For me this is a discussion that has been a long time coming, but that Gina Rodriguez thread finally pushed me over the edge.
The original topic of said thread was looking to explore why Gina Rodriguez not only has a habit of downplaying black representation in favor of Latin@ ones, but also why she never includes visibly black Latin@ as APART of latin@ representation.
And, true to form, when the very idea of her possibly harboring a racial duality animus towards darker skinned latin@ is questioned (intentional or otherwise), THAT discussion is summarily swept inside in order to partake in the semantically tangential argument of "latinx" usage.
This isn't the first time I've seen erasure of the Afro Latin@ experience in discussion treated as an afterthought, as I have on multiple instances brought this up to Latin@ members in other topics; some giving acknowledgement to the phenomena while others chalking it up to a difference in culture.
So maybe in this thread I can potentially receive some answers: Why is it that race is regarded as some invisible force in Latin@ culture, when its manifestation is apparent not only in attitude but in social structure at large?
My issue is.....the sentiments I express are not necessarily my own, but ARE the very real thoughts and words I've seen expressed by Afro Latin@ who struggle living in societies where they are considered neither black or Hispanic. And so when I see a topic that could have very well delved, if only a little, into why that is, only for it to derail into an essentially meaningless nonsequitur, all I'm left thinking is "Why?"
