It was August when a Los Angeles Times columnist claimed that she’d been hit with “a tidal wave of right-wing hysteria” when she used the word Latinxs in a tweet. Plenty of Hispanics popped up to tell her that, no, they’re not right-wing, and no, they don’t like being called Latinx. Still, progressives from Sesame Street to President Joe Biden insist on using it, despite the fact that many Hispanics consider it a slur.
And that’s a good thing, because practically no one in the Hispanic community likes or uses the term, according to a new survey.
“The numbers suggest that using Latinx is a violation of the political Hippocratic Oath, which is to first do no electoral harm. Why are we using a word that is preferred by only 2%, but offends as many as 40% of those voters we want to win?” —@AmandiOnAir https://t.co/w5uzYBxT3n
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) December 6, 2021
Only 2% refer to themselves as Latinx, while 68% call themselves “Hispanic” and 21% favored “Latino”/“Latina”
40% said Latinx bothers or offends them to a degree & 30% said they’d be less likely to support a politician or organization that uses ithttps://t.co/w5uzYBxT3n
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) December 6, 2021
Only 2 percent of Hispanics refer to themselves as Latinx, but the entire Biden administration is committed to it.
It probably doesn’t help that you can’t pronounce it in Spanish.
— angelo sibilio (@angelo_sibilio) December 6, 2021
It’s unpronounceable in English, too.
— Marcus (@DKircaldy) December 6, 2021
Biden’s been known to pronounce it as La-TEEN-ex. But we don’t know what you’d do with Latinxs.
It’s annoying AF
— maria 🦚☀️🌴🦩 (@mariamontes915) December 6, 2021
Agreed. I can't stand it.
— esafille (@esafille) December 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/Twin66/status/1467899186574241792
But transphobia!
— Andrew Sullivan (@sullydish) December 6, 2021
“How do you do fellow Latinx” pic.twitter.com/S9rcQxn69W
— McNeil (@Reflog_18) December 6, 2021
Me whenever I hear/see that word. pic.twitter.com/kLgTg0kG04
— Diego R (@SpaceMonkeyo313) December 6, 2021
It's very offensive
— Renji (@PrzJvr) December 6, 2021
The irony is the the n-word has literally better "approval numbers".
— Beezy (@BeezyManzell) December 6, 2021
I can agree with not voting for a politician that uses the term. They simply would be telling me they simply don’t get my community. So they won’t get my vote.
— HusbandoImpact (@mach0menos) December 6, 2021
I've been saying this for years and no one has been listening!
— Marshall t Wright (@marshallwrigh14) December 6, 2021
The Atlantic had a good column recently as well about how politicians on the West Coast and in the Southwest have stopped using the term because it is hurting them politically.
— Brandon Loran Maxwell (@BrandonLMaxwell) December 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/SaenzRode/status/1467865169128792067
Because the people using it are not signaling to Hispanics but to other privileged (mostly Anglo/white) liberals. It is an ideological, left-wing political construct.
— Alberto Miguel Fernandez (@AlbertoMiguelF5) December 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/KentBushart/status/1467979437048274954
Seems like every month there's a dustup onhere over Latinx. I can't think of any politicans that use it except for The Squad.
— Mary's Clearance Rack! (@IfMarys) December 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/cybr_gk/status/1467867977215135749
https://twitter.com/Peedub76/status/1467851197176586244
Gringx
— Russ Gottwald (@RLGottwald) December 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/LevKliesen/status/1467900687715426305
It’s a wonderful thing.
The term "LatinX" is a bastardization of my culture, our culture. One of the most idiotic things ever invented.
— alejandro.lens (@BaqueroLima) December 6, 2021
Related:
‘Read the room’: Sesame Street is celebrating Latinx culture this Latinx Heritage Month https://t.co/ou37bIX9nX
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 15, 2021
Join the conversation as a VIP Member