The Perception of the concept Latinx
The term Latinx is derived from the word Lah-teen-EX which is a gender-neutral term that has emerged among the new generation of elite Hispanics. The name, according to elite Hispanics, expresses generality and distinguishes the ethnic, racial, and sexual diversity of Hispanics (Nuno-perez and Aviles, 2019). In this essay, I would not agree with the concept of Latinx because of various crucial reasons.
Historically, the Hispanic-Americans have had a harsh experience with the American since the period of colonization. The Youtube video called The Latin-American Experience part II and IV show that the “huge Latino presence in the US was as a result of the US expansion of its territories.” They perceived America as a paradise because they believed there was plenty of food and jobs. However, during the great depression, thousands of Latinos were deported back to their countries. Things were not as they wished they could because they met Jim Craw’s racism and were adversely affected.
I would also not agree with the term Latinx because the Latinos in America still struggles with incarceration, discrimination, and educational advancement labor exploitation. Also, the Latinos experience crime and violence, police brutality (Nuno-perez and Aviles, 2019), which are similar to the experiences during colonization of the 1800s, as shown by the YouTube video The Latino-American Experience PART III of VI. Latinos joined forces with the Americans to fight in the war against the Spanish, but still, their efforts and sacrifices are not acknowledged; inclusivity for some of them is a meaningless word.
Latinos helped in the construction of the US in many ways, as shown by the videos, some, including women and men, joined the American forces in the revolution against the Spanish. They were taken by trains and promised a bright future, only to end up in concentration camps. Like the African-Americans, they experienced segregation; for instance, they went to segregated schools. According to the video, 330, 000 Latinos were forced out of the United States in the 1930s.
Lastly, term deletes the Hispanic history by claiming that the old-fashioned gendered Spanish terms are exclusionary (Nuno-perez and Aviles, 2019). Therefore, erasing these terms depicts disrespect to the entire Spanish culture. Is cultural disrespect because the terms Latino and Latina portray the distinct roles that men and women have historically adopted (Nuno-perez and Aviles, 2019)
References
Nuno-perez, S., & Aviles, G. (2019). Is Latinx elitist? Some push back at the word’s growing use. NBC News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vBv5OsQmiA&feature=youtu.be
YouTube. (2015). The Latino-American Experience part II and IV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vBv5OsQmiA&feature=youtu.be
YouTube. (2015). The Latino-American Experience part II and IV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqEJsOMEgnE&feature=emb_title