Feeds: 
symbol identifies content for paid subscribers only.
WILL LATINOS BECOME WHITE?
There's been lots of discussion during the past week about the future of conservatism. David Brooks and First Read consider the topic today. In short, the GOP can't continue to appeal primarily to less educated, Southern, rural, and racist voters in an age of increasing education levels, diversity, tolerance, and migration back into cities and close-in suburbs. What's the solution?
In our round table discussion on identity politics and the election, Brentin Mock, Adam Serwer, and I agree that one possibility is conservatives cutting loose the nativist right and embracing Latinos as "white." Many Latino immigrants already consider themselves white, in part because of different racial attitudes in their home countries. And an appeal to these voters' religiosity and social conservatism could, as Karl Rove and George W. Bush intended, eventually woo them back into a GOP that stops demagoguing on immigration, but continues to evince enough discomfort with African Americans and secular culture to hold onto the white Southern base. Here's how Adam puts it:
Serwer: I think the studies showing changing demographics obscure the fact that most Latinos identify as white. So one of two things will happen: The GOP will continue to marginalize itself with hostility to Latinos, or it will redefine whiteness to include many of them. I'm betting on the latter.
--Dana Goldstein
COMMENTS (2)
Interesting how this discussion about Latino identity didn't include anyone who was Latino (unless Mock and Serwer have some Latino ancestry). Most Latinos who I know do not consider themselves to be "white" for a variety of reasons, even if they identify as that on a census box. First, most Latinos, at least in the Southwest, are Mestizo, mixed of varying degrees of Spanish and Native Indian. Secondly, we haven't been "embraced" by white America. I am light skinned, college educated, English speaking, and I'm still considered "foreign" by many although I was born in this country. Finally, I think that many us, being mixed, in earlier generations said that they were "white" or "Spanish" just to get by without any trouble. Spanish connotes royalty, whereas Mexican doesn't.
The reality though is that Latinos are not monolithic. There are black and even Asian Latinos. If you travel around Latin America, you will see a little of everything.
The whole categorizing for census purposes and even to divide and conquer is compelling. I think that if we can get beyond the color thing and start to think in terms of a Pan-Latino identity that we could make a lot of progress in the US.
Posted by: adriana | November 11, 2008 4:07 PM
Adding:
I also find it hard to buy this notion that the GOP will embrace Latinos for their "whiteness" after the years of anti-immigration rhetoric. Even "Tejano" GWB has allowed these messy ICE raids, detentions, etc. When you have US citizens being mistaken for undocumented people, how will they distinguish those "white" from the rest? I can only hope that Latinos don't fall for this misguided message.
Posted by: adriana | November 11, 2008 4:32 PM