There are so many stereotypes that Latinos have that it one would think that I would be hard to pick one that I wish I could change. However there has always been one that had just really gotten under my skin over the years. It is the notion that Latinos are lazy. The idea of being lazy is a some what all encompassing trait that includes always being late and being generally nonchalant.
This is actually a motivation tool for me. If I feel that I am in a situation in which someone views me as the stereotypical Latino based on me possibly being lazy, then I find myself proving the exact opposite. Laziness is a stereotype that makes no sense to me. I have no idea where this has come from. I will say this, Latinos are far from lazy.
I think about the migrant workers who make barely enough to be considered minimum wage. I think about my family who have clocked in massive amount of hours at their jobs. I think about my mother who worked too much at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx. I think about my father who busted his ass for Con Edison to get me through college and he worked so much that I still think about the cancer he developed in his lungs.
Let's not forget that Latinos in this country were the reason that Obama is in white house. The massive amount of Latino voters is what put him over the hump. If we were lazy then we would not have come out in such a force. As much as I can say that I wish to get rid of this stereotype, I would like to think that we have done a great job of showing that this label not not apply.
No comments:
Post a Comment