I'm not trying to start a WWIII here so if u have any offensive comments please keep it to urself, there is no need to put anyone down. also REALIZE that most of u get pissed when non-asians group all of u in one category saying that ur all the same, or they assume that u are chinese when they look at you so don't jump the gun and assume all lations are the same bcuz we were all conquered by Spain. Spain WAS NOT the only European influence in LA countries and even with colonization most LA countries ADOPTED a lot of things from Spain but these were blended with the already native cultures/traditions .... think of the Phillipines with their blend of native/Spain customs....think of the chinese influence in Korea, Japan, etc....yet they are not all the same
"The term, 'Latino,' includes a diverse group of people from many national origins, races, and backgrounds. Some understand the term, 'Latin' or 'Latino' to include Europeans such as Italians, French, Portuguese, Romanians, and Spaniards. Cognitive research by the Census Bureau indicates some understand 'Latino' as meaning from Latin America, 'Hispanic' as meaning someone who speaks Spanish, and 'of Spanish origin' as someone from Spain or with a distant relative who was Hispanic"
"In the United States many people mistakenly assume that all Hispanics are the same and share the same beliefs and customs. Although they may share a language and many beliefs and customs, each country is different. Each country has unique customs.
Who are the Hispanics? Hispanic is a linguistic-ethnic designation. Hispanics can be of any race. Hispanics in the United States are a diverse group including individuals of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and/or Cuban origins and those of Central and/or South American origins. As a group, Hispanic Americans represent a mixture of several ethnic backgrounds, including European, American Indian, and African. The term Latino refers to people or those with family members from countries that speak a Romance language. This is an accepted term used to describe this ethnic group. Hispanic is generally used to describe a population group. It is commonly used in demographic or other written reports. The term Chicano is usually used to describe first, second, or third generation Mexican Americans but in practice is used to describe others who speak Spanish. Hispano has recently been used more frequently to describe those who speak Spanish or to describe material written in Spanish.
Depending on the country of origin, many Latin Americans may speak Spanish as well as an indigenous language. The primary language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese. Accents vary from country to country and "slang" or modern phrases differ from region to region.
Social structure: Hispanic families are traditionally nuclear and include the extended family and godparents (compadres). Family comes first. Help is first sought within the immediate and extended family. Respect for life, wisdom of elders, family structure, hard work, integrity, and the goal of healthy living are all important values in their culture. Traditionally, the father or the oldest male is head of the household and the final decision-maker. The Hispanic culture maintains reverence for elders. They are treated respectfully and formally. Elderly people are actively involved in the education and care of children. Mothers are expected to behave in a manner that maintains the family's social respectability. They are, for this reason; reluctant to report any domestic violence they may encounter. Women are the primary caregivers. Men typically take on the role of a protector of their mother or sister."
(as u can see from that paragraph asians and hispanic people have a lot in common as far as families are concerned
)"Cultural differences distinguish societies from one another. Webster defines culture as the integrated system of socially acquired values, beliefs, and rules of conduct which delimit the range of accepted behaviors in any given society. It further defines the word cultural as conducive to culture and the word sensitivity as the quality or state of being sensitive. In short, cultural sensitivity is the phenomenon of acquiring the state of being sensitive to the accepted behaviors of any given society.
STEREOTYPES - A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.
The most common stereotypes Hispanics face are:
All Hispanics are foreign or recent immigrants- A lot of people are not aware of the fact that there have been Hispanics in this country for over 450 years.
All Hispanics are a homogeneous race - The reality that we are all as different as the country we, or our parents, came from. We may recognize ourselves as Hispanic or Latino but we usually follow up with from Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, etc."
"Labels have consequences and these became increasingly clear to me as I began to search for critiques of the "Hispanic" label. I thought I would find plenty, for I mistakenly considered that the problems inherent in the label were obvious, but I was wrong: I found only a handful of articles which, critical of the "Hispanic" label, suggested that "Latino" was more historically and politically adequate. Upon reflection, I concluded that neither label was acceptable for reasons I will outline as follows:
Labels are intended to identify a "minority group"--i.e., a population which the "majority" considers inferior, which has been historically oppressed for generations, and which, objectively, is socially rejected, economically excluded, and lacks political power. The invention of the "Hispanic" label erases the difference between the historically oppressed populations of Mexican and Puerto Rican origin and newly arrived immigrants from Central and South America. Moreover, it does not differentiate between those populations and people from Spain. Altogether this blurring of distinctions has many negative implications for members of local minorities, for arriving immigrants, and for the average American, whose relative ignorance about the world beyond U.S. boundaries is strengthened by labels that stereotype practically the entire world. The bombardment of the population with statistics that constantly stress the differences among whites, Asians, Blacks, and "Hispanics," together with ethnic/racial politics and practices that minoritize everyone who is not from Europe must contribute to the strengthening of racial stereotypes and an oversimplified view of the world, especially among the very young, the uneducated and the prejudiced, for whom the world might easily now appear to be populated primarily by minorities.
In the context of the present politics of identity and public concern with multiculturalism, the labels are viewed by many, especially those in the intellectual and artistic elites, as sources of cultural pride. But, exactly what are the major components of that all-encompassing culture they seem to have in mind? Which components of the culture should people be proud of? And whose culture? Mexican? Mexican American? Puerto Rican? Colombian? The culture of Spain? When travelling in Central and South America, I was struck with the differences between Argentina and the other countries; when I visited Spain and Italy, I was amazed at how much more at home I felt in Italy than in Spain. Divisions in terms of national origin, social class, ethnicity, race, and so on make it exceedingly problematic to find common cultural denominators in this population beyond the language. And even the language itself divides, for each Latin American country has its own version of Spanish which is itself divided by region, class, ethnicity, race, etc. . To gloss over the living nature of culture, to posit instead some objective "Hispanicity" common to everyone remotely connected to Spain or born in a Spanish-speaking country, while glossing over the historical cultural differences that divide this population is a state-imposed hegemonic project that culturalizes economic exploitation and political oppression."
kidding! 
hahaha
you call yourselfs Latin American/Hispanic
. but hey america is going to hispanic/latinoland soon anyways.
