I hope you didn't think I was equating hijo de puta with gringo, because that wasn't my intent. What I was attempting to show is that it doesn't really matter what our intent it, it is how our words and actions affect others.
Years ago a colleague married a Thai. Later, in Thailand, he met his wife's family. He didn't speak the language and didn't know the culture. During the meeting, he stretched his legs and in doing so the soles of his feet were pointed toward his new father-in-law. The old man went beserk. In Thai culture, his new son-in-law had showed his great disrepect. Had that been my colleague's intention? Of course not. However, that was the end result.
I hear many Americans in Latin America refer to themselves as gringos. I don't have a problem with that. If they are comfortable with the word, that's wonderful. But as a kid I lived on the Mexican border and gringo was something I was called before someone tried to kick my ass. Maybe during and afterwards too. My major objection is the tendency for some Hispanics to make constant reference to my race. Constant. Gringo this, gringo that. What on earth does my race have to do with anything? Is it so damn hard to learn my name, to go beyond the color of my skin and eyes, to see me as a man and not a someone of a different race?
People have told me that gringo is the same thing as saying catracho, chapín, guanaco, pinolero, tico, pana, etc. Bull. People tell me I live in Tiquicia, I can get my film developed at Ticolor, etc. I've never walked down a street in Gringolandia and asked for reprints at Gringocolor. I don't like the word. Gringo to me is much like chino. If the guy is from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore or whatever, he's chino. Yes, I've had people insist that all Japanese speak Chinese. Aren't they all chinos? Jeezzz... Give me a break. Let's look beyond skin pigmentation. Let's broaden our cultural horizons and treat others as we want to be treated.
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