Chopos in New York & Miami

Dominicans in Miami can best be divided into 2 groups.
One group can best be described as Lower-middle class and Low class socioeconomically. This group sticks together. live in the same areas and frequent Dominican Restaurants and other Dominican establishments.
The other group is Upper-middle and middle class. They are spread out all over Miami and try to assimilate within the greater community.
Among other Latin Cultures Dominicans are not held in high regard it seems. Yes they love their Music and their Love of life but are looked down upon as Lower class. This, I believe, is beause many people, when they hear "Dominican" they think "Black!" Because of this you find many educated Domincans hiding their heritage. I have found many Dominicans here trying to pass themselves off as Cuban or Venezuelan.(Why anyone would want to be Venezuelan is beyond my comprehension) Many times I have told people that my wife is from the DR and I can tell what they are thinking. "Your are married to a black woman?" Some have even come out and said it to my face. Lets face it. In the US the only Domincans that the majority of people know about are baseball players and the "Dominican Lou" character on Saturday Night Live.

Tony C.

Chopos

I would think "Chopo" is a mindset, or a "way of life". I doesn't have to be "dominican". You know Tony C, there are tons of them in Miami, escpecially the ones that go to IsleMorada for Spring Break..major chopos, and I bet some might even be Cuban. I live in Miami for 5 years. You know those basically tacky, no-class people that have no manners. That can be anyone.

people always go with what they know. That's not being a chopo and certaintly not Dominican. In every major city there's always a section where a concentrated group of an ethnic group settle...ie, china town, little italy and of course the heights in NYC...and if you read your history you will know that it has always been that way. At the height of European immigration to the US, the Irish would seek out the Irish and everyother ethnic group would search out their own...why? When you're settling down somewhere don't you look for something that's familiar to you? it might not be the same people but it could be a certain type of bar or people with similar interest. does that make you uneducated, low class or anything else as of that matter?

Here's another category....come mierda - those that think their shit dont' stink, we all know a couple of those on this board!

DR Techie

DR Techie:

Thank you!! You just admitted to being not only a CHOPO, but one of those in what you called, second category.

It seems you did not read the entire list of what determines choperia. Just the fact alone that you remain in an ethnic neighborhood does not qualify you as a chopo. You also have to have most of the other traits listed under chopo activities and ways of doing things.

For instance, someone mentioned Cuban chopos. A special characteristic of Cuban chopos is wearing shiny white shoes and Panama type hats in Florida. They also gather at coffee shops talking loud all day about their imaginary exploits in Cuba and lying thru their teeth about everything.

Chinese Chopos have their own buhoneros and food shops with their ugly hanging ducks on uncovered store fronts. Chinese chopos walk very fast, as if being chased by dogs.

Italian chopos like to wear white shoes also and many wear "A" type underwear shirts instead of shirts. They used hot haircuts just like blacks and have this Brooklyn accent that comes across like gorilla talk. Some walk like monkeys and like reggae and soul music, although they hate blacks and Latins. They have terrible underarm odors and let their body hair grow like Howard Hughes his nails. The women do not shave their underarm and are as loud as Dominican women from Sabana Perdida.

TW

What the Heck?

Tony C.

What kind of garbage is that. "Maybe because there seen as Blacks", Dude can you be anymore Chopo Cuban?

Thats a bunch of hog wash: "Among other Latin Cultures Dominicans are not held in high regard it seems."

Who the hell do you hang with?
I moved to Florida 7years ago, and nothing could be further from the truth... In fact most latins think highly of Dominicans...
I have traveled to 90% of Latin/South America, and have found nothing but great respect for us... Even when I intentionaly held my origins back and listened to talk... You will find that the Spaniards are the most ridiculed of our cultures. I will agree that there are pleanty of Chopos here in south FLA, but they do not yet seem to be the norm, like New York!

OK, Tony you got to me... But just a little...

Papito

Tony C is right

Papito:

Sorry on this one. Tony C. is right. Dominicans are looked down to in NYC, Florida and the Eastern United States. Don't try to cover up the obvious.

Naturally, someone's nationality does not determine who they are. While I am Dominican, I always sought to live in communities without Dominican nationals, like Chatham, NJ(where Shadley is from) The Gold Coast of Chicago and 39th. and 1st. Ave. NYC. Nobody knew I was Dominican unless they asked. I never put flags on my car(only chopos do that) nor do I put flag pins in my shirts(another chopo act).

The clothes you wear and your attitude determine your nationality right away. Dominican chopos are not hard to identify anywhere in the USA. In fact, Dominican chopos smell each other like dogs. They know each other, just like Japanese know other Japanese.

By the way Papito would it upset you if I say that placing flags in your house's windows on holidays is CHOPO? And I mean any flag, not just the Dominican one. For some reason though, some flags don't look so bad, even in windows on holidays. I have never been able to explain why the French flag looks good anywhere, anytime, anyplace. I don't know of any other flag in the world that has this chic.

TW

Copos in Miami

Sorry but I personally think that the number of your so call chopos in Miami are no where in sight.
Actually I think that the Dominican Population that reside in Florida is a bit more tolerant and open minded there for the volume of you so tatesless word chopos is not in Florida.