Deadly Black/Latino Racial Tension in L.A.

Actually it didn't make much sense, for one, neither Latino or Chinese are races. Number two, if everybody is the same race there will still be discrimination, which is more impactive than racism. Racism is a person's mental belief that their race is superior, discrimination is putting a prejudice into action. I'm sure black Americans never cared about what whites thought of them as much as they cared about having access to proper education and equal oppurtunities. Number three, there are already black Latinos, they were the first non-white Latins. The Spaniards went to Africa first to collect, rape, Latinize/Europeanize, and work African slaves before they discovered, conquered and Latinized the Mexicas, Incans, Borikens, and other Native tribes of America.

There will still be discrimination/racial problems because there will still be different shades. Places like Brazil and the Carribean are glimpses of the future, the world's populations will look like that some day. Their populations consist largely of people mixed with black, white and Native American(mongoloid)blood and there's still racial problems because of percentages. Racial issues outside of the U.S., especially in Latin America-are not as simple as 'black vs. white'. For example, in Carribean countries like Puerto Rico(Rich Port) a black person the complexion of Colin Powell would be considered white, and having been brought up to think that, he would most likely see himself above a darker person like Tego Calderon. So in a nutshell, whoever looks the whitest will most likely be in the elite group. Racial purity will be shattered(not in people's minds though) but our issues won't go away.

 

And, Bingo was his name-o...

 

Puerto Ricans and Cubans can be kewl as shit too! same with some Mexicans in Texas but overall the economic conditions in the city of L.A. causes most of the trouble more than anything. In New York and chi-town whites fear Puerto Ricans (brown skinned ones) just as much as they fear blacks. Hispanic gangs overall have become the most violent gangs in America.

 

Mexican History

Hello,
I am Native American. I deal with similar racism/issues discussed on this site due to my brown complexion/identity. In regards to Mexicans, many are part West African. See this link. I think this ironic in the midst of the racial tension in California mentioned here. I know the tension started in the jail system.

http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/ethnic/bv/spec0303.html

 

Re: Mexican History

This is something that very few are aware of. What makes the Americas unique from the rest of the world is that most are to one extent or another (even if very slight) are mixed between the three Continents (W African, W European and Native American) The average African American for example has, what?, 20-25% non-W. African blood?

Problem with this is that Mexico is ruled by the elites that have more European blood and discriminate against the vast population of darker skinned mestizos. How much more so will the Mexicans look down upon the African Americans?

Even on Mexican television, most of the soap stars look Finnish such as Lorena below


Not many Mexicans look like her, but many of the soap stars do.

In other words, although the color continuum is broader in Mexico, the problems are still there.

As a result, here in America, the Mexican American upwardly mobile elites tend toward the same things (marrying white blonds) and over time will become whiter, while the blue collar class will remain basically the same. NOTE: I am not faulting them for marrying who they want (especially on this forum) I am only commenting on the social ramifications.

Over time, as in Mexico, there will be a "white" Latino elite and mestizo underclass.

In order to have a truly color-blind society, we can't look at inter-marriage as a way for one's children to move up socially or one will end up right where you began.

 

Re: Mexican History

I agree w/ Nellie. Only problem is, America's media control is very powerful. It can subliminally control the minds of those who are easily convinced. Our newspapers for instance are written at an 8th grade reader's level, go figure. It's up to the people to decide what is right and what is wrong but that concept obviously is no match to the media's influencing power. As long as the media can portray blondes and mainly light skinned women as "beautiful" in American society many people will follow suit and condone the "American" ideology of beauty and successful social status.

 

Mexico

Yes, Mexico does have an unfortunate history of racism based on skin color and amount of European blood quantum. I am Apache Indian, and Mexico had a slave trade on Apaches in Chihuahua City into the 1880s. Some of the slaves were sent to Cuba since they often escaped. There was also a scalp bounty system. To me, this is ironic since Mexicans are normally part Native, part West African, and part Spanish, which historians refer to as "syncretism" or the blending of multiple cultures.

 

I agree with some of the things said here but in Atlanta the numbers of people from Mexico are growing and although we've not had any real race wars here, you can feel that bad feeling are in the air.

I personally don't have anything against Mexicans but I don't see any friendly days ahead.

 

Somehow that makes me very sad.

There's something wrong at the top when groups of people have to take sides against each other when they should be good neighbours and loving friends etc.

 

Of couse there's something wrong. America was overtaken and founded on racism. The same problems then are still problems now. These problems aren't new.

 

You too!! Last year when I was in Atlanta I sensed the same thing. I 've told acquaintances and friends that I think that it was planned to "let" the mexicans so that it may instigate some kind civil war so that they can have a reason to initiate the full homeland security thing and maybe even the patriot act to get a stronger control of america.

The mexicans from what I gather feel that they own this land anyway because of the indian blood that they have so they think that they are taking back what is naturally there's.

It would be a good tactic on the governments part because if something does break out then non-whites cannot blame the white man for rounding up everyone and putting them in concentration camps. There will be no international intervention because will they put a spin on the news like they did with Katrina, and say, "Hey world, the white man didn't start this war , it was the blacks and the mexicans fighting each other and we just wanted to stop it" This will put all non-whites in a negative light to the world and make the Katrina treatment look justified and any further action taken on it's citizens necessary.

 

What I do think, is that both black people and Mexicans need to think for themselves... Again, I don't have a beef with Mexicans but I feel that have some beef with me.
I'm sure there are people that love this black vs. Mexican thing and brother Fox has said stuff about black people on more than a few occasions but no one is going to win when the "racial cold war" heats up.

They may feel that this is/was their land but this is not the Middle East.

 

Mexican Cultural Song - La Bamba - Has African Roots

The African ancestry of Mexicans can be found in the roots of one of the most popular songs of East LA - La Bamba. The song was originally derived from a tribal folk song from West Africa. They were among the people brought to Mexico during the colonial expansion of Spain along with its slave trade. Most people don't know that, but there are historical, literary sources that can be found to corroborate this fact.

 

Re: Mexican Cultural Song - La Bamba - Has African Roots

Yea, I learned those facts in my African American History class. It's sad that in America, anything regarding black history is always shoved under a rug. Another thing rarely mentioned is the fact that the oldest blood known to man(scientifically proven) is from Africa, go figure.

 

Yep I agree, but the thing is, like with Toronto, there wasn't much evidence of these racial tensions and gradually it grew. If we were doing things right, it should diminish rather than grow.

 

One thing to keep in mind about the race system is that different mixes of people get along in different ways in different places. That is, you shouldn't let the fact that there's tension in one place affect the way you look at people you've had no problem with in your area. Tension can be, and often is, orchestrated by outsiders.

I haven't had any bad experiences with mexicans (other than the dirty looks when I'm out with a white woman), and in fact most of my experiences with mexicans where I am have been more positive than negative...

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The other thing to remember is to not let your bigotries be based on anything other than your experience. Not your friends' experiences, not television, and certainly not the internet. Some stuff like that can corraborate what you're experiencing -- you should keep your eyes open and have regard for your dignity -- but don't put the cart before the horse by letting the internet, or tv, or some others' experience affect your perception.

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Another thing to remember is mexicans and blacks often live in the same, or adjacent areas. We have similar experiences with the race game, and, if indeed there's tension, mexicans and blacks have had better relations in the past in many places, going way back. We've both picked the plantations, and gotten cheated out of our wages for it. Mexicans (the dark ones) also have plenty o' experience with white racism in their own culture, and some can identify with the experiences of black people. Amerindian mexicans have even faced genocidal campaigns... And are currently standing up for their rights in places like Bolivia, for instance...

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...There's even perhaps some evidence of ancient contact between the amerindians and africans, if you believe in some theories about the Olmecs and such, though some mexicans think of such theories as black people trying to "steal" their heritage... (Me, I say, contact is contact, no one knows what went on way back then; and it's a tantalizing notion, given the art... Indeed, even without such theories, ancient amerindian civilizations and myths are subtle and interesting second only to ancient egyptian, imho...)

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Lastly, let's remember where the L.A. stuff started -- with gangs, and "thuggism" and stuff, in the prisons. That kind of thing is centered on "brinksmanship" and shit, mindless stuff that makes fights meaningless, where you can be free one minute and in prison for DECADES the next (where, of course, you are owned, whatever "gang" you're in). Mindless stuff...

Mindless stuff breeds more mindless stuff...

Don't believe the hype! We're all in the same gang!

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And, while I'm telling you what to do -- stop eating the pig. I'm not muslim (taboos against pork predate islam by THOUSANDS of years....). But it can cloud your vision!...

That might help...

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(Mexicans even helped out in the L.A. hellraising session of '95! (How are black people gon make Bill Clinton an honorary negro and turn their noses up at Rodney king hellraisers! Black folk whither thou goeth??)

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Anyway, peace out my negroes y mi cholos~! And, as always, thank you for reading! :mrgreen:

 

This issue is much larger than race. Its economics. The Mexicans are bidding down the already low wages that law-abiding blacks - and whites actually - will work for. The fact is you could replace Mexican and Black with any two races and the same thing would happen.

Small minded people are making this racial. If Leroy decides he's not gonna put up with ABC Hardwares elimination of his health care benefits and threatens to quit and ABC hires Jesus and fires Leroy, its not a Black/Mexican issue, though people want to make it out to be. Both Jesus and Leroy probably have families to take care of and ABC is not running a charity. But some idiot comes in and gives his simple-minded analysis and creates a racial problem on top of a legal and economic one.

The real problem is illegal immigration. I lived in LA for a year in the 80s. And there wasn't half the tension that there is today. Businesses have gotten greedy, the government has gotten lazy in enforcing immigration laws, and that has caused alot of tension between neighbors who compete for the same opportunities.

Businesses are illegally hiring these illegal immigrants giving them an unfair advantage in the job market. They refuse to hire American blue collar workers and don't have to because they've found cheaper labor right here in the US. Its the reverse of outsourcing. Its insourcing. Its unfairly changed the rules of the game in favor of the businesses and caused people who played by the rules - finished school, learned a skill, stayed out of jail - in order to find a good job to rightfully be upset. So they take it out on the obvious culprit the illegals-Mexicans in this case due to geography, but they should be taking it out on the government.

The government is responsible for enforcing the rules, i.e. the law. I saw on one of the news shows that there a 11 million illegals here in the US. That's 3-4% of the US population. The government is flat out not doing its job and does not intend to. Most of the bills in Congress are pushing for amnesty, basically saying 'if you were successful in breaking the law to come here, its ok'. Why even go through legal channels if you can come illegally?

There were 500,000 people at some these protests. The fact is the government should have been at these protests checking for green cards. Send the illegals home and you'll eliminate most of the tensions between the two groups.

 

Ok, I see. I was thinking it was a stereotype/prejudice/bad vibe thing.

In an economic situation as you've described, I agree the problem can't be about Mexicans or Blacks, and subsitute any two groups of people and the same problem will happen...

I don't think the low wages give Mexicans and "unfair" edge in the market, frankly. Mexicans are being totally ripped off as is every other potential employee.

Business are knowingly offering a substandard wage for decent work and the most desperate people are taking it. You cannot "live" in our society on the wages they are paying and they are paying it knowing that.

I put the blame on businesses who are completely unethical in their treatment of workers, because of their greed. And don't blame it on the government for not controlling it, this has been coming for a long while ever since people thought that free market enterprise was a good way to run the world.

Greed has no ethics.

 

Re: Mexican History

All Latinos/mestizos have black and Native American ancestry.

 

Re: Mexican History

If only this message was simple enough for society as a whole to understand.

Er... ONLY problem?