The conversation of so-called Diaspora wars and inter-ethnic conflicts are an ongoing and prevalent heated topic these days, but calls for unity can be a hot button issue for Latino who are fixed on a label that meets their contrived identity.
As a Latino and Mexican, I see these arguments from many different sides culturally and feel that Latinos aren’t alone in these inner conflicts.
Many, however, miss the more sobering perspective that isn’t steeped or rooted in any kind of political cultural or international aspect of the intersectional diaspora conversation, but more of the inherent homeland motherland/fatherland dynamic of the Latino’s identity.
Most Latinos in general don’t recognize themselves as Latino in South America. In South America the Latino prides himself under the label of his home country more so than that of a unified continent.
A Brazilian is simply from Brazil and speaks Portuguese.
In Argentina, the Argentine prides himself as Argentine, but there’s also the case that Argentine people are heavily populated by Germanic folk who escaped the Nuremberg Trials of WWII fled to Argentina and now speak German.
Other South American countries have different dialects of the Catalan Spanish in their native countries and are mixed with their own native language. Catalan Spanish being the more proper Spanish language from Spain that was brought here by Colonization and the Inquisition.
These differences in people can be seen throughout other minority races with their own issues similar to that of the Latino American dilemma.
For example, as a Mexican I can say many Mexicans are fine with saying they’re Mexican in the United States.
While some Mexicans that have been living in this country for multiple generations have completely done away with the Mexican label altogether and prefer Chicano, Latino, Hispanic or Indigenous Native American.
Native because Mexico is part of North America, also, the name Mexico comes from the word Mexica, otherwise known as Aztec which is the colloquial name for Mexica. The same goes for anyone else from any other country in South America.
You would just have to apply the same terminology to any other person that comes from a South American country. For example an Argentine person has something similar to the Mexican American term “Chicano” in the slang form of “Che” which means fellow or buddy.
And Argentine people use it to self identify like Mexican Americans use the once slang term Chicano to self identify themselves. Chicano has many different etymological origins but mainly is a pejorative of Me-xicano.
Calling for unity is somewhat of an impossibility for a continent with such overwhelming differences. These countries go to war with each other on soccer fields and relish in their rival’s defeat. They accentuate their differences, and have somewhat of a national pride in the form of a soccer hooligan mentality and consider it an affinity when speaking about their homeland which in Spanish is called “Patria.”.
People can say they want unity, but it doesn’t have much bearing on the greater masses of South Americans because I believe differences are celebrated much more than similarities.
The much more viable culprit of division that the Latino American or South American people face is that of personal and individual indifference from the lack of education of their own identity.
If there’s anything else to say is that the particular issue of the Latino American seems to be wrapped around this notion that Eurocentric White is superior to that of the indigenous people and so everyone must assimilate.
This emphasizes why soccer is so popular. All clear signs and logic dictate otherwise in terms of living off the land, having a sense of balance and harmony with the environment when it comes to farming and also not being desensitized by hunting when it’s done for the purpose of nutritional value because you have a sense of gratitude for whatever it is gave it’s life for you to consume.
The balance has gotten lost to the Latino American, and the prevailing right winged dog eat dog ideology seems to be the mantra now. I like this disconnected method of thinking to the villainous Borg in Star Trek trying to assimilate anyone and everyone who show signs of being a threat to their hive collective. In that Sci Fi reality the Borg only view people of note to be a threat or hazard to them and ignore anyone too weak or inferior to be worth assimilating.
