Racist comments

being Mexican myself, I relate to your friends story and yours as well. I often hear comments about "mexicans"driving, when in reality they need to say "a person who i think is an illegal alien" but they just say "mexican" I understand that its the closest country to our border that speaks spanish but there are people of many more origins here. People just need to be made aware that if you speak spanish you are not necessarely from mexico.

discussion leader, mom of an 11 year old girl. At this time, she is trying to make it work between raising her and having a full time job!

I am not a Mexican but I am really sick and tired of comments about them, especially in azcentral.com. It has gotten so out of control in the last couple years that I am hardly ever posting a comment there nowadays....

I feel for you!

H~
Mom of 2 Daughters - Kelly (3 yrs) and Skylar (21 mos old)
zoostationu2@hotmail.com

Sometimes it's hard not to let these types of comments get to you. And you have every right to be upset. Unfortunately, there are always going to be ignorant people who make ignorant comments.

I actually get emails from friends that are supposed to be funny and i show them to my husband and he is shocked at them as well. They are completely racist and i don't think people realize this or maybe they think their "white friend" will be amused as well. At first i thought maybe i am just overly sensitive, so i spoke to a friend (who does not send me these types of emails) and she thought the same as i do.

But in all honesty, i have a friend who lives here in the valley and many assume she is Mexican. She is Cuban. But she gets snubbed by Mexicans who at first think she is Mexican, but as soon as she responds to them in Spanish, many have made comments to her "your not Mexican!" She tells them no, she's Cuban and a couple of times she got a response of "oh". What does that mean? She not sure how to take that.

The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.
~ Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)

Well Katy we are in the same boat or maybe I should say back of a pick up truck hiding! lol
My husband is of Mexican decent to and I feel like anytime I say he's "Mexican" I have to also say "don't worry he's an American citizen and legal". Man it pi$$es me off.
I am so tired about hearing about illegal aliens. People from Mexico are not the only ones here illegally, but yet they are talked about like they are and like they are one step below dog (inappropriate term)! Sorry little irate there...
Sheriff Joe is not helping things either; he is stirring up a hornets nest with his "sweeps" of illegal Mexicans. How come that's the only race he focuses on?? There are Oriental, Canadians, Germans, the list goes on but he is all about the Mexicans.
When he started out with the tent city and banning nudie magazines and cigarettes I was all for that, but as he's gotten more attention for being "The toughest Sheriff in America" I think he is believing all the stuff written about him.
I am afraid for my son or some poor Mexican looking kid walking down the road and some redneck idiot just leaving a Sheriff sweep comes across him and hurts him. Why does no one say that this is discrimination in the media? They just seem to say get rid of "them".

bookworm_mom ~ mommy of twins

Turn them in to your HR department.

"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein

I get annoyed by the assumption that Hispanic = illegal. Or Hispanic = promotion. There are other assumptions, and not very nice. I think it's sad we live in such an informed-yet-ignorant world.

My mom shared a story with me last weekend about a nurse who complained to her that she couldn't get an IV in her arm because her skin was "so thick from picking tomatoes." My mom has never picked tomatoes - thrown them maybe. :) We laughed about it because it was so stupid of this apparently educated nurse to say.

At the same time I though how sad and mean that this person would even say this to her just because she's brown. I can choose to make assumptions about this person - how she was raised, how smart she really must be, etc., - but I won't. I take a higher road.

But attitudes such as that do make me wonder how my kids will be treated. They have an Anglo last name, but are - at least in my eyes - obviously of some ethnicity that isn't pale skinned. It's just too bad people can't be color blind.

I also think it's sad that our immigration debate centers around Hispanics of Mexican descent, in particular. Illegal immigration is much more than Hispanics. But it's sad they are the main focus.

Arizona Moms Editor Yvette Armendariz shares stories about raising her kids and tips for busy parents in her Time-starved (goddess) Mom blog. She and her husband are raising two children, ages 8 and 11.

I try not to let it get to me.

I am Hispanic and I try my hardest to not let it get to me. I just feel that the atmosphere in this state right now is very negative towards all Hispanics. One of my friends was pulled over during the Sheriff Joe round-ups in Guadalupe. My friend is as American as can be (she even wears American Eagle, preppy clothes). The cops told her that since her and her friend were looking at all the chaos in the streets that it was suspicious, so that gave them probable cause to pull her over and make her show them, not her I.D., but her social security card. My friend was in tears and I was outraged. I blogged about it on my myspace page and people said that it was okay to do that, I was even more stunned by that reaction.

I marched in the immigration rally, not because I am for open borders (I am far from being for that). I marched because I knew this anti-Mexican sentiment was going to lump me, an American citizen, into the same category, thus stripping away my rights as a citizen. It is becoming okay in people's minds to allow this to go on because since I look Hispanic, I could be illegal. Therefore that means if a person looks Mexican they have less rights as an American than those who do not. Of course this in and of itself causes more racism.

I just wish everyone would stick to the issues and not turn them into a reason to hate. I do not want to be looked at as less than because I am Hispanic and I don't even want these people who come over for a better life to be looked at that way. I have never felt that I could ever be truly an American because of the way I have been treated my entire life growing up in the East Valley (Gilbert). It is hard to grasp at times.

I am sort of grateful, in a sense, because my experiences have led me down the path I am now on. I am going to school for my PHD in Political Science and I plan on writing some political/philosophical books and work for the government or as an activist for a non-profit organizations for equal rights for all Americans.

I too get very tired of all the comments made now a days. I have my own story about racism closer to home that I'll share... Let's just say that someone very close to me was given a scenario about if I was lying on the side of the road not breathing and the only person that could save me (knew CPR and first aide) was a man of another race than ours would this person let their racist feelings get involved or would they let him save me and this person had to think about it!!! That bothers me still to this day that someone would let such negative feelings because of the color of their skin elude some good a person could do.

I hope that I never come off that way to my kids or others. And for the record I believe that there are as many "bad" white folks as there are any other race in the world. I wish people wouldn't see a skin color and assume the worse all the time.

"It's not to late to become who you've always wanted to be..."

I was born and raised in California and I moved to AZ about 4 years ago and I cant tell you how it feels to be a mexican american and live in this state. I have never seen so much racism against hispanics ever in my life until I moved here. My kids sometimes are worried that there dad will be taken back to Mexico..The sheriff is horrible and I wish this changes one day. Anytime bad news comes out on TV, the first thing they do is point at the illegal alien or mexican. Of course, there are bad apples in every race but it seems to me that we "hispanics" are the blame of everything that goes wrong in Arizona. I try so hard not to allow this to bother me but it is very hard when you see it daily.
I had a situation, where I went to the bank with my husband and the customer service rep ask me if my husband required a translator...I was so upset and disgusted. yes, I did go to the manager and I closed my bank account that day....

Blessed wife and mother of 12 yr old, 8yr old, & 3yr old and a baby arriving in May 2009.

I think that with all of the illegal alien problems that we are having people are degrading hispanics so that it makes it easier not to like them. I personally think it's cowardace. Hispanic's are people too. They have been here for a long time, and as far as I'm concerned being caucasian. I am what is considered the minority. I don't feel bad about it, and I don't think there is anything wrong with having a diverse country.

I think it's sad the Mexican government is greedy, and lets Warlords, Drug Lords, and gang members run their country. I'm sure the last thing that people want is to leave their country, and their families to come over here to work alone.

I feel blessed to have a diverse culture.

Lisa - Mom to her spunky little Scarlette

A lot of people cant tell im of Mexican desent and always make these comments to me. Some of my boyfriends friends, would alwyas say well those mexicans are the ones doing it and blah blah. After they make the statement they always say, o sorry Jackie, but your not really mexican. I dont know why I get the not really mexican comment, it really bothers me that they say I dont "act" Mexican. They say its because of how I dress and talk among other things. I always stand up for myself because I feel its not fair, the term Mexican is used in negative terms to much sometimes. There is too much of a stereotype around that word.

I agree that there is a lot of negativity toward hispanic cultures here that it is unjustified. I cannot say I understand first hand but I do also get frustrated when people send jokes or make comments that are offensive to another race. I grew up in Chicago and there was a very diverse background of people there but there wasn't as much "finger pointing or name calling."

I do have to say though, that comments like people "certain of their white superiority" or " any redneck getting off a sweep" are not much better.

I used to be a big supporter of Sheriff Joe and still feel the work he does in the prisons is good but I also think that he is on a power trip and that he needs to be reeled in a little.

I gave up hiding my heritage over 20 years ago...after realizing that by hiding it, I was contributing to racism myself.

While you may not feel comfortable confronting that person because you were not a direct party to the conversation, you can certainly find ways to make it known that you embrace diversity.

My mom is very obviously Hispanic whereas me and my children are not. We had one lady ask her if she was my kids' nanny when we were out one day!! I immediate stepped in and said, "Wow - how great you think my mom looks so young you wouldn't think she's the grandma."

Pitiful.

Mouse_tales is a discussion leader in the East Valley for arizonamoms.com. She spends most of her days juggling her duties as a (bio & step) mom, wife, and business owner. Her three little kittens range in age from 5 to 13.

My husband feels the same as you, being that our boys are half Mexican and I am of Mexican, but I just remind him, that people are just ignorant that is why they talk about us a whole and generalize. To be honest with you, it doesn't bother me anymore.

However, when I am around my family (not all, but some) and they are like "white people this, white people that!" It really gets under my skin, especially since some of them have never really interacted with people of a different race. It bugs me because of assumptions they make.

When are people going to look beyond one's skin color? It's sad really.

Drea

My parents are both Mexican (Dad born in CA, Mom in Mexico) and my Dad immigrated my Mom back in '63. My Dad always taught me to say I was Mexican-Amercian anytime I was asked, or if we visited family in Mexico, that's what I was to tell the border patrol. Not to say that one race was better than the other, but to not forget I was of Mexican descent and the values we hold close, but also to remember that I was American, and to value those ways as well. My father worked the fields, months at a time with no visit in sight, only a phone call every Sunday. I feel for those people that work the fields, because honestly, I would be fired because I'd be complaining too much, it's too hot, my nails are dirty, my back hurts, etc.

Anyhoot, I live in the Maryvale area, actually grew up there. I own a nice home, I have a job, I am married and we have 4 kids. I'M SICK OF HAVING TO HIDE THE TRUTH. Not everyone that lives in this area is an illegal, thug, drug dealer, etc. I'm tired of it. It has me stressed out. I'm angry. I'm embarrassed. I'm scared. I do want immigration reform, but what do the insults, jokes, and snares have to do with fixing the problem?

Thank you Katy1999, for pointing this out. I realize that I shouldn't be ashamed of where I come from and who we are.

Anna - mama of Joshua, Isabella, Sofia and Israel

My parents are both Mexican (Dad born in CA, Mom in Mexico) and my Dad immigrated my Mom back in '63. My Dad always taught me to say I was Mexican-Amercian anytime I was asked, or if we visited family in Mexico, that's what I was to tell the border patrol. Not to say that one race was better than the other, but to not forget I was of Mexican descent and the values we hold close, but also to remember that I was American, and to value those ways as well. My father worked the fields, months at a time with no visit in sight, only a phone call every Sunday. I feel for those people that work the fields, because honestly, I would be fired because I'd be complaining too much, it's too hot, my nails are dirty, my back hurts, etc.

Anyhoot, I live in the Maryvale area, actually grew up there. I own a nice home, I have a job, I am married and we have 4 kids. I'M SICK OF HAVING TO HIDE THE TRUTH. Not everyone that lives in this area is an illegal, thug, drug dealer, etc. I'm tired of it. It has me stressed out. I'm angry. I'm embarrassed. I'm scared. I do want immigration reform, but what do the insults, jokes, and snares have to do with fixing the problem?

Thank you Katy1999, for pointing this out. I realize that I shouldn't be ashamed of where I come from and who we are.

Anna - mama of Joshua, Isabella, Sofia and Israel

I agree with "ME" when she said that It's crazy that people actually see nothing wrong with comments like this.. I don't understand this? How can they not see what is wright and wrong??? I deal with this a lot from my in-laws, they are very good country "West Texas" people and when they come for a visit I always feel like before I introduce the to my friends I have to explain them and apologize for anything that might be offensive that comes out of their mouths... Like for example my best friend is African American and not long after she had her son she was at my house with him and we were talking about raising a child in Arizona and whether or not she was going to put him in swimming lessons, my in-laws were visiting and out of the blue one of them said "I didn't know blacks swam"?. I think they are serious and not trying to be rude but OMG, I was so offended. Later I asked my best friend about it and she just said she didn't hear the comment. Even if I know they were not trying to be mean it really upset me and I had my husband say something later to them. I don't think they even realized it... crazy! About a year later they were talking about there crops in West Texas and one of them mentioned the crop hands and she used the term "wetback", I furiously looked at my husband and he right away said "Mother, you can't say that!!" She didn't understand why not because that was what she had always called the crop hands growing up... I just don't understand it... AND I am from south Texas and we just didn't separate people like that, either you were nice and a friend or you were not a friend...period...didn't matter your skin color...

Elizabeth is a discussion leader for arizonamoms she writes about everything from her needing mommy advice to crazy and silly stuff that happens. She lives in the West Valley with her husband and 3 children.

Growing up in Texas I heard so many people saying the "N" word or "wetback" or even "chink" that by the age of 12 when we moved hear I am sure that I had used at least one of those words. When we moved to AZ though I never used them again. When I talk to people from Texas they still use them and some of them say it with malicious intent and some say them because that's what they've always said and they don't see it as disrespectful. I know a group of rodeo guys who are white, black, Mexican and mixed and they all call each other those names when referencing each other, but it is acceptable to them because they've been friends for so long and they don't say the words with hate, but with affection??? Weird as it may seem it works for them. That is obviously the exception to the rule and I and most of my other friends could never speak that way.
My dad still says some of those words to this day and I'm married to a Mexican!
I don't consider myself spreading hatred when I call my family "rednecks". As a family that's what we've always said about ourselves and I know there are some stupid, ignorant people in my own extended family so that's why I made the redneck comment the other day. The point I was trying to make though is because of people like Sheriff Joe and other ignorant people some person who looks Mexican is going to get hurt because of this raging immigration debate. Sheriff Joe is a fool to make these sweeps and think he's going to get rid of the immigration problem that way??? I see this as purely political on his part and he needs to be stopped.
Someone made a comment about how we “Americans” took the land from Indians and Mexicans when we first came over to this country. Isn’t that interesting? We are all immigrants and we came over and asked for help from the Indians and they helped us and the thanks they got were the murders of their people, dieses, and the gradually elimination of their lands, their food and their way of life. Did you know that when they would take anything from the Earth, whether it was a tree or an animal they would give back in some way? To keep the balance was their belief and to nourish the Earth. A proud nation of people have been pushed onto land no one wanted and have had serious health problems (mental and physical) and have fallen below the poverty level in a lot of cases. Now I know this is not true for every Native American but it is the truth for a lot of them, one just has to do a couple of searches on the internet to find these sad facts.
The people of Mexico had their land taken in a similar fashion as well.
And yet people all are all up in arms about these “illegal immigrants”. Now I know something does need to be done to have a contestant ruling, but spreading hatred??
I know this was a long post, but sometimes ya just gotta get it off yer chest!

bookworm_mom ~ mommy of twins

It does tick me off too. A friend of mine said something to me the other day that was dirogatory and racist and I just said "that's not fair to say." I am sure it didn't change her point of view, but it at least let her know not everyone agrees with her. She reframed the sentance in a way that wasn't offensive and we continued the conversation.

I am surprised at how people allow Muslims to be slammed and spoken about poorly also. They are often spoken as one group, when they are not at all. Christians are not all alike, Muslims are not all alike. I lived among Muslims in Africa and have never been so well looked after in my life. Most all of them are wonderful, family loving, good hearted people.

Lovemy4 is a discussion leader for North Central Phoenix, tired mother of 4 great kids and wife to one great husband.

I agree that the immigration sweeps are stirring up alot of annimosity and anger that is getting out of control. It wont be long till citizens will start commiting hate crimes. I think people are using this as an excuse to make racist remarks. You can read them on the posts on AZ Central. I read one comment that said "I hope all mexicans die and their babies starve to death". How horrible is that!

There goes my hero- Watch him as he goes