bunny
Apr 9, 2007, 5:24 PM
Post #4 of 11
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From the Wikipedia editorial talk board about content for the entry "Gringo":
Notes from a mexican
Let me cut in and offer some points to consider:- "Estadounidense" it's widely used, it's just that it's too proper and formal to use it all the time. It's worth noting that you're officially "Estados Unidos de America" to us, not "America", so although "americano" it's certainly used, it's not the de facto word, because it's considered inaccurate.
- Gringo it's certainly applied to US people only, at least in Mexico. There's no equivalent word for guys from New Zeland, canadians, australians, or for english people. It is a matter of nationality. Obviously, casual onlookers don't tend make sure if a tourist passing by it's actually from the states, so they just asume he is. African-american people can be asumed to be gringos as well, but they can also may be mistaken for cubans or brazilians. Clothes are what usually determines nationality for an onlooker in these cases. Asian-americans are often misktaken for actual people from Asia, unless there's clear evidence of the contrary.
- Although clearly not a complement, the word itself it's not an insult. It sure can be, but that depends on the speaker. A little judgement call is required (a rowdy group of friendly mexican party hosts are not going to use it in the same way an angry cab driver, for instance). Gringo is just an (mildly) rude affirmation that "you're not from here". There's a wide variety of much harsher words to offend visitors, so if you hear the word, know that it wasn't really ment to hurt you. In most cases, it's a neutral term, unless context makes it otherwise.
It's ludicrous to think of it as a racial slur. In a worst-case scenario, it can be xenophobic, but racist? Note that the idea of "politically correct terms" it's something of a foreign concept in Mexico (and most Latin America also), because we mexicans don't normally think of ourselves (and therefore others) as a "race". If we discuss italians, we don't talk about the "italian race", we discuss them as a nation. Same thing with gringos. In Mexico, the race issue it's rarely, if ever, brought up in non-intellectual conversations among natives. It's just not that sensitive of an issue here, so we can be a lot more casual about it.
Seconding the comments by the mexican guy (from another mexican), gringo, in my experience, is no longer considered an insult. It is used rather as a descriptive term, i.e. "he is a gringo" has the same function as "he is a mexican". This is how, through context, it could be given a derogatory connotation, the equivalent of, for example, saying "filthy mexicans".
This is also why generally you do not say "gringo" to an american in their face, it would be the same as addressing someone as "you mexican", not quite an insult but definitely disrespectful.
I use the word gringo, with purely a descriptive function, the same as saying italian, greek, etc. Me and my friends do this because of the conundrum of properly naming a united states citizen, since "american" or "north american" are technically incorrect as they also encompass Canada and Mexico. "Estadounidense" is quite cumbersome, but more importantly it is also vague, the official name of Mexico is "Estados Unidos Mexicanos", making mexicans "estadounidenses" (of mexico) as well.
Something that might be influencing this is that (to my knowledge) the american english vocabulary does not use (generally neutral) "nicknames" for people from other areas, whereas it is common in mexico. For example, people from mexico city are often referred to as "chilangos". This word has almost identical properties with "gringo", it can definitely be used as an insult or as a racial term (shops in northern mexico often display a sign of "serve the country, kill a chilango" and "no admittance to dogs or chilangos") but when outside of mexico city, I describe myself as a chilango, there's even a magazine called "chilango", listing events in mexico city. I admit it's a rather complex use of a word, but then again context should make it clear whether it's meant as an insult or not.
But now Bubba is the expert in the "local lexicon." God save us from self-appointed lexicologists :-) Maybe I'm totally misreading his response about advertising one´s own presence at certain Mexican venues, considering his pride in moving from Ajijic to San Cristobal: perhaps better to assume that his post is meant as self-effacing self-parody.
Geri, I enjoyed your post in the spirit in which you so explicitly asked us to read it: an observation. Thanks.
Gretchen
(This post was edited by bunny on Apr 9, 2007, 7:10 PM)
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