Thread: is gringo a racist term?

Originally Posted by badthingsman

There's a restaurant in town called Gringo's.

Perhaps "gringo" is one of those words that can be offensive if used in the wrong context... like "bastard", "bitch", or "damn".

But in my honest opinion, it has become acceptable (politically correct) in America for people of any race, color, or creed to speak negatively of white people from a racial standpoint.

Here's what I mean:
A Mexican calls another Mexican "brown" and it is a compliment.
A white person calls a Mexican "brown" and it is a racist remark.
A black person comments on the darkness of a darker black person's skin and it is comedic.
A white person comments on the darkness of a black person's skin and it is a racist remark.
Carlos Mencia, the hispanic comedian, says "R*****R" and he is telling a friendly joke to "his people".
A white person says "R*****R" and it is a racist remark.

The conclusion* that I have drawn from this and many other instances just like it is the following:

According to the latest political correctness, racism in America only exists with white people. Any equally racist remarks, comments, statements, actions, etc. coming from non-white people in America are not considered racist but reactionary to slavery, oppression, mistreatment, or simply white racists. If you are white and wish to be politically correct, you must first accept the fact that you are a racist; then fill your heart with white guilt; and finally suffer abuse, give up your belongings, and allow your family to suffer because they are racists also.

(*If my opinion bothers you, note that it is only MY opinion -not necessarily the opinion or stance of ALIPAC.)

As a Black person, I think the term "Gringo" is a term hispanics use as an intended insult. I also understand why White people feel that they are the only race who has to tip toe on eggshells when referring to other races for fear of being called racist.

The problem? America is a country built on the premise of a superior race, white folks. Slavery was the foundation and result of your forefathers for justification of their claims of being the superior race. Unfortunately, that very unfounded premise is alive and well and serves as a perpetual devisive tool in America hundreds of years later. While not all Whites are guilty of harboring this premise, racism is still very much alive and well in America. Unfortunately the past actions of your forefathers are ingrained in the minds of all people of color with regards to White America.

Preaching, interesting thought, but NONE of my forefathers owned or subjected anyone of any other race to any kind of persecution, so it seems all too many people of minority races want to generalize. This in itself is not only an unfair assumption, but it is itself is a racist attitude, assuming because I appear white my ancestors must have done something bad to someone of another race in the past (I do not believe in a superior race, God created ALL men equal).

You see, this is exactly the reason so many people of white backgrounds get really sick of the rhetoric. Thne you have the issue of "it's in the past". So why does it get drug up again and again? Just to benefit someone elses agenda? Seems that way to me, seems that is what the radical Latino groups are doing (although not a single of my ancestors had anything to do with them either).

I think we need to get off of this racial bandwagon and get on with life, and stop allowing people to focus on the past, of mistakes made by people who are LONG dead, and focus on the live Americans who have not done anything wrong to be made to feel bad for things they did not do.

AmericanElizabeth, I agree with what you say, we are never going to be able to to take a true path to the future of equality for all, if we are constantly looking at the path behind us. I wonder if there will ever be a day when there is no longer a "racial card" left to play against our enemies? I use to believe this could happen, now though I see it just keeps getting handed down to our children and their children and we will never be free of it!

You have to look to the kids for your direction on this people.

My kids have been treated with a lot of disdain here, and all by Latino people and all due to the fact that they are white.

However, the minute some little girl comes along and wants to be friends with our daughter (almost 9), she is more than happy to have a friend, she does not care if that little girl is Latino, and does not equate her with the ones who have treated her so badly, in the past.

As well, our son, who is now 13, in his early teen venom, he still has compassion when a little kids bike is broke, and they are crying, he will go out and fix the problem with no alterior motives, regardless of how that same kids parents have treated him.

Kids will show up any adult in this issue. Even the most vile of hateful parents in this complex cannot seem to poison their kids from being around our kids. Why? Because they want friends, they want to trust, and they want to care, it is a product of their innocense. Adults need more of that.

AmericanElizabeth
well said. sometimes I think it would have been a far better and more perfect world had God chose to let us reamin children, I guess he wanted to see how much of a child's innocence we could maintain into adulthood, in that, we have failed him miserably!

AmerLiz, you have a great point.

My friend told me, when her son was very small, he saw a little black boy riding a bike. He asked some thing like what is that? My friend just said, "it's a boy riding a bicycle".

Despite how you look on the outside, we are all made of the same stuff on the inside.

Dixie

Preachingtothechior, You are painting with a pretty broad brush. The Civil War cost more American lives than any war since.
while some say the issue was primarily states rights everyone knows it was fought over slavery. There had to have been a lot of people who were against slavery for such a great sacrifice to have taken place.
As for the word Gringo some amateur historians think that the American troops in the Mexican American War sang a song that was popular at that time called Green Grow the Lilacs and the peons who heard it thought they were saying gringo. I'd cry myself to sleep if some morally challenged illegal called me a gringo.

Originally Posted by andyt

Preachingtothechior, You are painting with a pretty broad brush. The Civil War cost more American lives than any war since.
while some say the issue was primarily states rights everyone knows it was fought over slavery. There had to have been a lot of people who were against slavery for such a great sacrifice to have taken place.
As for the word Gringo some amateur historians think that the American troops in the Mexican American War sang a song that was popular at that time called Green Grow the Lilacs and the peons who heard it thought they were saying gringo. I'd cry myself to sleep if some morally challenged illegal called me a gringo.

"Everyone knows" that it was fought over slavery? LOL!!!

There were MANY causes for the Civil War, MOST OF WHICH were related to inequitable tariffs and states' rights. Indeed, there was almost a similar situation during Jackson's administration over what was considered to be unfair taxation. Perhaps you have heard of the South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification in protest of the Tariff of 1832?

Slavery may have been the convenient powderkeg issue, but it was a long string of complaints over grossly unfair tariffs targeting the South and its exports, including the Tariff of Abomination, that set the South on the course to secession. The South successfully beat back the worst of the tariffs for awhile, but Lincoln's victory at the polls assured a return to tariffs similar to the Tariff of Abomination, and that was the principal complaint against the Union.

Your right CG. It was not just about slavery.

Everyone should read a copy of the southern states papers of succession and the state constitutions that were ratified to succeed from the union. Very informative.

Almost all of my ancestors lived in the south and many of my ancestors and their family members fought in the Civil War and none of them owned slaves.

Dixie

CrockettsGhost, I don't know many people with your fund of knowledge. I cannot imagine anyone I'd be less likely to win an argument with.. I will admit that I don't know a great deal about the issues and the politics of the mid 1800s but I'd always been told that the issue of states rights was brought to the forefront by the issue of slavery. I'm sure that you will agree that the winner gets to write history. I'd love to jump 20 years into the future and see how our issue on illegal immigration is dealt with.
My ancestors were in Texas at the time of the Civil War so my sentiments are somewhat conflicted. What I wanted to say to preaching to the choir was that while white men owned slaves we cannot all be blamed for slavery since thousands of people died to end it.
I'm not buying into white guilt and I don't feel that we have collectively wronged any person living today.