Hispanic? Latino? What Does Each Mean?
Let's get this out of the way. I'm white. Like, super white. My family tree stretches to Norway, Scotland, and Wales. I do know that calling someone from Scotland "British" is a no-no. Or calling someone from Norway "Swedish" or "Finnish" is a no-no. Remember when people used to call Asians "Orientals"? How cringy is it now when you hear someone say that? I remember someone explaining it to me like this. A rug is Oriental, a person is Asian. This is why I felt the need to look up the difference between "Latino" and "Hispanic". And yes, I do know it's technically 'Latinx" now, but hey, baby steps.
What does each one refer to? What's the correct usage? First I went to dictionary.com for answers. Here is what it had to say.
Hispanic - of or relating to Spanish-speaking Latin America.
Latino - of or relating to people of Latin American origin or descent, especially those living in the United States.
Okay, that didn't help much. Spanishdict.com sums up the two terms, and even throws in Mexican and Chicano:
- Hispanic = a citizen of Latin America/Spain or a U.S. citizen of Latin American/Spanish descent
- Mexican = a Mexican citizen
- Latino = a citizen of Latin America or a U.S. citizen of Latin American descent
- Chicano = a U.S. citizen of Mexican descent
Okay, things seem to be coming together. How about a video for some help...
That not doing enough for you? Do you still think all the 'labels' are the same? How about Gabriel Iglesias explaining things...