A Gross Mislabeling

In a society of stereotypes, nowadays Mexicans and other Hispanics suffer from what is arguably the worst. Here in America they are labeled as illegal, uneducated drains on society, only here to take advantage of the generous political system and deplete our welfare and public aid reserves. This overwhelming assumption that many Americans have when encountering a dark skinned, Hispanic person is way too generalized and completely bigoted. A huge testament to some white Americans’ naivety when it comes to the actual differentiation of South Americans from Central American and Caribbean natives and so on is the broad use of the terms ‘Hispanic’ and ‘Latino’. People will use these terms and similar ones to “too tightly package the people categorized by [them]”(Gandossy) a CNN article by Taylor Gandossy points out. This article, The Complicated Measure of Being Hispanic in America, addresses the mislabeling and misunderstanding many people of ‘South of the Border’ origin are plagued by.
The author, Gandossy, doesn’t try to emphasize one opinion throughout the article. Instead, he presents multiple perspectives from people of all different levels of qualification. Those he interviewed ranged from people of all different South and Central American descent to a professor of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at the City University of New York. These people all have different opinions on the issue of whether or not a “Latino identity” does truly exist and whether or not this shared identity is sufficient justification for a label as generalized as Hispanic or Latino. This issue must be considered before approaching the further issue of society’s use of these terms and their seeming current equivalence to ‘Mexican’.The terms ‘Latino’ and ‘Hispanic’ “are often used interchangeably, which is a point of some contention in the wider community” (Gandossy). These “governmental designations” are challenged by many of those who bear the burden of the label. They contend the perpetuation of the idea of the ‘Latino identity’. As one interviewee in the article said: "[Latinos] very often don't share language, don't share class circumstances, don't share education; it's very difficult to speak about them as one thing" (Gandossy).
People of any type of ‘South of the Border’ descent- with darker complexions, dark hair, and short stature- are often bunched into the ‘Hispanic/Latino’ category. Furthermore, those identified as Hispanic or Latino are also colloquially referred to as Mexicans. This nationality has become all encompassing as a derogatory and demeaning way to label all people of southern origin.

When considering this issue, many recent books, articles, speeches, debates, and opinions can come up. A great example of this would be TC Boyle's novel about the price of the American dream and the struggles faced by illegal immigrants weighted down by the label placed on them by a fed up society. The two aliens  in the novel give a face to these Hispanic/Latino/Mexicans (who are actually Mexican) and make it easy to see the restrictions and limitations imposed by this label. Other characters demonstrate the overuse of the label, bitterly wondering "did they all have to be Mexican?"(Boyle 149). Even a man considered tolerant and liberal, conscious of the different nationalities and origins, succumbs to this misconception.
Not only are Hispanic and Latinos in America being wrongly and rudely labeled in these two groups, but they are also now being further sequestered into the class of ‘Mexicans’, regardless of their actual origins. This derogatory mislabeling insinuates that all darker, shorter people are actually impoverished illegal immigrants and drains on our society. The Dominican-American who owns an insurance agency in Tampa, Florida is in no way the same type of person as an illegal alien who makes his living waiting on street corners for manual labor. This reprehensible assumption that people who look similar are similar and share a ‘Hispanic Identity’ should be challenged more openly and put right.

Works Cited:

Gandossy, Taylor. "The Complicated Measure of Being Hispanic in America."
CNN.com. CNN. 16 Mar. 2009 .