Victoriano:

The appropriation of an entire continent's name by the United States of America was likely not coincidental... given the philosophy of manifest destiny, etc. this fit quite well. Given that it has been appropriated and generally accepted, its use in the term "Mexican-American" within the United States does not seem to strange but when deconstructed like you did, I do see how it is redundant.

As Enrique mentioned, the need to define this subgroup of Americans or Usonians, as Frank Lloyd Wright would prefer, is derivative of commitments made under the Treaty of Guadalupe and the Census Bureau's susequent attempt to count and catalog people of Mexican decent living in the United States who might be subject to these commitments.

The other terms used such as "Chicano" are very politically laden and therefore not equivalent.

By the way, neither soccer nor American football is European in the true sense unless you consider Great Britain part of the European continent. Both sports are derivative from English sports, American football from a variety of English football now referred to as rugby and "futbol soccer" from another form of English football.

not to confuse the issue or to kick a dead horse . . . pelotas in Europe (futball) did not bounce until they added bladders made with Mexican ulli (rubber) . . .many people of the time were so facinated with the added movement as compared to their hides stuffed with annimal hair that the king had to put a moritrium in place so that the townspeople would go back to work . .

victorianonavarro wrote:
I lived several years in the USA and for me the racial designations used there were rather confusing.
Most of my black friends back in the USA were African, but not American; they were born and raised in Nigeria, Kenia, etc.
Same with my Asian friends in the USA, they were fom China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, not American at all.
As a Mexican, the one I foud really silly (por no decir estúpido) was Mexican-American. Here in Mexico we learn that America is one continent (not two; North and South America). So, any citizen from any country of the continent is an American (Canadians, Cubans, Brazilians, Hondureños, etc.). So, pretty much ALL Mexicans are Americans (unless you happened to be born in Europe or so, but have Mexican citizenship). So, the term Mexican-American is just redundant.
As for referring to people from the USA, I never call them American, but "citizens from the United States" or, in Spanish, "Estadounidenses", unless I'm trying to make a distinction among them and Europeans, Africans, etc. I also have heard the term "Unitarios" (Unitarians, from the UNITED States).
By the way, my favorite football team is Mexico's Club América, their logo is a ball (the kind of ball you play with your feet, as the name of the sport indicates) with a map of the American Continent. What they call football in the USA we call American Football (as opposed to the European Football of Soccer, so no problem there with the term American) and I root for the Chicago Bears, although they kind of sucked last Superbowl. Go Bears! Go Illini! ¡¡¡¡Viva América!!!!! ;P
Regards,
VN

Another excellent response. Thank you for sending this. Marge:)

On May 9, 2007, at 11:43 PM, enrique legaspi wrote:

> Some years back on business trip to Mexicali, the man, a succesful
> business man, who was touring the group at the cocktail hour asked:
> Why is it that in the United States everyone is hyphenated?
> Mexican-American, German-American, Afro-American, etc. I felt that
> his question was genuine and his curiosity was authentic which
> provoked his question.
>
> A few of us tried to explain why this occurs - that it was about
> politics, allocation of funds, a distribution of tax revenues by
> politicians in order to prove that each community was getting its fair
> share and finally,and that it was an effort to preserve or to claim
> our roots and culture in the melting pot that the United States is.
> This man's physical facial attributes and surname was of chinese
> origin. Upon hearing the various explanations, he seemed puzzled and
> when asked to explain his reaction to the explanations he said. "I am
> Mexican. I never been to China and I am not Chinese-Mexican. But I am
> glad to know and take lots of interest in my ancestry and curious of
> where I come from". I liked his comment.
> All of us in "Nuestros Ranchos" are like the Mexican man from
> Mexicali curious and interested in our ancestry. It is the reason why
> we endeavor in our genealogy, right?
>
> We are enriched by the diversity of our background, life experience
> and by the man or woman we marry. Since that time in Mexicali, I go
> about with my keen curiosity and love to discover where I came from
> with a sense of who I am - not as a Mexican or an American or as some
> hyphenated identity but with a sense for universality of who I am,
> shaped, formed and influenced by the people I come across. I continue
> on my search for where I came from because it is important to know.
>
> If you haven't, I would suggest one day you get to hear the song "No
> Soy De Aqui, Ni Soy de Aya" by Facundo Cabral, an Argentinian singer
> as it sings to what brings people together and who they are and shuns
> by its intent anything that separates.
>
> For me, to discover who I am and where I come from is not about
> being Mexican from Nochistlan but about where I started from. Its good
> to know.
>
> Enrique Legaspi
>
>
>
> Corrine Ardoin wrote:
> I wanted to thank everyone, Paula, Emilie, Robert, and Esperanza for
> the
> tremendous help you have given me regarding this sensitive issue of
> race
> classifications in Mexico and, as you pointed out, in America, as
> well. We
> see this sadly all over the world.
>
> People ask me if I am Hispanic and I say, I'm an American of mostly
> Mexican
> and German ancestry. Since I have been doing genealogy, I have been
> thinking, well, my Mexican ancestors were of Spanish ancestry, so
> maybe I
> should start saying that, which gets me back to being "Hispanic." Yet,
> there could be some French, some indigenous mixture there, so it just
> doesn't work to get down to classifying ourselves or others anymore. I
> could say I am of European ancestry, but that still excludes all
> possiblities. That's what they have been finding out in the census
> taking,
> that people are no longer simply white, black, brown, yellow, green, or
> purple, but a blending of races. When it comes down to it, what is the
> purpose of this kind of accounting anymore?
>
> My mother was born in Guadalajara, spoke Spanish, and she grew up with
> her
> family in Los Angeles. The story is told a million times over, family
> members one by one immigrating to the U.S. during the Mexican
> Revolution and
> then staying here. My mother's mother only spoke Spanish, grew up and
> went
> to college in Guadalajara, but worked in LA in the garment industry as
> a
> factory worker until retirement. My mother's father was born and
> raised in
> Chihuahua and El Paso. He was a musician, like his father, worked as a
> film
> extra in silent movies, but eventually became a clothing salesman for
> Victor
> Clothing Company in downtown LA until his retirement. I used to see
> him on
> their television commercials in the 1960's. He had changed his name
> from
> Jesus to Fred. My grandmother's aunt owned a shoe store on the plaza
> right
> by the Cathedral in Guadalajara, lived a well-to-do lifestyle and had
> servants. Her store was burned down during the Revolution, so she
> immigrated to the U.S. She worked all the rest of her life for the
> Diamond
> Laundry Company in LA. Why didn't the women do as well in this country
> as
> their own? I know that they lived in fear of getting sent back to
> Mexico,
> they isolated themselves, they did not want to stand out or make
> waves, make
> a fuss, and they all had a great deal of pride.
>
> I married a man of French and English ancestry and live far away from
> my
> family now. The Mexican influence of my upbringing has worn off quite a
> bit, I have found out. At a Mexican restaurant last Mother's Day, we
> had
> brunch with my mother and my brother and his wife, who is Mexican. He
> asked
> me if I had tried any of this particular dessert they had there. I
> said I
> didn't know what that was. He looked at me and asked, "You don't know?
> What kind of Mexican are you?!" So, you can get it from all
> directions, put
> down for being too dark, too light, too Mexican, not Mexican enough,
> for
> speaking Spanish, for not knowing Spanish, etc. etc. Enough said.
> Thank-you, all!
>
> Corrine Ardoin
> American Heinz 57