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Classism in Latino Culture - Part I

The former Consul of Mexico for the Southeastern Region of the United States, Teodoro Maus told me the following story, "There was an old man sitting by the seaside. He had two cans sitting next to him. A little boy walked by and asked the old man, 'hey, what's in the cans?' The old man said, 'crabs.' 'Crabs? Well, why does one have a lid on it and the other one doesn't?' 'Oh that's easy,' said the old man, 'the can with the lid on it is full of Asian, Australian, Russian and European crabs. If it doesn't have a lid on it they will all scatter. They are very independent crabs.' The boy looked puzzled and asked him, 'well, why doesn't the other can have a lid on it?' The old man gazed at him and said, 'Oh, those are Mexican crabs. They don't need a lid on them, as soon as one tries to get out, the other ones pull him right back down in.'"

Classism works both ways my friends. From the top, it is people who are at the upper echelons of society who consciously or unconsciously work to keep other people out of their class system. This is especially true in Latin America where a strong middle class does not exist. This is due to classism in the culture. Those of us who have been privileged need to make a more concerted effort to lift up those who have not had the same opportunities. We must not despise or abuse the poor or underprivileged.

However, part of the problem is also from the lower socioeconomic parts of society which makes it hard for people to get out. Family members, friends, etc. sometimes make it very difficult. This is one reason why many Latinos do not aspire to leadership in their jobs. To take a leadership position is to be effectively moved out of their class system. People are then forced to choose between their companies and their countrymen, friends and sometimes even their own family members. It can be a difficult choice to say the least.

We'll continue this discussion in the next post. It is very important to understand the real dynamics of classism in the Latino culture.

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posted by Ricardo González on August 7, 2008.

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