Boarders Language Culture

bright · Nov 9, 2003

Originally posted by Chowderhead
Will Mexicans and Mexican-Americans feel more included or will they argue that being apart is the answer? Generations of us have been taught to include and now it seems that one of the groups that many of have sought to understand want to set itself apart on the football pitch. That could be the answer or the right the thing to do, but should that be the example for every group?

And if Mexicans alone are conceded a further degree of apartness because of their numbers and unique love of football, we risk not so much cultural apartheid but cultural Belgiumization. Is that what we want? Maybe we do. But there's no guarantee that such a thing will be pretty.
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Imagine that you own a restaurant chain where you only serve "American" food. Would you be hesitant to start putting tacos on your menu because you are afraid that all the Mexicans in the US would only eat the tacos and not any of the other food, thus encouraging the Belgiumizing of our culture? Or would you be okay with it knowing that "Americans" would eat the tacos, and the Mexicans would eat the "American" food?

I put "American" in quotes because I don't really believe you can make a distinction between American and Mexican since Mexican culture is a big part of American culture. That may be a Southwesterners perspective, but you claim that you are broad-minded enough to understand.

MLS could work the same way. You add a team with a Mexican flavor. Who's to say that all Mexican fans would root only for that team and discard any loyalties to their current team or future expansion teams in their own cities? Will all Chicago Fire fans ditch the Fire and root for Chivas? In addition, if Chivas does attract Mexican fans, they will go to games and watch on TV, and they will have a change to develop a liking to any of the existing MLS teams. Do you not give them credit for being open-minded enough to like something if it is good? They don't like MLS now because they are not exposed to it, but a Mexican-styled team will expose them to it.

This is the way America works. We are multi-cultural. MLS is expanding its menu. In the future, you may see new Mexican fans of the Revs who hate Chivas, and you may see Gringo fans of Chivas.

- Paul

Chowderhead · Nov 9, 2003

Gee, after reading Paul's posts I thought I was back in college or back at church.

Hey, if it makes people happy and gets the Mexies feeling like they're truly part of the mix, go for it.

I come from a part of the country that is extremely ethnically diverse and where the population density is high. We also have high incomes and gravitate toward prestigious private schools, but who cares? The point is that people back here tend to be a bit edgy, they protect their turf and they're constantly in each other's face.

Live and let live and hope, really hope, that the Chivas experiment brings us closer together. But the first time a Sol-propelled vato gets in my face up at Foxboro in a moment of triumphalist exuberance, he should expect me to deal with him in typical South Providence fashion. And that ain't the part of Providence where Brown is.

bright · Nov 9, 2003

Heh.

Originally posted by Chowderhead
Gee, after reading Paul's posts I thought I was back in college or back at church.

Hey, if it makes people happy and gets the Mexies feeling like they're truly part of the mix, go for it.

I come from a part of the country that is extremely ethnically diverse and where the population density is high. We also have high incomes and gravitate toward prestigious private schools, but who cares? The point is that people back here tend to be a bit edgy, they protect their turf and they're constantly in each other's face.

Live and let live and hope, really hope, that the Chivas experiment brings us closer together. But the first time a Sol-propelled vato gets in my face up at Foxboro in a moment of triumphalist exuberance, he should expect me to deal with him in typical South Providence fashion. And that ain't the part of Providence where Brown is.
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kpaulson · Nov 10, 2003

Originally posted by Chowderhead
But the first time a Sol-propelled vato gets in my face up at Foxboro in a moment of triumphalist exuberance, he should expect me to deal with him in typical South Providence fashion.
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West Warwick?

What is typical South Providence fashion anyway? Waving cars in when you're stuck in a traffic jam? You Rhode Island types are a bunch of softies underneath it all.