<p>Looks like this started with Keilie saying there is misinformation on the board. Entomom spends a lot of time making information available so that students can have access to various definitions used by the US government and colleges. Entomom helps a lot of people who have all types of questions, so I could see why saying there is “misinformation” could be taken as an insult. </p>
<p>It appears that Keilie wants to argue ethnic labels and their signification, and so we have to be aware of the differences between Census definitions and the various definitions that circulate in society, some of them personal and subjective. I would just start by saying that “Hispanic” means in its most basic sense “of or pertaining to Spain.” Since the designation “Hispanic” has been used by the US government people from Spain have been included in that category. Now some people may not like that. Actually, some people don’t even want to be called Hispanic and prefer “Latinos” or national categories (e.g. Colombianos) – or not to be called anything. Maybe it’s not fair to include Europeans who grow up in Spain in a category with US Hispanics – but the ethnic label “Hispanic” is broad enough to include both. Again, the difference here is the definition used by governmental and educational institutions and what an individual person thinks is the right or more accurate definition.</p>
<p>Debates over ethnic labels are very complicated, and they can make for good discussions. Some students may want to have those types of debates as they prepare college applications, but I also think a lot of the questions that come up on the board are about the definitions used on applications. And in some cases students who have not thought of themselves as Hispanic/Latino may start to think about that part of their background when they are asked to identify themselves in relation to ethnicity and race.</p>