The Latin-X vs Latino Controversy

   
       There are persons who claim that he word Latino is sexist because it supposedly excludes the female gender by ending with the letter "o". Because if this, perception, they have started to place an X after the letter "o" in order to fix what they view as a linguistic flaw. This attempt has of course caught the attention of Latinos to whom Spanish is the mother tongue and who see absolutely no justifiable reason to be claiming confusion.   Strangely,  this Spanish-related  linguistic issue has only cropped up during the last few years. Prior to that, there was absolutely no controversy whatsoever in relation to it.  Everyone. from young children to adults had very easily understood the term Latino to be all-inclusive for hundreds of years.

     Then suddenly, claims of confusion suddenly began to appear and the addition of an X to the word Latino began to be used.  Ironically, the ones one would expect to be confused would maybe be Anglo or Afro Americans with absolutely no cultural linguistic ties to the Latinos culture.  Yet, the ones responsible are the New Yoricans, people who claim to be Latinos, don't know how to write or speak Spanish and barely understand it. 

     I was raised in the United States and am of Puerto Rican Parents. English is my primary language although I knew some very basic Spanish. I began learning how to read and speak Spanish in earnest at age 23. Yet, the term Latino, or "Somos Latinos!" ""We are Latinos!" never caused me the slightest confusion.

     You see, I very simply assumed that it was all-inclusive. After all, why would it be intended otherwise? The same for "Somos humanos!" "We are human!" Should we place an X after humanos and write or say " "Somos humanos-X" to indicate that females are also included? How About "Somos Christianos"". We are Christians.

     Should we add an X to the word "Cristianos"? and say or write "Cristianos-X"" instead? After all, if indeed the term , "Latinos"" confuses a person, then he or she can be expected to be as equally or even far more confused by the other thousands of words which also follow the same mode and as the word "Latino" does.



     For example:

"Esa gente son vagos!" Those people are lazy"" Esa -X and vagos-X? in order to avoid grammatical sexism?

"Ellos no entiended nada!" "They understand nothing!"" Ellos-X in order to inlude females?

"Los animales murieron". "The animals died." "los-X" in order to include female animals?

"La gente entraron" "The people entered" La-X gente? in order to include males?

     Do you see the problem? Just how many X's are you going to need in order avoid being constantly confused? Pretty soon, you will be sounding like a moron.

      In short, it is not the word per say that is at fault. Instead it is the refusal of the persons who feel that they need an X after that word in order to understand its intended meaning instead of learning the language correctly that is at fault.