Olde Hornet
Well-Known Member
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/19/opinion/enrique-tarrio-proud-boys-latinos-racism.html
On Thursday, Department of Justice prosecutors threw the book at the Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio, recommending a 33-year sentence for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. If applied, this would exceed even the 18-year prison term given to Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers militia, who was — like Mr. Tarrio — convicted of seditious conspiracy.
Prosecutors argued that the stiff sentence would reflect Mr. Tarrio’s leadership role in the unrest, despite him not being present at the Capitol that day. They highlighted that he is purportedly an “articulate, charming and gifted communicator,“ who excels at attracting followers and creating “compelling spectacles.”
The embrace of racist ideologies of late by Latinos like Mr. Tarrio and Mauricio Garcia, the Texas mall shooter who praised Hitler on social media, has led to much debate. After the Texas shooting, the right-wing commentator Mark Levin wondered how a person can “be a nonwhite and be a white supremacist?”
Some have tried to make sense of this uncomfortable reality by attributing it to false consciousness, self-hatred or a misguided attempt to assimilate into mainstream society to avoid discrimination. But I wonder if what really troubles observers is the idea of a Latino identifying with a racist movement, or simply the idea of a Latino in the United States identifying as white?
Mr. Tarrio’s case seems particularly vexing given his Afro-Cuban heritage. In May, Ana Navarro argued on “The View” that being Hispanic does not insulate you from racism. Some people simply “don’t see themselves as what they are,” she said. Maybe that’s because what we “are” doesn’t fit neatly in a box. For many of us, filling out a job application or medical form can lead to an existential crisis. As a brown-skinned, curly-haired Latina, what I “am” often depends on the context, or my mood: “Black,” “Other” or “Prefer not to say.” Government forms often clarify that “Latino” is not a race, but rather a racially diverse pan-ethnic group. And yet, in practice, we are routinely racialized and treated as nonwhite. Just look at the census, which states that Hispanic populations can be of any race, but then clearly distinguishes between those who identify as Hispanic and white, and those who are “White Alone, Not Hispanic or Latino.” The implication being that if you’re Hispanic, and also white, then you’re at best a different, not quite so American shade of pale.
Mr. Tarrio himself employed this logic in his defense, claiming that he cannot be a white supremacist because he is of Cuban descent. Instead, he and his fellow Proud Boys call themselves “Western chauvinists.” The 2019 documentary “The Right-Wing Latinos of Miami” sheds insight on the mind-set of these white-identifying Latinos. In it, a Latino Proud Boy argues that Latin Americans are essentially “displaced Spaniards.”
While this claim may seem ridiculous, it speaks to the deep history of Hispanophilia and Eurocentrism in Latin America. Just as “Western chauvinists” in the United States cling to their European heritage by celebrating Celtic culture, many Latinos hold onto Eurocentric standards of beauty, aesthetics and culture.
It should come as no surprise that some Latinos are racist. After all, Eurocentrism and racism have been hallmarks of most Latin American nations. This has historically included race-based immigration policies, bans on mixed-race marriages, state-sanctioned “ethnic cleansing,” and other more nuanced forms of discrimination against people with Black and Indigenous ancestry.
On Thursday, Department of Justice prosecutors threw the book at the Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio, recommending a 33-year sentence for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. If applied, this would exceed even the 18-year prison term given to Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers militia, who was — like Mr. Tarrio — convicted of seditious conspiracy.
Prosecutors argued that the stiff sentence would reflect Mr. Tarrio’s leadership role in the unrest, despite him not being present at the Capitol that day. They highlighted that he is purportedly an “articulate, charming and gifted communicator,“ who excels at attracting followers and creating “compelling spectacles.”
The embrace of racist ideologies of late by Latinos like Mr. Tarrio and Mauricio Garcia, the Texas mall shooter who praised Hitler on social media, has led to much debate. After the Texas shooting, the right-wing commentator Mark Levin wondered how a person can “be a nonwhite and be a white supremacist?”
Some have tried to make sense of this uncomfortable reality by attributing it to false consciousness, self-hatred or a misguided attempt to assimilate into mainstream society to avoid discrimination. But I wonder if what really troubles observers is the idea of a Latino identifying with a racist movement, or simply the idea of a Latino in the United States identifying as white?
Mr. Tarrio’s case seems particularly vexing given his Afro-Cuban heritage. In May, Ana Navarro argued on “The View” that being Hispanic does not insulate you from racism. Some people simply “don’t see themselves as what they are,” she said. Maybe that’s because what we “are” doesn’t fit neatly in a box. For many of us, filling out a job application or medical form can lead to an existential crisis. As a brown-skinned, curly-haired Latina, what I “am” often depends on the context, or my mood: “Black,” “Other” or “Prefer not to say.” Government forms often clarify that “Latino” is not a race, but rather a racially diverse pan-ethnic group. And yet, in practice, we are routinely racialized and treated as nonwhite. Just look at the census, which states that Hispanic populations can be of any race, but then clearly distinguishes between those who identify as Hispanic and white, and those who are “White Alone, Not Hispanic or Latino.” The implication being that if you’re Hispanic, and also white, then you’re at best a different, not quite so American shade of pale.
Mr. Tarrio himself employed this logic in his defense, claiming that he cannot be a white supremacist because he is of Cuban descent. Instead, he and his fellow Proud Boys call themselves “Western chauvinists.” The 2019 documentary “The Right-Wing Latinos of Miami” sheds insight on the mind-set of these white-identifying Latinos. In it, a Latino Proud Boy argues that Latin Americans are essentially “displaced Spaniards.”
While this claim may seem ridiculous, it speaks to the deep history of Hispanophilia and Eurocentrism in Latin America. Just as “Western chauvinists” in the United States cling to their European heritage by celebrating Celtic culture, many Latinos hold onto Eurocentric standards of beauty, aesthetics and culture.
It should come as no surprise that some Latinos are racist. After all, Eurocentrism and racism have been hallmarks of most Latin American nations. This has historically included race-based immigration policies, bans on mixed-race marriages, state-sanctioned “ethnic cleansing,” and other more nuanced forms of discrimination against people with Black and Indigenous ancestry.
