It's been a little bit of time since I have taken a moment to post up a topic other then my current project (The Relationship Story), but this was something I couldn't pass up.
It all started when most recently I was confronted by someone who was intrigued by my name. Which happens from time to time. So, I begin to engage in this conversation as I would normally do as the pleasant person that I am. I begin to describe the process to actually pronounce my name and was happy to know that the person asking knew how to pronounce it correctly with no effort. Afterwards, she begins to wonder what nationality I am, which is always a common follow up topic after the questioning of my name. "So what nationality are you?" she asks, I reply "I'm Puerto Rican." So, afterwards she then begins to say the most stupidest question I have always heard growing up in the midwest and places in between. "Oh, you don't look Puerto Rican." REALLY? I don't look Puerto Rican? This has always been something some family members of mine and myself have dealt with growing up. So, in the smart ass manner that everyone knows me for I begin to ask back, "Oh, what's a Puerto Rican supposed to look like?" And for about 100% of the time I get the same answer back. "I don't know." WOW. That is very amazing, not only do I NOT look like a Puerto Rican, but you don't even have a definition of what one is supposed to look like. So as this continues, she then asks a first for you boy Saúl. "What kind of Puerto Rican are you?" HOLY SHIT. I didn't know what to say at first for a moment, I paused, not because I didn't know what to say but because I really felt like that was so racist. But it gets better, I ask her what her nationality was, and guess what, SHE'S PUERTO RICAN!!! So, to go back and answer her question, I did it the only way I knew how. I responded to her, "I didn't know we segregated our nationality. That is amazing, you are the first person ever to ask what kind of Puerto Rican I am." She looked at my like I was being a smart ass, which I sure was. She replies back with, "Of course there are, you look like a New York Rican. Are you serious? That's like asking what kind of White person you are, are you a Chicago White person or a Virginia White person? Or, are you an Atlanta Black person or a California Black person? So then I ask her what is a New York Rican? She said they are loud talkers, and have a lot of tattoos. On the real, I wanted to erase the ignorance out of her so bad, but I kept my composure and decided to just walk away from the conversation. And she became very upset at the fact that I told her that we segregated our people. Well, in my eyes it looked like segregation. This is a human being, someone who has influence to her kids, family, or friends. And so I decided to end my celebration of Hispanic Heritage month with a simple thought. If you are from a particular ethnicity, and you yourself question the appearance of someone's nationality, please be considerate and know the fine line that you may cross. Need another example? Well I have many, ranging from people telling me that I needed to have a tattoo on my neck, and a bad childhood. So, I leave all the my friends and followers with this video. It's a smart jab at those out there in our world, latino or not, who still paint a picture of requirements to fit a race or type of lifestyle. Please don't be one of these people and know that people of all walks of life can look different and have different physical traits, but still acknowledge their ethnic roots. Till next time! God Bless!
Video Link: HERE
