READ ABOUT your culture, please

And the debate is??????

Limited vision.

I can see that you look at every thing in turns of Black or White.

As a latin country we are a mixture of colors and races, not the way you want to put it.

You should start seeing more and reading less. You have a limited vision of the world.

noell77 said:

NEWS flash, Santo DOMingo was the first country to get african slaves, and US was one of the last.

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NEWS FLASH!!

Santo Domingo isn't a country.

BTW America is not just USA, DR is also America, just for the record.

The problem is you want to put a label of Black and White just based if you have African heritage or not. The point is that Latin American people is a mixture, Europeans, Africans and Natives of the land.

I'm not brown in color, but I know I have African blood somewhere as also Taina and Spaniard. Like my grandma says, "Todo el mundo tiene el negro tras de la oreja". My sister is brown in color but I don't like the term black for her, she is more than that, I prefer Latin, Hispanic, Dominicana because it reflects the mixture of culture that she and I have.

Just my point of view,

Johanna

ummm... How is the DR America?

Because America is the entire continent and no only the United States of America, that means that DR, Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Canada, Per?, etc. all of them are also America.

I don't know why the term America is only for USA??, that is something that always get in my nerves.

You can imagine the first country discover in America is DR, first catedral, first University, etc. So I'm entitle to call myself American if I want to and said that I live in America also, which is true.

Johy

Mrmike. im sorry but that was very i mean very ignorant of you!

another thing why we even bother with people that pop up with ridiculous asuptions, first of all take a trip down here then talk.

have a great day!

Please...

Could the OP help out by clarifying which thread s/he intended to reply to? Otherwise it makes no sense.

Chiri

I have heard this crap alot, and it's just that, crap. The DR is an island, that means it's not part of ANY continent.

The US of A is the only country in the world with the word "America" in it's name.

To try to say that Dominicans are Americans because the closest continent to your little island is North America is rediculous. Common, but rediculous.

The term "America"

Johy,

"I don't know why the term America is only for USA??, that is something that always get in my nerves. "

Its just a name, not intended to insult anyone or leave anyone out! Its easier to say it than saying United States of America.

How then, would one refer to people from USA. If you are a Spanish speaker, you might call me "Estado Unidense" but we don't have that form in English so we refer to ourselves as "American" although yes, the Mexicans, Canadians, Colombians, Hondurans, etc. are Americans too - if one means North, v.s. Central, v.s. South America.

DR is not considered part of North or South America. Neither is Cuba, PR or any of the Caribbean islands.

Here in the U.S., I think the real issues between "whites" and "blacks" are not race/skin color issues but rather, they are cultural. Everyone here seems to miss this point. Because of the institution of slavery and misguided whites who believed blacks to be inferior, "blacks" were isolated from whites and thus developed a way of speaking/living different from the white majority. So now, we have "culture" clashes just like other countries do. For example, I am "white" but have a Haitian living on the left and a Jamacian living on the right side of my house. I have a much easier time getting along with and relating to the Jamacan man. Its a cultural-commonality v.s. culture-clash thing you see.

Is the same thing seen in the DR? People aligned with a Spanish-based culture v.s. an African one?

noell77 is quite right to say we should all read more and be aware of what has happened and what is happening now.

minerran.

United States is also pretty general and alot of other countries would fall under that phrase, including "Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos".

Everyone knows what you mean when you say "American" but "North American" obviously refers to a continent with 3 different countries, Even though the term "North American" is being pushed very hard on the world by the same Nazis of Political Correctness who would also like us to spell "women" with a "Y" and have eliminated the word "salesman" and "caretaker".

The brits will call us "Yanks" regardless, and latins will call us "Gringos" whenever they think we aren't listening even if they do insist on us calling ourselves North Americans and on calling themselves "Americans".

MrMike and minerran, please grab a history and geography book. If DR and Jamaica isn't part of America why are we members of OAS (Organization of American States)???

MrMike the US of A as you refer to it, is the only country that have the word America in its name, just demonstrate the lack of imagination at the moment to put a name to your country and also very egocentric to think you were the only ones in the continent.

Yes I know is very common use, I live with that, but when someone came and said NEWS flash, Santo DOMingo was the first country to get african slaves and then said she lives in America, I just can't be like nothing happen, first of all as someone already stated Santo Domingo is not a country and America is not just USA.

Since that is not the topic of the thread I will leave it there.

Minerran, she was referring to DR in her first post, and we don't share the history of black vs white as USA have it, we are different and that is what I meant in my first post, we are a mix of everything in DR and our culture shows that, the only racism that dominicans have I think is towards people from Haiti and that also came from the time they occupied us, remember the DR independence is from Haiti not Spain.

You should see me and my sister, people said that we don't look alike in anything, and a lot of family are like that, the mixture is evident in every aspect of a Dominican life.

Johy

I have a geography book, and it clearly states that islands are not parts of continents.

I don't know why Jamaica and the DR are part of the Organization of American States, since they don't have states AND they are very disorganized...... (wow, 3 strikes - somebody screwed up there)

I guess it's like the way you can't buy a garage at a garage sale and even though NAFTA is 10 years old they're still not giving stuff away for free.

If you think the name USA lacks imagination what would you say about South America? (Maybe it just sounds better than "Cocainia")

OK the above is pure sarcasm in case anybody can't tell, but seriously I think it is in everybody's best interest if Dominicans who want to be Americans complete their naturalization process legally rather than expanding the term to the point where it loses all meaning. The former process is beneficial to everybody involved, the latter is just stupid.

Johy said:

Minerran, she was referring to DR in her first post, and we don't share the history of black vs white as USA have it, we are different and that is what I meant in my first post, we are a mix of everything in DR and our culture shows that, the only racism that dominicans have I think is towards people from Haiti and that also came from the time they occupied us, remember the DR independence is from Haiti not Spain.

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Johanna,

Of coarse I know she was referring to the DR. I only mentioned USA to see if she saw any similarities in the DR on this issue of racism. I am aware of your general history, the fact that it's different from that of the U.S., and that many mixtures can be found in the DR. Still, based on human nature and psychology, I would find it hard to believe that there is no racism or cultural clashes at all. How are people of Taino decent treated? I am asking questions not to disagree (Since you're Dominican then you know far better than me about what goes on there), but to learn.

Oh, please don't be offended about whether or not someone considers DR a part of N. America. This is really an issue of geology, nothing more. Enough said.

minerran

From what I can tell as a white guy, most of the racism in the DR seems to be economic, and a desire to distance themselves from Haitians (which may be more or less the same thing)

All of the "Old Money" elite families are white, being descended form Europeans and so Dominicans tend to equate being white with having money.

My wife is a black Dominican, and her last (maiden) name is French. I know this because if you type it into a search engine, out pop all these french results. So obviously her ancestors are Haitian. Her whole family is in denial about this and claim that the "secret" of their last name's REAL spelling and procunciation was lost when her great grandmother announced that the next day she would tell them the story of their name and where it's from and how it's REALLY spelt, but then died during the night.

Yes, if you read your history books, there certainly WAS a country named Santo Domingo. That's what the Europeans called this place until recent history. When part of what is now recognized as the Dominican Republic was under French control it was called "Saint Domingue". Go back and read your history. There was no place called the Dominican Republic until later. Don't try to obscure the point with things like this, when you don't have a clue about the real issue being discussed.

As far as racism, please consider this. Most people who talk in terms of "black" or "white" here are either Americans, or people who live or have lived in the USA, and got their heads screwed up. There are many racists there, both white AND black.

Most people in the Caribbean (not just in the D.R.) recognize the fact that most people born in this region are one shade or another of BROWN. There are no purebreeds here whose families have been here more than 200 years. Someone along the way decided they liked someone else who was "different " than their family, and did something just to make themselves happy. (just as Strom Thurmond did).

As far as Dominican racist attitudes towards Haitians, consider this. When Haiti was fighting for their independence in the 1800's , one of their major goals was to drive out the whites, and be a freed slave nation. They can reap what they sowed then. Nuf said.