This election has given greater resonance to an eternal truth: There is no one ‘Latino vote’
*This story tells me that the idea of a monolithic, homogeneous Latino community is starting to crack at the edges. It’s an old story and a fresh story at the same time, written by a Latina but not for a Latino audience. It’s an old story because we Latinos know these things like we know the pitches and waves of our speech. It’s fresh because many non-Latinos in the U.S. are hearing it for the first time. The good news is that the new Latino narrative about diversity is starting to gain traction. I’m interested in what you think. Specifically, as a point to start a conversation, is there anything to be lost? VL
By Maria Murriel, Public Radio International (3 minute read)
Uruguayans and Argentines have similar accents, but hate when people confuse the two. The battle over the birthplace of salsa has long been waged between Cuba and Puerto Rico. And don’t ever assume a Central American knows all about Mexican culture.
These truths are decades-old, but in the US, not common knowledge outside Latino communities. That’s especially evident during election season, when pollsters, politicians and media constantly refer to “the Latino vote.”
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“We cannot break Latinos and assume that all Latinos are going to support one position,” says Luis Marentes, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“If you were part of the socialist Allende government that fell on Sept. 11, 1973, to the coup of Augusto Pinochet, a socialist candidate might be very attractive,” Marentes says. “If you were a homosexual male who was imprisoned in some of the rehabilitation camps in Cuba during the 1970s, perhaps [socialism] means . . . READ MORE
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[Photo by SEIU International]
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