You are required to post a minimum of 1 reply of at least 250 words to another classmate's thread. You must incorporate a minimum of 2-3 citations in each reply as well as integrate 1 biblical principle. Acceptable sources include any of the assigned textbooks, the Bible, outside texts, and articles from peer-reviewed journals.

Emily,

Hispanic Ethnic Group

There are several different types of ethnic groups in the United States alone.  Hispanics are one of the major groups that is continually growing in this country, and with them they bring a whole new set of morals and values that in some cases differ than the norms that appear in the US.  Unfortunately, there are many people who continue to make wrong assumptions concerning this ethnic group.  In the past, I have been guilty myself at assuming what Hispanics are like without fully getting to know the actual people.  Now that I am more educated and have had more experience in getting to know this group of people, I no longer have these preconceived notions in my head.  There are many norms that Hispanics possess, that other ethnicities should actually embrace more.  In my opinion, there are two main differences that I can perceive between the Hispanic ethnic group and the Caucasian ethnic group.  These differences relate to the concept of family as well as the various types of celebrations that people encounter throughout their lifetime. 

The concept of family is one major norm that I feel differs from these two ethnic groups.  Hispanics hold family relationships to a very high standard and place a huge amount of importance on them.  According to an article entitled "More than Altruism: Cultural Norms and Remittances among Hispanics in the USA" discusses the fact that family is very important to this group.  The article states, "We argue that Hispanics' strong sense of familism is reflected in their loyalty, solidarity, and identification with family" (Park, Lopez-Anuarbe, Cruz-Saco, 2015, para. 2). Personally, my family is very important to me and for the most part we are very close.  Even though my particular family is close, in today's society a lot of Caucasian families do not place very much emphasis on family.  The divorces rates seem to be increasing as well as child abuse and other types of disastrous situations that clearly show that family is not a top priority. 

Another norm that the Hispanic ethnic group holds is the emphasis placed on various phases of life.  One norm that most people are quite familiar with is the Quinceañera celebration that is organized for young Hispanic ladies that are turning fifteen.  This party is to celebrate the young girl and symbolize her coming of age.  Author Norma Cantú (1999) describes the history of quinceañera's and how it is an essential part of the Hispanic culture.  She provides various example of the rituals that occur during these special occasions and what makes them so special.  Most people assume this type of celebration would be similar to a sweet sixteen birthday party, but I personally do not agree.  In the United States, a teen's sweet sixteen birthday party is considered to be fun and exciting but not usually taken as seriously as a quinceañera and has no historical or cultural significance at all. 

It is obvious that there are many differences between Hispanics and Caucasians.  Although there are ethnic and cultural variations amongst different types of people, it is still important that we all work and live together in a peaceful environment.  We need to remember that God commands us to love one another.  Mark 12:30-31 states, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.