the memoirs of the hispanic boy | las memorias del niño hispano

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Hello all, today's post will include a guest writer, my friend Erick! Recently he has expressed to me basically what it has been like growing up in American and learning English. I feel as though other persons of color do not have such a gigantic spotlight on them currently like the "Black Lives Matter" movement, but we all as minority groups suffer from similar oppression. I feel as though other persons of color are being shadowed. His points as discussed below talks about oppression within his  race and even apart from it. This post will elaborate on Hispanic-American culture, what it is like growing up with Spanish as your primary language, as well as the judgement, and distance that comes along with being a Hispanic American. so sit tight and buckle your seat belts. I hope you enjoy what my lovely friend has to say, and most of all I hope you understand.


*the following set up will be questions following his responses

How do you feel when you hear others in and outside your household speak Spanish? Is there a sort of distance you feel when it is spoken, or do you feel a comfort?

Erick: I don't feel uncomfortable when it is spoken inside my household because, I learned it in my house hold. If I hear it outside my household, I feel sort of shocked, but when I speak it outside my household, I  feel as though I need to be quiet so others won't hear me speaking Spanish language.

What has been your biggest challenge growing up and adapting to "American lifestyle"? What differs from America vs. Mexico?

Erick: The hardest part would growing up here is my own kind oppressing me, oppressing me in the sense that Mexicans/Latinos/Hispanics, pressured me to learn English so I could assimilate. Also I  am a lighter skin toned  Mexican, this created more conflict with the people in my race. I think they  were envious that I would never experience racism because of the color of my skin, not knowing they were providing the same kind of racism I would later receive from society (lowkey white people). I think Mexican lifestyle differs  in the sense that Mexico has a greater acceptance in different cultures. When I was growing up, we didn't shun different cultures, we wanted to learn about them. For example, if we saw an Asian student (which was rare) we were intrigued and asked questions and welcomed them. Whereas in America, everybody has to be one thing, and if you aren't then you aren't good enough and aren't respected as a human being. In Mexico, unlike America, we do not use systematic oppression. Although Mexican people (as a general) can also be racists and ignorant, the belief of racial superiority is not nearly as present in social and political environments as it is in America

Do you feel like trying to adapt to American lifestyle has changed the way you view your own heritage?

Erick: It did for a while, because as a child, I was indirectly taught by teachers, students, and other people that anything besides American culture is wrong, and Mexican culture was the only thing I knew. But now, its brought me closer to my culture and my heritage, because I feel proud whenever I say where I'm from. I feel proud whenever I say my favorite food is chuletas, I feel proud of my spicy ass food, because that's who I am. No one will ever tell me that my culture is wrong, no one will ever demonize my culture again, especially not someone who thinks salt as seasoning is spicy. I will go on through the rest of my life hugging my Mexican childhood, casually spitting Spanish words at those who have told me to act like a civilized person and silent my accent.

What do you want others to see about you, culturally, that they do not understand?

Erick:  I want them to understand that the color of my skin does not represent who I am. being treated like shit by white people is basically the same thing as being treated like shit by my own people due to the lighter pigment of my skin. Shunning someone from your own culture/ethnicity just because they look like the enemy does not mean they're the enemy, it only means that you're no better than them. I am forced to wear the skin and appearance of the type of people I  hate, and it's something I think about on a daily basis. I  am scared to retweet a post about "Black Lives Matter", or Trump's policies because I'm afraid someone will tell me that I  do not know true oppression since I  look white, and that's true, white people will not know I'm one of them unless I start speaking. and that shit hurts. I've received comments like that from darker Mexicans quite often; they do not seem to understand that although my skin is lighter, we still are in the same boat, I am one of them. I still suffer from systematic oppression. Fuck, I might not even be able to pay for college simply because of where I'm from. My message to my people, minorities, is we all stand together against a common enemy, racism. If we point fingers at each other and fight over who has it the worst, we're never gonna make this racist shit of a country better. Be proud of who you are and don't let nobody strip it  from you

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******HOW TACKY, WE TOOK THESE PICTURES AT PLAZA MEXICO

To conclude, similar sayings like," you are pretty for a black girl" is the same back handed compliment as telling an Hispanic who is fluent in English who was not born here saying, "I forget you are from Mexico, your English is so good." As though, I, (metaphorically) am incapable of learning such a language because I am an immigrant?