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..I really appreciated that Arlene Davila, the Puerto-Rican anthropolgist and NYU professor was interviewed on your show... As Latnos become so prominent in the ever evolving American experiment, I was able to see from her perspective how our nation can choose to embrace this gift with all its complexities or deprive itself by choosing the prism of racism and bigotry instead... I definitely can see why Junot (Yunior) Diaz, the Pulitzer-prize winning novelist and professor from M.I.T considers her to be his favorite author of 2008 when he interviewed by a New york newspaper, calling her "the finest, fiercest, and most piercing of public intellectuals."..

I think that we can begin to understand the issues confronting the Hispanic community by analyzing Jewish Americans- a people of mixed-race or nonwhite- and how they acquired white status through education attainment but also by the continual emphasis of the black/white distinction which created the space for Jewish acceptability. If Leonard Lopate's name had been Leonard Rodriguez he would never be perceived as white but as a person of mixed race which is what he is. So, the point of departure to begin to unpack these issues is to ponder how it is that a Jewish person that is clearly of mixed-race or nonwhite passes as white while a hispanic american white person who is a descendant of the people who conquered this continent and as a consequence brought Europe out of the Dark Ages is classified as a minority and at times non-white.

Any sophisticated marketer knows there is a difference between the Hispanic market in Florida (for example) and Los Angeles. Markets have many segments, not monolithic.

Mr. Lopate:
I enjoy your show very much. But, if the guest does not answer your question and only mention what she want to say, please be persistent. Otherwise it will become a show of publicity for the guest.

"White Latin", This is a problem, hispanics, Latinos, whatever the politicallyl correct phrase, add the label of "white" to appear better than, what does this mean? Why do you want to do that? Confused.

Leonard,

Glad that you have Ms. Davila on the air. You must feel lucky to have her in your studio. not only is she articulate but she looks great in her photo.

I am a Latino, American born. My comment is regarding the marketing to Latinos, I am always surprised (or perhaps I should ot be) to find that we are grouped in the media as liking the same blanket music etc. For example I recetly flipped through a Latino magazinae and was dissapointed to find that it reduced Latinos to liking Reggeton, Salsa and Gang banging etc.

I assure you that we are more diverse. The marketing needs to be sharper.

thanks for the segment. Arlene,-Thanks for the book.

Great show Leonard, Please have more of this kind of programing and have a great holiday!

We're suppose to be thinking about hispanics,as their individual culture. Who is thinking about "whites" as, German, Irish, English, Polish etc.?

Would your guest care to comment on the inter-Latino relations, tension between various Latino groups. To compare the Latinos experience to Italians eg. in somewhat inaccurate because Italians came from only Italy. eg.

I am a white Brazilian. What does that make me if I am neither Hispanic nor colored?

The notion that all Latinos are also Hispanics, or are all colored, is incorrect.

Thanks, Leonick

Leonard asked a very intriguing question,i.e., the Latinos chose to stay in the community because they are comfortable, whereas the blacks may not chose to stay, in essense. Arlene totally ingnored his question. Please keep asking her. It's a great point.

Certainly it's important to recognize the diversity (ethnic, cultural, religious) within Latin America/people of Latin American descent. However, it's an exaggeration to say that some of us have NOTHING in common (as Leonard stated about a Cuban and an Argentine. And they would both speak Spanish.) If you bring a Cuban and an Argentine immigrant (or children of immigrants together), I'm sure they will have many common experiences/cultural touch points to talk about. Perhaps a point of comparison would be Europe: a Spanish person and person might be said to have nothing in common with a German, but here in NYC, I've seen many Europeans come together under a broader cultural/geographic banner.

Also, I am Venezuelan-American (mestiza, but look white, though it often depends who I'm talking to), but have had many experiences of making immediate connection to Latinos in this country, ranging from "illegal" Mexican immigrants to Chilean professors, and even Brazilians (who speak another, but similar language) by a simple language connection, or via common cultural touch points.

Also, Latin America is in a stage of sorting economic and political ties among countries & coming into its autonomy as a region--definitely there are places in which to see commonalities.

Great points made by your guest. Also, aside from advocacy political groups like La Raza and LUCHA, we have a 'Hispanic' media that continues to push this mirage, or false reality of Hispanics being very successful economically and powerful politically while providing empty entertainment that claims to be promoting the 'unique' culture that Hispanics need to maintain by continuing to rely soley on the 'Hispanic' media for 'information'. Wealthy Hispanics and Latin Americans who own these media conglomerates and those political organization continue to do a great disservice to Hispanics and to American society by insiting on maintaining Hispanics segregated with popular culture and ill informed and in the dark in order to maintain this separateness while undermining Hispanic culture.
Case in point: Telemundo and Univision will NEVER mention or promote cultural or business accomplishments made by Hispanics in American Society, yet they will continuously promote their 'stars' from Latin America by the incessant coverage of their personal lives (divorces, who they are dating, etc.). That is NOT culture

Arlene Davila's notion that Hispanics represent more than one culture is on the mark. What I could not understand was her comment on how Latinos (as though they are one group) are leaning towards Republican values. Her initial thesis followed by her generalization of their political views to be potentially confusing.

What most Americans don't understand is that Latin America is very diverse regarding race, for instance Argentina is a white Latin country, Dominican Republic and Cuba are Black Latino country, Bolivia is a Native American Latino country and then their are the mix nations Like Mexico, Colombia!!

It is not clear cut like in the United States.

I'm really offended by the fact that you've dismissed New Mexico governor Bill Richardson as not being a true Latino because he doesn't have a "Latino" last name. There are a lot of us hispanics from the Southwest who are proud of our rich mestizo heritage -- Mexican, Spanish, Native American, white black -- and consider ourselves "real" hispanics, even if we don't have Spanish last names!

Mr. lopate you hit the nail right on the head how all latinos are lumped together into one race. We all have different issues (Cuban) focus is Cuba, (Dominicans, Mexicans and other South Americans) its immigration, Puerto Ricans is Island status, Independence or State hood, Puerto Ricans issue is really not immigration since they are american citizens.

...the only thing i recognize -as latino-
is that 3/4 of us owe our lives in here
to "neoliberalism". Take me -a honduran-:
i owe my exile to Reagan and Negroponte's savage
witch-hunt. "Freedom-Fighters" right? :(

I often have this very conversation with my friends, I am American born Latino, and many of my friends are from Latin America, and other than language their is very little in common regarding culture. The analogy often used is comparing France and Poland are the same just because they are in Europe!!

Well there is the problem, Latinos should not try to identify as "white". Clearly they are not accepted in that catergory.

Seen a job application, usually says white NOT of hispanic descent.

My foreign-born, Spanish-speaking parents always answered "Other - Human Being" on any forms that asked for a racial/ethnic information. I particularly dislike the word "Latino", 'Hispanic", etc. I think it segregates people from Spanish-speaking countries into the negative image that those terms engender among many people in this country.

I am commenting on Arlene Davilla. I think the lumping together of Latinos is a result of the American history of race in general. There has always been a stark dichotomy in race with between black and white. I think there has just been a rush to categorize them into a neat little package.