Hispanic, Latino, and Chicano - these terms are distinct and not interchangeable

[RadiationTherapy]

I learned this from a chicano friend who is married to a hispanic with lineage that goes to Spain.

http://askville.amazon.com/Whats-difference-Hispanic-Latino-Chicano/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=7911749

Hispanics
This term is often used to refer collectively to all Spanish-speakers. However, it specifically connotes a lineage or cultural heritage related to Spain. As many millions of people who speak Spanish are not of true Spanish descent (e.g., native Americans), and millions more live in Latin America (cf., "Latino" below) yet do not speak Spanish or claim Spanish heritage (e.g., Brazilians) this term is incorrect as a collective name for all Spanish-speakers, and may actually be cause for offense.


Latino
This term is used to refer to people originating from, or having a heritage related to, Latin America, in recognition of the fact that this set of people is actually a superset of many nationalities. Since the term "Latin" comes into use as the least common denominator for all peoples of Latin America in recognition of the fact that some romance language (Spanish, Portuguese, French) is the native tongue of the majority of Latin Americans, this term is widely accepted by most. However, the term is not appropriate for the millions of native Americans who inhabit the region.


Chicano
A relatively recent term that has been appropriated by many Mexican descendants as unique and therefore reflective of their unique culture, though its first usage seems to have been discriminatory. The most likely source of the word is traced to the 1930 and 40s period, when poor, rural Mexicans, often native Americans, were imported to the US to provide cheap field labor, under an agreement of the governments of both countries.

[annabanana]

1. So

Not all Hispanics are either Latino or Chicano.
Not all Latinos are Hispanic
Chicanos are only Mexican

Latino is the broadest, Chicano is the narrowest and Hispanic is very complicated..

"whew"

[RadiationTherapy]

2. You got it. I figured since we are all talking about my state of AZ

some may want to know these terms. Thanks for reading.

[liberal N proud]

3. Confusing

And the derogatory use of such titles complicates it that much more.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

4. Yep.

It is confusing. For example, I'm of Spanish lineage so I'm white, european, caucasian, and hispanic but not latino or chicano.

[annabanana]

6. I'm surprised that these distinctions haven't been

more broadly publicized.

[RadiationTherapy]

7. I didn't learn until I was 33.

Guess I had a shortage of latino, chicano, and hispanic friends. Also, these distinctions breed individuality which makes people seem more human; I am not altogether convinced the media is interested in humanizing our understanding of these cultures.

[xchrom]

5. Recommend

[conscious evolution]

8. Thanks for the lesson

I have always been confused by the different terms.I have always thought Chicano refered to Puerto Ricans for some reason.
One question and please do not take this the wrong way-What is the origin of the derogatory term spic? That one has also made me go wtf.

[RadiationTherapy]

12. I am an anglo (goofing on downthread comment),

Wikipedia, for what it is worth: Spic is an ethnic slur used in English speaking countries for a person of Hispanic descent. It became a common British slang word for anyone of Argentinian origin after the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina. It is known to be very offensive. It can be used as a noun or an adjective. Despite popular misconceptions, the slur was never used in reference only to Puerto Ricans. In fact, it is a slur used toward anyone of Hispanic descent, regardless of background.

And I found this bizarre gem of an answer from answerbag.com from a poster named "WHITEPOWER" who speaks in all caps:

THE RIGHT ANSWER IS :
THE TERM SPIC WAS CREATED IN THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE TO ORGANIZE THE MAJORITY OF APPLICATIONS COMING IN DURING THE LATE 40'S AND EARLY 50'S.
THE TERM SPIC SHORT FOR SPANISH POLISH ITALIAN AND CHINESE WOULD HELP THE EMPLOYEES OF THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE EXPEDITE THE PAPER WORK AND SPEED UP THE PROCESS.
WHY THE WORD SPIC STUCK WITH PEOPLE OF SPANISH BACKGROUND IS ANOTHER QUESTION,BUT THE TERM WAS FIRST USED WITH MEXICANS,SOME OF THE FIRST SPANISH IMMIGRANTS. USING THE WORD SPIC AGAINST A PERSON FROM PUERTO RICO WOULD NOT MAKE SENSE SINCE PUERTO RICANS ARE EXEMPT FROM ANY IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS DUE TO THEIR COMMONWEALTH STATUS SO THEY DO NOT NEED GREEN CARDS OR VISAS TO TRAVEL THEY HAVE THE SAME TRAVELING RIGHTS AS AMERICANS .

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/325265

[Romulox]

13. Sounds to me like it's like just a sloppy, drawled contraction...

The term obviously pre-dates the Falkland wars by many years.

[RadiationTherapy]

14. Wow. That's pretty impressive if it is obvious.

Unfortunately, I have few points of reference to the Falkland wars and the linguistic implications thereof.

[conscious evolution]

17. Thats what I thought myself

I figured it was a contraction derived from hiSPanIC but that never really seemed right.
The immiigration ofice term does have a ring of truth to it.Sort of like WOP for WithOut Papers or WOGS for workers on goverment service.

[annabanana]

22. In my 100% white town in Mass growing up, it was used for the small

Italian community that was (literally) on the other side of the tracks. I was told it was because they "no spic da English" by my coarser childhood acquaintances.. I was ALSO told (by my parents) that I was never to use this word to anyone for anything.

[ashling]

9. But I thought the Republicans deregulated those terms

along with everything else
:rofl:

[Romulox]

10. All well and good, but what about calling non-Hispanics "Anglos"?

That's the precise equivalent of calling all brown people "Spaniards". :hi:

[RadiationTherapy]

11. I think it is intended to be derogatory - dehumanizing the other.

To call me an 'anglo' is akin to 'white people all look the same to me'.

Scots-Canadian and looking for a way back home.

[fishwax]

16. Anglo is not Anglo-Saxon, but Anglo-American, which (like Latin-Am) refers to linguistic heritage

[Romulox]

23. Nonsense. Nobody calls Chicanos who are native English speakers "Anglos". nt

[fishwax]

24. No, people will call them Latinos -- even if they don't speak Spanish

I didn't say it was about the language individuals spoke.

In the same way that "Latin America" refers to Mexico and south and central America, where the culture is strongly influenced by Latin/Romance-speaking cultures, so too "Anglo America" refers to the parts of North America where the culture is strongly influenced by (or descended from) the English language and culture; and just as people who come from Latin American (or "appear" to come from Latin America) might be called Latinos, so people who come from Anglo American are sometimes referred to as Anglos.

I'm not saying it's precise--just that used in that context it isn't an implication that white = English. :hi:

[fishwax]

15. additionaly, Chicana/o tends to carry political overtones (Chican@ != Mexican-American)

Not all people with Mexican ancestry will consider themselves Chicana/o; at the same time, some who consider themselves Chican@ also explicitly will bristle at Mexican-American, etc., because "Chicano" has come to refer to a more complex relationship to identity, especially with respect to indigenous heritage.

Moreover, while the Chicano movement is associated with Americans with Mexican heritage, it can actually be more expansive, since the identity reaches back to pre-columbian touchstones, before there was a border between, say Mexico and Guatemala.

:kick:

[RadiationTherapy]

18. It is fascinating that, perhaps due to the internet, this racist law

has educated more people about cultural diversity than the various 'pro-' groups could've hoped.

[backscatter712]

19. Clear as mud!

Not easy when trying to avoid words that cause offense.

[Uncle Joe]

20. I don't understand Spanish, only knowing a few words but I love watching what I presume to be

Chicanos in that television program "12 Corazones" M-F 6:00-7:00pm CST on the Telemundo Network.

It's most entertaining as I try to pick up some of the language.:)

Thanks for the thread, RadiationTherapy.

[Cybergata]

21. A rose by any other name . . .

There are many people in the Southwestern part of the U.S. who have deep roots in the area. My ancestors came from Spain and the Valley of Mexico to New Mexico in 1598 until the early 1700s. We have New Mexican Native American, Mexican Native American, Spanish and even Afro-Españo Heritage. Out culture is a mix of all these cultures. We have been called Hispanic, but according to your terms, our Native heritage means we are not Hispanic, yet my ancestors lived under Spanish rule from 1598 until New Spain gained their independence in 1821. Many of my ancestors were more Native than Spanish, but as citizens of Spain, they called themselves Spanish. The southwestern U.S. was part of Latin American until 1847 when the United States claimed it as part of the U.S. So are we Latinos? Being part of New Spain, we became part of Mexico. My ancestors were rural poor farmers, but land rich until the United States took over. Does that mean we are Chicano?

My point being, there are a lot of people with diverse backgrounds and heritage that don't fit into your friend's classifications or actually any I've run across before. Classifying Latinos/Hispanics/Chicanos into one lump or three has always been a problem. Trying to define the difference will always rub some Hispanic/Latino/Chicano people the wrong way. Personally, I don't care which of the three names anyone calls me, but I know people who get really riled if you don't call them the one of the three that they consider themselves being.