It seems like every few months, there’s a new term cooked up by the linguistic chefs in Hollywood and New York City. This time, they’re serving up “Latine,” a word many people are hearing for the first time. It’s supposed to be a gender-neutral term for Latin Americans, following in the footsteps of “Latinx.” But in reality, it’s just another attempt by the virtue-signaling elites to play language games and show off how “woke” they are.
Despite what some ivory-tower academics and entertainment industry folks think, most Hispanic communities have little interest in these newfangled terms. They’ve lived quite comfortably with “Latino” and “Latina,” terms that have functioned well for decades without any need for a major overhaul. Yet, here we are again, watching as these cultural power players try to rework language to flex their supposed intellectual muscle and show us how enlightened they are.
The creation of these terms seems less about inclusion and more about signaling to each other that they are on the right side of the cultural and political spectrum. It’s like having a secret handshake or a fancy club badge – you use these words to show you’re part of the “in” crowd. The irony is that nobody actually uses these words outside of these circles, and they often struggle to pronounce them. It’s almost like these terms were invented just to give the impression that those using them are a step ahead in the cultural hierarchy.
In the latest twist, a study claims that Latin immigrants are underrepresented on television. Of all the issues facing media today, this seems to be the hill some want to die on. It’s telling that Hollywood, a place always ready to toot its own inclusive horn, finds itself in this representation pickle. For those scratching their heads at this irony, the suggestion is simple: if current shows are so overrun with the wrong demographic, just swap out some of those overly-represented groups with more Hispanic faces. You know, a touch of practical diversity rather than just diversity by spreadsheet.
What better time to chuckle at this than when reflecting on America’s love for TV true crime dramas, often dominated by stories of hapless, thrill-seeking Caucasian women. Give the spotlight to some different faces, and maybe, just maybe, the incessant clamor for representation will settle. Well, at least until the next contrived linguistic trend rolls around and gives everyone something new to faux-argue about at coffee shops in the trendier parts of town.
