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A Longer Carrenza

Doing a 15 to 20 minute Carrenza can be a good cardio workout, as well as letting you get creative and spontaneous, or just working your fav moves and experimenting with others. Shaved a few secs due to people walking in to get wipes, kettlebells, etc. Plus, it’s fun!

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LatinX? NO!

The term “Latinx” is an insult to the intelligence and history of Hispanics. Don’t use it.

I heard the term again tonight on tv and it got me started. So here I am, riffing off the top of my head.

“X” almost universally represents an unknown. In math: 19 + X = 25. To find the unknown X you have to do the work then X = 6, and you restate the equation with the now known; 19 +6 = 25.

In our culture: Malcolm X and others used the X to represent their unknown African origin name and culture. It might have been Malcolm Ochungo or something else, but due to slavery it was hidden or destroyed, so to honor their lost identity and reject the artificially imposed new name, they chose X.

I’m a Hispanic male, with a Spanish last name. A last name that can be found all over the world. My last name can be traced to particular areas of Spain which is my cultural motherland. I even have a family crest! My last name, familial history, and cultural origins are not unknown.

The term “Latin” originally refers to the root language of several Mediterranean Countries including Spain. I think most Hispanics understand that and accept it as an additional general identifier such as “Asian,” “Muslim,” “Slavic,” Nordic, etc. Those terms are sufficient unto themselves.

You can drill down on any of those by language, color, country of origin, even religion, as well as sex or sexual orientation, and maybe more. But the terms as general identifiers are sufficient.

It would be just as wrong to add an X to any of those. AsianX? MuslimX? NordicX? Ridiculous, and that’s why you don’t see it there.

I’m not sure who started the “LatinX” concept. I’ve heard it’s intended to be inclusive by subtracting gender and vaguely including a wider range of sexual representations, and countries of origin.

But it fails in that purpose.It is reductive rather than expansive. It makes us look like we’re missing something that we’re not.

In English, it’s not necessary. You don’t see a rush to create “AmericanX.” Why? Because linguistically it’s not necessary. There’s nothing missing in the term “American.”

In the English language “Latin” is genderless. Latin guy, Latin girl, Latin food, Latin music, no need to add an X there.

In Spanish, the male and female suffix “o” and “a,” serve a purpose. It identifies the original or chosen gender of the individual. To use “X” is to hide it.

We don’t say “AmericanX,” we say Americano, Americana. No shame there, no rush to change suffix there.

But what about transgendered and non-binary identifying individuals? I don’t buy that being the weightiest reason for the “X.”

Call them by the gender they want to identify with. I knew drag queens in NY who wanted to be referred to as female, “girl” or “woman.” Guess what we called them, yep, girl or woman.

I know my last name, it has a long history, so does the last name of most Hispanics around the world. I don’t mind being identified as male, it’s accurate. In English I can be called “Latin” and it’s proper usage.

When English speakers want to Spanish-ize words they’ll add the “o” or “a” but it’s a mockery more than anything. “I want-o a beer-o por favor!”

Why should we participate in an externally contrived denial of our knowledge of who we are? We’d be belittling and mocking ourselves to accept the designation of “LatinX.”

Don’t accept it, don’t allow it to perpetuate. We’re better than an “X.”

Updated Practice

Updated practice 10/26/2020

I get out of the house and went into my own world, my own head, for about an hour. This is a practice I do to prevent utter dullness of mind when I find myself a little too sedentary and occupied with the cares of the world. Sometimes it’s not even martial, it’s mystical, it’s like a vacation! With social isolation for the past year almost, I should be doing more of this. Sometimes the music in my earbuds is Chill and new age, sometimes an old school Jimi Hendrix playlist. Either way, I end up refreshed.