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Are white latinos considered "white"?

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H

Hopeford

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Do you consider a Latino with white skin to be "white" in the sense traditionally attributed to white Americans as well? Like is white shorthand for white skin or for "culturally white in the English speaking sense"?

Asking this as a white Latino myself, for the record. I personally hear it both ways so often I kinda just gave up and nod along whatever the person I'm talking to calls me.

Reason for the thread is that I just witnessed a very bizarre argument between two acquaintances, one who argued I wasn't "white" and the other who argued that I very much was. Meanwhile I was just kind of sitting there watching them being like "...I'm literally watching two people debate over what I am. This is kind of hilarious."

So I was interested in how people considered white latinos around the world and yeah, figured this could be an interesting thing to talk about. Kind of nervous to make this thread since I know this kind of topic can get a little heated but I figure it's harmless enough of a discussion topic - plus it is something that relates to me that I've always wanted to hear people's take on.

(And apologies if I worded anything in a way that could offend anyone)
 
I usually consider them white if they have very white, European features.

I consider them black if they have very black features.

I consider them "Latino" if Luis Guzmán looks like he could be their uncle.
 
No I consider them Latinos.

My Argentinian friend told me he considers himself Hispanic, but because he only has European ancestry, he's Caucasian.

That sounds right, ethnicity and race are two different things.

When I hear "white" I think Anglo roots.
 
White latino here with red hair living in america. Im considered white until I open my mouth and they hear my horrible english accent. Then I'm latino.

Has never been an issue in my life.

I always answer hispanic/latino in all surveys and such.
 
Everyone has an ethnicity and a race. Latino is an ethnicity but not a race. White is a race AND an ethnicity.

For example:

John is latino, and his race is white.

Sam is white, and his race is white.

Mary is african, and her race is black.

Jenny is black, and her race is black.
 
I'm not 100% sure I know that the OP is talking about.

I have another latina friend whose brother essentially looks exactly like her but with darker skin. she often talks about how racist kids were to him growing up but never her. So... if that is what we are talking about than I guess so?
 
It comes with the privilege until they see my last name

I 100% look white without neat genetics of being 6ft 11
 
"Visible minorities" is the term used in proper census. I have a latina cousin who's pale and with wispy dark hair. She is not a visible minority... but is ethnically latin american.
 
Quick note for this thread: latino is about your heritage and hispanic is about the language you speak.
An argentinian is 100% hispanic, but whether he is a latino or not is up to debate. A typical brazillian is not a hispanic because we speak Portuguese and not spanish.
 
I have the same doubt. When applying for a job ina pharmaceutical lab, they asked me about my ethnicity and such and I was just like "WTF?"

If my entire family from my mother's part comes from Spain (almost all the way down to her father) and my dad's family comes from Spain as well all the way down to his grandfather.... am I hispanic? white? latino? something? heck, I even look like a spaniard. lol
 
Hopeford said:
Do you consider a Latino with white skin to be "white" in the sense traditionally attributed to white Americans as well? Like is white shorthand for white skin or for "culturally white in the English speaking sense"?

Asking this as a white Latino myself, for the record. I personally hear it both ways so often I kinda just gave up and nod along whatever the person I'm talking to calls me.

Reason for the thread is that I just witnessed a very bizarre argument between two acquaintances, one who argued I wasn't "white" and the other who argued that I very much was. Meanwhile I was just kind of sitting there watching them being like "...I'm literally watching two people debate over what I am. This is kind of hilarious."

So I was interested in how people considered white latinos around the world and yeah, figured this could be an interesting thing to talk about. Kind of nervous to make this thread since I know this kind of topic can get a little heated but I figure it's harmless enough of a discussion topic - plus it is something that relates to me that I've always wanted to hear people's take on.

(And apologies if I worded anything in a way that could offend anyone)
Click to expand...
Depends. I had a roommate in college who was Cuban but looked like a white guy and he considered himself to be white, so yeah in his case I guess. But that's just his case.
 
My ethnicity has a similar dilemma. Turks are very diverse in racial look, some look like Europeans some look like Middle Eastern, some overlap, some have unique to Turkey looks, some Have Far Eastern look influence from Central Asia etc.

There are many Turks who look racially White European, especially in the West and North of the country. Technically they aren't White as Turks are not considered part of European Christianity. Especially religious/conservative Turks who look White.

But if the definition of White is a person that looks like a White European and practises global Secular Western culture, then Secular Turks with White racial features could perhaps be considered White. But some would say no, Turks are not White regardless of looks.
 
White is a moving target which basically means the accepted majority. Light skinned Latinos (including light brown skin) are well on their way to just being lumped in with white people in the US like Italians, Greeks, and other Mediterranean Europeans were last century.
 
If he's white, he's white.

In Puerto Rico we have all flavors. A buddy of mine (white af with blue eyes) usually gets talked to in English when we're in a tourist area. :D
 
Sblargh said:
Quick note for this thread: latino is about your heritage and hispanic is about the language you speak.
An argentinian is 100% hispanic, but whether he is a latino or not is up to debate. A typical brazillian is not a hispanic because we speak Portuguese and not spanish.
Click to expand...

Ah, never knew that. Thanks!
 
I'm Hispanic and my skin is white and I'm not sure how to feel about it either. Should I hate myself like every other white dude currently or am I in the clear?

I feel like I'm Hispanic through and through and skin color shouldn't really matter but I guess it does to most people.
 
I think we are but I've personally never identified as being "white". My parents are immigrants from Nicaragua, my first language was Spanish, and I basically grew up in a bubble of Hispanic culture. When I speak English it's with an accent.

It was news to me when I found out I'm considered white since I thought being white was about more than just skin color.
 
AliasGreed said:
White latino here with red hair living in america. Im considered white until I open my mouth and they hear my horrible english accent. Then I'm latino.

Has never been an issue in my life.

I always answer hispanic/latino in all surveys and such.
Click to expand...

Haha that's something I experienced a lot too. White latino living in Canada. Went through the whole "white until I open my mouth" thing. Worked hard to try to get rid of my accent because of that - I didn't have a lot of problems in my life, but one or two racists are about what it takes to make someone want to lose an accent like that.

Friends were like "Hey man, keep your accent, we like it" and it's like...I really appreciate it guys, but some people are dicks and make fun of it/judge/get racist about it. And my friends never really understood what I meant and assumed I was just being weird about wanting to lose my accent. Even now they are like "Man, miss your accent dude."
 
It's weird. I have coffee, tanned skin. I am Mexican. But whenever I have to fill out demographic questions on a survey or some sort of test and it asks me to put in which race I identify as. Here at the options:

American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White

So out of these choices I go ahead and select "White" despite not really feeling that's the right answer. I mean, I understand that it's a classification thing and that even Middle Eastern people who are also quite brown and tanned are put into this category, but it's always been weird to me.

So when it comes to the question, yes, I answer white. But within myself I do not identify as "White skinned".
 
Sblargh said:
Quick note for this thread: latino is about your heritage and hispanic is about the language you speak.
An argentinian is 100% hispanic, but whether he is a latino or not is up to debate. A typical brazillian is not a hispanic because we speak Portuguese and not spanish.
Click to expand...

I never knew this! Thanks.
 
Is Ted Cruz white?

How about his kids?

To be completely honest, I'm not sure Spanish people from Spain (which, as I recall is in Europe) are universally considered white.

The lines are blurry, basically.
 
The concept of "White" is ever-expanding; Irish and Italian people didn't used to be considered white. Some day, we will all be white. Except for black people and asians. No way, Jose.
 
.JayZii said:
The concept of "White" is ever-expanding; Irish and Italian people didn't used to be considered white. Some day, we will all be white. Except for black people and asians. No way, Jose.
Click to expand...

Asians are honorary white already.

Maybe a few decades' worth of race mixing will let us graduate to true whitehood.
 
Idk.

I think if you can go to Spain and pass as a native local than I'd probably consider you white. For example Antonio Banderas was born in Spain, but he often plays Latino roles when really he's just a white European.

Then you have Benicio del Toro who's Puerto Rican, but if he was walking around Spain I'd prolly just think he was Spanish haha.

Maybe that's me being a ignorant.
 
.JayZii said:
The concept of "White" is ever-expanding; Irish and Italian people didn't used to be considered white. Some day, we will all be white. Except for black people and asians. No way, Jose.
Click to expand...

Wait, so Asians aren't white even though most of their skin is white but white skinned Hispanics are definitely considered white? 😓
 
I'm a very white latino also (although my dark brown hair and beard make me look Spanish) who grew up in Mexico, so I'm hispanic, while my race (?) is white.

It's always hard to fit in the cultural and racial boundries of America, especially Latinos. We're more of a culture than race, as a big chunk of us are brown, black and white.
 
.JayZii said:
The concept of "White" is ever-expanding; Irish and Italian people didn't used to be considered white. Some day, we will all be white. Except for black people and asians. No way, Jose.
Click to expand...

george-michael-sad-walk-o.gif
 
Lights and Waves said:
Everyone has an ethnicity and a race. Latino is an ethnicity but not a race. White is a race AND an ethnicity.
Click to expand...

Yeah no, the concept of race is seriously flawed and devoid of any scientific reality. Stick to ethnicity if you want to describe someone. White race, black race, asian race... is all 19th century bullshit.
 
I'm light skinned but not light enough to be seen as anything other than Latino. Same goes for most of my siblings. Only one of my brothers took after my dad with the darker skin.
 
I've always considered people from Spain white, but then you think about the Muslim influence on the iberian peninsula.

.JayZii said:
The concept of "White" is ever-expanding; Irish and Italian people didn't used to be considered white. Some day, we will all be white. Except for black people and asians. No way, Jose.
Click to expand...
I mean nah Irish people have always been white. The English and protestants discriminating against them doesn't mean they weren't white. Saying so was just a way to be discrimatory.
 
Most Latin countries have a combination of Native American, White European, and Black African (thanks to the slave trade)

There are some are more Mestizo (White plus Native American heritage). Some more direct Native American lineage, others are Mulatto (White and African). And some more White European. And there are many Black populations as well.

If you look at Latin TV, Whites and White/Mestizo dominate the airwaves.
 
Askherserenity said:
Wait, so Asians aren't white even though most of their skin is white but white skinned Hispanics are definitely considered white? 😓
Click to expand...

It's all about Europeans.

Italians, Irish, Jews and Greeks weren't considered "white" until recently and white Hispanics (who look European) will soon be also considered "white", although culturally they might still belong to the Latino community.

Since whiteness in Hispanics comes from European characteristics and ancestry, that's why they are considered "a bit" more white than Asians.

And not all Asians are "white". Southeast Asians, for example, or peoples from the Indian subcontinent. "Asians" is a pretty wide-ranging concept too, like "Latinos".
 
I'm a blue eyed, blonde haired Puerto Rican. I'm marrying an Indian woman and if anything it's solidified to me I'm not white culturally. I've had issues dealing with things like respecting my mother or "fitting in" with white people from the US suburbs. I feel I identify more culturally around most Latinos. Especially in college.

I guess my point is, it's about who you feel a bond to.
 
Haly said:
Asians are honorary white already.

Maybe a few decades' worth of race mixing will let us graduate to true whitehood.
Click to expand...

You have to get to Keanu Reeves level (a quarter or less Asian) to be considered white in America lol.

I'm half Asian half white, and no one I know considers me white.
 
I don't know. The terms, though I recognize them as arbitrary, confuse me. My father is a white American and my Salvadoran mother (but not her family) is very light-skinned. So I look very white (with all of the privilege that implies) and was raised in the USA fairly (but not entirely) separate from Hispanic/Latino culture but speak Spanish and am constantly identified as being non-white-- people ask me all the time, "what are you?" and "are you white?" and call me "brown," all of which is very irritating.

These questions cause me a lot of personal stress because I don't feel like I'm white but at the same time I don't feel like I'm Hispanic/Latino.

Thanks for reading my NeoBlog!
 
TickleMeElbow said:
Idk.

I think if you can go to Spain and pass as a native local than I'd probably consider you white. For example Antonio Banderas was born in Spain, but he often plays Latino roles when really he's just a white European.

Then you have Benicio del Toro who's Puerto Rican, but if he was walking around Spain I'd prolly just think he was Spanish haha.

Maybe that's me being a ignorant.
Click to expand...

You made me remember a white supremacist from Spain saying that all the spaniards were white, someone tweeted him a pic of pedrito (soccer player) and he replied with "he is meditatrean white", that gave me a good chuckle.
 
TickleMeElbow said:
You have to get to Keanu Reeves level (a quarter or less Asian) to be considered white in America lol.

I'm half Asian half white, and no one I know considers me white.
Click to expand...

There's hope for your grandchildren and great grandchildren.
 
Growing up I always considered - say - Spanish and Italian people to be simply white. I have spanish and italian friends here who wouldn't consider themselves to be anything but white.

It was only with exposure to more American culture that I came to understand that 'Latino' or 'Hispanic' was considered a separate grouping, by many at least. Not sure I fully get it.

Can any European Mediterraneans back me up on whether my perception on that is right?
 
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