It’s Manifest Destino. After all, Latinos are true Americans, some of the original residents of the Americas. Spanish was the first European language spoken on this continent. Which is why we live in places like Los Angeles, Colorado and Florida rather than The Angels, Colored and Flowered. Now my generation is about to put a Latin stamp on the rest of the culture–and that will ultimately be the N legacy.
We are not only numerous, we are also growing at a rate seven times that of the general population. Conservative political ads notwithstanding, this growth is driven by natural increase (births over deaths) rather than immigration. At 30, I may be the oldest childless Latina in the United States. More important, however, while our preceding generation felt pressure to assimilate, America has now generously agreed to meet us in the middle. Just as we become more American, America is simultaneously becoming more Latino.
This quiet revolucion can perhaps be traced back to the bloodless coup of 1992, when salsa outsold ketchup for the first time. Having toppled the leadership in the condiment category, we set our sights even higher. Fairly soon, there was a congresswoman named Sanchez representing Orange County, a taco-shilling Chihuahua became a national icon and now everyone is loca for Ricky Martin.
We are just getting started. Our geographic concentration and reputation for family values are making us every politician’s dream constituency. How long can New Hampshire, with just four Electoral College votes–and probably an equal number of Hispanic residents–continue to get so much attention from presidential candidates? Advertisers will also soon be begging for our attention. With a median age of 26 (eight years younger than the general market), Latinos hardly exist outside their coveted 18-34 demographic. Remember, we may only be 11 percent of the country, but we buy 16 percent of the lipliner.
The media will change as well, especially television, where we now appear to be rapidly approaching extinction. Of the 26 new comedies and dramas appearing this fall on the four major networks, not one has a Latino in a leading role. The Screen Actors Guild released employment statistics for 1998 showing that the percentage of roles going to Hispanic actors actually declined from the previous year. But, pretty soon, the cast of “Friends’’ will need to find some amigos. Seeing as they live in New York City, and there’s almost 2 million of us in the metropolitan area, this shouldn’t prove too difficult.
Face it: this is going to be a bilingual country. Back in 1849, the California Constitution was written in both Spanish and English, and we’re headed that way again. If our children speak two languages instead of just one, how can that not be a benefit to us all? The re-Latinization of this country will pay off in other ways as well. I, for one, look forward to that pivotal moment in our history when all American men finally know how to dance. Latin music will no longer be found in record stores under foreign and romance will bloom again. Our children will ask us what it was like to dance without a partner.
“American food” will mean low-fat enchiladas and hamburgers served with rice and beans. As a result, the American standard of beauty will necessarily expand to include a female size 12, and anorexia will be found only in medical-history books. Finally, just in time for the baby boomers’ senescence, living with extended family will become hip again. “Simpsons” fans of the next decade will see Grandpa moving back home. We’ll all go back to church together.
At the dawn of a new millennium, America knows Latinos as entertainers and athletes. But, someday very soon, all American children can dream of growing up to be writers like Sandra Cisneros, astronauts like Ellen Ochoa, or judges like Jose Cabranes of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. To put a Latin spin on a famous Anglo phrase: It is truly manana in America. For those of you who don’t know it (yet), that word doesn’t just mean tomorrow; manana also means morning.
