MovieChat Forums > Kaya Scodelario Discussion > How are Hispanics and/or Latinos treated...

How are Hispanics and/or Latinos treated in the U.K.?

posted 14 years ago by jujulaflair
10 replies | jump to latest

I noticed that they treat Hispanics and/or Latinos as if they were a race in the United States. For example, Christina Aguilera was born to an Ecuadorian father of Spanish descent and a American mother of German, Irish, Welsh, and Dutch descent. Both of her parents are white, yet people are surprised she looks the way she does simply because her father comes from Ecuador. So, they say people like Christina and Cameron Diaz are biracial . . . even though both of their parents are white. They are also surprised when there is a Hispanic and/or Latino of African descent, thinking that all Hispanics and/or Latinos are mixed of a European and indigenous background (they imagine them all to look like George Lopez). While many are, there are also many who are not.

Some of them (not all) also think those who are ethnically Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and some times even French are not white as well. Some of them say that they are too dark . . .

Is it the same way in the U.K.? I only asked because Kaya's mother is a Brazilian of Italian descent. I also thought it would be interesting to see how people in the U.K. think.

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[–] Junelikes 13 years ago

I don't know if it's because you are closer to Mexico etc... But I have no idea why Americans have this thing with Mexicans, Latinos etc.. There is no big thing about it in England. The closest thing i can think of is the occasional dig at the French. But not really the same or to the extent in the USA.

Most people in the UK have roots somewhere else. I look typically English for example, but my roots are in Tunisia. No one would ever guess. My best friend has roots in Ecuador. You would never guess. It's not really a big deal.

[–] Parlington72 13 years ago

In the UK we don't have these obsessions. It may not be PC to mention it, but the reason you Americans obsess over Hispanic status is that most Hispanics are not quite white because they have Amerindian ancestry, especially in Mexico which dominates your perception of the whole of Latin America. Kaya Scodelario is white, British and upper middle class. Having a Brazilian mother just adds to her sex appeal because of the beach/model Brazilian babe image. In the UK, Spain, Portugal, and Italy are seen as white European countries, the same as France, Germany and Sweden. Brazil is also a majority white country. Altogether, this is a non-issue, thank god. The obsession of Americans with race just seems to be getting worse and worse and worse.

[–] Cognoscente (2662) 2 years ago

She is working-class, as she has mentioned many times before in interviews. Here are some choice quotes...

“I grew up in a very working class neighbourhood. A lot of my earnings from Skins went on bills and getting us a new sofa.”

“I grew up really working class, and have a thick working class accent when I’m home, but I know when I’m doing stuff like this, I can’t use it.”

“At school you’re not encouraged to think you could go to university. They took us to Oxford University to visit when we were 16, and within ten minutes it was: “Okay, you lot can just go around the shops.” We were messing around at first and they wrote us off. I felt that a lot when I was growing up. I assumed I’d end up working in a shop down the road. That’s why I don’t hide my working-class background. I want people to look at me and think: I could do that thing I really love.”

[–] Parlington72 13 years ago

I should have made clear that the very concepts of Hispanic and Latino would be non-existent here, if we weren't exposed to them through the American media. Again, the real reason you have this concept is the role of Amerindian blood in Latin America. From a UK perspective, linking Spaniards with the whole jumble of Latin Americans and pretending that all those people are an ethnic group doesn't make any sort of sense, because Spanish speakers glaringly obviously aren't an ethnic group, any more than English speakers are. Our perception of Spanish speakers is dominated by Spain, because it is nearby and about one Briton in three visits Spain every year, while Latin American is a long way away.

But I don't even know why I am writing this. Kaya Scodelario is a white person of English and Italian descent whose mother was born in Brazil, She is no more Hispanic than Robert Mugabe or the Dalai Lama.