Race Riot Rant

To my R&R Readers,

So guys, I received an email from an R&R reader that had been following my blog for about eight months and wanted to ask me few questions. His last question was about my nationality and ethnicity. When I responded with the truth, he, or she, blasted me by ultimately telling me I was not a “real” American. Wow! OK. I’m used to hate hate mail and haters but I relented. I politely asked the “questioner” about their nationality and ethnicity. He simply replied with AMERICAN! Ok. American is not an ethnicity or race. It is a nationality by definition.

Well even though I have a Spanish surname, I was born in Texas and my forefathers were born in the area before it was later known as Texas. I told him an Ancestry.com test showed my ancestors were from Spain and Portugal and Cristobal Colon’s (Christopher Columbus), personal steward had my family’s surname and I also had 40% native American heritage.

So, according to this hater’s claim, I needed to go back to where I came from (Mexico). I was so glad to the let this bigot know that my ancestors and family were here way before his family ever even knew coming to the Americans was a possibility.

My father’s parents were born in Texas but they moved to Mexico because of abuse and discrimination by the Anglos. My father was later born in Mexico and came to the US legally as a teenager, became a successful business man and was accepted as such by the whites in our community.  I was born in 66 in south Texas. As a kid in our community growing up, I didn’t see the skin color difference as a barrier. I only knew Hispanics or Anglos in my community growing up. There were no other races in our community that I was aware of at the time.

I was born and raised in a primarily Hispanic community in south Texas where discrimination was still prevalent in the 60s but I was too young to understand what discrimination was. I am Hispanic but sometimes mistaken as white because of my light complexion and lack of an accent.

After I graduated from high school, I joined the US Army and traveled the world (14 countries), where I was often asked about my race, ethnicity, and nationality wherever I went. I noticed that when I answered as Hispanic, I was treated one way. When I answered as American, I was treated another way, and when I answered about my ethnicity, I answered as Hispanic and treated another way. Yet, I am often labeled as Latino, but not as an American. Why? Are not African Americans, Irish Americans, German Americans, or any other nationality Americans. Why as a Hispanic am I always considered a Mexican?

While in the Army, in Germany of all places, I married an Anglo woman which complicated matters even more. I am sometimes mistaken as white (Anglo) when I was with her and afforded or denied white or minority "privileges" depending on how I was viewed at the time by the official.

In a college course I took, I learned that race, and in most cases, nationality, are a man made construct design to categorize humans because that is what humans are drawn to do. Ultimately, humans are what we all are. The only difference is the amount of pigment in our skin and where we are raised with a culture of the area we were born in. The world is a big place and the way in which we are raised cannot be standardized on one particular race. People just feel a need to put others in categories based on the beliefs they were raised by. That belief does not make the judgment right by one race that sets their standards.

So, if that is how humanity is going to set any standard, I will accept the privilege that gives me the most advantage. Hispanic privilege, Latino privilege, or even Indian privilege when I can because my skin color does not define me, if is set by others. My wife and I had three children, all of which have flown the coup and live in different parts of the US and Canada where she is often asked about her ethnicity only because of the lack of the typical blonde hair, and blue eyes.

Another daughter lives in Kansas and is subject to similar scrutiny when questioned about her surname but cannot speak Spanish. Big brown eyes and beautiful chestnut brown curly hair. From what I see on social media, she’s a looker but sometimes questioned for being Hispanic but cannot speak Spanish. But yet, she contributes more to America with her work than some self proclaimed nationalist Americans cannot. Even though she cannot speak Spanish, she understands it and the Hispanic culture that makes America what she is.

Our third daughter is what some haters would call a “racial oddity”. She is a happy go lucky free spirit with a zest for life but more times than not is mistaken as Anglo because of her white complexion and light auburn hair, She was once labeled as Albanian by new coworkers because they didn’t know how to categorize her because of her physical appearance and she didn’t speak Spanish. She does know Spanish, they just never heard her speak it, so they slapped a label on her because of her physical appearance.

I was fortunate enough to be stationed in Germany for four years. Because of my linguistic skills, I was able to learn and speak German proficiently, enough so that I was labeled the unofficial translator for my unit. So now, here I am, a Hispanic with a southern accent, married to an Anglo woman who doesn’t speak Spanish and who home schooled our three daughters with limited Spanish language skills but yet, they all turned out to be productive useful citizens of US and Canadian societies.

My question to you. What does race, nationality, ethnicity, or skin color have to do with being a member of any society?

My story is just one of millions from around the world many of my readers can relate to. I’m sure many R&R readers have their own similar stories. I encourage you to share your family history and let these stereotypical meaningless constructs go and make this world a better place for our children and future generations.

Peace Out Dudes.

eModicus