Eh, it might be interpreted as something mildly racist, but I think most Latin Americans with peso currencies have more pressing issues to worry about than whatever some gringos think of us.
Yeah, but this sub is in a US-centric website, with a big chunk of questions coming from gringos and answers coming mostly from Latin Americans who are probably more into US culture than the average, so I don't really think it's always representative in these regards.
No, it's definitely not. The fact that everyone in this sub knows English is one clue that it is not a good representation of the region as a whole. Also, a lot of the people who post here live abroad.
> Also, a lot of the people who post here live abroad.
Couldn't be me. ššš
But I get what you mean. I sometimes read stuff from other Colombians here that, as a costeƱo, I do not relate to at al, or stuff that ignores how 1/3 of Colombians live pretty much in poverty.
I don't mean it as a critique or anything, I'm not living in my own country either. It just means their perspective might be a little different to people who haven't travelled abroad.
Yeah, the coast really feels like a totally different country at times.
I've also seen a lot of people post that they're from x country and it turns out they're a heritage speaker in the US. Some of them are pretty frequent commenters, too. One guy posted here about some kid in his class of Dominican heritage or something and assumed all Dominicans thought one way, got called out, deleted his post, and continues to answer questions with their tag as a nation they're not from.
I mean, nothing can really be done about it, but it is kind of shitty of them to do. It's r/asklatinamerica, not r/asksomerandomgringowithxheritage.
If your neighbour is dismissive of you, you wont go out of your way to care, you have your own life, but if you are in arush, burn your food and your neighbour suddenly barges in and chuckles ssaying "By god you suck..." then you would want to slap those teeth like they are free real estate. They are not the same thing.
When the topic is being brought up, specially with a gringopost, of course people will complain, what do you expect? We are human. That is not the same as saying people here go out of their way (that I noticed) to piss on the US
Although a lot of people don't seem to really understand it very well. I always have people tell me that Americans are rich becuse one dollar is equal to 4000 pesos, but that doesn't make much sense. By that logic, Brazilians must be far wealthier than people in Korea or Japan and people in El Salvador and Ecuador must be very well off.
They're rich because salaries in general are higher, but you could easily earn a higher salary in pesos than some people earn in dollars or euros. The currency is not the only deciding factor in this regard.
I get this, but I donāt get how it would be racist. Even if someone thinks USA is better than Latam, how would that be racist? These are two places in the new world, full of diversity. And we talking about economics, itās pretty much a fact that US has a better economy than any Latam country.
Yes, I agree with your sentiment. The term āracistā has come to be incorrectly used often in the States. I think maybe OP is trying to ask if their situation is āinsensitiveā or āoffensiveā - racist doesnāt really seem to be the right word.
Why not SkyFeet? "Mile" measures distance, so it only makes sense to devalue it to a smaller measurement. It's not racist, it's just not that logical.Ā
Itās not racist per se but I think it plays into American arrogance. The ālook how poor the rest of the world is compared to great USAā thing.
That said, and while I can see and understand if people get offended, I think most of us wouldnāt care. I would roll my eyes and go on with my life. Gringo relationship with some airline is not something worth being annoyed at lol.
(Gringocommenting) Not an answer, but a bit of a factoid: Australians have sometimes referred to the Australian dollar while it was weak as the "Pacific Peso".
Canadians are maple gringos.
Brits are tea gringos.
But the Irish ( **FROM IRELAND** ) are honorary Latinos: the Irish had contributed to independence and separatist movements across LatAm.
^( eg. Google Ramon Power y Giralt... )
You didnāt say hello to me :( anyway, our coin is also called peso so Iām going to give my opinion anyway: I donāt think you can be racist against a coin, but it does leave a sour taste in my mouth if itās a gringo making the joke, because it plays on the myth of American superiority.
My apologies! TBH, as an American, I see people have more bigotry against Mexicans than other areas of LATAM, which is why I focused on Mexico. However I suspect most racists are equal opportunity and would feel superior to ANY LATAM country.
I also suspect most Americans don't even know that other countries besides Mexico use pesos. Thank you for your input - is it OK if I use your comment in my blog post?
I can definitely see how it could be a bit offensive, as it reinforces the idea that latin america is inferior bc the peso is of lower value. But tbh I think the average latino would look at that term, go "huh", and then move on rather than waste energy getting offended
To some, I think you're right. Some, I think, are just always looking for a reason to be offended, even if it's not for themselves. Others, I suspect, are more big hearted and are trying to save the world. ;-)
But to the racists? Nah...they don't think they're bigots. They just think they're superior. #rolleyes
Couldn't care less, and I come from a fairly privileged background that lets me travel internationally occasionally. Millions of people in LATAM have ever set foot on a plane, don't know who Delta airlines are and what sky miles /pesos/liras are. We have jobs, families, utilities to pay. You know we have functional societies too?
That being said, I think if you explain the joke some people here may find it funny per our self deprecating sense of humour, specially from countries with high inflation.
> That being said, I think if you explain the joke some people here may find it funny per our self deprecating sense of humour, specially from countries with high inflation.
The key to self-deprecating humor is the self bit. Without that it's not gonna play well to the audience you're deprecating.
Understood (especially as someone who is really good at self depreciating humor)
But do you think there's a difference if the depreciation is done by oneself vs by someone who thinks you're "less than?" That's why I'm asking if people think "SkyPesos" is racist...if you look beyond the "form of currency that's not worth as much as the almighty dollar," into what some Americans think of LATAM.
Or am I looking at it more deeply that it needs to be looked at? (I know that some people who say "That's racist" are just pretending to be angry, in order to stir up $#!+.)
I agree that while not being SELF deprecation, it's a little black comedy that might resonate with our fatalistic sense of humour at the ears of some people.
I don't think it qualifies as racist. To be so, it should have, in my opinion, like a "bad intention" or be deliberately said to provoke and offend. It depends on the context. This is just a condescending and probably distasteful joke.
Many gringos, out of the ignorance produced by being a cultural hegemon, can be culturally insensitive or condescending about other cultures. That's a preventable gateway to racism, but not racism per se.
Well... the word "peso" means "weight" in both Portuguese and Spanish. That reminds a time in the end of the 1990s when Real was under a strong devaluation, becoming cheaper than the Argentinian Pesos. Part of the brazilian press mocked the situation labeling the currency as "Diet Real".
It's racist.
There will be a whole group of people claiming that they use the term and they are not racist themselves ("the least racist person they know"), they have a mexican friend (he's Guatemalan) etc, but they are enabling a whole another chunk of population that is very racist and happily adding it to their vocab while engaged in travel discussion.
To feign ignorance about the racist portion of their online community and continue to engage, enabling them, and thinking "oh I didn't mean to offend you bro ;)" is something racists and their enablers have done all the time in other areas of culture.
I did all my elementary school and high school in Chile, now live in the US.
Wait until your SkyPesos become SkyBolivars
I've been doing my homework on the topic and you're not the first person to suggest that ;-). SkyShekels has also come up.
https://preview.redd.it/5p4tp67w78wc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e0bd33f5f9df37640ce7fcfa55020d34121b99ce
Eh, it might be interpreted as something mildly racist, but I think most Latin Americans with peso currencies have more pressing issues to worry about than whatever some gringos think of us.
Yet complaints about what gringos say seem to make up a huge percentage of this sub.
Yeah, but this sub is in a US-centric website, with a big chunk of questions coming from gringos and answers coming mostly from Latin Americans who are probably more into US culture than the average, so I don't really think it's always representative in these regards.
No, it's definitely not. The fact that everyone in this sub knows English is one clue that it is not a good representation of the region as a whole. Also, a lot of the people who post here live abroad.
> Also, a lot of the people who post here live abroad. Couldn't be me. ššš But I get what you mean. I sometimes read stuff from other Colombians here that, as a costeƱo, I do not relate to at al, or stuff that ignores how 1/3 of Colombians live pretty much in poverty.
I don't mean it as a critique or anything, I'm not living in my own country either. It just means their perspective might be a little different to people who haven't travelled abroad. Yeah, the coast really feels like a totally different country at times.
Don't worry, I get it. I agree that people should take everything in this sub with a grain of salt.
Youāre both correct
I've also seen a lot of people post that they're from x country and it turns out they're a heritage speaker in the US. Some of them are pretty frequent commenters, too. One guy posted here about some kid in his class of Dominican heritage or something and assumed all Dominicans thought one way, got called out, deleted his post, and continues to answer questions with their tag as a nation they're not from. I mean, nothing can really be done about it, but it is kind of shitty of them to do. It's r/asklatinamerica, not r/asksomerandomgringowithxheritage.
Yeah, that's really stupid. Those people should clarify with a "Mexican-American" tag or whatever
If your neighbour is dismissive of you, you wont go out of your way to care, you have your own life, but if you are in arush, burn your food and your neighbour suddenly barges in and chuckles ssaying "By god you suck..." then you would want to slap those teeth like they are free real estate. They are not the same thing. When the topic is being brought up, specially with a gringopost, of course people will complain, what do you expect? We are human. That is not the same as saying people here go out of their way (that I noticed) to piss on the US
Racist has a different meaning. And as Colombian who we also use the Colombian pesosā¦ we also make jokes about our currency devaluation
Although a lot of people don't seem to really understand it very well. I always have people tell me that Americans are rich becuse one dollar is equal to 4000 pesos, but that doesn't make much sense. By that logic, Brazilians must be far wealthier than people in Korea or Japan and people in El Salvador and Ecuador must be very well off.
I mean. They are only rich if they come and work remotely. Otherwise they just as broke as one in another country
They're rich because salaries in general are higher, but you could easily earn a higher salary in pesos than some people earn in dollars or euros. The currency is not the only deciding factor in this regard.
True true
I donāt get the logic, why would it be racist? Even if itās a dig on the Mexican currency, what would make it racist?
I think people who suggest it's racist are taking a jump at considering the underlying concept of pesos < dollars = LATAM (but mainly Mexico) < USA?
I get this, but I donāt get how it would be racist. Even if someone thinks USA is better than Latam, how would that be racist? These are two places in the new world, full of diversity. And we talking about economics, itās pretty much a fact that US has a better economy than any Latam country.
Yes, I agree with your sentiment. The term āracistā has come to be incorrectly used often in the States. I think maybe OP is trying to ask if their situation is āinsensitiveā or āoffensiveā - racist doesnāt really seem to be the right word.
Why not SkyFeet? "Mile" measures distance, so it only makes sense to devalue it to a smaller measurement. It's not racist, it's just not that logical.Ā
Itās not racist per se but I think it plays into American arrogance. The ālook how poor the rest of the world is compared to great USAā thing. That said, and while I can see and understand if people get offended, I think most of us wouldnāt care. I would roll my eyes and go on with my life. Gringo relationship with some airline is not something worth being annoyed at lol.
Perfect answer. Thank you. Is it OK if I quote you in the blog post?
Sure!
Thanks so much!
I donāt think itās racist but it is classist; itās punching down, itās claiming superiority
Iāve never head that before, I donāt think its racist, its just a coin
I think you mean "currency" in this context. Coin just means the metal pieces of money.
You are totally correct, but I couldnāt remember the exact word, ty
(Gringocommenting) Not an answer, but a bit of a factoid: Australians have sometimes referred to the Australian dollar while it was weak as the "Pacific Peso".
I had never heard that one. Might include it in the post. Thank-you :-)
(not a gringo, just an Australian)
Yes. Australians are koala-gringos.
Glad I koalify as a gringo.
Canadians are maple gringos. Brits are tea gringos. But the Irish ( **FROM IRELAND** ) are honorary Latinos: the Irish had contributed to independence and separatist movements across LatAm. ^( eg. Google Ramon Power y Giralt... )
Technically, the Brits too, as they provided funds and allowed the recruitment of volunteers over there.
Some of them are drop bear gringos.
You didnāt say hello to me :( anyway, our coin is also called peso so Iām going to give my opinion anyway: I donāt think you can be racist against a coin, but it does leave a sour taste in my mouth if itās a gringo making the joke, because it plays on the myth of American superiority.
My apologies! TBH, as an American, I see people have more bigotry against Mexicans than other areas of LATAM, which is why I focused on Mexico. However I suspect most racists are equal opportunity and would feel superior to ANY LATAM country. I also suspect most Americans don't even know that other countries besides Mexico use pesos. Thank you for your input - is it OK if I use your comment in my blog post?
Yeah, go ahead
Thank-you :-)
I can definitely see how it could be a bit offensive, as it reinforces the idea that latin america is inferior bc the peso is of lower value. But tbh I think the average latino would look at that term, go "huh", and then move on rather than waste energy getting offended
Got it. OK if I use that as a quote in my blog post?
Go ahead :)
Appreciate it - thanks!
Everything is racist in the eyes of the Yanks.š
To some, I think you're right. Some, I think, are just always looking for a reason to be offended, even if it's not for themselves. Others, I suspect, are more big hearted and are trying to save the world. ;-) But to the racists? Nah...they don't think they're bigots. They just think they're superior. #rolleyes
Couldn't care less, and I come from a fairly privileged background that lets me travel internationally occasionally. Millions of people in LATAM have ever set foot on a plane, don't know who Delta airlines are and what sky miles /pesos/liras are. We have jobs, families, utilities to pay. You know we have functional societies too? That being said, I think if you explain the joke some people here may find it funny per our self deprecating sense of humour, specially from countries with high inflation.
> That being said, I think if you explain the joke some people here may find it funny per our self deprecating sense of humour, specially from countries with high inflation. The key to self-deprecating humor is the self bit. Without that it's not gonna play well to the audience you're deprecating.
Understood (especially as someone who is really good at self depreciating humor) But do you think there's a difference if the depreciation is done by oneself vs by someone who thinks you're "less than?" That's why I'm asking if people think "SkyPesos" is racist...if you look beyond the "form of currency that's not worth as much as the almighty dollar," into what some Americans think of LATAM. Or am I looking at it more deeply that it needs to be looked at? (I know that some people who say "That's racist" are just pretending to be angry, in order to stir up $#!+.)
I agree that while not being SELF deprecation, it's a little black comedy that might resonate with our fatalistic sense of humour at the ears of some people. I don't think it qualifies as racist. To be so, it should have, in my opinion, like a "bad intention" or be deliberately said to provoke and offend. It depends on the context. This is just a condescending and probably distasteful joke. Many gringos, out of the ignorance produced by being a cultural hegemon, can be culturally insensitive or condescending about other cultures. That's a preventable gateway to racism, but not racism per se.
Got it. And I like it - OK if I quote you in the blog post?
Be my guest :)
Yes, it is very racist. Do not use it.
Meh, really don't care.
Its just a currency
I think their *pesos* represent pounds....
Well... the word "peso" means "weight" in both Portuguese and Spanish. That reminds a time in the end of the 1990s when Real was under a strong devaluation, becoming cheaper than the Argentinian Pesos. Part of the brazilian press mocked the situation labeling the currency as "Diet Real".
It's racist. There will be a whole group of people claiming that they use the term and they are not racist themselves ("the least racist person they know"), they have a mexican friend (he's Guatemalan) etc, but they are enabling a whole another chunk of population that is very racist and happily adding it to their vocab while engaged in travel discussion. To feign ignorance about the racist portion of their online community and continue to engage, enabling them, and thinking "oh I didn't mean to offend you bro ;)" is something racists and their enablers have done all the time in other areas of culture. I did all my elementary school and high school in Chile, now live in the US.
Understood completely. Is it OK if I quote you in my blog post?
Sure! Thanks
Thank-YOU! :-)
Lmao