Definition of Chicano
Origin of the Word
In it's purest form, the word 'Chicano' essentially means 'Mexican-American'. The word has come to mean different things, and no one really knows the origin of it. I've read that the term came from the 1930's and 1940's when idigenous people from Mexico came to California, and would say "I'm mesheecano" with a weird pronounciation. The Mexican-Americans that were already settled thought it was hilarious, and would make fun of them (yeah, there has always been vendidos). Supposedly the word turned into "Chicamo" or "Chicano", and in that time it was pretty much a slur used by Texans to describe the recently arrived people (much in the way 'paisa' is commonly used in a negative way when reffering to 'border-brothers').
There are other theories and explanations, but it doesn't really matter because the meaning of the term drastically changed in the 1960's when it was picked up by Mexican-American activists. Along with the farm workers' strikes led by Cesar Chavez, politicians and Mexican-American universities started a movement to better the social position of Mexican-Americans in the United States. Not only that, but to also reclaim our past and rediscover who we truly are and where we came from. The 'Chicano Movement' came about, and was very successful in giving a voice to people traditionally ignored. Since then, the label 'Chicano' means 'Mexican-American', but it has a political charge to it: Pro-Raza. 'Chicano' is synonymous with 'Brown Pride'.
Why I Use It
Of course not everybody uses the label, but I do. Why? Because it just seems right to me; I identify with it. There have been several times where I've had to explain myself to other Mexicans why I use the word 'Chicano' instead of 'Mexican'. "You're still a beaner, fool. You're not better than us." What the hell? When have I, or anyone else said that? That's when I realized that there are some misconceptions associated with it, and that I should straighten some things out:
Labels shouldn't mean shit to anyone, but since they come up in everyday life, it's good to know exactly where you stand. The first time you'll most likely encounter it is at school when you have to bubble in the 'race' you most closely identify with. From what I've seen, it's always something different. Latino. Hispanic. Mexican-American. What should I call myself? Latino? No, I hardly ever use that word. Can you get any more vague than 'Latino'? I could come from Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Argentina, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador.... How about 'Hispanic'? No. Have you ever stopped to think about that word? The label 'Hispanic' refers to the colonization of 'Latin America' by the Spanish. So using the word 'Hispanic' has the implication of identifying oneself with having Spanish-blood, instead of the indigenous people of the land. What about 'Mexican', or 'Mexican-American'? Again, I don't think that's correct, or even politically-correct to an extent. I'm American. Is 'Mexican' a race? No, it's a nationality (by the way, I call myself 'Mexican', I'm just writing this to prove a point). And why the hell am I being called 'Mexican-American'? Is that a citizenship sub-class? Think about it. Why can't I just be 'American'? Because I'm brown? Because I don't look 'American'? You can have someone that comes from a family of Polish ancestry, and one person that comes from German ancestry. Both persons can be born in the United States, and be called 'American', and their kids will be called 'American'. As long as someone doesn't fit the characterstics (either brown, black, or has obvious asian features), it could be the 4th generation born here, but they'll still be slapped with the hyphenated label. For real, just stop the hyphenated bullshit. Using hyphens at best implies that you're not 100% American, and at worst it implies that you have assimilation problems.
All that leads to the most important definition: Being 'Chicano' is coming to grips with your identity. Where you came from, and where you're going. ' Ni de aqui, Ni de allá' is a popular term, and there are two quotes that hit the nail on the head perfectly:
"A Chicano lives in the space between the hyphen in 'Mexican-American'" -Bruce Novoa
"A Chicano is a Mexican-American with a non-Anglo image of himself" -Ruben Salazar
Because of this struggle, it shouldn't be too shocking to see Chicanos enamored by our ancient civilizations like the Mexica and Maya more so than people living in Mexico. You see it all over Chicano art. It's like 'wow, we came from that'. Then there's idols like Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa. With this understanding, it seems pretty dumb to to think someone uses the term 'Chicano' to distance themselves from being 'Mexican'.
Before I wrap this up, I need to clear up another matter:
'Chicano' is synonymous with 'Brown Pride', but at times it's also synonymous with 'Cholo'. 'Cholo Style' and 'Chicano Style' get mixed up. The perfect example is Lowriding. Lowriding wasn't created by 'Cholos', but Cholos like lowriders because it's a Raza creation, so now a lolo is a cholo staple. Not to mention the fact that the word 'cholo' can mean anything from 'urban mexican-american' to 'full on gangbanger.' Now if you have wire rims on your car, uh oh, I guess you must be a banger now.
Because a gangster resists assimilation, the Chicano ideology is appealing to him. The only problem is that when you get into the gang-related bullshit, it becomes really hypocritical. You're down for the advancement of La Raza, yet you're out there starting shit with them? That doesn't work. If you claim Chicano Pride, yet you start tripping over where another Chicano is from, then you're confused. If you're wearing gold fronts with baggy-ass jeans and a hat that looks like someone tossed it onto your head, and you claim "I'm Chicano, nigga"... you're confused. If you say "I ain't no fucking wetback, I'm a Chicano".... you're confused.
Anyway, we have our own style, and our 'duty' as Chicanos is to preserve it and evolve it. Check out the Chicano Style page on this site... most of it is old-school Mexican shit that's embeded in our genes. Stop the divisive bullshit, and stop trying to be black. We have our own culture that's richer than most. What is culture, anway? Customs, food, and music? La Raza has that in spades... | POST A COMMENT