re: #171 The Ghost of a Flea

Hispanics are Spanish-speaking peoples…which generally means communities/cultures that have been a part of Spanish colonialism at some point…ergo, in some part infused with the culture of Spain, and most decidedly with the language.

The term doesn’t match up to race because the Spanish were just as diverse in their collection of subject peoples as the British and French, and because of slavery/peonage their movement of people created new communities with syncretic ethnic and cultural identities.

For example—Hispanic South America includes people who would be considered White, Black, “Asian,” South American Native, as well as many folks who’d be considered a “Mixed” ethnicity like Creole or Mestizo. (Colonial Spaniards had some very precise designations for all the different mixes of white/black/native…some of the terms are still around).

Hispanic is a weird word. One could just as easily create a similar term encompassing English or French global cultural influence, and the ethnic blend each blanketed would be just as diverse.

“Anglo” pretty much works the same way. You just don’t know you’re an Anglo unless you’re in LA, Jerusalem, or Quebec.