Hypodescents in Cuba and Mexico

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The United States and Latin America’s racial systems developed in quite different ways, even if the current racial hierarchy in the Americas may be linked to European invasion and colonization. To their own people and to society at large, the histories of each of these communities were nearly always told in a way that recognized their uniqueness, particularly the distinctive ways in which they had been mistreated. The capacity to characterize whatever white racism touched, in the same way, was therefore granted to it, regardless of how the organization in question was established or what its internal dynamics might be. The hypodescent racism practiced by American slave owners and overwhelmingly disapproved of by Mexican and Cuban officials demonstrates how cultural values may influence racial perceptions.

US culture is most recognized for its historically black and white dichotomy, which is based on ideals of racial purity, including the one-drop rule and rigid racial classifications that confine racially mixed persons to the category of blacks. Furthermore, blackness has different connotations throughout Latin America, both in terms of national discourse and in day-to-day encounters (Osabuohien, 2018). For instance, mestizo rhetoric, which champions a distinctive racial blending of indigenous and Spanish origin, has effectively replaced nationalist racial theories’ treatment of blackness in Mexico (Blay, 2022). Equally significant is the possibility that immigrant perceptions of racialization in Mexico and Cuba might change as a result of their experiences in the United States and views of it being practiced there.

The essential tenet of the notion of physical inactivity is the property interests of the slave owners and the social priorities of hypodescent. The slavery of offspring born to white men by female slaves was made possible by the retention of a distinct color line. This approach was developed in Mexico and Cuba, where hostility to Hispanics’ social equality was strengthened by a rigid conception of the other and laws that forbade mixed heritage (Blay, 2022). The status of lower-class Hispanics and Blacks throughout most of the United States has been bolstered and maintained by the combination of these behaviors and the idea of subcutaneous administration. Not unexpectedly, no interest was shown in this by the authorities, courts, and human rights groups who created and supported affirmative action policies. Although Cuban and Mexican officials occasionally enjoyed the preferential treatment, the use of hypodescent by slave owners never stopped.

The realization that racism does, in fact, discriminate against Black and Latin people led to the conclusion that ethnically defined victims of racism could just as easily benefit from the same new set of rights. This essentially was upheld by authorities in Mexico and Cuba, even in the absence of advocacy for this outcome. The one-hate rule may need to be reconsidered in light of this social reality, and meaningful efforts may be made to address the unique needs and histories of various groups on their own terms (Moses, 2021). However, the system that was in place at the time posed a significant barrier to such a rethinking since the model performed well. This made the plight of the Latino and Negro minority more visible to authorities, who were thus better able to identify and comprehend it.

Theoretically, this may suggest that racism permeates everyday life and is mirrored in certain cultural norms and historical experiences. Additionally, racism in certain cultures refers to expressions that are ingrained in practice, artifacts, language, and institutional realities in addition to its historical roots (Barnet, 2021). For instance, conceptions of race, ethnicity, and nationality are historically rooted notions of superiority and inferiority rather than being merely reflections of neutral categories (Lim, 2021). Modern racial classifications and comprehension of these ideas must have colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade as its cultural and psychological foundations.

Thus, race-related ideologies are more than just opinions; they are reflected in fundamental institutions like the US Constitution, which restricted all citizenship advantages to those deemed to be white males. White Americans tend to define American more broadly for those with European heritage than for racial minorities in the country, which is a vestige of this material relationship. Although it is obviously wrong to label American culture as racist, the hypodescent concept has long since impacted its history and ideals, which was reflected in the practices in Cuba and Mexico.