Any common misperceptions regarding the community?
One common misconception is that all Hispanics identify with each other because of a common language. In fact, many Latinos who are newcomers may dislike other Latinos because of bias and historical reasons. Spain, for instance, occupied much of Latin America and has a very negative image among Mexican Indians who were decimated by the Spanish. All Hispanic Americans — in fact many second generation Hispanic Americans – do not speak Spanish! Acculturated Hispanics become Americans, like German Americans, Italian Americans, etc. And most, especially those born in the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s, don’t speak Spanish because bilingual education was not generally offered. Does acculturation play a role in addiction among Latinos? Levels of drug use go up among acculturation groups. Hispanics are 50% less likely to use drugs at all than other ethnicities, (the influence of the church) but four times more likely to get addicted if they use (due to acculturation). Acculturation brings tremendous s
