Any Hispanic Acceptees?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>DHA_10/06-
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They start it on their own. I am a URM, and white people have never been racist against my family or I, however, I cannot say the same for black individuals.

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<p>I am a half white (Italian and Irish) and half American Indian female. I look white. I have blue eyes. I will give you some examples of racism from whites, since most people on this site seem to base their beliefs about "that one person with the 1100 who got in" or "my cousin didn't get in but someone who was black with a lower SAT did!". </p>

<p>1) I was being interviewed by the Boston Globe at an Indian studies conference at which I was speaking. I wore some of my traditional tribal outfit, which the reporter questioned me about. I explained the meaning, and he asked "so you don't wear that around every day? How can people tell you are Indian then? You don't LOOK Indian?!" Racism- stereotyping of genotypic identity of a group. Belief that Indian/minority culture is static and unchanging- ie, Indians all still wear feathers instead of regular clothes that everyone wears. </p>

<p>2) My boyfriend is fullblood Indian and much darker than me. On three occasions in CT, OK, and UT, he has went in to rent a hotel room and been told "there are no rooms left". I go in moments later and not only procure a room, but am given my choice of smoking, nonsmoking, and what bed arrangement I want. Racism- denial of services is common among Indians who are dark skinned.</p>

<p>3) My elderly dark-skinned aunt, who is college educated, very religious, and never drinks, has been pulled over with me in the car. Reason- the cop wanted "to check if she was drunk". She was breathalized and made to walk a straight line. Racism- police harrassment and racial profiling of "the drunk Indian". No charges were filed because she was doing nothing wrong.</p>

<p>4) I have walked into stores in Cambridge or Boston with dark skinned Indian friends and been told that "the Hispanic McDonalds/clothing store/etc" is next door- we don't speak Spanish here in this shop. Racism- stereotyping all dark-skinned people to be Latino/unable to speak English. Not outright denial of services available to other customers, but definately a strong encouragement to leave the establishment. </p>

<p>5) My white cousins (who interestingly enough are from the Boston area) have told me I am going to hell because I am half American Indian and therefore dirty. My father was encouraged to leave his wife and children at home and come to family events alone. Racism- segregation and insults based on skin color.</p>

<p>6) People have assumed that I was babysitting my little brother and sister who are more "Indian looking" than me and made comments about how cute the little colored children are. Racism- stereotyping of phenotype. </p>

<p>DHA_10/06- I am glad that you have never experienced racism. I grew up in an area with a large Latino population and any of my friends can relay numerous similar experiences. I have chosen these experiences because I feel that they are common ones. I think that many minorities I know could substitute Indian for their racial heritage, or may find themselves identifying with examples I have presented. This is why I believe that racism exists in America. I have experienced it.</p>

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<p>Please note that I am not complaining. I am not trying to say that anything is "due" to me. On my SATs, I scored three 800s- 800 verbal and 800 on 2 SAT IIs. However, some <em>white</em> people will always feel that "I am that one with the 1100, who benefitted from AA, who must be drunk" because of my background. This is why people's perceptions of minorities must change. This is accomplished by learning and growing in a diverse university setting, where people realize that "hey, we are all human, we are much more alike than different".</p>

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<p>EAS, thank you for those posts.</p>

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<p>I am truly sorry to hear that. I am grateful my family or I have never had to experience that. I understand now that racism is still prevalent amoung many people and that attitude has to change. Minorities, however, can also do things to ameliorate the situation. Even if you are poor, you dont have to dress in "gansta" clothes. You dont have to spend thousands on "rimms" for your car. I know not all minorities are like this, but from what I see day to day, this is how the situation is. No one is to blame for that but them. It has to start on the inside. Due to the way they act, talk, and go about, their fellow minorities have to suffer for it. Its their own doing, and they are destroying the ones that are want to succeed and make something of themselves. Here people associate latinos as thieves, lazy individuals, etc. They bring it upon themselves, this in turn causes racism towards the other half that are trying to better everything for themselves and their families</p>

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<p>Latinos lazy hah! Is my cousin, a Hispanic, who has to work two jobs to put food on the table lazy? Is my grandma, a Hispanic, who had to work 14 hours a day cleaning toilets lazy? Is my aunt, a Hispanic, who had to work all day only to go to night school in a fervent attempt to get a high school diploma lazy? This list goes on. These people are not lazy and I resent blatant stereotypes of minorities.</p>

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<p>Too bad. Not all of them embrace hard work ethic.</p>

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<p>The reasons poor people spend money on ridiculous useless things such as clothes and rims do not contradict their socioeconomic status.</p>

<p>They buy rims because they have not been educated, as rich people have, in the art of saving money, or going to the bank, or getting a credit card, etc.</p>

<p>They buy stuff like that because they can barely afford them but it gives them the kind of status in their neighborhood that they can never have in a competitive world outside their community.</p>

<p>IT is the same reasons why mob bosses, drug lords, rappers, etc who grow up poor spend a lot of their money on clothes instead of say, charity or savings or starting their own company. It is kind of a "because I can (and i couldn't before)". </p>

<p>Hispanics cannot be characterized as lazy. The reason they are is because Americans view them all as one group. Sure, it is more likely for, say, an upper-middle class MExican immigrant (which are most of the immigrants coming from MExico these days) and his descendants to be lazy because they never had to work in Mexico. On the other hand, a rural Peruvian, Salvadoran, Nicaraguan, etc from an actual impoverished country will work for every penny. The criminal stereotype is just the result of poverty. They do not bring this upon themselves, their poverty does. They come from dangerous countries where it is "kill or be killed" and it is the only way they know to survive and, if they are lucky, thrive. It would be a little ignorant to demand more of a war refugee from El Salvador or Colombia who has been victim to a corrupt government and crime-ridden society and has no reason to trust rich Americans who don't speak his language. I know many Hispanics (real ones, not like 4th generation) who view white people as lazy because they use machines to do all their work and whatever they cannot do with machines (like rake leaves) they pay someone else to do.</p>

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<p>my mother has worked worked everyday of her life, and I agree not all of them are lazy. However it is unfair to say that just because you are poor, you are uneducated about finance and saving. You are all forgetting that I live in this; I see it. These people have no excuse. They dont study because they dont want to. I see it. Their stupid, lazy behavior causes racism towards the ones of us that actually want to succeed. Know what happens therefore, social natural selection. Few of us will rise into the elite, and hopefully make a change for those others that are unable to do it for themselves. Hopefully few minorities will rise, however, the rest will remain in the @@@@. BECAUSE THEY WANT TO. You suburban kids cannot say anything to a person who lives amoung them.</p>

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<p>I respect you, your experiences and your opinions. I will ask, however, that you do not think your opinion is universal truth because you think everyone else is a rich suburban kid. I am an immigrant from Colombia, have lived among immigrants my entire live and identify with their struggles. I lived the first 8 years of my life in the most crime-ridden city on earth and experienced the same laziness and crime that you speak of on a scale that exceeds a stereotype. People CHOOSE not to study, you're right about that, but it is directly proportional to income. When your parents did not study and your family income has nothing to do with study habits and when the wealthiest people in your small, poor community are not college-educated professionals but perhaps lucky people or criminals, it is easy to see why you would not value your studies as much as someone from a different background. Maybe you live among them and maybe you are more conscious of the value of studying, which is admirable, but you cannot be the standard. </p>

<p>Know that we are past that, even if HIspanics in the US are generally worse students than the average or whatever, it does not justify racism. Nothing does. People have to put the laziness and other problems into perspective. Of course, if I have chosen to study but I just as easily could have been one of they lazy people. You cannot deny that income, regardless of the race, has a direct correlation with behavior. I do not know about east asian cultures because it is a whole different thing, but in the West, whites, native americans, blacks, hispanics, everybody is less likely to study hard if they are poor and do not see the point of studying. </p>

<p>When I lived in Colombia, the only rich people I saw were all criminals or corrupt cops or liars in the government. Everyone else was essentially desperately poor, and i mean 3rd world poverty, hunger, no drinking water, etc. The road to success was deceit, murder, and theft. Only when I came to the United States did I see a different way of life. I know that for immigrants from other countries or kids from the "inner city", it is no different. </p>

<p>Unfortuantely for you, DHA, I CAN say something to you. Although you live among them, you definitely do not understand them. Maybe if you stopped believing yourself superior and actually experienced what their outlook is like, you could see why they are stupid and lazy.</p>

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<p>DHA_10/06- Look around your neighborhood. Do you see more check cashing stores, post dated check loan stores, and pawn shops than banks? Do you know people who can balance a checkbook? Or are stores with money orders available the norm? I am from one of the poorest cities in the northeast. Don't give me the line of "I see it, I know". You know what you've lived...and it seems that your perception of reasons why poor or minority people cannot save money is not based in reality. When there are more places available to get quick cash then banks offering savings accounts, and, moreover, how to use those checkbooks, then people will continue to take advantage of the resources, as scanty as they might be, that are the only ones in their area.</p>

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<p>"Unfortuantely for you, DHA, I CAN say something to you. Although you live among them, you definitely do not understand them. Maybe if you stopped believing yourself superior and actually experienced what their outlook is like, you could see why they are stupid and lazy."</p>

<p>I am superior to them. I cant even afford these ridiculous "rimms" we speak of. They are lazy. Not all of course, but the majority, and money has nothing to do with it. </p>

<p>Throughout my life I have traveled to Peru (where my mother is from). That country is in a state of crisis. The corruption is rampant and more than half of the population lives in poverty. However, you know what? That country is teh capital of education in South America. Ive seen poor kids leaving literaly their shack to go to school. For the STATE universities there are upwards of 50,000 applicants applying for around 2,500 spots. The competition is rigourous. All of these people are poor, yet they still strive for education because they know that is the only way they can elevate themselves. Nonetheless, even so, even if you are a professional in those countries (My aunts and uncles who are engineers and accountants) you can hardly get a job. Thats why my aunt has to cut hair and my uncle has to be a keep of a little shop. Its disgusting the situation these people live, and they still strive. Now, therefore, the root of the problem in America cannot be identified as poverty, its actually the opposite; wealth. Many individuals in this country do not appreciate what they have. Compared to many other nations, we actually have the basic human rights (shelter, food, water, etc). Around 80 percent of the free world does not have this. If you really want to study, there are community colleges. You can go there, afterwards go to a regular university and get your degree. This degree, whether in law, engineering, etc get you a job. I have seen many people, poor people, goi through this situation and now they drive a Hummer H2, Mercedes kompressors, etc. It is because they have earned it. Futhermore, back to the discussion, poverty is not the issue in America. Sure there are poor, I am poor. There are government programs, nevertheless, that actually pose a detriment to these people. Who cares about working when you can go cash a welfare or social security check the following friday? If these people were exposed to the situation "Dont work, dont eat," how their counterpart hispanics and africans in other countries are, they would definitely chose to work. It is because of governent sustaining them that they can keep leading this lifestyle. What happens when you spoil a child? They lose their sense of value and ethic of work. How do you think the U.S.S.R was able to shift abruptly to a somewhat decent industrial economy completely from an agrarian one? Given, they did kill and starve a bunch of people, but see what that caused? I dont belive we should implement those hainous actions, however, we should stop spoiling the child. Its enough. We are tied down with several wars, New Orleans and Mississipi are basically destroyed and we hav bigger issues to deal with. And your wrong Leezy, it is because I live amoung them that I can understand them.</p>

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<p>Forgive my grammar...heat of the moment.</p>

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<p>Dont give me that crap EAS. There are banks, if you look for them. Where I live all those places that you descrive exist, however, if you want to save your money you'll find a way. Like my mother did, and how I later on did aswell. Handout have to stop. And they will; 2 new vacancies in the supreme court.</p>

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<p>DHA it appears that you have a superiority complex. Many people regret their minority backgrounds. You seem to imply that there is some "genetic" defect in Hispanics and blacks that causes them to be lazy. If you do not believe in a genetic defect, than you must be blaming the society and culture. I can agree with you that the society of many URMs is not conducive to education and progress. But please do not imply that URMs are naturally lazy.</p>

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<p>DHA, I know you think welfare programs are spoiling people, but I do not think that Peru should serve as an example. I actually agree that the United States has a destructive attitude toward its great wealth. But, on that same note, the United States is also a very competitive country. You have tons of outsourcing to highly educated poor countries like India, so I can only understand that people do not take school seriously when their public school will almost certainly not take them as far or give them as much satisfaction as a low-paying job with tons of free time, crime, or other options taht do not require a high school education.<br>
I want you to get over the fact that you think you live among poor hispanics and nobody else does because there are millions of them. </p>

<p>I know you think you live among them and know everythign about them, but it is a well known fact that hispanics, particularly immigrants, are reluctant to go to a bank because they 1)don't know how and 2) are scared they willbe deported. Seeing as though you have been to Peru, you should understand that this apprehension toward the United States and its financial and legal authorities exists.</p>

<p>Anyway, you have an opinion and, as I said before, I agree taht excessive wealth in the US can lead to SOME laziness but, among hispanics, there are otehr factors. </p>

<p>Where I REALLY disagree with you is that you think only your opinion is valid because you live among hispanics. I am an immigrant, do not forget, and I come from a poor and dangerous country. My opinion has as much validity as yours and anyone elses, you are not this nobel-deserving expert on this "issue" and should not speak as such. Secondly, Peru is NOT in a state of crisis and if you with to speak for, in your own words, "hispanics and africans", you should first realize that Peru is a safe, relatively stable country. The people are poor, I know because I have been to Lima and the rural Andean areas and have lived with a poor peasant family. But, you must realize that the "lazy criminals" in the US come from different backgrounds. Peru has not seen violence or organized crime ever, except for the Shining Path socialists more than 15 years ago. Seeing as though your relatives are engineers and accountants, then you cannot even speak for the majority of the Peruvian population. But the lazy Hispanic population is coming from Central America, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and other countries much more chaotic than Peru and with a tremendous degree of crime and violence. In Peru, Bolivia, Argentina (of course, richer), and other relatively calm countries, people have learned that hard work will lead to success. In my country, Colombia, as with many others, hard work will not lead to success, it will lead to poverty. People in Colombia do not know how to save money or go to a bank, and if you really knew what Peru was like, you would see that Peruvians do not either. Latin America and Africa, in general, are countries where people do not save, they spend every time they earn a cent. </p>

<p>You may have your own experiences, but I have mine. I only realized that people could work hard, save money and succeed when I came to the US. Before, I was consumed by a culture of crime, poverty and violence in my country. Speak for yourself, but do not speak for Peru, or LAtin America, or Africa and when you do speak for yourself, do it with some humility. It is ridiculous that you are taking your opinion as truth simply because you think you are poor. I could say the same about myself, but I know what poverty is really like. I have seen it in Peru, in Colombia. I have talked to peasants displaced by violence and have volunteered at a foundation in one of the world's most dangerous slums. Even so, I recognize that your opinoins have some, and may have more, validity and that my opinions could be totally wrong. You on the other hand, consider yourself a voice for a community you criticize excessively.</p>

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<p>I know you think you live among them and know everythign about them, but it is a well known fact that hispanics, particularly immigrants, are reluctant to go to a bank because they 1)don't know how and 2) are scared they willbe deported. Seeing as though you have been to Peru, you should understand that this apprehension toward the United States and its financial and legal authorities exists</p>

<p>Dont give me that crap. My mother came here from the same situation. An abusivwe mother who beat my grandmother and hurt his kids. She came as an illegal immigrant. However she was intelligent enough to find out about the fiscal system of the United States. While other latinas spent their time going to the nail salon and going to claim their check from Children and Families, she read, investigated and became educated. If she would have wanted, she could have abused the welfare system and obtained so much more. I actually could have been a middle class suburban kid. However, that was not the right thing to do. And she knew it, and now I know it. You do not know what I have been through, you dont even know me. Dont assume because I state these things that I am an outsider. Im sorry you belive these things, you may come from a situation, and so do I. </p>

<p>"It is ridiculous that you are taking your opinion as truth simply because you think you are poor. I could say the same about myself, but I know what poverty is really like"</p>

<p>Yea rich kid I know how poverty is defined, and how it is defined in the US and I am poor.</p>

<p>"you are not this nobel-deserving expert on this "issue" and should not speak as such"</p>

<p>Yea your nobel deserving expert is some rich white guy who analyzes the situation from the outside and blames the government.</p>

<p>I dont have time to argue with your point of view. Even though I do understand your arguments, and I do believe you have validity in what you say, you cannot descredit the fact that the majority of these people are not hard workers and spend their time doing other, less productive thing. This type of behavior and political correctness is ruining this country, and in the long run will destroy it. These people have to learn this one way or another. And if you dont want the latter to happend, drastic measures have to be taken.</p>

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<p>Sorry a correction "An abusive father"</p>

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<p>And some more grammar I.E Happend should be Happen</p>

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<p>these people will destroy the united states??</p>

<p>I'll get back to that in a second, but call me rich kid again and I will begin to think you are mentally insane. I have, time and time again, expressed respect for your opinions and have additionally disproved your predetermined view of me as a rich suburban kid with no experience in another environment. Secondly, I know you know how poverty is defined, but seeing as though you are posting with much regularity on an online post and have access to the internet, which only the world's fortunate have (yes, that includes myself), do not speak to me as if I were an outsider and you were the poor kid. </p>

<p>Back to the issue at hand, I will reiterate the my opinion regarding laziness. Yes, the US is a lazy country, we agree about that. Yes, that is damaging the US in the world market, another agreement. But will lazy Hispanics destroy the United States? Absolutely not. First of all, Hispanics are probably the hardest workers in the United States. Notice how it is a well respected fact across teh political spectrum that immigrants take jobs other people would not take. Secondly, even if Hispanics were to spread the laziness plague around the US, there are many lazy countries that are doing just fine and are all but destroyed. In western Europe, people work a lot less than in the United States, no problems there. Sure I would prefer for there to be a better attitude towards work but, even with a great influx of poor immigrants from North Africa, France and Italy continue to be the laziest countries on the planet. If your attitude toward welfare and these types of issues is somehow related to affirmative action, then I want you to know that i think AA is some ********. I also want you to know that my family has never benefitted from deceit or cheating the system, my mother never went to college, my father studied in the US on a Ford Foundation scholarship, and we have since spent almost all our money buying my relatives a trip to the United States, including my uncle who was kidnapped for ransom and my cousin whose small business was bombed and my grandmother who has been paying "protection money" to the MAfia for over 15 years. </p>

<p>You are obviously stereotyping me as some government-blamer you have encountered before. this is false, in case you haven't noticed. I am only taking this issue from the point of view of a poor immigrant, an average one, not your virtuous mother or your family, but the kind of person even you know is the average hispanic. There are inherent flaws in the welfare system and outside the welfare system that contribute to laziness, and I will not speculate on the issue. I will only add taht government welfare programs CAN be successful and that if you did some research on Chilean, Brazilian, British and Costa Rican welfare policy you would find out for yourself that a good welfare program can exist. </p>

<p>I am not being politically correct, I am only trying my best to be logically correct. I admire your family for working hard and providing you with these opportunities, the same way I am thankful for my family's efforts, but please not that sympathy for the poor is not political correctness, it is moral correctness. Also note that laziness in the US has nothing to do with the welfare program, because both poorer and richer countries have succeeded in providing their people with a stable, reliable welfare program free of loopholes. Go to a country where there is no welfare (and I do not if Peru is like this, so I will not speculate) and you will see the effects of poverty. They are social stratification, tension between rich and poor, crime, a large incompetent and unemployed population, and, finally, a rebellion of the poor, which in my country has escalated to a civil war that has lasted over 40 years.</p>

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<p>DHA_10/06- I am not giving you crap. How come these services do not exist in white neighborhoods?</p>