The complicated measure of being Hispanic in America – (hispanic vs latino vs ???? – sometimes I feel that this issue alone will take us eons to reconcile)

“Hispanics and Latinos are described as the largest minority group in the United States, as a burgeoning force in the electorate and as an untapped frontier of the business market. Yet these descriptions belie the complexity of the 44 million people to whom they refer.

Even the terms used to name them — Hispanics, Hispanic-Americans, Latinos, Latino-Americans, the Spanish-surnamed — too tightly package the people categorized by those definitions, some observers say.

“We are mixed and we are many things,” said Phillip Rodriguez, a documentary filmmaker. Many of his films, such as “Los Angeles Now” and “Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream,” explore the experience and identity of Latinos in the United States.”

I have been asked several times why is it HispanicTips instead of Latino and frankly it is just because that is what popped into my head first when I purchased the domain. There was no rhyme or reason to the decision, no brainwashing by the government, no motive. I just wanted to get the news out. I don’t have an answer, though I personally don’t mind either because I know who I am and there are no labels that can affect who I am. All I can do is continue to provide the best service that I can regardless of the label. As a side note after two years of collecting here at HispanicTips, I can easily say that at least 80 to 90% of what I collect contains the term Hispanic not Latino. So the media definitely uses this terms more heavily than Latino. It would be interesting to see what Hispanic/Latino journalists use in their articles. Although, their national organization is called National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

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