When did Mexican become a "dirty" word?

I don't think this thread is about Mexicans feeling uncomfortable with the anti-illegal immigrant sentiment or anything else. I think this thread is about non-Mexicans attaching a negative connotation to the term "Mexican" and how some, including me, find it offensive to attach a negative connotation to the term "Mexican".

Very funny Foxy.

You really want to pretend that the hostility that Americans of Mexican (or Hispanic) descent feel directed at them has nothing to do with anti-"illegal" immigrant sentiment?

Ask your Mexican and Hispanic family members to explain it to you (if they really exist).

What prompts anybody to see the term as negative is irrelevent to the idea that it is a bad thing to make the word negative for any reason. And, for this discussion, it doesn't really even have anything to do with how Mexicans feel about it. I was simply objecting to you changing what the discussion is about to something the discussion isn't about.

I disagree Foxy.

The question of "why" hostility toward Mexicans (and Hispanics) in general has been increasing in the past few years is both interesting and relevant.

It has quite a bit to do with the anti-immigrant fervor that some people have decided to whip up in the past several years.

I am objecting to the fact you are trying to hide the Elephant in the room.

Actually foxfyre is right.

The question is why white people would find the word "Mexican" to be a derogatory descriptor of somene or something.

I am just answering the question.

It is because the anti-immigrant folks have been pushing the idea that "Mexicans" (aka illegal-immigrants) are causing crime, making too many babies, not assimilating, speaking Spanish and stealing jobs.

The defamation of Mexicans is closely linked to the anti-immigration movement.

There is no way to separate the two issues.

My point is -- I don't think we should allow "Mexican" to be further perverted.

If I can't refer to a person from Mexico as Mexican and Mo can't ask for Mexican food for dinner aren't we guilty of letting the word be perverted?

If everyone stops using the word in it's proper context aren't we abetting those who want it to be "dirty"?

I agree Boomer. We've allowed far too many perfectly good, descriptive, and appropriate words become politically incorrect in this country because a few people attach negative connotations to those words that nobody else intends.

I will continue to use the term "Mexican", "Mexican food", "Mexican music", Mexican sombrero, Mexican border, etc. etc. etc. as perfectly good terms intended fondly, affectionately, or without any emotion at all. I hope you do too. It's the only defense we have against the PC police.

I am not disagreeing with you.

Use the word "Mexican". The Mexicans I know (and I know quite a few) will be just fine with that unless they feel you are being disparaging. Misunderstandings do happen. They can (and should) be talked out as between two human beings.

I am just pointing out that many Hispanics are feeling quite defensive because of the antics of the anti-immigration crowd. This was played out very publicly during the battle over immigration reform. There is quite a bit of resentment from this. This may have had something to do with what you were feeling.

Go ahead, use the word Mexican. I believe that most people will not take offense.

In my opinion because many white folk do lead their lives subscribing to what they believe is the current popular culture.

So, Asians like to be called Asian, not Chinese, for example. But, going back to the days of Chinese laundries, there are still white folk that seem to think it is neutral to refer to Asians as Chinese.

It would be nice, in my opinion, if people acquiesce to the preferences of each group, just to keep everyone happier. Like it costs nothing.

That isn't the case in the example Boomer was using though, Foofie. My friends and family of Mexican heritage will describe themselves as American when it is appropriate to do so and will describe themselves as Mexican when it is appropriate to do so. They all eat "Mexican food", not "Spanish food". In other words, they do not mind the designation of Mexican when appropriately applied.

Boomer's interest (and mine plus a few others) is in not allowing a few narrow minded bigoted white people (or anybody else) decide that "Mexican" is somehow a derogatory term and make it into a word that should not be used at all.

Actually I can imagine being called Mexican if you consider yourself American quite annoying. In Britain blacks are often referred to as immigrants even though they may be 3rd generation.
I think in terms of being polite you should really avoid references to race until you are sure. For example if you were being interviewed by a Mexican looking person (whatever that is) for a job interview, you wouldnt use terms like spic. or wetback etc.
Mexican of course is fine to use as a descriptive term for someone from Mexico. It is not a term of abuse, like say, American. Sorry for using the A word.

I do hope that was intended as humor FOW. And perhaps you are perceptive enough to understand that sans vocal inflection, facial expression, body language etc., all lacking here on the message board, most people would not see it as humor.

I have always found you to be a reasonable person. I would suggest that if you find it offensive, then you are being slightly over sensitive. After all we are discussing whether Mexican is offensive.
It is certainly true that it is considered rude in England to ask if someone is American. You ask if they are Canadian. No one gets upset at being mistaken for a Canadian. Some Canadians and some other races object strongly to being mistaken for Americans.

Apropos to this discussion, "30 Rock," last night featured the Alec Baldwin character having an affair with a nurse played by Selma Hayek.

At one point he asks her what he should call her?

"Puerto Rican," she replies matter of factly.

"But that doesn't seem right" he responds, afflicted with obvious PC discomfort.

Latter the Tina Fey character reinforces lampooning, through a similar line, the ridiculous sense that it is somehow incorrect or offensive for "white" people to call Puerto Ricans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans, Mexicans.

This is how ridiculous the fall-out from identity politics has become.

It also reveals how so many of the people who are concerned or worried about offending "minorities," are actually bigoted themselves.

They are afraid to call someone a Mexican or Puerto Rican because they accept that there actually is a valid stereoptype for these nationalities with which their members do not want to be associated.

For these fools, "Mexican" and "Puerto Rican" conjure up a singular representative image of what is essentially a caricature, and an ugly one at that.

One has to have a sense that the Mexican and Puerto Rican caricatures actually exist and practically define the terms if one is to be sensitive to using it. Rationalizations like "Well, I know that some bigots use the terms as slurs," are ridiculous and dishonest.

Americans, as Americans know, are distinct from one another in a myriad of ways, and yet jackasses outside of America like to lump us all into one confined caricature.

If there is not the same variety of cultural distinctions within the Mexican and Puerto Rican peoples, it is only because they have more homogenous populations (more is the operative word). Individually, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are as different from one another as are Americans.

To the extent they are similar, the positive implications far outweigh whatever may be considered negative --- just as with Americans.

That this subject is even being debated is testimony to a sad state of affairs.

And while we are at it, can we please put a stop to the ridiculous argument (actually advanced in this thread) that citizens of the USA are arrogant for referring to themselves as "Americans."

What utter nonsense.

"America" happens to be in the name of the nation unlike any other nation in North or South America.

What should Americans call themselves "United States of Americans?"

I've not done the research but I'm willing to bet that once the practice began, there was no general or specific sense that it demonstrated arrogance, and I wouldn't be surprised if we found that Europeans initiated calling us "Americans."

No other people in North or South America want to call themselves "Americans," and those of us who do are not so foolish as to suggest that we are the only people living (or worth living) on the two continents.

But of course the argument will continue to be made by those who think it a brilliant revelation.

Finally, you got something right, Finn.

Huh.

Maybe that's it.

"Mexican" doesn't carry any ugly connotations to me so I'd never really considered that it might be "ugly" to someone else.

If I'm guilty of insensitivity it is probably in that the man is actually an American citizen, who is from Mexico. Saying "oh.... what was his name... he was this American guy...." would not have helped me jar the name out of my head.

Having grown up in the era where America stopped being the melting pot and started being the salad bowl it has become second nature to refer to people as "Prefix"-Americans.

Still, I doubt I would have gotten the same reaction is I'd said "that French guy".

And Mo still comes home asking for Italian/Japanese/whatever foods.

I too think it was an astute observation. I think sometimes the ones who take the most offense at identifying terms that most of us see as completely innocuous are those who are denying their own bigotry. That bigotry may not be unkind, but it does see certain others as 'victims' in need of rescue and therefore, in a subtle way, as inferior, incapable, weak, etc.

I prefer a world where a person can refer to himself/herself or be referred to as Mexican or French or Irish or American or red head or southerner or New Yorker or whatever and be taken at face value without anybody reading something insidious into that.

I was just looking back through this thread to see where this discussion came up:



While looking I noted a post saying that people don't like to be described by race, gender, physical traits and I started wondering how we're supposed to ever describe someone.

"The FBI is looking for a human suspected of kidnapping two children from their home. If you see this human please call...."

I know it sounds stupid but I'm serious -- where does it stop?

I was thinking about a big brou-ha-ha here not long ago where a college professor was fired (if I recall) for using the term "Oriental". People were outraged. I looked up the term "Orient" and here's what I found:



This is what is now happening to the word Mexican.

I understand that language evolves but I'm still trying to figure out how some words become "dirty".

In clinical trials for testing new medications the formal groupings are racial >


> because drug effectiveness varies among these 6 groups. Problem arises if researchers try to separate between >



> persons who really are "white", though of "Spanish origin" under the FDA definition, and anyone else included under "Spanish" in the PC definition:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/5656fnl.pdf
Lumping them all together and calling them "Spanish" is supposed to be euphemistic, but isn't admissible for clinical trials.

My impression is that Boomerang is right about there being no objection to "French", for much the same reason as noted by a previous poster - it's color; similarly there's no objection to "Aussie", but usage of the word "Paki" is enough to shake the British throne!