Why does everyone think Hispanic/Latino is a race? (Specifically Puerto-Rican)?

Question

Ok so my mane argument is that people sometimes don't understand the difference between nationality and race ......... I am from Puerto Rico and I am an afro puerto rican ......... I am very tired of people answering with charts and graphs trying to tell me that i am white I have the naps, skin, and features to prove i am not.......... I identify very well with black people (alot african-american, as well as Jamaicans, Haitians, and other afro puerto ricans) btw they all say I am black ............... I am not saying that I am 100% ***** from africa but I am an afro puerto rican and I am proud of that ............ I just dont get why people try to tell me I am not of african ancestry ... Its like everytime i meet somebody they think I am black and then I tell them i am from Puerto Rico and they start to think I am spanish........ Also I am not denying my nationality i know i am Puerto Rican but I am a black man.......... Also alot of Latino people will say that latino/hispanic is a race without any knowledge of their nations racial history............. Also why do people always say that Latino/Hispanic are always united ...... In Puerto Rico I experience alot of racism some even from my own family....... my grandfather who looks like a ***** from Africa ( he is purple black ) tells me to cut my hair all the time because I have to look more successful and more like the fair skinned Puerto-Ricans.......... Also my moms side of the family is lightskinned and they make fun of me for being darkskinned......... Btw I am not a racist I love everyone but I will not stand for people to call me something I am not because they don't know any better. Also racism is common in Puerto Rico just go to the east side or specifically Loiza to witness police brutality against black puerto ricans ....... Proof of this is also explained by Tego Calderon........... But anyway my main point is that Hispanic is a nationality and not a race there are all kinds of colors in latin America why cant people express those colors instead of a fake identity ........ In America everyone shines there colors bright and proud...... (P.S I do understand that latino's feel more comfortable around each other because they speak spanish ...... but my discussion is a matter of race/ethnicity in Hispanic countries im not saying that we are not friends .... I understand that our language of many speaches unites us) and thank you

Answer 1

A lot of people confuse race and nationality. Some people seem to think that all people in Latin America look the same. Puerto Rico and all of Latin America has many African descendants, and many European descendants. There are in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Brazil many Black people. I don't understand either why people put all Latin Americans into one group, assuming that we all look the same or have the same culture. It would be like if they said that all English speaking countries were the same, like the U.S., Canada, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Guyana and others.

Answer 2

I also noticed that some people don't know the difference between race, ethnicity and nationality. This is something that I've seen in public. Just ignore them. Saying that Puerto Ricans are all the same racial background is like saying Americans are all the same race. My godfather is an Afro Puerto Rican as well.

Answer 3

Because people are ignorant just like Lieutenant Loca

@Lieutenant Loca, Hispanic is NOT a race, they come in all races, there are white hispanics, black hispanics, and also Asian and Amerindian hispanics. Most hispanics though are mixed to some degree. That typical hispanic look that you are describing ms loca is the "mestizo" And "Spanish countries"?? There's only one Spanish country and that is Spain, the others are Spanish SPEAKING countries. In fact no one in Latin America uses the term hispanic, it's only used in the Untied States.

Answer 4

Puerto Rican is not a race. As for the terms Hispanics/Latinos, that is what America views people from Latin America. There are White Hispanics, Indigenous Hispanics and Black Hispanics. However, most Hispanics are mixed, they are either bi-raical, tri-racial or multi-racial, As a tri-racial Hispanic Puerto Rican myself, the words Hispanic/Latinos is very helpful for me because I am of Spanish/Spaniard ancestry, Taino Indian ancestry and Black African ancestry, but since I am tri-racial, what could I call myself? I could called myself just Hispanic/Latino because I am Hispanic because I speak Spanish as my first born language and I am Latino because I speak a Latin language and I am from Latin America. However, Hispanic/Latinos aren't really meant to be racial for people. However, Hispanics/Latinos are just terms by America. Blacks from Latin America could be Hispanics/Latinos and Whites from Latin America could be Hispanics/Latinos as well. but America thinks all Hispanics/Latinos are a RACE because most of them are mixed. I am Hispanic/Latino but that is languages that I speak, I am just a tri-racial person.



Be happy of who you are and if you want to called yourself Black, than, called yourself Black. Or, African-Latin American.

Answer 5

Never heard anyone call Peurto rican a race before but Hispanic yes and its because some use that term to just describe people of those associated countries as they have their own "look".

Essentially they are considered their own race because they dont look white, black or asian etc they have their own look and you cant just refer to them as other can you. Some people from Spanish countries call themselves that, i think if they wish to identify themselves like that then let them, its their choice.

Answer 6

BECUASE IN USA, I BLAME THIS ON AMERICANS, IN USA ALOT OF AMERICANS ARE GETTING CONFUSE WITH RACE OR NATIONALITY OR REGION... ITS LIKE FOR EXAMPLE THEY SAY OOOO MIDDLE EASERNS AND ASIANS???? BUT REALITY MIDDLE EAST IS IN ASIA???? THEN PEOPLE SAY OOO THEIR ARABS BUT IF U CALLED IRANIAN A ARAB THEY WILL GET PISS OFF, ITS SAME WITH AFRICA, PEOPLE SAY OOO AFRICAN HERTIAGE OR AFRICAN CULTURE??? THAT ALONE IS INCORRECT, AFRICA IS CONTINENT OF 54 NATIONS WITH MILLIONS OF CULTURES AND SAME IDEA THEIR ALL BLACK TOO, YOU CAN BE WHITE AND BORN IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES BUT YOU COME TO THE USA, OOOO YOU CANT BE AFRICAN????? SAME WITH PEOPLE FROM LATIN AMERICA, SAME CONFUSION WHEN IT COMES TO AMERICANS, I MEAN THEY BELIEVE EVERY MEXICAN IS NATIVE WHERE IN REAL REALITY, ITS LIKE 10%

Answer 7

Because they really don't. There are a few trolls on here (with multiple accounts) who say that to rile people up (and it seems ot be working), but that's about it.

Answer 8

Tyra Banks said they are a race!