Oh, Gawker. Up to your usual standards of journalistic integrity, I see.
Now, I know plenty of Latinos with African ancestry who identify as Black on top of being Latino, so suggesting that all Latinos are now "white" is absurd. As is suggesting that being "Hispanic" in and of itself should be treated like a racial identity.We drew up the census in such a way that "Hispanic" people were almost forced to join the dark side—or should I say The White Side? High five, white devils! All of your casas are belong to us (the whites)! And let's be honest here: I'm sure it's nice to have a rich heritage in your own culture and everything, but being white does have its benefits around here.
The Mexican doctor I knew who moved to the Las Vegas area many years ago did not consider herself to be anything other than white and it wasn't because white people had pressured her to view herself that way. In Mexico, she wasn't a racial minority. She had no identity as a "Person of Color." She simply saw herself as a white Mexican immigrant and that seemed like a perfectly reasonable way for her to see herself. Was she a little browner than the average white person, due to some Native American and Mediterranean ancestry? Sure, but so? An Italian guy with an Ojibwa great-grandmother is still white. Why can't she be?
If being white is some monolithic identity that denies you access to your cultural heritage, somebody better go shut up all of the Irish and Italian Americans already.