Latino vs. Hispanic The Politics of Ethnic Names
A name is a first impression. It is the first thing that explains to others who you are, what you do and what you are all about. Group names can elicit immediate emotions and those emotions can cover a wide range. Different groups will also react to different group names as well. A group gains a lot of power by choosing a name that is meaningful to them. On the other side, they can lose a lot of power by being referred to as something they disagree with or do not believe in.
Names can also vary depending on politics and regions. Hispanic was used more often by the right while Latino was used more by the left and the southwest used the term Hispanic almost exclusively . When looking at the power and meaning behind a group name, it is also important to look at what lens is being place on the group. Is it regional, political, cultural?
