So - you’re telling people they shouldn’t use that to describe themselves? Or just that you think they’re stupid?
2 Likes
No, but I find it interesting how languages evolve and words can have distinct meanings despite having similar origins. Not quite as interesting as how some words can have both a specific and a general meaning* at the same time but interesting nonetheless. I’m not saying that the current usage is wrong**, but that it is interesting to see how it has come about.
*eg “ship” can mean any large, oceangoing vessel, but when applied to a vessel with sails it specifically means one with three masts and with at least three courses of square sails on the first two masts. Or “missile” can mean any weapon that flies through the air (as in the term “missile weapons” popular in role playing games) or in modern military terms it specifically a weapon with active guidance, because it is short for “guided missile.”
Edited to add
** Indeed the very idea that current usage can even BE “wrong” speaks to proscriptive rather than descriptive view of vocabulary. It is useful for people to be aware of, and be able to use “formal English.” Just like a nice suit, it is what you should use in a job interview. But informal or dialect English isn’t “wrong” any more than wearing a bathing suit to the beach.
I find it interesting what some find interesting.
5 Likes
“Democrats instituting wildly popular reforms like allowing cities to change their property tax rates, restoring rent controls, etc.”
…you realize that Prop 10, which would have allowed cities to restore rent control, just lost by nearly a 2-1 margin, right?
2 Likes
Hispanic means something different than Latin American. Hispanic refers to language spoken while Latin refers to geography. Brazilians are Latino but not Hispanic as an example.
Latinx is an attempt to create a gender neutral version of Latino/Latina. Personally I think it’s not a good one. Because it’s unpronounceable and we already have a gender neutral derivative if we want it “latin”.
4 Likes
You raised the one question I’ve had since first seeing that term. I wondered if anyone ever says it, and how it is pronounced. I had the same question with proposed gender-neutral pronouns in English.
1 Like
Which also seems like an interesting usage to me, since the term Hispania predates the Spanish language itself, and referred to the Roman province covering the entire peninsula, Including modern Portugal.
1 Like
Democrats, who he said were aided by…help from the tech industry in Silicon Valley
Isn’t that particular area known for leaning right in general? Or is it just the CEOs?
1 Like
11 Likes
It’s more complex than we can expect Republicans to grasp.
What it comes down to is that the GOP would do a lot better with Silicon Valley voters if it could drop its dependence on appealing to white bigots, Xtianists, and science denialists. As long as the Republicans continue to pander to the Know-Nothing 27% they’ll keep losing these opportunities to remain relevant.
7 Likes
They’re generally to the left … of Peter Thiel.
3 Likes
Only if you ignore part of the derivation. While ‘Hispanic’ does originate from a linguistic definition, ‘Latino/a/x’ gets its meaning one step removed from the romance language source. As the comic that @KathyPartdeux posted (thank you for that Kathy) shows, “Latinx” is named after the land mass of Latin America. That that land mass is named so because it was colonized by speakers of languages that are closely related to Latin is pretty irrelevant to the question of self-identification.
On the contrary. It’s quite easy to pronounce. Just like all the other english words that have inconvenient consonants placed next to each other you just insert a vowel sound in between: “latinex”.
8 Likes
It’s usually pronounced “latin ex” which is just awkward. It doesn’t seem to be a term that was intended to be spoken out loud, seemingly arising online and in written sources.
And like I said it’s sort of redundant. Latin has been used as the non gendered term in English for so long that it’s one of the primary dictionary entries for the word. And unlike a lot of other out of style ethnic descriptors that aren’t out and out slurs. It doesn’t carry any negative connotations or seem out dated. (Negro and Colored as examples).
It’s just one of those things that becomes awkward to use and has a perfectly appropriate alternative.
That’s not exactly what’s happening there. We’re basically pronouncing the letter, because its kind of the only option for something that wasn’t really designed to be pronounced. You wouldn’t pronounce it “latin-axe” or “latin-ox”. Those I’ve heard both.
Imagine if the convention was a different letter as a non gendered place holder. “Latin-aitch”. It’s just a bit awkward in terms of day to day usage, like a lot of these terms that we come up with.
3 Likes
I would find it extremely weird and awkward to refer to a person as “a Latin”.
4 Likes
Why don’t we just call them people?
1 Like
You’d also find it odd and awkward to refer to a person as “an Irish”, “a Chinese” or " a Black". Because that’s not how these words are used. They don’t generally get those indefinite articles. And doing so carries certain dehumanizing connotations.
You can generally refer to some one as “a Latino/a/x” but I don’t believe it’s technically correct.
Only in the last few decades. Risking hyperbole, we were proudly and steadfastly centrist for a long time, seemingly to the point of being the US version of Switzerland. The Kochs and the abortion clinic wars changed that right quick.
5 Likes
I’m with Dr Howard Dean: fight them everywhere, fight hard, yield not an inch, make them work hard/cheat for every vote. Do not give up on red states anywhere. See: Kansas 2018. Progressive ideas are not poison, they’re the future.
8 Likes
I thought that’s exactly what had already been established? I mean, if I was writing an article about someone of South American origin, I might say, “Jose, a Latino,” or “A Latinx from South America” to be gender-neutral. But I can’t see writing an article and making reference to “Many Latin people from South America”. The Latinx term seems to be well accepted and has been adopted pretty readily in the last couple of years.
3 Likes
I wonder what would happen if the California GOP took polls (with non-biased questions) among registered voters. Specifically, asking registered Independents or Dems why they voted the way they did. Would that be enough to explain that Republican policies and rhetoric are simply unacceptable to non WASPS? Or will the GOP simply ignore their own polls because it doesn’t say what they want to hear?
What would it take to convince the GOP to drop the racism, sexism and other bigotries? What are legitimate platform planks they could adopt (and not just say so during campaigning) that would restore them as a viable party? It would be instructive to find out, since whatever the answers happen to be, it’s a sucker bet that the GOP won’t take them…
1 Like
