29 July 2018 | A Little Truth about Latinos

To use a quote from “Seinfeld,” let me tell you a little bit about the Latino people.

There exists a conundrum for (white) people who think Latinos are, by default, going to vote for Democrats no matter what. But 23 percent of the Hispanic population demonstrated that presumption is wrong by voting for an unfit, unqualified, racist birther scumbag who is currently shitting everywhere in the Oval Office.

Why? How can this be? Many Latinos come from countries that were former (ahem) dictatorships. Many of them have family members or know someone who was “disappeared.” They may have left/escaped, but there is a deep self-loathing among many Latinos—particularly men—that have them *supporting* a strongman type. And with the pressures of being accepted as a true American, they go along with it because they don’t want to be seen as anything less. This is why you will find very strong stances about immigration (even though they benefitted from it!) since it comes from a latent fear of appearing soft.

As for Latinos who are Republicans, well, that’s just an open indication that *they* want to be the strongmen and vicitimize others. One should never underestimate the lasting negative impression that being a victim in their former countries has left. To keep other immigrants at bay will help them deny that they were ever like that. They don’t want white Americans to associate someone from Honduras or El Salvador with them, so it’s best to keep those folks out of sight and out of mind.

It’s pure self-loathing. There is nothing vague about it, and it might be best for some well-meaning white liberals to accept that this is at play, and not because people are irrational or have a cult-like mentality. Whether or not someone wants to spend time reaching these folks during elections might be strategic choice, but at least you know what you’re working with if you do.