US politics, Puerto Rico
I... I really don't understand any hate for Puerto Rico.
I visited there once, when my parents took me on a Caribbean cruise. I enjoyed Viejo San Juan, especially Pigeon Park.
But I associate it with amazing Caribbean food. I am convinced that every Puerto Rican grandmother wants every person in her life to become spherical from so much plantain, arroz con gandules, and bacalao guisado.
And I associate it with entertainment. Marc Anthony, Bad Bunny, Rosario Dawson, José Ferrer, Luis Fonzi, Raul Julia, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Luis Miguel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rita Moreno, and Tito Puente are from there.
Yes, the island is poor compared with the mainland. That's fixable, especially if it either becomes a full US state or it becomes its own nation.
But hate for Puerto Rico... utterly baffles me.
re: US politics, Puerto Rico
@Chip_Unicorn I think it's opportunism. PR's still a territory, so they can't vote right? And by definition there won't be a big number of Riquenos registered in the states. So right wing whites will understand hating on them as code for hating Mexicans, and right wing Cuban- and Mexican-Americans can feel okay that they're not supporting someone openly dissing them.
re: US politics, Puerto Rico
@Chip_Unicorn I checked Wikipedia; about 60% of Latinos in the US are Mexican-Americans, 10% are Riquenos. About 20% of the population are Latinos in general - so that's a staggering 2% of the overall population. There are more Jews and First Nations, and *we're* safe enough demographics to scapegoat.
re: US politics, Puerto Rico
@Leucrotta
Yeah. According to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stateside_Puerto_Ricans , there's around six million Puerto Ricans in the mainland. The 2% figure is another way to estimate-- and they agree.
re: US politics, Puerto Rico
Also if Portoricans are untermensh, then it's easier to justify not granting them statehood nor independance, is it not? And definitely not improving the conditions there, something which might actually require a bit of *shudder* the GOP's constituents' tax money...
re: US politics, Puerto Rico
@ThatGenieProblem @Chip_Unicorn PR gets SLAMMED by storms, and without statehood to give them official representation, aiding them winds up being a niceity rather than a necessity. It really bugs me.
re: US politics, Puerto Rico
Oh hey that's our friend climate change rearing its ugly head, another nice reason why the oil billionaires funding most of the GOP might not want to admit any kind of kinship or responsibility towards anyone living anywhere near the tropics...
re: US politics, Puerto Rico
@Leucrotta
Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico can't vote for President.
Puerto Ricans living in the mainland are natural-born citizens and can serve as President. Oh, yeah. And can vote in the state they live in.
Yeah, I know that's weird.
But, yeah -- I agree that it's not-well-hidden code for hating The Other.