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MARIO J. TORRES
Forced Social Classes?
In the United States social classes
are not so defined and hierarchyzed so clearly as in the hispanic world,
like for example in Cuba before 1959, since these countries, either by
idiosyncrasy or ostentation due to a historically lower standard of living
take this pyramid more to heart than in the Anglo Saxon world. In the great
northern country ranks created by the upper class, rich people or
celebrities, which are out of ordinary people's reach or relations can be
clearly distinguished. Also a special class division like that of black and
white people in typical cold war style can be seen in many states mostly up
north but overall these divisions, differences or ranks are not very well
defined in the general population and there is a fair degree of equality and
respect as in quest of a perfect society with the exception of minorities
like for instance, hispanics, who are regarded as intruders in certain
communities. In the city of Miami, things change considerably in this
respect. Putting aside once more, rich people and upper class, prosperous
businessmen or celebrities, who are also out of our reach and who do
constitute a higher level in society, ordinary hispanic population make up a
majority and are almost all equal in the sense that they have all arrived
earlier or later in time as immigrants to a new country where they have
devoted to work and struggle for their progress; some with better results
than others but all of them united in the same "pressure cooker", but as
good heirs of Ferdinand and Isabel, many, without a major motive, with no
strong material reasons or without being blue-blooded, have decided to
establish limits or parameters that may give them a special nobility on top
of the rest so as to enjoy a superiority of a higher social class by force,
following that ancient hispanic inheritance.
The first requirement is seniority in the country and to answer: "many
years" to the inevitable question: How long have you been here? or In what
year did you arrive?. Of course, the older here, the more distinguished. He
who has been here longer will have a higher rank than the new comer. There
are even immigrants with 20 years or more in the country who have forgotten
who they are and who at the same time criticize and protest as if they had
been born here for the arrival of some many people from the island with the
same reason as theirs but who were unlucky to make it earlier. Another form
of "measurement" of this new aristocracy is the way that was used to get to
this country. If it was in a raft, this will imply a serious demerit and it
will also be less heroic to have made it through the latest visa lotteries.
Another loss of points in this scale of values is not to be from Havana City
or not to have done anything against the system in the island and many dare
even to lie to gain such points.
Being bilingual is very important and it is understandable it should be like
this but more than that, it is a priority to be able to speak switching back
and forth from one language to the other, always of course having English as
the first language and whenever possible hiding any knowledge of Spanish in
order to demonstrate the authenticity of the Cuban-American status or even
more say or prove US as place of birth. In Major League baseball, where
players are almost rich, hispanic players who speak English only do it with
Americans who do not speak Spanish but among them they speak Spanish. Of
course, these people do not need to prove any forced superiority because
they already have their salary and their position but in this kind of
environment speaking Spanish only is not simply a handicap but evidence of
social inferiority. To say or prove that you are an American citizen is a
factor that scores positively in this sort of countdown . Finally, isolated
merits or daily routine habits such as type of food you eat, type of drinks
you buy, kind of clothes you wear, place where you work , salary you earn,
neighborhood where you live, restaurants or beauty parlors you visit, brand
or year of the car you drive, if you rent an apartment or own a house, if
you show knowledge of typical American sports such as football or where you
spend your vacations may help to have an acceptable number in this special
list and what is more, to receive or not a proper treatment or social
exchange from people who surround you, even though they are your very
co-workers.
MARIO J TORRES OCTOBER 2004
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