Hispanic or Portuguese? Send your opinion.

As Chris Forte correctly points out, the concept of race was developed over one hundred years ago by white scientists. Their reasons were primarily to classify and associate lightness of skin with superiority. They in fact came up with three broad racial categories: Caucasian (white), Negroid (Africans, but not including the olive skinned North African Arabs, who were "other caucasians"), and Mongoloids (or, Orientals, today whom we respectfully refer to as Asians). Interestingly, East Asian Indians also fall under the category of "other caucasian," due to caucasian origins. (On the subject of East Indians, the lighter skinned people of the Indian subcontinent have used skin color for centuries to categorize their own people into a caste system, or social standing. A lighter or olive skinned East Indian, under the caste system, is believed to be higher on the social scale than a darker skinned person. So, let's not point a finger at the northern Europeans for an exclusive on racism based on lightness of skin.)

The term white originally was associated with the Caucasian race. Through time, prejudice, and massive immigration, the term "white" and lightness of skin has become associated with race. Race has absolutely nothing to do with skin color. Most new immigrants to America after the turn of the 20th century were swarthier skinned southern Europeans. In order to denigrate these newcomers, white English speaking Americans needed to rethink their own caste system. Now only lily white Americans would be considered racially white, despite whether they were Caucasian or not. How do you like that for racial convenience?

So what is the meaning of "race?" When speaking about race (not ethnicity) it is important to remember that the race of the original European people, whether northern, southern, or eastern is Caucasian. As I said in a previous letter to this site, Sicilians may be a blend of several cultural groups, but all of those different cultural groups fall under the umbrella of the Caucasian race. Skin color has nothing to do with it. A sunnier climate will color the skin tone of any light skinned culture over the course of 10,000 years!

Now here's the real issue at hand, and this is going to upset some folks, I'm sure, especially if they are what is termed Hispanic or Latino. The term Latino and Latin may have similar semantic roots, but that's where it ends. The original Latins, the Romans, are not the same "race" as the people referred to today as Latinos. The Romans were racially Caucasian. In the early part of the 20th century, the U.S. government decided that Spanish speaking people, because of the root of their Latin-based language, be called Latinos. Now we have "race" based not only on color, but language!!! Racially, the large majority of Latinos are not Caucasian, unless they are true European Spaniards. Under this ridiculous terminology, a lily white German citizen of Argentina would be considered a Latino! Try calling a Frenchman, a Portuguese, a Spaniard, or Romanian a Latino based simply on the origins of his or her language. Therefore, according to the modern use of the word "Latino" Italians are not Latino either.

Further, the term "Hispanic" is also a misnomer. A true Hispanic is a Spaniard or Portuguese from Europe, or the land the Romans called Hespania. Even today, Spaniard-Americans and Portuguese-Americans loathe being called Hispanics or Latino. Being European, they are Caucasian (even if they have Moorish roots) and do not want to be associated with other mixed race "Latinos." What Spaniards prefer to be called are "Iberians," and the Portuguese, "Lusófonos," which I believe in English is "Lusitanian."

As an Italian-American I, too, am Caucasian. But rather than white, I prefer to be referred to as a Caucasian of Mediterranean origins. In fact, I would push for a "Mediterranean origin," or "Original people of Mediterranean culture" designation on applications instead of white. But certainly, I would never label myself as Latino simply based on the Italian language's roots in Latin!

Finally, just to muck things up more, let's consider the term "Anglo." What image is conjured up by this term? White skin, right? In fact, the word simply means "English speaker." (the Angles were the one of the original peoples from the British Isles) Just because Latinos (for lack of a better term) speak a Latin-based language, they does not mean they are racially Latin, as were the Romans. At best, they are culturally Latin. Most Latinos are mestizo, or mixed European (Spaniard) and Mexican Indian/African. So to call a person Latino simply because they speak a Latin language is as erroneous as calling me Anglo because I speak English. Interestingly, many "Latinos" know all this already, but feel extremely insecure about not being white skinned. So, what I have seen repeatedly are Latinos associating themselves with darker skinned Caucasians, like the Italians, and say ing that they are of the same Latin race. Many Mexicans and Puerto Ricans even try to pass themselves off as Spaniards or Portuguese. Sorry, but historical facts and forensic anthropology proves them wrong.

In short, race, language, culture, ethnicity, and nationality have become inexorably intertwined. I might have much more in common with Latinos, like family and cultural loyalty, than I do with a pasty, white-skinned Bubba-type from Texas, but I can also share those same cultural traits with Jews and middle easterners. My God, I even share religious and cultural similarities with the Irish!

To conclude, I know what I am. I am a proud, ethnic Italian, of Mediterranean cultural origins, of the Caucasian race, and of American nationality. Please, all you Latinos and Hispanics, let's not alter the facts through semantics to suit personal agendas.

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