After giving a speech on Monday in which she reduced the richness of American Latino and Hispanic communities to “breakfast tacos and bodegas,” the First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, came under fire for her comments.
Jenna Biden Tacos and Bodegas Are Just a Part of Latino Culture!
The remarks were made while Vice President Biden was delivering a speech at the annual conference for UnidosUS, an organization that promotes itself as the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization.
In a misguided effort to highlight the many nuances of Latino culture, Vice President Biden introduced a metaphor that was poorly planned and said that “the diversity of this community — as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio — is your strength.”
The metaphor was poorly planned and was an attempt by Biden to highlight the many nuances of Latino culture. Although there was considerable laughter and applause for Biden’s remarks, there were also audible groans coming from the audience.
Whether it was done intentionally or not, the First Lady’s description of Latinos and Latin American culture as “things white people recognize” gives off major vibes similar to those given off by Donald Trump when he talked about taco salad on Cinco de Mayo.
According to the data from the 2020 census, Latinos make up nearly 20 percent of the total population of the United States. Latinos are an extremely racially and culturally diverse group.
It is one thing to acknowledge the many Hispanic and Latino communities that already exist in the United States; it is quite another to reduce the Latino identity to food, particularly a dish that was developed primarily by the Mexican American diaspora and has no other connection to any other Latino group. This is just one example of how Latino culture is routinely misunderstood and stereotyped by Americans.
Right-wing extremists and Latino activists pounced on Biden’s remarks as soon as they were made public. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists, which is a professional group for Hispanics and Latinos working in the news industry, issued a statement on Twitter in response to Vice President Biden’s insensitive comments as soon as they were made public.
“Using breakfast tacos to try to demonstrate the uniqueness of Latinos in San Antonio demonstrates a lack of cultural knowledge and sensitivity to the diversity of Latinos in the region,” the organization wrote.
“Using breakfast tacos to try to demonstrate the uniqueness of Latinos in San Antonio demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to the diversity of Latinos in the “We are not tacos,” they said. Our Latino history is shaped by a number of different diasporas, cultures, and cuisine traditions, and it should not be reduced to a single stereotype.
According to the findings of a study that was conducted by Pew Research in 2013, American-born Latinos tend to support more liberal causes than those that their parents did. This presents a challenge for both Democrats and Republicans as they attempt to figure out how to approach Hispanic and Latino voters.
A recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University indicated that only 26 percent of Hispanic voters surveyed approved of President Biden’s job performance. This was the lowest rating of any demographic group that was examined. The findings were reported by The Hill.
A word of advice, Dr. Biden: the next time you give a speech, it would probably be a good idea to run it by a Latino staff member first.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.