A Hispanic is a person who chooses to define the label "Hispanic" as their race, even though they understand that technically, and politically, no such race is currently acknowledged.
Most Hispanics, who choose to do this anyway, do so because it is the only label generally accepted by the various peoples and nations of Central and South America.
The label
Latino is considered inappropriate to Hispanics because it more closely identifies with Mexicans specifically.
Other labels
like "Mestizo" (bastard
child) are derogatory in nature and generally unacceptable.
Hispanics understand that each
sub-region in Central and South America is
unique in culture and mixture of race - even though they each share many similarities. Hispanics are considered human hybrids and take
pride in having mixed blood. They are racially open in sexuality and highly accepting of
diversity.
The label serves to describe both a culture and a race and not a language. As such, it is also possible for a person to speak none of the language and know none of the culture, but still be racially "Hispanic".
Because it can be
hard to identify them, being "Hispanic" can be a matter of
opinion. The only truth is that Hispanic people are racially and culturally diverse.
As a general rule, if you are of mixed ancestry and you think you fit into the general description above, you are most likely a member of the Hispanic race.
I was filling out the
2010 U.S. Census, and even though the instructions explicitly stated that "Hispanic" was not a
valid choice for race - I chose the "Other" option and entered in "Hispanic" anyway.
