Over the past year, hate targeted towards Hispanic people, in and outside the U.S., has been running rampant at a disgusting rate. From mass deportations to hate crimes happening daily, the America many Hispanic citizens or migrants have dedicated their lives to has turned its back on them.
Hispanic presence and culture are nothing new to America. Cultural ties and especially Spanish influence are rooted throughout history. So why now? Why does a fraction of Americans deny this cross-culturalism?
The reason is that many Americans treat Hispanic culture in a selective manner. They tend to ignore the hardships and acknowledge only what entertains or benefits them.
People love to watch and praise Sofía Vergara for her role in Modern Family, but ignore the fact that someone who isn’t in the spotlight, like the everyday Latina American woman, is facing mass discrimination in their own communities and others.
Almost every wedding reception I’ve been to has blasted “Gasolina” regardless of whether they understand the words, just because it has a good beat. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance was criticized for being “un-American” or too “difficult to understand,” just because they didn’t like his songs. People tend to celebrate Hispanic culture when it’s fun and easy but reject it when it requires understanding and respect.
Hollywood loves Hispanic culture when it’s colorful, musical, or high energy. Coco, for example, is loved by both children and adults, even though everyone cries over the soundtrack, especially “Remember Me.” However, when Hispanic actors demand equal pay, directors push for authentic storytelling, or when films portray the real political struggles Hispanic communities face, suddenly the support disappears.
For many, family vacations or spring break are the perfect time to head to Mexico, Puerto Rico, or the Dominican Republic. Heading to tourist locations, enjoying the beach and nightlife, but choosing to be blind to economic exploitation, natural disasters, and class disparities doesn’t seem fair. Choosing to go to the biggest resort and contributing to capitalism, while ignoring the situation of people who live in these everyday places, is another example of a lack of cultural respect.
Most American students learn more about Cinco de Mayo than they do about the long history of Latino civil rights activism. People love to have Taco Tuesday, or make enchiladas on Cinco de Mayo, just for “fun.” Hispanic history is often glazed over, with many people having a very close-minded approach to Hispanic ties to American history.
When a culture’s contributions are minimized in classrooms, it becomes easier for society to minimize its people outside of them.
In today’s political climate, not only is education important, but influence as well. When people in high positions of power implement policies to degrade and directly impact the Hispanic community, while making verbal, sickening comments, it is no doubt that at least a fraction of their supporters will begin saying the same things.
This isn’t just about music or food; it’s about humanity. When people feel comfortable dehumanizing Hispanic immigrants, mocking accents, or dismissing entire communities as “illegal,” it creates an environment where discrimination becomes normalized. When people fail to see the hypocrisy in wearing a MAGA hat into a Mexican restaurant, or choose to repost an immigration detention video because it’s “funny,” it’s hard to believe this discrimination doesn’t already exist.
Cultural disrespect doesn’t stay cultural either. It becomes political, social, and deeply personal. It affects families, safety, opportunity, and dignity.
Respecting Hispanic culture means respecting the Hispanic people among you, consistently, not selectively. It means valuing their voices as much as their food, their stories as much as their music, their rights as much as their holidays. You can’t celebrate the culture some days and support actions to dehumanize the community on others. Real appreciation requires awareness, empathy, and action.