I would disagree. I think the next to complete genocide of numerous tribes of people, their lose of identity/destruction of religion/stiffling of language/bastardation of their blood, their hundreds of years of exploitation and slavery, and their current standings in the global scheme of things is far worse.
You're entitled to your opinion, and I, in a sense, agree with you. I won't deny any of what you said, but it just isn't to the same degree in my opinion. The loss of "identity/destruction" you speak of is an overstatement in the context of what is "far worse", especially concerning African displacement. At the very simplistic core of it, the identity is still intact. If you're speaking from the perspective of an indigenous Native American tribesman, then obviously that culture is still a very old one and the ways of your ancestors are still among you. Hispanic culture is a little bit more complicated and that is where the Spanish essence of it comes into play. Not calling anyone out in anyway, but honestly bro, the majority of Latins where I am have a deep rooted culture. They take pride in their Spanish language (bastardized or not) and Mexican heritage. So it wouldn't be fair to only make your self "Native American" for the convenience of argument, then switch back to Hispanic/Spanish after you finish. Personal experience, my sister in law (who is Hispanic) and female (who is Hispanic) doesn't identify as "Native American".. Either way though, all of the elements are still accessible to what ever Latins want to learn of his/her past in their native country of origin. Local Native American tribes were at least given a few casinos and acres, black people were given nothing and still pay tax. Not reducing their struggle, but it's just not the same (imo).. As far as Latins in the "global scheme of things", umm, no.. Another overstatement. Take a look at this...
Human Development Index
"The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living for countries worldwide."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index#Top.2Fbottom_three_countries_by_region
Latin countries rank a lot higher than African countries, the data speaks for its self. All of the bottom African countries former European colonies.
You do have a culture. Well as much as we have one. Difference is your African American culture draws from the continent of Africa and your stuggles as slaves. Our culture is heavily influenced if not an extension of Spaniard culture.
It's one with roots in Africa. It's one made here in American. Black people ALWAYS talk about how their culture is being exploited, so how can you say you have none? Go to Africa. They still have full blooded Africans. We don't. Our people are next to extinct. All we have left are mesoamericans with european blood in us.
A country? Pick one. Was your ancestors heritage not important that they couldn't have passed the country/tribe of origin on from generation to generation? Many of the African tribes that were used as slave labor were big on oral history so why wouldn't they pass on what little they knew and if they did where/when/why did it stop? Or you can always go to Liberia, lots of ex-slaves did.
Anywhere you hang your hat is your home. If you haven't made any part your home, or if your people haven't, then that's a black issue. not a white-black subjugation issue.
This is confusing.. Which side are you speaking from, the Spanish or Native side? As I've said, "Hispanic" is an ethnicity remember. But from the Native perspective the culture and country is still in your full control, independently research your background, no one says conform to the mainstream. My main point is that your culture is accessible, Black culture isn't.. Africa is the second largest land mass on the planet with almost one billion people and thousands of different cultures and ethnic groups. Where do inquiring minds begin? You can't tell a young curious African child to close his/her eyes, spin a globe, and point to just any country in Africa. His/her identity and ancestral history is at stake, that's a reductionist resolution. And as far as this comment,
"
All we have left are mesoamericans with european blood in us.".. This is something.
^This isn't of any concern in a "cultural" context. My brother is as light as day, I'm as dark as night, we're both African (rape and intermarriage wasn't exclusive between Spanish and Native peoples). If the DNA genetic percentage of race in your blood bothers you so, and you feel that you're mostly European, maybe 70%, why not identify as "Spanish"?
Wrong. Hispanic is a misnomer. And I wasn't speaking for "Hispanic" people. I was speaking for the Mexica of central Mexico.
Whatever, same ethnicity since no one down there is homogeneous culturally or biologically. And if they are, you're contradicting yourself. It's who you identify with, most "real blacks" don't identify with Colin Powell and Jamaicans don't identify with African Americans. Does it mean any thing? Maybe not, but these are social constraints and is in the power of the beholder.
I don't see what's so great about it. I guess Malcolm Little should have been thought it was great to have been able to identify with his beign white, even if that white genetic makeup was because or rape.
The outcome of rape is biological and in a lot of cases you can't get the child to genuinely hate his/her father in any circumstances. If their father raped their mother, and the consequence was you, are you to automatically hate and deny your father? This case isn't as extreme in the African American community, but when it is, and the line is gray, you make a cultural choice (or not), it's that simple. If you're born "full-blooded African" then you have no choice but to be black.
See this is YOUR folly. You're generalizing "Mexicans" to be the same ethnic people and that's not true at all. I would say that 99% of Mexicans do NOT know what tribe they were. You can say "Aztec" but that's not a tribe, it was a name for three people of the triple alliance. Are they Mexica or even Nuhua at all? Chichimec, Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Guatemaltecs, etc., etc.? No one knows because we were all scattered and destroyed. Even those living in the same regions these ancient people lived in cant know if their ancestors are in fact people from those civilizations.
So how is it any different than you having [what lookes like] an Egyptian avatar? I really don't see any difference in that and JLMANC having a sig with an Eagle warrior. For all I know he might be a Tepance/Chichimec/Mexica or maybe he isn't one at all. But there really isn't any way to know since our lineage has been severed.
Great point, but where did I generalize "Mexicans" in that comment? This is an extremely difficult conversation for me because I grew up around Mexican people my entire life, literally, in my house hold relatives. I've been around their immediate and extended family. I've met friends, been to school with them, socialized and from my perception of Hispanic people in the East Bay Area, they just don't identify as "Native American" in the traditional sense that I'd think it, this is difficult to discuss. Plus the rape and slaughter of native peoples were huge, but the displacement was no where near that of Africa which basically means everything. The northern tribes are culturally attached, maybe a good part of the reason that the southern peoples are detached is because they choose to be; as a majority to associate and take pride in other aspects of their heritage. I assume that most people (be it pacific islander, asian, west african, native, or hispanic) that tries to accurately trace his/her ancestry further back then the 15th century will come up short, let alone trying to pin point a specific tribe. I'm talking about the legacy of the region that you come from, the unified culture that you belong to beyond primitive notions of ethnic lines. My choices being Ghana, Mali, Nubia, Ethiopia, Songhay, and maybe Egypt as you so observantly pointed out in my avatar. I'm not truly concerned with a particular tribe as I am more with my cultural legacy, because culture gets passed on from tribe to tribe, Kingdom to Kingdom.. No matter if you see it or not, Mexico has cultural continuity and you should be proud of that..
