Hispanic Origin

[Anonymous]

So here's another one for DCUM along the same lines:

I married into a Catalan family. My wife grew up in California as an American but my MIL grew up in Spain until her parents fled with her and she came to the US as a refugee. MIL's parents were part of the anti-Fascist resistance until they fled Spain. They arrived in the US in poverty, but now the family is doing okay financially. The family history is violent (relatives killed by the Fascists among other awful things) and you can still see the impact on the family. (My MIL will not speak of that time; we know she saw people killed in front of her when she was young.)

My DD does not speak Catalan very well at all but is immersed in Catalan culture from the extended family and identifies as Catalan in addition to American (but not as Spanish although she has Spanish citizenship). DD is white (blonde hair, blue eyes).

Two years ago DD felt strongly about putting Hispanic down on the HS enrollment form because she feels her Catalan heritage is a strong part of her identity (which it is) and she qualifies as per the 1/4 definition. She plans on talking about her relationship with her grandmother in her college essays.

What do you think, DCUM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think admissions preferences based on someone’s heritage are pretty racist: Larlo Lopez clearly can’t compete with Biff Biffington III because his skin is darker and his father spoke Spanish (in addition to English), therefore he must be less intelligent or motivated, so let’s get him a third of the way to the finish line so he can compete with Biff.

Nevermind about Braedon Ryan who was raised by a single mother with a revolving door of boyfriends who worked two jobs, and still couldn’t afford to pay for Braedon to play little league or be in the Boy Scouts, or have the internet at home. Braedon changed schools every other year—sometimes mid year because his mom had to find cheaper housing or another job—things Braedon is ashamed to admit to an admissions committee. But because Braedon and Biff both have blue eyes, they are judged through the same lens.

But until the elite realize how awful this practice is and abandon it, I would take advantage of it. You know Biff’s parents are buying every possible shortcut to Yale admission. Larlo’s parents should do the same.

Very well said.

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So here's another one for DCUM along the same lines:

I married into a Catalan family. My wife grew up in California as an American but my MIL grew up in Spain until her parents fled with her and she came to the US as a refugee. MIL's parents were part of the anti-Fascist resistance until they fled Spain. They arrived in the US in poverty, but now the family is doing okay financially. The family history is violent (relatives killed by the Fascists among other awful things) and you can still see the impact on the family. (My MIL will not speak of that time; we know she saw people killed in front of her when she was young.)

My DD does not speak Catalan very well at all but is immersed in Catalan culture from the extended family and identifies as Catalan in addition to American (but not as Spanish although she has Spanish citizenship). DD is white (blonde hair, blue eyes).

Two years ago DD felt strongly about putting Hispanic down on the HS enrollment form because she feels her Catalan heritage is a strong part of her identity (which it is) and she qualifies as per the 1/4 definition. She plans on talking about her relationship with her grandmother in her college essays.

What do you think, DCUM?

I empathize with your situation and feel sorry for the pain and suffering of your MIL.

But... I'm sure her daughter (your wife) got the necessary breaks in life to "make" it. I think it needs to stop there.

I also don't get why something that happened in another country matters to us here? If there is a box to check for your situation, what about all the Poles and Romanians that were occupied by Fascist Germany and suffered? Do we give them "discounts" too? I don't think so... What about the Jews? We probably took care of them in the early years after the Holocaust (I don't know). They are now actually discriminated against in college admissions.

If the made-up law/rules allow you to check a box and claim benefits, go for it, but remember that Europeans were the oppressors in the American story. It's their rape and pillage that even created the Hispanic "race".

Quoting a pp from 03/07/2018 23:50, "It is meant for oppressed Hispanic, not the oppressors of the oppressed Hispanic."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So here's another one for DCUM along the same lines:

I married into a Catalan family. My wife grew up in California as an American but my MIL grew up in Spain until her parents fled with her and she came to the US as a refugee. MIL's parents were part of the anti-Fascist resistance until they fled Spain. They arrived in the US in poverty, but now the family is doing okay financially. The family history is violent (relatives killed by the Fascists among other awful things) and you can still see the impact on the family. (My MIL will not speak of that time; we know she saw people killed in front of her when she was young.)

My DD does not speak Catalan very well at all but is immersed in Catalan culture from the extended family and identifies as Catalan in addition to American (but not as Spanish although she has Spanish citizenship). DD is white (blonde hair, blue eyes).

Two years ago DD felt strongly about putting Hispanic down on the HS enrollment form because she feels her Catalan heritage is a strong part of her identity (which it is) and she qualifies as per the 1/4 definition. She plans on talking about her relationship with her grandmother in her college essays.

What do you think, DCUM?

I empathize with your situation and feel sorry for the pain and suffering of your MIL.

But... I'm sure her daughter (your wife) got the necessary breaks in life to "make" it. I think it needs to stop there.

I also don't get why something that happened in another country matters to us here? If there is a box to check for your situation, what about all the Poles and Romanians that were occupied by Fascist Germany and suffered? Do we give them "discounts" too? I don't think so... What about the Jews? We probably took care of them in the early years after the Holocaust (I don't know). They are now actually discriminated against in college admissions.

If the made-up law/rules allow you to check a box and claim benefits, go for it, but remember that Europeans were the oppressors in the American story. It's their rape and pillage that even created the Hispanic "race".

Quoting a pp from 03/07/2018 23:50, "It is meant for oppressed Hispanic, not the oppressors of the oppressed Hispanic."

Don't college admissions know all of this? It seems factual to me and nothing is being hidden here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think admissions preferences based on someone’s heritage are pretty racist: Larlo Lopez clearly can’t compete with Biff Biffington III because his skin is darker and his father spoke Spanish (in addition to English), therefore he must be less intelligent or motivated, so let’s get him a third of the way to the finish line so he can compete with Biff.

Nevermind about Braedon Ryan who was raised by a single mother with a revolving door of boyfriends who worked two jobs, and still couldn’t afford to pay for Braedon to play little league or be in the Boy Scouts, or have the internet at home. Braedon changed schools every other year—sometimes mid year because his mom had to find cheaper housing or another job—things Braedon is ashamed to admit to an admissions committee. But because Braedon and Biff both have blue eyes, they are judged through the same lens.

But until the elite realize how awful this practice is and abandon it, I would take advantage of it. You know Biff’s parents are buying every possible shortcut to Yale admission. Larlo’s parents should do the same.

Very well said.

The fact is - by percentile - more Latino and African-American children grow up in poverty than white (non-Latino) children. There are programs for poor kids no matter the race as well, such as First Generationcollege assistance. At my children’s school, most of the well off kids are Indian or white, and most of the poor children are Latino or African American. Even though I could claim heritage, I will not because my children are privileged.

What programs are you talking about? As an Asian from a poor family, I beg to differ.

I still got into Amherst, but I didn't get into my first choice (Princeton). It all worked out of course.

However I knew my rich peers (both black and white) had SAT prep and essay help. I still did sports and joined clubs, but I was hindered because I did have to work since I was 14. My peers didn't have to worry about money.

Point is that colleges are being racist. I don't fault anyone for SAT prep, though I think essay help is cheating. I certainly won't fault someone who is technically Hispanic (but not Hispanic enough for DCUM) claiming to be Hispanic in a college application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So here's another one for DCUM along the same lines:

I married into a Catalan family. My wife grew up in California as an American but my MIL grew up in Spain until her parents fled with her and she came to the US as a refugee. MIL's parents were part of the anti-Fascist resistance until they fled Spain. They arrived in the US in poverty, but now the family is doing okay financially. The family history is violent (relatives killed by the Fascists among other awful things) and you can still see the impact on the family. (My MIL will not speak of that time; we know she saw people killed in front of her when she was young.)

My DD does not speak Catalan very well at all but is immersed in Catalan culture from the extended family and identifies as Catalan in addition to American (but not as Spanish although she has Spanish citizenship). DD is white (blonde hair, blue eyes).

Two years ago DD felt strongly about putting Hispanic down on the HS enrollment form because she feels her Catalan heritage is a strong part of her identity (which it is) and she qualifies as per the 1/4 definition. She plans on talking about her relationship with her grandmother in her college essays.

What do you think, DCUM?

I empathize with your situation and feel sorry for the pain and suffering of your MIL.

But... I'm sure her daughter (your wife) got the necessary breaks in life to "make" it. I think it needs to stop there.

I also don't get why something that happened in another country matters to us here? If there is a box to check for your situation, what about all the Poles and Romanians that were occupied by Fascist Germany and suffered? Do we give them "discounts" too? I don't think so... What about the Jews? We probably took care of them in the early years after the Holocaust (I don't know). They are now actually discriminated against in college admissions.

If the made-up law/rules allow you to check a box and claim benefits, go for it, but remember that Europeans were the oppressors in the American story. It's their rape and pillage that even created the Hispanic "race".

Quoting a pp from 03/07/2018 23:50, "It is meant for oppressed Hispanic, not the oppressors of the oppressed Hispanic."

OP here. I don't think it should matter whether or not your ancestors suffered or not. The question on the application asks if there is Hispanic ethnicity. It does not ask if you are rich or poor, or if you had SAT prep or not, or if Spanish is spoken in the household. It is a yes or no question about ethnicity, period. Is this right? Not necessarily. But I'll be damned if I am going to let DS walk away from an opportunity that is legitimate under the current system. He is 25% Hispanic and will identify as such.

We live in a wealthy neighborhood and have a few neighbors with Hispanic ethnicity. The live in huge fancy houses and drive expensive luxury cars. Their kids go to private schools. They are just as likely to be checking this box as well. Why should they have the advantage and not DS? Do you see what is happening?

Until something is done about the racist questions on these applications, these situations will continue.

[Anonymous]

It’s lovely to know that no matter how hard my white suburban kids work, they will start out behind in college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s lovely to know that no matter how hard my white suburban kids work, they will start out behind in college admissions.

Behind?

Do they go to good schools? Have food? Live in a stable home? Have a gainfully employed parent, or parents? Parents with college degrees? Participate in extracurricular activities? Live in a safe community?

Will they have inroads to helpful internships? Meaningful employment upon graduation? Access to mentors? Successful people?

If the answer to these questions are yes, I encourage you to look at the big picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are starting the process of college visits, and have realized in the process that our DS is officially of Hispanic origin based on the fact his Grandmother was born and raised in a Latino country and immigrated here as an adult. We do not speak Spanish in the household. The only things Hispanic he is exposed to are my late mother's recipes for various dishes from her country of origin and his Spanish class in high school. Initially our thought was to not identify as Hispanic, but every person I talk to says we are crazy not to. Even the other day, I had a conversation with a perfect stranger at a gathering who is in a similar situation, where one grandparent was from a country in South America. Even though they raised their children predominantly with American (and Jewish) culture, they are claiming Hispanic descent on college applications. She also told me that we are just hurting ourselves by not doing so.

Now I am having second thoughts about this. If everyone else is doing this, then are we potentially giving up a spot by not checking that box?

I think the whole definition should change so that an applicant must have at least one half Hispanic origin or that the parent of the applicant must have been born in a Hispanic country. I am so torn, but I don't want to hurt my DS's chances of getting into his dream school.

Anyone else in this situation? What did you do?

DS doesn't sound Hispanic to me, given very little blood and very shallow exposure to language/ history/ customs.

I wouldn't mark Hispanic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So here's another one for DCUM along the same lines:

I married into a Catalan family. My wife grew up in California as an American but my MIL grew up in Spain until her parents fled with her and she came to the US as a refugee. MIL's parents were part of the anti-Fascist resistance until they fled Spain. They arrived in the US in poverty, but now the family is doing okay financially. The family history is violent (relatives killed by the Fascists among other awful things) and you can still see the impact on the family. (My MIL will not speak of that time; we know she saw people killed in front of her when she was young.)

My DD does not speak Catalan very well at all but is immersed in Catalan culture from the extended family and identifies as Catalan in addition to American (but not as Spanish although she has Spanish citizenship). DD is white (blonde hair, blue eyes).

Two years ago DD felt strongly about putting Hispanic down on the HS enrollment form because she feels her Catalan heritage is a strong part of her identity (which it is) and she qualifies as per the 1/4 definition. She plans on talking about her relationship with her grandmother in her college essays.

What do you think, DCUM?

Catalan is not Hispanic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember when Congressman Solarz, running against Hispanic opponents, joked that he could trace his ancestry to the Iberian Peninsula. He was laughed at. This is just an aside, but I’m not sure how one can be a Sephardic Jew with Spanish ancestry and qualify as Hispanic for a racial preference. Makes no sense.

His forebears were from the Iberian peninsula, i.e. Hispania (the Roman name for that peninsula).

How is that *not* Hispanic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So here's another one for DCUM along the same lines:

I married into a Catalan family. My wife grew up in California as an American but my MIL grew up in Spain until her parents fled with her and she came to the US as a refugee. MIL's parents were part of the anti-Fascist resistance until they fled Spain. They arrived in the US in poverty, but now the family is doing okay financially. The family history is violent (relatives killed by the Fascists among other awful things) and you can still see the impact on the family. (My MIL will not speak of that time; we know she saw people killed in front of her when she was young.)

My DD does not speak Catalan very well at all but is immersed in Catalan culture from the extended family and identifies as Catalan in addition to American (but not as Spanish although she has Spanish citizenship). DD is white (blonde hair, blue eyes).

Two years ago DD felt strongly about putting Hispanic down on the HS enrollment form because she feels her Catalan heritage is a strong part of her identity (which it is) and she qualifies as per the 1/4 definition. She plans on talking about her relationship with her grandmother in her college essays.

What do you think, DCUM?

Catalan is not Hispanic.

How is Catalan not Hispanic? Hispanic means having origins in the Iberian peninsula. That peninsula, referred to as "Hispania" by the Romans, includes Catalonia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Slight aside:

I am half Puerto Rican. I adopted a white boy. He is raised on the music, food, language, etc. Can he claim?

I would say yes. Why do people think that white and Hispanic are exclusive?

Well, because he is white, biologically has white parents. That's why I asked.

Spaniards are white.

Why do people think that Hispanic people cannot be white?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So here's another one for DCUM along the same lines:

I married into a Catalan family. My wife grew up in California as an American but my MIL grew up in Spain until her parents fled with her and she came to the US as a refugee. MIL's parents were part of the anti-Fascist resistance until they fled Spain. They arrived in the US in poverty, but now the family is doing okay financially. The family history is violent (relatives killed by the Fascists among other awful things) and you can still see the impact on the family. (My MIL will not speak of that time; we know she saw people killed in front of her when she was young.)

My DD does not speak Catalan very well at all but is immersed in Catalan culture from the extended family and identifies as Catalan in addition to American (but not as Spanish although she has Spanish citizenship). DD is white (blonde hair, blue eyes).

Two years ago DD felt strongly about putting Hispanic down on the HS enrollment form because she feels her Catalan heritage is a strong part of her identity (which it is) and she qualifies as per the 1/4 definition. She plans on talking about her relationship with her grandmother in her college essays.

What do you think, DCUM?

Catalan is not Hispanic.

How is Catalan not Hispanic? Hispanic means having origins in the Iberian peninsula. That peninsula, referred to as "Hispania" by the Romans, includes Catalonia.

Hispanic means Spanish speaking. Catalans are not Hispanic in the same way that Brazilians are not Hispanic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So here's another one for DCUM along the same lines:

I married into a Catalan family. My wife grew up in California as an American but my MIL grew up in Spain until her parents fled with her and she came to the US as a refugee. MIL's parents were part of the anti-Fascist resistance until they fled Spain. They arrived in the US in poverty, but now the family is doing okay financially. The family history is violent (relatives killed by the Fascists among other awful things) and you can still see the impact on the family. (My MIL will not speak of that time; we know she saw people killed in front of her when she was young.)

My DD does not speak Catalan very well at all but is immersed in Catalan culture from the extended family and identifies as Catalan in addition to American (but not as Spanish although she has Spanish citizenship). DD is white (blonde hair, blue eyes).

Two years ago DD felt strongly about putting Hispanic down on the HS enrollment form because she feels her Catalan heritage is a strong part of her identity (which it is) and she qualifies as per the 1/4 definition. She plans on talking about her relationship with her grandmother in her college essays.

What do you think, DCUM?

Catalan is not Hispanic.

How is Catalan not Hispanic? Hispanic means having origins in the Iberian peninsula. That peninsula, referred to as "Hispania" by the Romans, includes Catalonia.

Hispanic means Spanish speaking. Catalans are not Hispanic in the same way that Brazilians are not Hispanic.

All Catalans speak Spanish as well as Catalan. They are bilingual from birth.