I wish to begin with a wonderful quote from the film, Selena where Abraham Quintanilla (played by Edward James Olmos) says, 

“Listen, being Mexican American is tough. Anglos jump all over if you don’t speak English perfectly. Mexicans jump all over you if you don’t speak Spanish perfectly. We’ve got to be twice as perfect as anybody else. Our family has been here four centuries, yet they treat us as if we just swam across the Rio Grande. I mean we got to know about John Wayne and Pedro Infante. Anglo food is too bland; yet when we go to Mexico we get the runs. Ours [homeland] is right next door – right over there. And we got to prove to the Mexicans how Mexican we are; we got to prove to the Americans how American we are. It is exhausting! Man, nobody knows how tough it is to be Mexican American!”

THE TENSION

The question of "the hyphen" is of great tension in the United States. It is one that cripples some and confuses others. It is a paradox that questions a sense of belonging and relationship. But I want to be clear and concise: the issue is not primarily social injustice, but identity. Identity is the golden ticket because it gives people value and worth. The problem is that we are constantly looking for value and worth in things that will constantly fail us, most notably ourselves. 

Edward James Olmos' words in Selena are spot on, however. Personally, the tension I feel in being a Mexican-American is that I've either sold out to be successful or pursue further educational opportunities or that I want to be like the white man in my success. People can be jerks. All of the sudden, I don't know anything about the barrios because I have a degree, yet any success is because I'm a minority or as I was once told, "ethnic." English doesn't mean "better than you," raza. And gringos, English is not the official language of the United States not to mention there's no such thing as the language "Mexican." You need a Joya after you get off of the horse you bought from my cousin. 

The tension inside of the hyphen is one of identity, not success. We need to understand this clearly and quite frankly unapologetically. Diana Cardenas writes on the assimilation and acculturation: assimilation is the process of losing one's identity, worth, value, and culture for the sake of another while acculturation is the act of maintaining one's culture and learning and adopting principles from another in order to learn and grow. Regardless on whether you agree or disagree (I actually agree), the purpose of her thought process is one of identity. 

Yes, it is out of my identity as a Mexican that I love carne asadas and Negro Modelo with banda bumping in the background. And yes, it is out of my identity as an American that I enjoy coffee shops, education, and pallet wood decorations.

If the question and tension within the hyphen is one of identity and clearly our cultures (despite success and pride) are failing, then where do we go to have closure on who we are? 

OUR ANSWER

Jesus.

Jesus was an outsider; among his own people. Jesus experienced rejection, was a social rebel, didn't always play by the rules, loved the people, and then we murdered Him. The Catholic church has it right: the bloody portrayal of the crucifixion. The Protestant church understood it: we cannot save ourselves and therefore are in need of a Savior. This means that a part from Jesus Christ, we will only cause further tension to the lack of countless identities.

The entire Biblia is about a people who are unfaithful to a Savior who constantly demonstrates his faithfulness to them. Yeah, that's us, menzos.

Jesus, rather, gives us a new identity; one that despite where we come from or how we were raised is based on who He is. 

REAL ENCOURAGEMENT

Gringos, you need to learn to have parties. Everyone agrees. The language, "Mexican" doesn't exist and this isn't your country, but ours. And social injustice is real, not just something poor people do to get attention. Dia de los Muertos is very real, not an excuse to look cute with vibrant colors. People died, yo. 

Raza, you need to learn to shut up sometimes. You're not fooling anyone when you drink coffee from Starbucks but scream that you're from La Balboa. I would much rather you embrace your low-rider, bumpin' 2-Pac while proudly sipping on your black coffee with 8 sugars. Ya. Callate. 

At the end of the day, amigos, let us turn to Jesus where there is reconciliation and restoration for our cultures and differences. The joy that is found in Jesus is that we're different. It is out of the person and work of Christ that we have identity and our differences are actually what make up the church (a people)! Let us not be ignorant to one another, but burden for one another for the sake of bringing more glory to our Savior; the real immigrant. 

It's been nearly a month since I returned from my trip to California. The experience was friendly, the weather was stellar, and returning to Texas was a relief. During our time, we visited San Diego which was exciting because I wanted to see what the border culture was like in another state.

I had a great time in San Diego, visiting several coffee shops, friends, and observing the people in their city. However, I soon felt that, to me, it lacked identity. I felt as if San Diego was a city that housed so much diversity that it would be difficult for one to properly identify. I don't think it is a bad thing at all, but different. 

Thirty minutes south of San Diego rests San Ysidro, CA. A city located on the U.S./Mexico border. As we drove in, advertisements that were once in English transition over to Spanish and a city that is broad in its culture and diversity is now immensely populated and influenced by one culture. 

Living on the Texas/Mexico border, San Ysidro was not a culture shock. In fact, that's not the point of this post rather, interestingly the border town culture, where the United States and Mexico combine, started and ended in San Isidro. In the Rio Grande Valley, the city of Hidalgo is the gatekeeper of the culmination of the two countries, eloquently combining culture and tradition that stretches to the outskirts of Falfurrias, TX and beyond. 

I was surprised to see a border town's culture start and end in the same location. I suppose California is diverse enough to be identified as a state housing much diversity. Or maybe California is a state that has worked hard at keeping the border at bay.

I suppose, I am also looking for clarity regarding the culture of our state. After living in central and north Texas and spending time in west Texas, it is apparent that the Hispanic population has great influence in their cities. I am not saying Texas is better, but what makes our people different than others? 

Is it pride versus a lack of support or awareness? Does it even matter? California played a significant role during the time of the civil rights movement, was the success baton passed on to other states? 

Raza, what, if anything, are we missing? 

 In case you haven't caught on, the Valley is a beautiful culmination of the United States and Mexico; both nations collide and form what we call a border town. Border Towns have their own rules and the community is united under commonality. 

I understand the Valley is different and it has its quirks and to outsiders, these quirks can come across as inconvenient and frustrating, at times. However, my attempt is not to persuade you to accept the Valley or Border Towns, but to help you understand the culture. I want to begin with one central message: dialects.

While it sounds like something made up, I can assure you, "Tex-Mex" is a legitimate dialect. Below are brief examples of dialects that many have a misunderstanding of and here is my attempt to help bring it all together. 

CHICANO ENGLISH

It's not uncommon to travel to southern California and hear Mexican-Americans (or people of Mexican heritage) refer to themselves as Chicanos. Similar to the Valley, California's border towns provide a unique sense of culture and language. While we have a lot in common, the choice of words for certain things are different. 

Tacos are burritos while in Texas a burrito is fried or an enormous tortilla filled with meat, rice, beans, and cheese; a taco is a soft tortilla wrapped in a delicious delicacy. Additionally, in SoCal, fajitas is carne asada, but in Texas carne asada refers to meat that is grilled over fire; fajitas is a type of meat. 

My wife is from California and we have this argument often. 

In any case, California and Texas share common interests, but it's simply communicated differently- this includes slang. 

POCHO

"Pocho" refers to broken Spanish. It's taking words from the English language and making them sound Spanish. It can be hilarious. It can be insulting. But at the end of the day, if you walk into a barrio and do not speak Pocho, but formal Spanish, you might as well be a rich white boy from Harvard- you're not welcomed. 

Words in Pocho include "lonche" which means "lunch," "chorts" which mean "shorts (yes, the kind you wear," or "tochar" meaning "to touch." Get it? Pocho. 

I could give this large sociological excerpt on Pocho, but this is a blog, not a journal. 

SPANGLISH

This is a serious debate for many because often it can be confused for Tex-Mex or Chicano English, but quite frankly, it isn't. 

Spanglish is its own dialect and it refers to the unity of two languages in order to paint one picture. In short, starting a sentence in English is the beginning of a thought and what brings color and life to that thought, idea, or conversation is finishing it in proper Spanish.

"The people needed to be led; they needed orgullo, animo."

TEX-MEX

Tex-Mex is very similar to Pocho, much like many forms of Chicano English. In fact, the separation in both dialects is geographical location. If Pocho is broken Spanish, then Tex-Mex is broken Spanglish.

For example: 

"I'm going to the store." | "Voy a ir a la tienda." | "Voy 'pa la store."

"Why?" | "¿Porque?" | "Por why?"

"Stop." | "Alto." | "Estop." 

Additionally, whistling is a form of communication. How one whistles will determine their feelings or thoughts. If one whistles before finishing their sentence, it is because the whistle conveys the remainder of the thought or feeling. Whistling is also used to grab one's attention (No you're not a dog, get over yourself. If you think that, then you take yourself way to seriously). 

CONCLUSION

I wish to end by saying that this brief introduction into border language is an attempt to help you (or make you laugh) understand border culture. Please, do not be offended when you step on border soil and the majority population doesn't speak English, it's an insult when you speak louder or display irritation. 

Remember, this is a country of immigrants with a ridiculous amount of cultures, dialects, and beliefs. And, no where in the constitution or declaration does it state that English is the official language of the United States. It's the most common, estuped.