To Most Americans You’re Just “Mexican”—Cuban, Brazilian, Peruvian, Argentine… Same Difference

We have been having a spirited discussion in the forums this week about what the preferred term for someone of Latin American origin is: Latino, Hispanic, or something else. And while this has been a very spirited and educational discussion it is, sadly, completely pointless. Because to the vast majority of non-Hispanic Americans, everyone from South of the Rio Grande—or from the Spanish Speaking Caribbean—is pretty much the same race. And that race is “Mexican.”

Lumping everyone together is what a melting pot is all about

Yeah, colloquially it may vary. In the northeast it’s “Spanish,” and for those who’ve been down here long enough it’s “Cuban,” but the point is, we don’t care to differentiate. Is this ignorant? Sure it is. But at the end of the day we all strive to be one great big happy rainbow-colored melting pot, right? So if we can place everyone in one big giant category of “Mexican,” geographically inaccurate as that may be, it certainly promotes a lot more cultural harmony. If you’re ever offended by this, please remember what the Spanish word for an Asian person is: Chino. And last I checked, there’s a whole lot of Asians outside of China.

I mean, yeah, it’s cute that you have your little Nationalistic Pride down there. It’s charming that you prefer to be referred to as being from some remote region of Bolivia. But please understand that nobody living north of El Paso gives a rat’s ass. If you are blonde-haired and blue eyed and came here from Argentina, and walk into a restaurant in Iowa speaking nothing but Spanish, you know what response you’re going to get?

“Hold on a second there, lemme get Pedro in the back. He speaks Mexican.”

Talk all the sense you want, we really don’t care

In these PC times, I think a lot of people are hesitant to admit it, but it’s the truth your non-Hispanic friends won’t tell you. If your last name ends in a “Z,” most Americans will assume you are Mexican no matter what you say. We really don’t care if your mother is Spanish and your Dad is Italian and they moved to Cuba in 1935. To most Americans, you’re Mexican. You may care to argue that these are actually different ethnic groups. But you know what? We don’t care. Check the “Hispanic” box. Move on.

You don’t see us White folks demanding that you stop calling us “Gringos” and refer to us as Italian-German-Irish-Polish-Jewish Americans. You know why? Because nobody cares where you came from. And we understand that. “Hispanic,” or whatever word you want to use, is really just an adjective, not a cultural description. And if we are all aiming to be Americans here, who cares what word we use, so long as it’s not some type of slur? The fact of the matter is that outside South Florida, Hispanics who view themselves as “white” are still seen in the same light as Salvadorians, Peruvians, or any other nationality from South of the Border by the majority of people. It’s America. Feel free to consider yourself purple if you want. But please be aware that in the rest of the US, you are considered Hispanic. Deal with it, or go back to “My Country.”

Editor’s Note: Originally published August 12, 2010. Updated in 2026 with new photography; Matt Meltzer’s original writing remains unchanged.