The Idea of Latinos being Latino

A few days ago an article in the LA Times talked about what the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor really says. Apparently the author believed we (Latinos) can't come together and appreciate a Puerto Rican in this position. To be honest this was stupid.

The writer says:

Likewise, "when asked whether Latinos from different countries have separate and distinct cultures or share one Hispanic or Latino culture, respondents overwhelmingly (85%) say Latinos from different countries had different cultures, and only 14% say Latinos share one Hispanic/Latino culture." Latino unity was also elusive when politics was brought into the mix. When the Pew Center asked whether Latinos from different countries work together politically, 43% said yes but 49% said no.

He gives all these statistics about how Latinos prefer to define themselves by their country of origin and not Latino and/or Hispanic. I can see this being true of the older generation but I'm shocked he would not think we cannot appreciate Sotomayor's nomination. He is trying to separate Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians and everyone else. And whether you prefer Hispanic or Latino is all up to you. Each term is slightly different but like I said to each his own.

I was glad to see some of the comments on the article including this one:

I'm sorry Greg Rodriguez but you're just plain wrong. My grandmother, of Mexican descent, is very excited about Sotomayor and what she means for Latinos. Reggaeton, artists like J. Lo, Daddy Yankee and their popularity with Mexican Americans in this nation and throughout Latin America shows that a common Latino consciousness is developing.