Why do white people think that every Hispanic is from Mexico?

Question

Don't they teach geography in America

Answer 1

Its hard to tell the difference sometimes. Its kind of like telling the difference between someone from Ecuador and someone from Peru. Very hard!

Answer 2

What a nasty name You Have! Yes they teach geography, but the group that gets the most attention on television are the mexicans so our young, uninformed people in the US make blanket statements. I have personally een to approximately 17 hispanic nations...only one of which was mexico.... I learned that in school.

Answer 3

Probably because the big news issue is the illegal immigration FROM Mexico. It's really hard to sneak in from Nicaragua, so no one hears about the thousands of LEGAL immigrants from Central and South America!
Besides, isn't Hispaniola the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic? Why are ANY other Americans called Hispanic?
BTW, Spain is called "Iberia", not Hispania.

Answer 4

Same reason they think every Asian is either Chinese or Japanese. Since i'm Vietnamese... I try to be careful and say "hispanic" or "latino(a) regarding my Spanish speaking friends unless I know for sure that they are Mexican. But I am so glad you asked this question because it's so true! I think its because teachers tend to just separate races like: white, black, Asian, and Mexican. Everyone else is not important. And i'm sorry about that. It's such a shame that we can't take the time to recognize everyone, because quote, "white" people find other things are much more important. Ugh... maybe one day people will be more educated

Answer 5

1. because the overwhelming majority of Hispanics here are Mexican

2. Additonally, MANY
Latinos want to immigrate to the US
(legally or otherwise)

3. Yes, learning geography and about other cultures is of paramount importance


However as the "sun" of the Americas, the citizens of the US realize most others in the "Americas" (North,Central and South America) all have their eyes are aimed HERE

so (selfishly) with us as the focus, the incentive to learn about others isn't paramount

after all you yourself came to the US, right?

Answer 6

they must not teach geography. Many think that Hispanic is just another word for Mexican. So then why would they use the name in the first place?! And then i've heard some people on here say that Mexicans are not latinos even though Mexico is part of Latin America. Not all are like this but i've seen some statements like this on here. I just get a kick out of it!!!

Answer 7

If they taught geography.. we'd all understand that "Hispanic" means something from Hispania ( AKA Spain ).

Thus.. NO Hispanics are from Mexico, unless they moved there from Spain.

Answer 8

not all of them do i don't, and they do teach geography in America. let's see i took Spanish last year and i think that there are 40 countries?

Answer 9

Amazing isn't it?
I know someone who used to think Honduras was a state in Mexico and told her Honduran classmates that it was stupid to want to be called Honduran instead of Mexican.
Obviously they were insulted.

But I am at least one white person who knows better.

Answer 10

Because of ignorance and preconceptions about race and nationality. My brother lived in San Francisco for a while and some people could not believe that he and his wife and his child were Mexican; Americans believe they were Spanish. I mean, my brother and his family are white and they are proud of being Mexican.

Answer 11

Technically, Hispanics are from Spain and Spain only. My Honduran friend always tells people, "I'm not Hispanic, I'm not from Spain." If you want to be really official the true term for all people from Mexico to the tip of South America would be Latino or Latina.