Introduction: Do people already assume that you speak Spanish because you are of Hispanic origin? Do they judge when they find out you don't? If you don't understand your culture, that would make you less of a member of your ethnic group. Background: Members of Hispanic origin who do not speak the language are often affected by this type of stereotype. While it is true that most Hispanics speak Spanish, many still don't understand the concept which makes them sound frowned upon and called names like "whitewashed." You may also have a predisposition idea about the life of Mexicans and how they behave, speak, dance, etc. Thesis Statement: This has led to insecurities that persist to haunt this specific group, or the minority group of the minority group. This led me to select a meme to express feelings and show how this meme became what it is in the essay. The meme I selected shows some humor, but the reality is that this is what non-Spaniards who have Hispanic origins really go through. People in this group are significantly impacted as they feel more insecure about themselves, feel marginalized or indolent in the eyes of the public. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Topic Sentence: Not being able to speak Spanish is one of the big insecurities that people of Latino descent have. Imagine you are at a party or some type of event and someone approaches you and starts speaking Spanish. You reply “no habla espanol,” to which they then reply oh sorry, I thought you were Mexican. Does this eat away at you and make you feel confused and angry as you rethink the situation and why did it happen? Then it hits you. I can't speak Spanish and it was the reason I was separated from my culture. After realizing the problem and working tirelessly to solve it by attending classes and whatnot, you start learning the language here and there. And after years of learning you finally settle in and understand the language. Only finding out that it didn't make you any more Latino than you already were. Being Hispanic is innate, you don't need to prove anything. You see, this is a major insecurity issue that runs through most of us Latinos who don't speak Spanish. We think about it too much making us feel bad about ourselves and giving us an insane amount of anxiety from time to time. Which could potentially lead to a bigger mess like depression or effects on your organs. Whether you speak Spanish or not, this should not affect whether you are Hispanic or not. Even in our own circle we can be marginalized due to our inability to speak Spanish. For example, if you play soccer and most of your teammates are of Spanish descent, they may speak Spanish to communicate with each other while playing soccer to bond better or to prevent the other team from knowing what you are saying. In the middle of the game, one of your teammates can give directions in Spanish and most of the team would understand and execute while you are stumped and confused. Just having another teammate translate for you, which can be awkward especially when you're Hispanic like the others because they speak Spanish but you don't speak the language. This could also worsen your bond with your teammates and actually affect your game performance as you need more time to process what they are saying. This also gives us the feeling of being in competition with each other, to see where we fit among your people. Since your people are more accustomed to the language, this can make you feel bad and jealous to the point that you mighteven consider finding new friends or a new group. This is a factor that most of us feel, but keep to ourselves to avoid hurting feelings further. Topic Sentence: The number of people in this group is very relevant as there are many articles of these people going through the same problem. Evidence and Citations: The article “You Can Lose a Language You Never Knew,” Keven Garcia explains how as the population grows, fewer and fewer Latinos speak that language. Garcia writes, “Growing up, I was told that understanding the language of my home country was of the utmost importance. Sometimes this message was subtle: Spanish-speaking strangers who, after trying and failing to interact with me, would utter a sharp “No habla espanol?” Comment: This quote explains how when Garcia was getting older he was taught by others that learning Spanish from their country was extremely vital, and how sometimes strangers would approach him asking for something in Spanish leaving him speechless. This creates a very uncomfortable and embarrassing situation. Garcia also writes, “At other times, it was more explicit: the gentle (and not-so-gentle) teasing from family and friends for confusing ser and estar; the uncomfortable silence that fell between me and my cousins, neither of whom were able to communicate during my family's trips to Mexico." Comment: This quote explains how speaking Spanish is sometimes not only embarrassing but also annoying to family members and to friends. I myself have been in a situation where some uncles and my grandparents got mad at me because I had no idea what they were talking about. Another article, "You're Mexican and You Don't Speak Spanish," by Angel Cambron explains how people call him "fake Mexican" white boy because he can't speak the language. Cambron responds to these claims by saying, "My bad, my parents didn't speak Spanish in my house growing up I realized at the age of five that it was my responsibility to teach myself a new language. It's my fault." In this quote Cambron expresses sarcasm as you can feel his frustration when people criticize him for not being able to speak Spanish. In his article he also provides a statistic showing that 40% of US-born Hispanics do not speak Spanish at home. Comment: I'm not saying this is a good thing, but it shows how you are not alone if you are facing this type of problem. You are absolutely the ethnicity you have identified with since your birth and nothing will take that away from you. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Concluding Paragraph: Being Hispanic doesn't mean whether you can make salsa or speak fluent Spanish. Being Hispanic is something you acquired from the day you were born. Okay, cool! But how can I deal with the consequences of not knowing how to speak Spanish? Ignore it, you are definitely not alone as the number of US-born Hispanics who cannot speak Spanish is ever growing. This all ties back to my meme and why it was created. As you can understand by reading this essay, just because you look like or come from a certain background does not guarantee you speak the language. It is a stereotype that should be stopped as it is becoming less and less relevant. Works cited Garcia, Kevin. “Can you lose a language you never knew?” NPR, NPR, March 10, 2018, www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/03/10/588306001/can-you-lose-a-lingual-you-never-knew.Cambron, Angel. “You're Mexican and you don't speak Spanish?” Medium, Gender Theory, May 26, 2017, medium.com/gender-theory/youre-mexican-and-you-don-t-speak-spanish-e5d831200205.IntroductionShould follow.