Comments on: why american people think that anybody who speak spanish is mexican?

By: harpnut

harpnut — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

Yeah I can imagine. There is so much racism and stereotyping that goes on in the US, and latinos get the brunt of it.

The US is one of the most ethnocentric, ego-centered countries in the world, I think. There is a whole continent right next to us, we don’t bother to learn anything about them. People are so ignorant if they think the whole of South America is the same, it is one of the most culturally diverse parts of the world. Every spanish-speaking country has a distinct accent and their own idioms, and every countries has tons of indigenous languages and cultures to boot, adding to their local dance, food, clothing, etc. And then there’s Brazil, and for some reason no one remembers that they speak Portuguese down there…

The reason people can’t tell spanish accents in the US is because most people don’t bother to learn spanish. I’m assuming you speak english pretty well, because your post is very fluent, so it is easier for you to differentiate accents. I have a friend who is still learning english, it’s difficult for him to tell accents still, although he can usually pick up a UK accent. Likewise, I can tell if someone is from spain, but it’s still hard for me to differentiate accents from different south american countries…Still, no one should assume that all latinos are from Mexico, that’s just stupid.

By: Dude

Dude — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

They speak Spanish in other countries?

By: Play nice, children

Play nice, children — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

There’s no need to get pissed, just politely correct them.

By: MJ

MJ — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

Cause we honestly can’t tell. When you see a white person do you automatically assume they are American? A lot of Europeans are white as well. We all sterotype to some degree.

By: dangerouskurby

dangerouskurby — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

I don’t really think it’s something to get worked up about. After all, the only Spanish speaking country the US shares a border with is Mexico, so it seems valid that most people would assume that if you speak Spanish, you probably come from that area. Plus, to non-Spanish speakers, it’s hard to discern the different accents in Spanish.

By: Rachelita

Rachelita — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

I don’t know. This bothers me as well. I have met Swiss people and told of the story, and people then say ‘aren’t they just like germans?"
NO!
I met Brazilians as well, and they got mad when I guessed a bunch of Spanish-speaking countries before Brazil.
I feel like even though I’m respectful, and ask where people are from instead of assuming they’re Mexican if they’re hispanic, but the United States is quite ignorant.

And, there are other non-Spanish speaking countries in South America. Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana do not speak Spanish.

By: Michael L

Michael L — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

Because Mexico is the largest Spanish speaking country closest to the U.S. I would imagine if you lived in Europe people would ask you if you were from Spain or if you lived in Asia the might think you were from the Philippines.

By: desertgirl

desertgirl — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

I don’t know, but I agree that it is a dominant idea in America. It is extremely racist to think this, and occasionally I find myself slipping into this way of thinking unfortunately. I think it stems from a lack of understanding of the language. Americans can tell who is Canadian, British, Irish, Australian because of the accent and vocabulary that they use even though all of those countries speak English.
It is extremely easy to forget that there is an entire south American continent minus brazil that speaks Spanish, because Mexico is the border country and the majority of spanish speakers who come to America. In some ways speaking Spanish is even beginning ot have a negative connotation.

By: bosch

bosch — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

because of ignroance, most americans don’t even know that méxico is in north america, I saw this answer once that said "just like all other south american countries.. méxico blah blah…"

it shouldn’t be offensive being mexican, its one of the most beautiful countries in this world… they have issues, but which country doesn’t.

also 70-75% of latinos are of mexican origin so they "assume" you’re one… (ignorance)

: D

By: thefishofhell

thefishofhell — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:23:46 +0000

The reason is because Mexico is a massive country with 110 million residents and a border with the USA, whereas Puerta Rica for example has 3.9 million residents, and even Cuba only has 11 million, and neither of these countries are as close to the US.