What's a Pocho? Pocho is a term used for generations to negatively describe people of Mexican ancestry born in the U.S. (It even says so on Wikipedia!) Pocho is a slur accusing us of becoming gringos, half-breeds, coconuts that have lost their culture. Pochos are not really Mexican to those born, educated and affluent in Mexico. (Focus on affluent.) Until recently, neither were we fully embraced by the U.S. Anglo culture. (Not to sound too radically “Chicano”, that’s how it was when I was a kid.) Pochos are people caught between two cultures. At least we used to be.
The definition of Pocho has a lot to do with language preference. We’re Hispanic (Yes, I used Hispanic and Latino interchangeably but that’s a different topic altogether. Wait for it.), but our language usage is not black or white, Spanish OR English. We use both to different degrees, in different ways, and often even in the same sentence. Pochos have gained notoriety for saying things like, “Hold on Lupe, voy ir a parkiar la troka”. Or sometimes, “Listen Fred, tu eres un menso.” Mixing Spanish and English in one breath, using words, like parkiar and troka which aren’t in any dictionary. People on both sides of the border are offended by the "bastardization" of both languages. But, on the border, it works.
I'm not saying that poor language skills are what defines Pochos. It's just an example (maybe a bad one) of the cultural evolution that is taking place. Being Pocho is about blending and not just accepting the result, but celebrating it. It's inevitable and it should be a good thing.
Why Proud? Because we should be! And, because our time has come. Today it is cool to be Latino. And, thanks to the miracle of retro-acculturation, even those of us that have been in the U.S. since before the U.S. came to US (Yes, we DO remember the Alamo.), we can now happily reclaim our Hispanicity. Today, of the 45-plus million Hispanics in the U.S. (that can be counted), about 60% were born in the U.S. Some are still more comfortable with Spanish, others speak only English; and, the vast majority speak some of both. Hispanics, and Hispanic marketing efforts, have been largely defined by language preference. But, being Hispanic isn't about language, it's about culture and THAT is what unites us.
I'm Pocho Y Proud. I was born here and grew up speaking mostly English (except to my grandparents and other elders - another article.). I felt caught, trapped, between two cultures that had no place for me. I made it through the "brown is down" days. And, I'm still proud of who I am. Even more importantly, I believe there are millions of other Pochos like me out there.
Regardless of our language preference, we’re proud to celebrate the 4th of July AND the 16 de Septiembre. (I would have added Cinco de Mayo but EVERYBODY celebrates that except in Mexico). We call our Mom for Mother’s Day on both May 10th AND the 2nd Sunday in May. We feast at Thanksgiving AND pray at Christmas (or sometimes Hanukkah). We're proud because are not the divide between two worlds, we are the bridge! We don’t HAVE to choose one culture versus another. We can have BOTH. We CAN be both American and Mexican or Puerto Rican or Cuban or Columbian or Guatemalan or WHATEVER. In the 2010 Census, we're going to check all kinds of boxes. And, THAT's what will define us.
Why Pochos are important for the future. Today’s Pocho is more than just the new Cajun. Pocho is today’s Latino reality. Pocho is the future. We're a big piece of the market. In a time of recession, we're a HUGE piece of the potential for growth. The Pocho market represents opportunity. MY concept of the new Pocho-nality is confident, positive, the best combination of both cultures, an upwardly-mobile mover that fits in everywhere! It's who we are. And, by the way, Hispanics are not the only ones affected by this evolution. Just the fact that anyone in Minnesota can accurately pronounce Chipotle also blows my mind. (Again, another future article.)
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