Oooooh yeah.

If your grandmother is a Mexican citizen she is a Mexican. She is of Spanish decent.

 

[KristiKelly]

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 was filling out DD Kindergarten registration today anyway, it asked what race. I asked DH should I put Irish/German/Welsh/Native American-American.

OP, I do sometimes feel awkward using the term "Mexican" when referring to someone from Mexico simply because I have heard so many people use it in a derogatory way. Even when we took our kids to Mexico I felt odd using the term Mexican.

On another note, when I was about 19, I asked someone DH & I were sort of friends with (at that time) if she was Chinese or Japanese - I thought she was going to bite my head off. Apparently Japanese don't like to be confused with Chinese. I don't know the reason but boy was she mad.

 

[Imzadi]

On another note, when I was about 19, I asked someone DH & I were sort of friends with (at that time) if she was Chinese or Japanese - I thought she was going to bite my head off. Apparently Japanese don't like to be confused with Chinese. I don't know the reason but boy was she mad.

It's like calling a Sicilian an Italian. Or a Portugese a Spaniard.

 

[KristiKelly]

It's like calling a Sicilian an Italian. Or a Portugese a Spaniard.

Ok, I just had to Google Sicily and Italy because I could've sworn Sicily was in Italy - thank God I was right I never knew they didn't like to be called Italian, glad I know. DD is dying to go to Italy and I don't want to get my butt kicked.

 

[RitaZ.]

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.

You're 100% correct. It's actually quite sad.

 

[novajeanjellybean]

It's like calling a Sicilian an Italian. Or a Portugese a Spaniard.

Or like calling an African American an African. We don't like that either.

 

[imabrat]

It depends on the context. I've heard people refer to Mexicans as "dirty" and "poor" which a gross misrepresentation.

I'm also picky about how people use the word "Spanish". I am Spanish, my mom is from Spain and all of my family is in Spain. The chick down the street who is 100% born and raised Puerto Rican is NOT Spanish, she is Puerto Rican! Maybe it's a silly thing to be picky over but it bothers me a lot. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[PoohnPglet]

You have no idea, and what you describe is very typical. However, the lady is a citizen of Mexico and is a Mexican.

Don't let her hear you say that! I think she would physically assault anyone that insisted on calling her Mexican! I am not kidding. According to her and her family, because they always sent their children back to Spain when it was time to find a spouse (well until my uncle that is, lol) , they are not Mexican. In their minds, Mexican is synonymous with being a mestizo.

 

[denisem]

Probably because most people prefer to think of themselves as individuals - not "labeled".

 

[VickiVM]

This is why I love living in Texas...specifically San Antonio. In SA no one attempts to distinguish Mexicans from Hispanics from Latino's or from Chicano(a)'s.

And if we want to be specific about people who were born in Mexico, we often refer to them as National's because in South Texas we know what that term means. And that simply identifies nationality, not race.

 

[lillygator]

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.

.....if you are from Mexico, you are Mexican right? What's the dilly?

 

[lillygator]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584427,00.html?test=latestnews


don't want to be here though!

 

[VickiVM]

.....if you are from Mexico, you are Mexican right? What's the dilly?

I think for some, there IS a difference. While we may refer to someone as Mexican, because that is their nationality (like a US born citizen is American), it does not identify their heritage which are two different things.

This person may have been from Veracruz, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was born there or identifies his culture as Mexican.

 

[bumbershoot]

That's not entirely true. My grandmother's family lives in Mexico, however they are are NOT Mexican's, they are Spaniards.

If your grandmother is a Mexican citizen she is a Mexican. She is of Spanish decent.

Art said it better than I was going to try to say. She might have a tizzy, but she is not correct. She's a Mexican citizen, which makes her, basically Mexican. if she doesn't want that, she can look into emigrating back. That said, it's not so easy to move around countries. I've been trying to figure out how to get "back" (considering it was great grands who lived there, back has to be in quotes) to Ireland for over a decade now! Difficult!

On another note, when I was about 19, I asked someone DH & I were sort of friends with (at that time) if she was Chinese or Japanese - I thought she was going to bite my head off. Apparently Japanese don't like to be confused with Chinese. I don't know the reason but boy was she mad.

Interesting. Usually it goes the other way, with Chinese and Koreans having NO interest in being thought Japanese. Something about them occupying their countries and invading and whatnot really cheeses off the Chinese and Koreans!

Interesting offshoot to the discussion...the word that American soldiers liked to use during the Korean War, that word everyone thinks is so rude against Koreans (and it was later erroneously used to refer to Vietnamese people in that war)...means "person" in Korean. Not an insult at all!

Why yes, my husband IS half Korean.

Ok, I just had to Google Sicily and Italy because I could've sworn Sicily was in Italy - thank God I was right I never knew they didn't like to be called Italian, glad I know. DD is dying to go to Italy and I don't want to get my butt kicked.

It is in it, but they don't admit it. My best friend in HS had a dad directly from Sicily, and a mom whose parents had moved here from Italy. She considered herself to be half Italian and half Sicilian.



OP, you're going to have to speak with this guy from Veracruz about this. Find out why he reacted like that. Perhaps there's some dynamic in Veracruz that made it feel to him like if someone thought I was of British descent, when I'm mainly Irish and a bit Scottish (and a tad Swiss, supposedly, but they just sort of appeared in Switzerland as Hitler was rising in power, so who really knows where that little family was from).

My oldest friend is German, Irish, and Mexican, and she will gladly answer to ANY term for any of those, no matter how offensive someone else might think the words are. She calls herself those things and laughs, b/c words don't mean much to her in that way!

So the fact that this guy reacted like that, you're going to have to ask *him*.

 

[toddlers_mom]

Hmmm

If I immigrated to China I wouldn't consider myself Chinese or Asian Even if I was a citizen. That just sounds weird! I get the point being made though.