moonkitty said:
Too be fair, I do not believe those boy were beating you up because you were an American, they were doing that because they were bullies and they were going to bully someone no matter what the excuse. Even though I am white and an American I have had to put up with bullies—and the meanest and nastiest bullies were usually the white, flag waving, cowgirls. I have actually received a lot of comfort and kindness from friends who are Hispanic or Black. You will find bullies and racist in every creed or color—but it is wrong to judge the whole group by the actions of a few.
Actually, I unknowingly sat in the "Cuban" section, so that made me a target. And the guy who asked me if I was Cuban or American was about 20 seats away from me. They were definitely prejudiced against Americans. If I had been Cuban, they would not have hit or kicked me.
But you're right; in every race and culture, there are nice people and mean people. Once, I went into a chicken restaurant in a black section, and one guy told me, "Get outta here, whitey!" Yet, the guy who first told me the gospel was a black guy, and it was through him and a Chick tract that I got saved.
Three of my former best friends are Cuban (only 'former' because I or they have moved away, and we have been out of contact). My own sister-in-law is Cuban. I have also been around white guys and girls who have acted like real jerks. Cubans think differently from Americans (unless they have been 'Americanized'), and their values and culture are different. They are, like most Latin Americans, very much a social culture, and dancing and partying play a very big part in their culture...much more so than in the American culture. Yes, Americans dance and party too, but with Cubans, and other Latin Americans, it is very strongly embedded into their culture, and it is part of what defines them.
Americans are much more snobbish than Latin Americans are. Cubans, like Italians and other Latin Americans, are VERY hot-tempered, and the slightest thing can set them off and bring out rage in them. I'm speaking in generalities here. Of course, there are always exceptions, but I'm speaking of the culture as a whole.
I have heard of Rednecks who pick on blacks, and black sections of town that are dangerous for any white person to drive through at night. My cousin used to be married to a Native American, and I was warned that his Native American friends sometimes beat up white people, so to steer clear of them (though this still sounds unusual to me).
The Cubans that I grew up around were largely marielitos, with very little education, many of whom had been in prison in Cuba for stealing, etc. The Spanish they spoke was mostly slang. When I was younger, there were more of the traditional Cubans, and that group had much more honor, and were more respectable. But, as a culture, Cubans are very hard-working, and they are very proud of their heritage...which is at least part of the reason why they refuse to learn or speak English (except for the ones born in this country). If you are their friend, they will do anything in the world for you...even steal or lie for you. But if you ever become their enemy, every bit of that same passion will be turned against you, and they will do everything in their power to make life a nightmare for you. And Cubans stick together, unlike Americans, so if you get into a fight or argument with one, they all turn on you. Whereas Americans are more individualistic, Cubans are more like a family, as far as their culture. They also still practice the extended family, which Americans have not practiced for many years.
But, every culture is different, does things different ways, looks at things differently, and has strong points and weak points. Just like every person does, and just like every church does. And, as you said and I already reiterated, there are always 'good' and 'bad' persons within every culture.
