Some time around 6pm EST on Thursday January 12, one of the many people who support Latino Rebels, a media and digital agency that I had formed with about 20 other amazing people last April, posted the following picture on our private group page that we use to share ideas and posts to consider for the company’s several social media networks.
I immediately reacted. After years of reading countless posts and articles about the entire immigration debate in the United States, this photo captured EXACTLY what I felt about it.
So, as an admin for the Latino Rebels Facebook page, I posted the photo, just like all the hundreds of provocative photos we have posted in the past. You see, the purpose of why the Rebels were formed was simple: provide people with content that makes you think, tosses conventions upside down, and then we see what happens. At LR.com and all our other social media channels, we post A LOT of content. It is varied, sometimes silly, sometimes serious, but the essence of what we do is always clear: we just want people to react, whether they like what we post or no.
Just 30 seconds after the photo was uploaded, we had already gotten 5 likes. Within a minute it was 15. 64 hours later, we reached the following number as of this posting on Sunday night:
Yes, you read it right: we have gotten 31,657 likes and 28,083 shares. Safe to say that this photo resonated, both with people who believe in true immigration reform for this country and those who have a different view. (SIDENOTE: If you are the person who actually passed this picture on to one of our supporters, please let us know? We got some cold beers waiting!)
Furthermore, the Latino Rebels Facebook page gained over 6,500 new fans in the last 48 hours (almost reaching 10,000), tripling the number of fans we had on January 11. The response from the vast majority of our new fans to our Facebook page has been highly positive, but what this instant organic growth caused was something that we never expected: we had to explain ourselves to all these new fans and explain ourselves quickly.
All of a sudden, people from all over the world wanted to know who we were, what we believed in, what was our mission. They wanted answers and they wanted them NOW. Where did you guys come from? What is your angle? And why do you post so many stories? Don’t you know that you are spamming me?
It took us about a day to take all this ultra-rapid growth and understand what to do with it. Our decision was easy: we stay true to our core mission—we post information daily and organically on Facebook. We go with the flow of the day and the feel of the community. If a big story is happening, we might post more. And if we just want to post music, we do that too. We don’t think about the BEST WAY to operate on Facebook. We just DO IT, and let the community decide. That will not change and by staying true to who we are (unless our community tells us differently), we did the following:
- Posted a core mission statement in English.
- Then because about 60% of our growth was coming from Latin America, we posted our core mission in Spanish.
- We made a decision to post more in Spanish.
- We reminded ourselves that the REAL HUB of our company is LatinoRebels.com and not our Facebook site. Facebook is just a channel of the company’s many channels. LR.com is the HUB and in the last 9 days, that hub has seen over 20,000 unique visits, pushing us over the 100,000 mark in just 9 months of launching the site.
- We told people who didn’t like our style to just not follow us. Unlike us. It doesn’t bother us. We cannot be all things to all people, and we all felt strongly that if we twisted in the wind every time someone gave a suggestion to run our pages, we would lose our company soul. So we kindly told these few critics that there are gazillion pages on the Internet, if you don’t like our style, you can leave. Just respect us as you walk out the door, we would do the same.
- Our philosophy is simple: never ever worry about having people unfollow you or losing numbers. In the end, the obsession with numbers and stats on social media is not why we do this. That is for the brands that think that numbers equal engagement and brand loyalty. It doesn’t. You know how you win people over? By connecting with them, by sharing their content, by asking them how you can help them. THIS IS NEVER ABOUT YOU, IT IS ABOUT THEM. We have been doing this every day for months, with no agendas and no master plan that would lead us to somewhere else. We have truly grown organically, reflecting the power of social media. Of course, our goal is to make the company successful, but our money is made not through our fans or the ads we would peddle to them (which we don’t). We make our money by working with our clients to replicate what we do on our content pages. That is what makes us different: our content and how we share that content is our agency model. Great content attracts audience. And that attracts engagement, which then attracts connections that will last for a long time.
So to all the new fans and new likes and new shares, thanks. We are also aware that this type of unprecedented growth for us will not last. Someone else will post another picture and the likes will go somewhere else. We just hope that the motives are honorable and for the right reasons. We have never been a big fan of having brands try to generate social media buzz by selling their product through social media campaigns. I personally don’t want to be sold on the Internet, I just want to BE. Let ME decide what I want to do online, and if once in a while, I shout out a brand or work with a brand, it is because I believe in the brand.
Also, we never came into this company to increase our traffic quickly. It just happened because we got lucky. (And guess what? You can get lucky too.) The wave the Rebels are riding right now has been so much fun. It has forced us to refine our strategy and explore new partnerships for growth It has made us a better company.
¡Que vivan los Rebeldes! Long live the Rebels! You know who you are.
And to the entire Facebook community, thanks for the love!
UPDATE, 4:55 EST: The latest analytics are in from Facebook. Are you kidding me? Crazy.
The picture also reached the front page of Reddit.com! Congrats!
Really? Crazy! Thanks for telling us that!
Do you have a link?
if it wasn’t for a rich white farmer, your illegal asses wouldn’t have a fucking job!!! JESUS r u fucking kidding me…. ur nothing compared to jesus….
Thanks so much for those amazing words of love. You are kind of proving your point with your ignorant unChristian statement. WWJD? Love people. BTW, I am an American citizen and God Bless the USA!!!
How’s the weather in California tonight?
if it wasnt for those illegal asses, this rich white farmer, wouldnt have a farm, and if he did, who would work on it?
Yup!
If it wasn’t for that rich white farmer, folks would have had their own lands and farms, wouldn’t have to slave for your white a–!
FU, Same to U. been raiced in NYC, I know what your name stands for; Dont feel bad because U failed all subjects in school, except the beautiful “french” vocbulary. The name of JESUS next to the “F” makes me want to throw up, and gets my latin rebel blood burning HOT Your parents might have taken u to church some time but learned nothing(feel sorry for them) Are U willing to work the land for those farmers? If not do us a favor “shut your trap” PLEASE Elsie
Best response ever!
How many of your ancestors got an invitation from the Indians to come & take over their land? (Show proof) don’t have it? YOU ARE ILLEGAL. How many of them (who came) learned any indian language?
FU!!!! The big farms get the biggest subsidy check (yep! welfare check) from the federal gov.
http://www.progress.org/tcs39.htm
Oh boy. Are we going to take this discussion back a few thousand years to see who has taken someones land without being invited? This could take an interesting turn don’t you think Julito?!
To FU. Those rich farmers you mention wouldn’t be rich without the sweat of those you disparage.
word should have been WITHOUT, not with.
Fixed it!
I shared it on FB + i became a fan of your page…needless to say I love it!!!
You are too kind! Thank you!!!
P’lante, Julio!
Guess the picture has brought the nativists to my page lol!
Well I would have to say get the hell out of the kitchen if you don’t like whats cooking. No one invited you to come here illegally and have to work crap jobs because your here illegally. Tired of the poor me attitude. I have a Hispanic wife and she came here legally so don’t think I am against Mexicans. I am against this poor me attitude and being here illegally taking up all resources. I live in Texas so I see first hand how the damage our economy. Give the jobs back to the unemployed true Americans. Oh you might say we wont do the job you get paid for? Yes we would, that is just garbage excuses you make to escape the real issue. The reason Americans will not do those sort of jobs is the fact you work for half of the wage that is paid and you don’t ask for benefits
because your here illegally. I think the people that hire illegals should be thrown in prison. To me hiring an illegal is slave labor and cheating the system we have in place. Good luck on your conquest but drop the poor me stuff.
Thanks for the comment. Guess the picture resonated with you too.
No poor me attitude here. Only person I feel sorry for is you…acting all high and mighty while you cant even spell “you’re” as in “you are”…good job buddy. Wow.
Still got my point across. Did I not? Why is it when I have my opinion you don’t like it? I never said I hate Mexicans. I love the Spanish culture. But you have to sympathize with my point of view just for the simple fact if the shoe was on the other foot it would be a different story. If Mexico was a wonderful place to live and the US was like how Mexico is do you think the Mexican government would cater to my needs as they do for you here? Do you think they would introduce English to every call I made or pamphlet I read just because I push for it? Do you think they would allow me to be there illegally and work there? Do you think they would give me benefits if I were there illegally? Answer hell no they would lock me up and ship me back. Why should it be any different here??
If you don’t like the vibe here, don’t comment or visit the blog. Fact is that you made an ignorant statement at the beginning and pissed people off. Welcome to the Internet. I could have not approved your comments in the first place, but I don’t roll like that. And from one whitey (me, Light-skinned Latino American citizen) to another (you), you might want to do more to control your anger and accept economic realities that without the so-called “illegals,” you wouldn’t have food on your plate. Peace.
Interesting – I saw the same exact comment under a different name on the Facebook LR page… Copy/paste job? Nothing against differing opinions (that’s the very essence of our liberty of expression), but if you’re going to have an opinion, at least let it be your own and not somebody else’s!
Probably!!!!
the Latinos on this page have a far better command of English than do you, whitey. Wonder why that is?
Nice
I will comment to your foul mouth. When you speak of me as being “whitey” what does that say of you and your integrity? You wonder why your not welcome here? It’s because of your attitude towards “whitey”. Why do you want to live with “whitey”? I never pulled a race issue nor did I speak of your race in a foul way. Guess the Mod on this site likes abusive language from their so called brethren. As for spelling concerns. I don’t give a rats butt what you think. You do not know me or how I was raised on the streets and how I had to fight to just get an education. There is plenty of your race that still does not or pretends not to speak English in an English speaking country. Also to let you in on a little secret, I am Indian.. Dumb arss.
An excellent piece. Was good to finally learn a little about how Latino Rebeldes was created. Keep up the good work and remember; you don’t have to be the trend setters, just keep it real, positive and focused. The Rebels will find you!
José, you are exactly why we do what we do! A loyal supporter and amazing contributor to the comment threads! We are so with you on the who trend thing. This is about making real connections and just being yourself.
Excellent! I shared the pic. on my FB page.. “A picture is worth a thousand words” For those that looked but couldn’t see, Here’s a quote from a great
man.
“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” MLK
Amén
Great post Myrna. Now what you need to do is read that verse over and over again until YOU see what YOU can learn from it.
If you don’t like what I post, move on. Don’t address me directly.. You don’t know me, but you sure as hell show your narrow limitations! last time you came at me, I mentioned you were coming across condescending. Your reply was “No Myrna I’m being facetious” .. Why? Why be joking inappropriately in a serious topic. No one asked you but you mentioned you were a white man, Well, Mr.Harris you could be a green man for all I care, I’m in this page to listen and grasp the vibes of people with an interest in the island an it’s people, and how we can better each other for we’re all link.. Let’s try to have constructive dialogue, otherwise(don’t address me) bug off…
Maybe you should have used a nickname Sra. Diaz.
Thank you for your posts. Being in a red state like Nebraska, I don’t often get to see images like the one you referred to. I posted it and got a great response but only from Latinos. I too enjoy putting info out there as food for thought. Did you see the article about a Chicago hospital deported a quadrapelegic? His family pleaded to let him stay. He was sent amd he died. I would be intetesting to really know what people from the dominate culture thought. Thank you for your work.
Yes we did see that post. Awful. Peace to you!
As they say, there are always at two sides to every story. It really just depends on what side of the fence one sits. Let’s reverse this scenario and show a picture of a rich mexican cartel family thanking god for the heroin they send to the US. Your other picture can show a poor, down and out junkie lying in the street somewhere in Anytown, USA. Now I wonder what the families of those addicted family members and friends would think about that picture? Drugs do not discriminate.
Bruce, find us a picture of that and we will share but since most people know that the drug problem in the US and the whole silly war on drugs is not a winning battle right now, we don’t think that picture will resonate much since it is clear that US interests and companies also want a lucrative drug trade. Your comment is kind of weird coming from someone I respect. You cannot deny the virality of this photo of how it resonates and it is sad to think that you would side with someone like FU, which I don’t think you would in the end.
What is obvious Julito is your bias towards latin countries. Why not ask why migrants have to leave their own latin country to find work in the US? Go to the root of the problem if you really tend to find solutions to problems. And your more sensible readers do not need to see a picture for proof of what is happening to the US and it’s drug epidemic caused by drugs coming from Mexico.
Hi Bruce R. Harris
Yep, the US should adopt a bilingual, no, a tri…no….quad… Alright, I’m confused. With so many nationalities in the US why should spanish be made the second language? Are their any latin countries we can use as an example who has 2 languages? Can we use Puerto Rico as an example of a country that pushes for 2 languages? No? Ok, well, never mind. And folks, I’m not one of those “gringos” who comes to Puerto Rico once a year to get away from the cold. I live here, and have lived here for over 10 years. So I do know what I am talking about when it comes to the language issue here. Only a few fortunate Puerto Ricans are sent to a truly bilingual school. But this is really getting off the topic Elsie.
I’ll give you a spoon full of your own medication. In your 3rd sentence ,did U mean ” are there ” ? As an English teacher I’m mega-proud to tell U that we
“rricans” invented a new language “Spanglish ” add it to your list. I assure U I’m not taking it personal,but I can be VERY sarcastic too.
Oh boy, not another “grammar nazi”! Now Elsie, when you say “U” do you really mean “you”? And as far as “rricans” inventing “Spanglish”, I don’t think so. Puerto Rico has only been associated with the U.S. and the english language since 1898. Now Mexicans have been on the border of the U.S. back when the english speaking settlers started moving into Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California long before 1898. So I am going to go way out on a limb here and say Spanglish started at least 100 years before Puerto Rico had a chance to invent the new language. I could be wrong Elsie. I admit I have been wrong before. You don’t mind if I call you Elsie do you? Some folks, I won’t say who, don’t like it when I use the name they sign up with. Go figure right?! P.S. I like sarcasm.
Julito – Do you have as many flagrant, unapologetic butchers of the language in Latin countries as we have in the good ol’ USA? I notice your non-fans here can’t spell their way out of a grocery sack. “Your” instead of “you’re” is a contractive form taught in third grade, but the patriotic red-white-and-blue one-trick ponies who want you out of “their” country are as illiterate is it gets, and I think immigrant Latino families on average acquire skills in English at a far better rate than these wankers.
Anyway, like many wingnut Americans who (as John Steinbeck once said) think of themselves as “temporarily embarrassed millionaires”), these yayhoos like FU, Antonio and Bruce would starve to death if the immigrant farmworkers and other laborers actually called their bluff and went home.
You know … it may not be a bad idea.
Pues, creo que ustedes son magnificos 🙂
It is what it is. Since this is an open forum, I don’t censor unless someone is cursing someone else out, but anyone can curse me out. Bruce is a cool dude, I am winning him over 🙂 as for FU (who is based near Fresno in California), it speaks for itself. Hiding behind a fake name to spew hate. We call that: no cojones.
Valerie- Since you decided to include me in your rant. If the so called immigrant is not an illegal immigrant I would have no problem with what your saying… Also I would not starve to death if the immigrant was not here because that would mean my fellow American (white black or brown) can step in to do the job you speak of… Typical excuses from a typical Mexican. Since we are talking of language the Latin language from Mexicans is so screwed up by Mexicans that your fellow Spanish people think your stupid. So while you go poke fun at the way I speak have a look at your self and how the Spanish you speak is not proper. I don’t think we should have to cater to Mexicans so much as to change our language to fit the needs of Mexicans that are in our country. That would be like me going to Mexico and telling them I need everything in English. I am sure I would be laughed at. Learn English and speak it. I don’t need to learn Spanish since I am in an English speaking country.
That’s a weird response, bro. And as for the whole English only thing, don’t knock people who are bilingual or just speak Spanish. One language is no better than another one, and just because you just speak in the US, doesn’t mean you are not human. Also, as someone who actually works with English Learners for a living, the vast majority of those illegals you so think are wrong want to learn English and want a better life for their families. Just like me or you. Nothing wrong with that.
Antonio; you are always going to find a “grammar nazi” on every forum. At least that is what I have found. I just ignore them. As for your take on languages, I have found most languages like english and spanish have been corrupted, for lack of a better way to explain it, into languages more suited for the geographical locations they now exist. As in, I don’t speak or write in english, I speak and write in American. And I am sure most Puerto Ricans will agree that they no longer speak Spanish, as they now have developed their own language called Puerto Rican. We also have Tex-Mex, and so on. Anyone who thinks they speak the Queen’s english or Castilian spanish are only fooling themselves. So let me say that I am proud to speak american.
And yet, I even admitted I didn’t excel at Spanish. Go figure.
Your insistence on obsessing with the language someone speaks is just weird. Other people might call it “racist” but I’ll stick with “weird” because I’m truly fascinated by this very odd phenomenon.
.. and it’s “YOU’RE” for chrissakes.
OH — and you are NOT in an “English-speaking country,” since several million people speak languages other than English.
HAAHAHA Bruce, wtf is “American?”
As an old gringa (66 years) I want to commend you on the fact that since I encountered your website via the now-famous poster which my daughter shared on Facebook, you have shown sensitivity to the fact that justice for all people is not a racial issue. I have been involved in the fight for immigrant rights probably almost as long as many of your followers have been alive. At times I’ve walked a tight rope, listening to fellow activists make racist remarks or jokes about “gringos” as I sat at the table with them. Fortunately I, and apparently you, can distinguish between individual behaviors and the characteristics of an entire group. For a political movement to be powerful, it must focus on inclusion of all people with similar values and goals, not just those with surface similarities.
I agree with you 100%. Immigration awareness is a human issue, not an American vs Latino issue. On this day of all days (MLK day), that is why guides me. I owe my own success professionally to my belief in hard work and persistence. Most human beings I know would agree. Treating people with respect and love is a trait ALL of us should espouse. Peace to you, and thank you for your amazing comment and for using your real name, unlike FU!
And your assumption that only white families benefit from goods picked by migrants is nothing more than tunnel vision. I wonder how many Mexican-American families own farms and also hire illegal migrants to work? Just more food to help your readers think.
Bruce, the picture resonated with people. You can’t deny that fact. Different people will interpret it and the fact is that a lot of the produce picked in the US is done my cheap labor. Simple as that.
Yes Julito, the picture obviously did resonate “with people”. But what exactly were you hoping to gain by showing it?
I hope to gain nothing from it, Bruce. It was just a photo I shared on Facebook. The community voted for the picture, not me. I post hundreds of photos on Facebook all the time, not my fault that 31,000 people liked it this time.
I am american by birth rights but my latino blood still burning. Please do not mess an “ant hill” The first school in the USA still standing in St. Augustin, Fl. built by the Spaniards, priests taught in SPANISH. Now think about “ENGLISH ONLY”.
Yep, the US should adopt a bilingual, no, a tri…no….quad… Alright, I’m confused. With so many nationalities in the US why should spanish be made the second language? Are their any latin countries we can use as an example who has 2 languages? Can we use Puerto Rico as an example of a country that pushes for 2 languages? No? Ok, well, never mind. And folks, I’m not one of those “gringos” who comes to Puerto Rico once a year to get away from the cold. I live here, and have lived here for over 10 years. So I do know what I am talking about when it comes to the language issue here. Only a few fortunate Puerto Ricans are sent to a truly bilingual school. But this is really getting off the topic Elsie.
It is never going to happen in the US right now, sadly.
And sadly it won’t happen here in Puerto Rico either. Even though millions of dollars are sent down here to pay for the “no child left behind” program. It will only hurt the children who won’t be able to compete for jobs in the US even though they have US citizenship. Oh where are the enlightened adults?! And then again, maybe that’s the reason behind not teaching english to everyone here. Can’t let those low paid, tax paying workers leave the island.
Julito & LRs: great job, great picture, somehow I missed it when it was originally posted!!!
To Bruce R. Harris, Antonio Gonzales & the eloquent FU: check your biases and your privilege… there is nothing in that picture that says that farmworker is working a field in the US. In case you haven’t heard, there are plenty of US-based companies that import produce from Mexico, where mostly indigenous people are exploited for their cheap labor and forced to work & live in substandard conditions. I know because I’ve visited them while on a mission trip. The man in the second picture could be working anywhere in Latin America where produce and flowers are produced cheaply for the US market.
I will also take this opportunity to let you know that all this outcry over “illegals” is nonsense. Farmers used to exploit your fellow impoverished US citizens with the sharecropper system, then they exploited Puerto Ricans (who were also legal US citizens, BTW) who came looking for work, then they realized they could pay non-US citizens a lot less and didn’t have to really bother so much with all those pesky safety regulations so they started fighting to import workers from all over — I know this because my father spent a fair amount of time in front of Congress trying to ensure that PuertoRicans were not displaced from the job market here in the US.
Also, way to derail the conversation Bruce. A rich Mexican *cartel* family? This is about drugs now? Because it was Latin Americans who brought all the drugs to the US, right? It’s our fault the US has a drug problem now! Hey, when the British were going to opium bars, was that Latin America’s fault too? The Latino Rebels page has an obvious bias towards latin countries, yes. Who could have expected that with a name like LATINO Rebels? The great thing about this group is that they actually make the effort to look at the bigger picture on a regular basis and address social injustice wherever it rears its ugly face. So why don’t you take a seat, sir, and pay attention. You might actually learn something useful & become a better advocate for the entirety of the human race.
Hermana!!!!
WEPA! That’s how you tell’em!
WEPA!!!!
“I immediately reacted. After years of reading countless posts and articles about the entire immigration debate in the United States, this photo captured EXACTLY what I felt about it.” Julito
And maybe Micaela you should read the article before you make assumptions about what the article is or is not about. The authors’ own words makes it clear how he wanted his readers to interpret the pictures. And thank you for letting me know how my reverse take stung you with anger. Maybe you should check your biases. And we can debate all day long whether the chicken or the egg came first with regards to drugs and any other historical event. It really all depends on who’s books you read and believe, does it not?
Bruce, anyone can interpret this picture anyway they like. I have no clue why you continue to cite a paragraph from my post. You probably will no convince anyone here, why try?
Amen Micaela. This bizarre notion that borders are inviolate and sacrosanct is hideous. It’s a freakin’ LINE for god’s sake. I wouldn’t put it past these guys to start enforcing *state* borders after the economy gets worse.
Alright Valerie, deep breaths please. If things get that bad, enforcing “state” borders will be the least of our problems. Have you started stock piling food, water, guns and ammo yet? You may need to enforce the borders around your home to protect your family if the economy gets worse.
No, hon. I’m not a rifle-and-dried-beans separatist.
Maybe not but I bet you are a survivalist.
Nope, just human.
And I bet you are a fruit.
Nope, just an apple.
@ Bruce: Please tell me what went wrong in your early years that has led you to fixate on something as odd as language. I took Spanish in junior high and high school – did okay, but was too ADD to really get past the basics. I’m not fearful or paranoid when someone speaks a different language around me and, in fact, I can understand foreign tongues better than the stuff that comes out of people in, say, Alabam.
I think you need to go back a few posts to Elsie Kercado’s take on language for the answer Valerie. I had to politely remind Elsie to stay on topic. I just love it when people jump into a conversation without getting up to speed by reading earlier posts. Usually the context of a discussion doesn’t start with the last post people. “Be kind, rewind!” For you younger folks, that came from the old VHS days. Google it if you have to.
if we’re to stay on topic, then you shouldn’t mention native languages.
* Alabama. Darn enter key cover is off and it hits prematurely.
I’m sorry Valerie, but do you have a problem with people from Alabama? Well I’m sure those nice folks probably wouldn’t like you either the way you be talking bad and all about them hard working, tax paying, God fearing folks.
Yes, I do. The Alabama law is Nazi-like.
I have a definite problem understanding them. Yes.
“God-fearing?” snort.
The award for best comment goes to Micaela! I’m sure that practically everyone, myself included, assumed that the worker in the photo was an illegal immigrant working on an American farm. So much produce comes from abroad now, that photo could have been taken anywhere.
I don’t want to get into a drug discussion but let me just say that drugs have been coming into our country long before there were Mexican drug cartels. Supply and demand. Get rid of the demand and the supply will go away. Why does the US crave and use drugs more than any other country in the world? I think we have some issues to address here at home. The Colombian cartels were broken up only to be replaced by the Mexican cartels. Break them up and someone else will step in as long as the demand is there. There is just too much money involved.
Although I acknowledge, that illegal immigration is against the law, I can’t help viewing it as a very benign crime. Perhaps it’s because so much of my family came to this country in this manner. My extended family is huge. Ridiculously large and while growing up I never once heard of a relative receiving a welfare check. That is not to say that no one ever did but to say that to be on welfare was considered a shame on the family. Some thing one didn’t talk about, My people came here by necessity. They came to work and work they did. There are many, many success stories i could tell. My Dad missed three days of work in 35 years at his job.. He served in the US Army during WWII (illegally) and was honorably discharged, owned a home, raised a family, paid his taxes, his bills, and obeyed the laws. I think this country could use more immigrants like Mr. Marcos Martinez from Mechoacanejo, Jalisco.
One last thought. If we disagree with someone’s opinion, let’s stick to point and not start attacking their grammar or spelling errors. It is content that matters here and not whether they write “there” when it should be “their”. I make mistakes like that all the time and they really don’t matter a whole lot as long as the point is being made.
Thanks. I am now a fan of your page, I did re-post the photo. I loved it and I look forward to more from Latino Rebels.
Javier Martinez
Yes, I will concur that Micaela is wicked smart!
“I immediately reacted. After years of reading countless posts and articles about the entire immigration debate in the United States, this photo captured EXACTLY what I felt about it.” Julito
Have you no shame Julito? When you put your name to something be a man and stand by it. Or do you like the sound of your own choir singing your praise?
I liked the picture. It resonated with me. Not my fault it went vital. I post these types of pictures all the time so I don’t understand what you mean bye thanks for your comment. I can sleep at night.
“Be a MAN and stand behind it.”
Misogyny at its finest.
“I’m sure that practically everyone, myself included, assumed that the worker in the photo was an illegal immigrant working on an American farm.” Javier
I liked your post Javier. However, if you read the actual article you will see the author made it quite clear how he wanted his readers to interpret the pictures.
“I immediately reacted. After years of reading countless posts and articles about the entire immigration debate in the United States, this photo captured EXACTLY what I felt about it.” Julito
No one assumed incorrectly if they believed the pictures were about the U.S. immigration issue.
It’s so benign as to be ridiculous. If the anti-abortion fundies got their way and 1.5 million women each year had babies they would not otherwise have had, we’d be on track to equal the “illegal” problem in a decade.
People who commit tax fraud and evasion – that’s equal to immigration violations. It’s a civil infraction and not even worthy of discussion. Sadly it’s typical of righties who want to steer the discussion away from the root cause of the economic failures, which is (of course) the growing, skyrocketing, distribution of wealth and movement toward a corporatocracy in this country.
But hey, blaming the brown people and the welfare recipients just sounds easier.
This a passionate thread. I just ask that we don’t curse at people, even though it is easy to do so. Let’s keep the convo going, it is obvious that people have strong opinions about this very volatile topic.
What, do I have to spell it out for you? The photo is intended to be a mexican migrant working in the US. I know that because you wrote this:
“I immediately reacted. After years of reading countless posts and articles about the entire immigration debate in the United States, this photo captured EXACTLY what I felt about it.” Julito
And why use a white family saying thanks? Why not use an African-American family, or Chinese-American or whatever? Everyone is thankful when food is plentiful. Hell, I’m thankful for anyone who picks up my garbage too! And then you write something like this:
Sure thing! Later tonight. I really hope you two connect and find a
common ground, which I think you will. This is how change happens.
Peace Bruce!!!!
So do you think the pictures you posted will help people find common ground Julito? If you really think so, then just go back and read what people have written. People aren’t seeing common ground. They see divisiveness. That’s not the way to bring about positive change. Think about it. Nighty night!
Bruce clearly has issues. Perhaps he should move somewhere where they flat-out do NOT take foreign nationals and don’t put up with “illegals.”
Oh wait – he couldn’t do that, because he’d be an illegal foreign national.
I would never break another country’s laws by entering illegally. I have a phobia with jails.
Hi Bruce:
Written records about life in Florida began with the arrival of the Spanish explorer and adventurer Juan Ponce de León in 1513. Sometime between April 2 and April 8, Ponce de León waded ashore on the northeast coast of Florida, possibly near present-day St. Augustine. He called the area la Florida, in honor of Pascua florida (“feast of the flowers”), Spain’s Eastertime celebration
Way before 1898. I find it very interesting interacting with “U”. Yes call me Elsie I have had that name for 70 yrs. My last name is from my French ancestors. Don’t matter if they call me “speak” By living in NYC I got over it. Your friend, Elsie
“As an English teacher I’m mega-proud to tell U that we
“rricans” invented a new language “Spanglish ” add it to your list.”
Hello Elsie; I apologize for not including Florida since yes, you are correct, Ponce de Leon landed there in the 1500’s. But he was not Puerto Rican, and therefore Puerto Ricans did not invent “spanglish” as a new language. I stand by what I said previously, that many english speaking settlers who ventured out west came in contact with many spanish speaking folks before 1898 when Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and started having an influence on the english language and visa versa. But thanks for the history lesson, and we appreciate your service as a teacher. One question, why would they call you “speak”? Is that what Kercado translates into english?
kERCADO is short for Le Senechal De Kercado/Carcado. traced my ancestors back to 1500
Speak= Living in the Island 10 yrs. & you don’t know this???????????????
People had nothing better to do but to make fun of our pronounciation
when we said “I speak English”
I did a research on “Spanglish” for a teacher in college UPR
He was writting a book on the subject & wanted to add the student point of view
“In the late 1940s, the Puerto Rican linguist Salvador Tió coined the terms Spanglish, and the less commonly used inglañol[3] for English spoken with some Spanish terms.” Wikipedia
Picked this out of Wikipedia. Thanks Elsie. My grandmother traced the Harris family back to the 1600’s. Two Harris brothers left England 6 months after the Mayflower landed in Plymouth. They ended up in Rhode Island where one of the brothers married the sister of Roger Williams, the governor of Rhode Island at the time.
“HAAHAHA Bruce, wtf is “American?” Valerie
Valerie, what the heck is “wtf”? As for what is “American”, for those who misplaced their thinking caps, let’s call the butchered english language “slanglish” instead. I should take into account that some people despise the word american.
And no Valerie, we are not going to blame it on the brown skin people. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the leaders. When a government spends more than it makes it weakens the economy. 15 trillion dollars in debt, and a government that spends 1.2 trillion dollars more than it makes in revenue every single year. How long do you think a family would survive with that kind of irresponsible budget? This is not a partisan problem. It is a problem that has been created by all parties gong back to the 1970’s. And this also includes many americans who do to understand simple math. But go ahead and blame it on the rich. In the end they will just pick up and move their company’s to countries who will support them. And then what have you accomplished?
If you’ve noticed many of my posts Valerie I tend to play the devil’s advocate. Especially when it comes to my own country and listening to those who expect the U.S. to change to accommodate their needs. Why is it expected of Americans to change their cultural, yet no one expects the country they came from to change as well? I guess it must have something to do with the Statue of Liberty. Thanks France. For the record I have no problem with change. As a military brat I spent 6 years in the far east, and 3 in Europe. I attended 4 different high schools. That’s right, a different school for every grade, 9th through 12th. I graduated from a school in Pusan, Korea. I’m am very comfortable with where ever I am living. I chose to move here to Puerto Rico because it is my wife’s home. I enjoy living here, and the weather suits me fine. Having retired from the military I can live here comfortably. If not for my pension I could not live here. Unemployment is extremely high and most jobs require fluency in spanish. Oh well, they say the 50’s are the new retirement age for many baby boomers. So I will settle in and see what happens here in Puerto Rico status wise, and the economy.
“Be a MAN and stand behind it.”
Misogyny at its finest. Valerie
What separates a boy from a man, is a man accepts responsibility for his actions. Now, I’m not sure why you turned this into some kind of woman’s libber thing, but it does tell me something about your attitudes towards men in general. Thanks for sharing.
“We all see what we want to see.” What I saw (that’s not in the picture but is represented by decades of guys like Jesus) caused me to write a piece for today’s Huffington Post. He represents so much more than meets eye, so many successes that elude the mainstream. My take is here and can’t wait to read your comments! http://huff.to/xNB8v3
Graciela
That article was flipping awesome! Thanks for writing it. YAY!
Te saludo! Thanks, like lenses in a good telescope your words put the picture into a sharper focus.
Julito only saw a white family thanking God and not giving thanks to the hard working migrant laborer for providing the food. Well here’s one white person saying THANKS for the sacrifices made by all migrant workers, documented and undocumented, in helping to provide the food so many people enjoy!
Just like art, there are different perspectives from different people. No one perspective is better than the other.
If you are someone like Tiscareno-Sato, you see good in all things, including art, thanks to her faith in Jesus.
If you interpret “art” from a racist point of view, well…
“Bruce, anyone can interpret this picture anyway they like. I have no clue why you continue to cite a paragraph from my post. You probably will no convince anyone here, why try?” Julito
If you had just put the pictures up without adding your own personal take on what the pictures represent then I believe you would not have had the same reaction by many of the posters who viewed it as whites discriminating against poor Mexicans. I could be wrong. Now I do like Tiscareno-Sato’s take on the picture of the migrant labor worker. Hope is good.
Bruce, the online community reacted in full force. If you don’t like what I post or do, go read another blog? Thanks!
Wow! This is, indeed, powerful…I am not an immigrant to this the U.S.of A…but, we were just as desperate, hungry, and homeless when we left Albuquerque, NM in the early 1950’s…As Hispanos from NM…we picked figs, peaches, tomatoes, cotton, apricots, and peaches…today, we still feel for our brothers and sisters who long for a better life…I bless them, and each day for the table they provide for us. And, while we are on the subject of Freedom and the English language…the first European language spoken in the USofA was Spanish…and, few people are aware that Spanish speakers of the entire Southwest played an important role in America’s quest for independence. I am referring to the American Revolution and America’s quest for freedom from the Brits…Bernardo de Gálvez, an aristocrat born in Spain and trained for a military career, became governor of the Spanish colony of Louisiana in 1777. When Spain entered the Revolutionary War on the side of the American colonies, he helped fight the British in Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. Gálvez sent gold, rifles, gunpowder, bullets, blankets, medicine and other supplies that he collected from people already living in the present states New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California. These were the Mestizos, Mexicans, and Latinos who had been there long before 1776. Have you ever heard of Galveston, Texas it is named after Galvez.
So, every time you toss a salad or drink a glass of wine…thank a Mexican.
I am proud to be a 20th generation New Mexican…
Nice!
Go girl !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Spain was seen to have received tangible results out of the war, especially in contrast to its ally France. The French had invested huge amounts of manpower, finance and resources for little clear national gain. France had been left with crippling debts which it struggled to pay off, and which become one of the major causes of the French Revolution that broke out in 1789. Spain, in comparison, disposed of its debts more easily, partly due to the stunning increases in silver production from the mines in Mexico and Bolivia. In the mid-18th century, production in Mexico increased by about 600%, and by 250% in Peru and Bolivia.” Wikipedia
After the Seven Year War with Britain, Spain lost many of it’s valuable silver mining operations. Spain saw an opportunity to regain it’s losses by supporting the Americans against Britain thereby weakening Britain military forces, making it impossible to defend territories taken from Spain. Spain’s gamble paid off in the form of huge silver production. France, on the other hand, entered the American revolution without ulterior motives, supporting the Americans because they believed in their cause. France gained nothing and ended up with huge debts and so started France’s own revolution.
What if Spanish law and not English law had been used to form the U.S. Constitution. What would the United States look like today?
The modern countries that were colonies of Spain in any moment are:
In the Americas: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and a great part of the southern united States.
In Asia-Pacific: Philipines, Guam, the Marianas and the Carolines islands.
In Africa: Western Sahara, Equatorial Guinea and small parts in northern and southern Morocco.
The difference would have been Napoleon Code instead of English Common Law. Under Napoleon Code Spain’s constitution was much more inflexible than the English Common Law based U.S. constitution. This has allowed the U.S. the ability to evolve rather than stay stagnant. What America’s forefathers set in motion is similar to a rose that is still blossoming. But as with any rose, the constitution has to be correctly cultivated, for if it isn’t, the rose will prematurely stop blossoming and eventually collapse. Are we starting to see this happening to the U.S.? Both government and corporations are corrupt, the national debt is enormous, and spending is out of control. We also see many american families in the same dire straights. Yet both continue to spend like there is no tomorrow. The rose is not looking very healthy. Are we willing to sacrifice to save the rose?
Here’s “lucrative” take on immigration.
“The for-profit prisons in our land are not only for immigrants. One in 100 Americans is in prison and 1 in 9 African-American men is in prison (Latinos are over-represented, but the numbers are not always clear because until recently most states counted them as white.) As the prisons are privatized, profits are added as gains to the Gross Domestic Product, making it appear that our economy is doing well. It seems that the United States has gone from being the land of the free and the home of the brave to being the land of massive incarceration.” Houston Catholic Chronicle
And we are being told by our government that the economy is not that bad, and it is slowly improving. Gee, who’d figure a government would lie. Now just think what they could do with a fence around the entire country. Instead of being used to keep people out, they can use it to keep people in.