Coli Puerto Ricans....Come in here for a quick sec..

[invalid]

So I was driving home yesterday to visit my parents in the burbs and upon turning down one of the residential streets, I see an entourage of cars that looked like this.

This is not uncommon in Chicago around this time of the year as it’s Puerto Rican Pride weekend and you will see Puerto Rican’s riding around with their flags adorning their cars all around the city.

What was odd about this display of ethnic bravado was that they were riding around a stately suburb where the streets look like this.

It was just an odd juxtaposition to see them driving extremely slow down these streets with manicured lawns as if to have people in this town take notice of their significance. The significance of their “Puerto Ricaness”

Well, I took notice.

And, like most people in this town who saw the peacocking, probably couldn’t figure out their significance. And probably snidely dismisses them as Mexicans.

Most of the Puerto Rican’s I know are stoners and ride the cultural coattails of continental African Americans. I don’t see them with a unique identity. I don’t see their unique history.

Can ya’ll educate the good but ignorant people of River Forest, IL on why we should find you and your flags significant? What makes you different from the other islanders? Does your cultural significance distinguish you from a Cuban, or Dominican, or Jamaican that we should care to know the difference?

This is not to bash Puertoriquenos. I’m genuinely interested in learning more about you since Puerto Rican Pride Week in this city doesn’t extend past flag adorned car pageants and jibaritos.

 

[mannyrs13]

I think @Kamikaze Revy is Puerto Rican, or maybe Dominican. My bad if I'm wrong. Far as cultural significance, every country has its differences with some similarities, especially in the Caribbean since they all so close together. i know that there are common food and music that we share with PR as well as differences. People just display the flag cuz of pride, not to educate anyone. Especially on like parades and sporting events like huge soccer matches. Down here all them South Americans be gathering and repping their colors whenever the world cup or some other important match is on.

 

[YoungMoneyCashMoneyBoy]

What makes puerto ricans different from other islanders is that their country is a u.s. territory and they are u.s. citizens. So their parades and pride are on some lost clown shyt. Their Puerto rican day parade is really just an american day parade.

 

[invalid]

People just display the flag cuz of pride, not to educate anyone.

There are many things that influence ethnic pride. For instance, mighty men historical figures, wars, inventions, contributions, etc. What I’d like to find out is what contributes to their pride? It’s seems like a lost opportunity to display pride without education especially when you are on foreign soil, no?

What makes puerto ricans different from other islanders is that their country is a u.s. territory and they are u.s. citizens.

So what is the cultural significance of this? I would think that there is none.

 

[AuntAnniesPretzels]

What makes puerto ricans different from other islanders is that their country is a u.s. territory and they are u.s. citizens. So their parades and pride are on some lost clown shyt. Their Puerto rican day parade is really just an american day parade.

Ricans are far from my favorite ppl but this sounds like some cac shyt

The American label was forced on them just like it was us and I love America but they forced that shyt on us, them and the native Americans

 

[OneManGang]

This thread comes off like some angry sheltered cac wrote it

No offense

 

[invalid]

This thread comes off like some angry sheltered cac wrote it

No offense

That’s a negative on both counts. This is just a question of perceived relevance vs. actual relevance and trying to fill in the gap.

 

[mannyrs13]

There are many things that influence ethnic pride. For instance, mighty men historical figures, wars, inventions, contributions, etc. What I’d like to find out is what contributes to their pride? It’s seems like a lost opportunity to display pride without education especially when you are on foreign soil, no?



So what is the cultural significance of this? I would think that there is none.

I guess the fact that they were born there or their heritage is that?

I don't think people that are grouped together repping their country are there to educate the world on why. Just like Fourth of July festivals. People don't go to bbq and parties to educate others on why they have pride. Although this isn't foreign soil for us but other countries have festivals and whatnot here on foreign land.

I mean I'm not gonna have like Chinese pride cuz I'm not from there or have history there. It's just not part of me.

 

[YoungMoneyCashMoneyBoy]

Ricans are far from my favorite ppl but this sounds like some cac shyt

The American label was forced on them just like it was us and I love America but they forced that shyt on us, them and the native Americans

Lol at cac shyt

Can't take anyone serious defending ricans

 

[AuntAnniesPretzels]

Lol at cac shyt

Can't take anyone serious defending ricans

I don’t fukk with them at all , trust me I was just stating a fact. That’s like a cac saying black history month is just american history month

 

[YoungMoneyCashMoneyBoy]

I don’t fukk with them at all , trust me I was just stating a fact. That’s like a cac saying black history month is just american history month

Not even remotely close. Do you know black history? Do you even know puerto rico's history? That's an insulting analogy.

If you fukk with them, you fukk with them. But don't make that comparison. As op asked, what makes them different from other islanders, ricans are u.s. citizens. Jamaicans aren't. Cubans aren't. Haitians aren't.

 

[invalid]

I don’t fukk with them at all , trust me I was just stating a fact. That’s like a cac saying black history month is just american history month

I mean, it is.

The problem is that certain factions within our own community don’t view ourselves as being embedded within the cultural fabric of this country. And because of this disassociation we have, others pick up on it, and fall in line with viewing us as “other”, when we’re the most American out of any group here.

Lets see.....

Africans arrived in Jamestown, VA in 1619. The Mayflower (Pilgrims) arrived in Plymouth, MA in 1620.

The entire southern economy flourished because of the labor of slaves.

AA slaves were the foundations of American capitalism.

Washington DC was designed by Benjamin Banneker. Slaves built the White House.

Wall Street was originally the site of a free black settlement. Before that, I believe it was the site of a slave auction.

Many of us have Native American ancestry, which gives us blood ties to this land before Europeans.

The only music and cuisine that is native to this country had sprung from black people.

The American Evangelical Christian movement has its roots in the way the slaves worshiped and interpreted the bible.

Our top educational institutions (Harvard, UVA, Georgetown) were funded by slave labor or the sale of slaves.

So..

Built this land + have blood ties to this land + defined the culture of this land = blacks being more American than anyone else.

Look at the bolded words. The square root of everything this country is known for is black.

And the deception of white folks is to make us feel as if we're anything other. And we fall for it...