License to Divide: The Perils of Excessive (Hispanic) Pride
We Can't All Take Credit for Everything
Laura Martinez |
Now, I'm not really sure which heritage these particular Hispanics represent. Last time I checked, Florida was not exactly discovered, but arrived at, by the Spaniards (not Hispanics) led by Juan Ponce de León in 1513, crushing along the way a few too many Native Americans, who had "discovered" that land way, way before that.
Historical minutiae aside, the proposed license plate is currently being reviewed by Florida's highway officials, according to the local press. But it has also raised some eyebrows and questions about how the few remaining Native American tribes might feel about the whole thing, not to mention the dozens of online complaints about the potential divisiveness of the idea.
Hopes are high though, and Hispanic Corporate Achievers expect this one will fare better than the "I Believe" plate, which was ultimately rejected by the Florida Legislature.
In defending the rationale behind the Hispanic pride plate, Danny Ramos, the group's president, invoked yet another stereotype -- or shall we say "insight" -- of an apparently homogeneous group: "Hispanics like to exhibit their cultural heritage via their cars. Hispanics love their cars."
The whole thing left me thinking there must be something wrong with my Hispanicness. I don't like to exhibit anything via my means of transportation; I don't have a car, but even if I did, I'm not sure I would choose to have a picture of Columbus, the Niña, the Pinta or the Santa María anywhere near it.
Is this a lack of pride or what?
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Read more from Laura daily at Mi Blog Es Tu Blog.
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Moreover, the word Hispanic technically describes people from Hispania, which is what the ancient Romans called the Iberian peninsula, WHICH, as will now learn, is where Spain is located.
It is befuddling to me that you are a featured blogger on Ad Age. I urge you to exercise the right to keep your opinions private, as they have a tendency to showcase your limited intellectual capacity.
. Oh, and by the way, if you are up for keeping Ms. Martinez' opinion private, why not yours?
on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-An8jzBWNI
G rated. no asusto
Pierre Lacour, New Paltz, NY.
That said, in a world where people would be used to showing their true colors in their license plates, I would still find this option plain DUMB. Or Stockholm syndrome, at least, because genocide was the word for most of the American continent in the XVI century, and their perpetrators had a name and they came in a very specific ship. So I would go for The Cure. Which, in itself, it's a pretty POSITIVE couple of words.
On a lighter note, I am from Spain, but who should care about that? Nobody.
I get my facts from recognized sources, not, as apparently you do, from hearsay and emotional rhetoric one hears on the street. Pick up a dictionary sometime and learn. In the meantime, check out the definition of the word "Hispanic" on Merriam-Webster's website: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hispanic
There, you'll be happily informed about the word's etymology (you can look up this word as well on their website) and you'll see that the word "Hispanic" was not invented by Americans in this century.
Pierre:
I made no mention of my stance on the issue addressed in the article. And I guess, for the record, I should say that I think it's a ridiculous idea. My comment pertained to one particular argument Ms. Martinez made, and in retrospect, I should not have addressed her so harshly. (Ms. Martinez, my apologies for that).
Your tirade is completely ignorant and unjustified, and I thank you for that... it made me laugh.
Ms. Martinez:
I have read some of your blogs, and sometimes I agree with your perspective, and sometimes I don't. No harm, no foul.
However, what I have found, more often than not, is that even when I agree with you, the arguments you make in support of your thesis lack substance and are usually just off target. Now, here's why this bothers me. It bothers me because you are a featured blogger on this site. And as such, people who read your articles may attribute some degree of credibility to your voice, i.e., they may see you as an authority on "Hispanic" (market) issues. It is clear to me that your intention is not THAT, rather it is to share your opinions and create a conversation amongst your readers. So, when you misuse information, or even worse, use inaccurate information, you create problems for hard-working professionals who make a living in the "Hispanic" marketing industry.
But, whatever... opine away.
I vote for a license plate that says "Hispanic Women are Hot!"
And Mr. AdTrade, if you want to continue to comment, please register using a real name. Your comments won't be allowed any longer. Ad Age policy is that blog comments come with a name.
Last time I checked, a blog is a journal where one comments on one's personal experiences. You can find the definition in your beloved Merriam Webster. Not that Mrs. Martinez isn't, indeed, an authority in many Hispanic fields (and widely recognized as such) but, with all due respect (which you seem to lack), if you want facts, read the newspaper (well... good luck finding one with only facts).
This is a BLOG.
So Ken, rather than be censored from this blog, I have volunteered my name. Time to change that policy, no?
As far as your request to keep the discourse above a 5th-grade level... apparently not gonna happen.
As for The Cure fan below, I like them to, so much so that indeed I wore their t-shirts and patches, and stickers on my car. Perhaps it was my way of sharing what I thought was good music. The point here is that some people, god forbid, simply have more expressive personalities than other. Others just like to keep their "cool" tastes to themselves in dark corners - god forbid someone finds out about that awesome band only you know and nobody else should know about. I too used to think like that through Jr. High and High School.
Thanks
By the way, the word "Hispano" as a descriptor, is likely to have been shortened from the longer word "hispanoparlante" or "speaker of the Spanish language," with its root emanating from the name Roman moniker "Hispania."
The beauty of this country is - that while we are all Americans - we can also be Greek, Polish, French, Jamaican and yes... Hispanic. For example, if the black population wants to be known as "African-American" or "Afriamerican" because they identify as distant descendants of someone in Africa - so be it. If someone feels that license plates with Spanish galleons is a source of their own pride - so let them.
From a historical perspective, almost every country in the world was conquered by some other country at one time or another. That's history - it happened, it's done - unchangeable for eternity; no use holding a grudge against the Spanish conquerors... or the British or the French...
I've been a Hispanic target marketer for many years and I don't believe that a dumb comment as the one made by Mr. Ramos, is detrimental or makes it harder to educate "non-Hispanics" about the diversity of the marketplace - that's what research is for.
In this case, the license plate idea is indisputably an homage offered via one of the most powerful communications vehicle of the day. (There aren't many who wouldn't love to own the marketing space of the license plate.)
To say that this is an insignificant issue should have all of us closing our doors and ceasing all advertising communications on the grounds that marketing is of no significance or effect.
If it is about choosing heritage I would prefer to be proud of the little bit of Yanomami or Seminole in me. These ancestors, although now marginalized and disenfranchised, abused and many of them facing extinction have had the strength to survive the Hispanic and European invasion for the time being.
Just a thought.