cring

... hinges their classification on Spain. Of course- “Latin America” as a concept and term also comes through the Spanish, “Latin America” being transliterated from What the Spanish referred to south and Central America by. In that case- “Latin America” doesn’t refer to language but ethnicity, and “Latino” is likewise not linguistic classification but ethnic. This is problematic as well- especially when you consider the Caribbean is included in the classification of “Latin America” through the system passed down by the Spanish.

Now- MANY, perhaps most countries in south and Central America, and even Mexico share quite a few similarities with little differences, some from colonization and some through their own interactions or shared histories. They are however distinct ethnic identities- much the same as English is largely a Germanic language, American culture and cuisine does share many superficial similarities, America, Canada, France, the UK- we all share certain roots and have similarities in culture and food and language- Scotland and Ireland aren’t the same and neither in Britain or Wales- America and Canada are very different and those identities are different too. Even within the USA- the very “Red” Sandiego California is less than a days drive from the very “blue” Bay Area. Get on a plane for a couple hours and head to Galveston Texas though and you’ll see another shift.

or you know just say latine, and replace the o/a endings with a more easily pronounced e, or say latinche, if you really like the x.

So classically- a “Hispanic” person could be Latino, but not all Latinos would be Hispanic- and vice versa.... it all gets rather messy and the underlying problems being:
1. Many people still don’t know the actual meanings of those words and how to use them.
2. Wether one knows the meanings or not- when using those words to refer to a person or group in a general sense without knowing their specific culture and heritage- there’s a good chance you’d misapply them.
3. Many people who could be classified under these groups would find the classification offensive.
Many Americans would be offended to be called British- even more so if our colonization with Britain was much more recent in our history. Many Irish would be offended to be classified as British. We can call it silly- but men often get offended being called women or referred to with feminine pronouns even in men came from a woman. Identity is a tricky thing. Most people take some offense at some point to being called...

... something which they are not, or something they don’t see themselves as. When this occurred frequently- we tend to develop a sensitivity to it.

On the other end of that problem however is that- let’s be honest- we can’t expect every person on earth to have an encyclopedic knowledge of every single country and unique region within that country, the history, ethnic groups, and politics of every self identified group on earth. At the end of the day, we are all ignorant. Ignorance isn’t a malicious thing or even necessarily a “bad” thing- even if we often see it as an insult or negative term. We don’t know everything. There are things everyone is ignorant about. So we certainly need to work at being understanding and patient of the innocent ignorance of others, and acknowledge our own ignorance and allow ourselves to be corrected and not let our pride get in the way of illuminating our ignorance- lest it become willful ignorance- which is often a negative thing.

That said- there are many countries and many unique ethnic groups and such in south and Central America as well as Mexico and the Caribbean etc. many if not most people who don’t have roots or relations in these places have little or no direct or regular dealings or interactions with these countries and groups- but as a matter of prudence, as humans we need a way to classify people of a broad spectrum who share certain geographical, linguistic, culinary, or other similarities into categories that can be applied when we are speaking in abstract or of a person who’s precise heritage and specifics are unknown; but fits a general idea.

So personally- I agree. I am not fond of the label “latinx” primarily because it is still carrying the “Latin” root and is one letter off from “Latino.” I understand that linguistically and politically, the changing of that single letter creates a new self created group designation. I also support the concept that it is the right of all sentient beings to self identify and not have identity imposed upon them- if Australians wanted their country to be called “Rainbowtopia” it would be respectful to refer to the nation as such- likewise it wouldn’t be respectful to call them “Kangaroosians” because that isn’t the name they have self identified as.

I don’t particularly like the name “Latinx” from a branding or language standpoint and would myself have probably gone with something else- BUT, meh. It’s like a baby. If someone else names their baby “Apple” or “Kevin” or whatever- that’s what they chose. You can name your baby whatever you think is cool, and even if you think their baby name isn’t great- you likely wouldn’t start calling “Kevin” “Alicia” because that sounds better to you. (Yes- you may choose a nickname like “Kev” but not only is that a form of their name- once the child was old enough they would choose for themselves- Not all Williams like being called William and not all Williams will like being called Bill. Usually people will say their preferred name or correct someone using a form of their name they don’t like.)

So Elijah or Elliot may go by Eli, or they might ask you to call them their given name instead- or like many people they might go by a middle name or a completely different name all together. Legally you CAN call them whatever you want. Trying to get Elijahs attention across a crowded room yelling “steve” may not work well- apologizing to Sadie by saying “I’m sorry Jenny” is likely to piss her off more instead of make her forgive... and most of us who are mature adults wouldn’t have someone introduced and tell us: “Hello, my name is Margot” and reply “nah. You look more like a Hannah to me. You’re Hannah now. Nice to meet you Hannah.” It’s all a sticky wicket I suppose.

No

I pronounced it as (lateenx), but I've heard it pronounced (latin x). I don't even fucking know what to think anymore

I just want you guys to know that actual queer latin american people use "Latine" as a gender neutral term for latin american people. like as much as you wanna denounce it from the stand point that it's not traditional, we use it, it is a part of our vocabulary. And we face that kind of denouncement from other latines as well but if you wanna use the argument that ALL latine people denounce i'd suggest you find a different argument.

I mean- I’m gonna stick to my overall stance that an individual or group have the right to self identify as whatever they want, and as a matter of respect, others should generally address them as such. One is free to like or dislike a name- and I don’t think having an opinion is a form of disrespect so long as that opinion is expressed respectfully and appropriately, and isn’t used to pressure some type of change to benefit the opinions of others. The name “Space Force” for example- I don’t much care for it- but as members of our armed services, I will respect the space force and their right to call themselves that. I see it as a pretty basic principal. We don’t have to like something or think it’s catchy to respect it.

My only caveat is that as said above- it can be hard or impossible for the lay person living their own complex and demanding life with their own issues and passions, to keep track of every emerging change or new group or identifier. I thank you @cryoenthusiast- as I was unaware of the Latine identifier. Now I can try to be respectful of this- and I will fail, I am sure of it. But I will make my best faith effort to use this identifier appropriately and address the appropriate people with it, and hope that when I inevitably misuse it- that person(s) will have patience and understanding to help improve my ability to respect my fellow persons.