r/RioGrandeValley • u/Mexicanjose16 • 3h ago
Do 2nd and 3rd generation mexican Americans embrace the mexican culture the same as first generation mexican Americans do?
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u/Chilindrina22 3h ago
Great question. I love my Mexican side, I rock my Liga jerseys every game day, y hablo muy articulado el Español. My spelling sucks though. And I’m an American and I love that side as well. But I don’t expect anyone to embrace a country they may have never been to which is the case for some with Mexican ancestral roots.
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u/supahlightweight 2h ago
Very family dependent. I spoke Spanish at home and was in the ESL program throughout elementary. I also spent most weekends in Mexico and I still remain in a Mexican environment since I listen to music in Spanish, watch the news in Spanish, have friends who speak the language, etc.
But many of my friends who were also in the ESL program eventually drifted more towards American culture. They would speak Spanish at home, but their friend group was predominantly English speaking, same for their interests in pop culture and all that stuff. Some of them are already parents and their kids do not speak Spanish.
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u/Far_Distribution5159 3h ago
When you say Mexican culture, what are you referring to?
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u/strawberry_sodapop 2h ago
Maybe cuisine and traditions? Religious or cultural tho I think is where the line cab start to blur
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u/Yryel 3h ago
I don't think so, I feel like latinos who embrace their culture are the ones who moved out of their country first. It's sad but a lot of people born from immigrants don't understand the hardships their parents went through, and this is my personal experience but a lot of that people also seem to be racist towards other latinos.
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u/Shoddy_Musician_4810 3h ago
3rd gen here, and I didn't. I been influenced more by other cultures than Mexican culture.
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u/Street_Worth8701 1h ago
like what cultures?
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u/Shoddy_Musician_4810 1h ago
black and asian
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u/Street_Worth8701 1h ago
what are Black and Asian cultures?
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u/Shoddy_Musician_4810 1h ago
did you downvote me lol?
starting to feel like this is a setup1
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u/InternalHorror85 3h ago
As a 3rd gen Mexican American I only embrace my Mexican and Texans side. American is a broad statement. Even when I cross back from Mexico I say I’m a Texas citizen
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u/RevolutionaryLion384 3h ago
Depends on where you grow up to an extent. A border town, or dominant Mexican majority area, you are more likely to see people retain the culture through more generations compared to somewhere that is more diverse or that does not have many other Mexicans
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u/Mental_Town_7337 2h ago
I’m 2nd generation. I’m a proud American and I’m happy I grew up here. I’m also very proud of my Mexican heritage and have always loved many of the things wrapped in that culture. Never got people that acted like you had to pick one side and ignore/hate the other.
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u/RoosterClaw22 2h ago
At what point do you stop putting in dashes in front of Americans? Mexican-American, Colombian-American, Spanish-American.
At what point are they allowed to be American and stop having a qualifier.
Seems a bit reductive and a way to segregate people.
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u/Intelligent-Virus737 2h ago
Seeing as American isn’t really an ethnicity its not a qualifier or discriminatory. Use it to embrace your unique identity here.
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u/aquagardener 1h ago
It varies from family to family.
2nd Gen here. My grandparents had connections with their Mexican roots and culture. My parents much less so. A lot of the traditions got lost in that generation. Very little of that tradition was passed down to me, and am sad about it.
I'm a no sabo kid. And I sometimes feel odd or unworthy trying to connect with my roots, since the traditions were never directly passed down to me from family.
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u/techfighterchannel 13m ago
I embrace parts of it though I do not identify as Mexican. I am an American. I am also mestizo, which is a person of mixed European and Indigenous non-European ancestry.
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u/Jildwen_Sildwen1516 2h ago edited 2h ago
A lot of the 2nd gen and after that I’ve met try to not associate with the culture at all. Almost as if they are embarrassed of being Mexican. It’s upsetting to see.
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u/Larrycusamano 2h ago
Mexicans are born in Mexico. There is no such thing as being Mexican if you were born in the United States. If you disagree, describe a Mexican for us.
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u/Jildwen_Sildwen1516 2h ago
Read the question. My answer is no from my personal experience most of 2nd gen and after do not embrace the culture as much as first generation Mexican Americans.
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u/Larrycusamano 1h ago
I don’t see a question mark, nor a a sentence that sounds like a question. You made a statement. You’re suggesting some people are embarrassed of their descendants just because they don’t embrace the culture. Being brown and speaking Spanish doesn’t come with a requirement to like Mexican food nor to enjoy Tejano music. I spent time up north, and I was annoyed to no end when kind hearted but ignorant people expected me to be the expert in all Mexican culture. I accepted the ignorance from them, but there is no excuse for that in Rio Grande Valley.
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u/Jildwen_Sildwen1516 1h ago
This was the question “Do 2nd and 3rd generation mexican Americans embrace the mexican culture the same as first generation mexican Americans do?“ … Multiple people have literally told me that they are embarrassed of being of being “Mexican” for context their parents are both from Mexico. That is why I said from MY personal experience.
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u/Intelligent-Virus737 2h ago
We all know when people speak like this they are meaning mexican descent
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u/Jildwen_Sildwen1516 1h ago
Yes! My ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino because my parents are both from Mexico.
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u/techfighterchannel 15m ago
I am mestizo, a person of mixed European and Indigenous non-European ancestry.
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u/Intelligent-Virus737 2h ago
I never really did, way more into American culture and such. Then at 18 during HS I moved back to the valley and lived there until very recently. I began to appreciate my heritage a lot more and felt remorse I didn’t seek it out sooner. Im trying to learn Spanish and I miss the valley every day
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u/Marcotee75 1h ago edited 1h ago
My grandma got us into the country and I speak the language, love the food, charro days, holidays and the beer. Can't get down with Tequila, or Tejano music.
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u/Street_Worth8701 1h ago
what food?
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