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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Jan. 18, 2005
/ 8 Shevat, 5765
Latinos are own worst enemy
By
Ruben Navarrette Jr.
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
This year, instead of making New Year's resolutions for myself, I thought I'd make a few for the nearly 40 million Latinos in the United States.
These resolutions aren't for every Latino. But for those for whom the zapato fits, I'd be happy if this year folks did just five things:
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Become U.S. citizens.
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Learn English.
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Teach their children the importance of education and set the example.
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Become engaged in the society they live in.
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Promote and practice unity and tolerance toward one another.
That last one is the biggie. Not that this will come as a big surprise to many of you. A newspaper executive mentioned to me recently how Latinos were destined to wield a lot of power in cities like Dallas (or Denver or Phoenix or Charlotte) if only they'd become unified. Yeah, if only.
About 10 years ago, I wrote an essay that remains to this day the most often requested and reprinted piece I've written. It was about envidia, or envy. About how Latinos are so often their own worst enemies because they can't stand to see one of their own succeed. I still see traces of that phenomenon.
In fact, I got a real good look recently when I agreed to address a group of Dallas-area Latinos. As so often happens when I speak to a Latino audience, I wound up in an argument. This time, it was about something I call the Latino Litmus Test. It's how some people in my community go about assessing the authenticity of others.
That's quite a responsibility, and I suppose I should be thankful that there are still folks willing to bear the burden.
A person in the audience asked when I was going to write a column criticizing Al Día, Dallas' only daily Spanish-language newspaper and a product of The Dallas Morning News, for having a top executive who "doesn't speak Spanish fluently."
For what it's worth, the person in question does speak Spanish — although perhaps not as well as that audience member would have liked. But what really bugs me, and I said so at the time, is that this executive has done more for Latinos in journalism and the local Latino community than a dozen other people I know who speak Spanish perfectly.
You see the problem. Readers accuse me of being "biased toward [my] race," so now seems a good time to spell out one area in which I think many of my fellow Latinos could stand some improvement.
Too many Latinos can't wait to thin their ranks of those whom they consider not up to snuff culturally. If you don't speak Spanish like a Mexican diplomat, or if you have light skin, or if you marry a non-Latino, or if you belong to the wrong political party, or hold the wrong beliefs, then you're out in the cold.
And then those pure enough to remain in the club wonder why their numbers are such that they can hold meetings in a broom closet. Even then, they still sometimes splinter into even smaller factions. That's been the inside joke about Latino organizations for as long as I can remember. First, there's one group. Then two. Then three. Sometimes it's because they can't agree on a mission statement, or a funding source, or an agenda.
Sometimes, it's simply because they can't agree on who should be in charge. Too many generals, not enough soldiers.
I'm sick of it. It's dumb and childish and counterproductive. And it goes a long way toward explaining why Latinos, for all their population growth in recent years, aren't more of a force in America and may not be for some time. How can they be when they have to confront so much — discrimination, poor political representation, a mediocre educational system, lack of health care, depressed wages and on and on. And they can't seem to attack any of it because they're too busy attacking one other.
Enough of that. The destiny of the nation's largest minority is in its own hands. Instead of constantly complaining about what's being done to them, Latinos should think long and hard about what they're doing to themselves.
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01/13/04: Keeping the score on Gonzales
01/10/04: Parents on Strike
© 2005 WPWG
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