Did the Dems Give Themselves a Latinx Jinx?

It probably is not enough to swing the election, but progressives may start to get the message that it is not their privilege or purview to strut around blithely renaming places, things, and, in particular, people or randomly inserting "X" into words to neuter them or alter them in the name of inclusivity. That is unless you are still calling X "Twitter," in which case, stop it. You've had more than enough reminders by now. 

It would appear that the introduction of the word "Latinx" did not have the effect its creators had hoped for. In fact, some people on the Left are theorizing that rebranding all people of Hispanic origin with that little bit of Newspeak may have helped drive Hispanic voters to Trump. 

Newsweek cites a Pew Research survey that shows 75% of Latinos do not think the term should be used to refer to Hispanic people. Thirty-six percent found it offensive. So that little bit of lingo did not go over the way it was intended.

And we have a Harvard study that corroborates that. The study presents the "Identity-Expansion-Backlash Theory," or IEBT. This theory posits that politicians who use inclusive language may actually offend the people in question. Or, to put it in my terms, reasonable people don't appreciate being pandered to. Maybe that is just my interpretation.

The 45-page study was done by professors Amanda Sahar d'Urso from Georgetown and Marcel F. Roman. Roman told Newsweek, "Latinos and Hispanics often dislike the term and, as a result, are more inclined to support the Republican Party or withdraw support for Democratic candidates."

The authors also suggest that "Latinx" may be a bit too closely reminiscent of the term "LGBTQ+" for some people's comfort. The introduction to the study reads in part:

Latinos are less likely to support a politician who uses the phrase “Latinx,” a gender-inclusive group label, in their appeals to the Hispanic/Latino community; Latinos who oppose the phrase “Latinx” to describe the broader Latino/Hispanic community are less likely to support Democratic politicians who have used or are associated with “Latinx.” Moreover, we demonstrate these statistical patterns are driven by Republican, conservative, and anti-LGBTQ+ Latinos that we may expect to be predisposed against the inclusion of queer and gender minority Latinxs.

Well, that is certainly one theory, and who knows? Perhaps those great minds at Havard might be on to something. But here's another thought, and I'm just spitballing here: maybe not everyone is thrilled with the idea of a self-styled culture warrior/busybody deciding what they will be called. 

One thing to keep in mind is that Spanish is a gendered language that employs masculine and feminine words. It does not belong to a panel of affronted, opinionated intellectuals who feel it is theirs to monkey with to notch some woke points. Language reflects culture. No one has the right to linguistically neuter an entire group of people. Some Hispanics may like the term, others obviously do not. At least ask first.

Another helpful thing to remember is that Central and South America are made up of different countries with different people, different cultures, and in some cases, different languages. And we're not even talking about Puerto Rico, which, while it is a U.S. territory, also has its own identity. 

My best friend in high school was born in Mexico and spent much of his childhood there. He was always very clear that he was Mexican, not Cuban, Guatemalan, or anything else. I haven't talked to him in years, but I am pretty sure that if I called him "Latinx," he would respond with a good-natured offer to knock my block off. It would seem that we've come full circle back to Dr. Jill Biden's breakfast tacos — this close to Election Day, to boot.

Finally, "Latinx" is a silly word. It is a manufactured word that sounds dismissive, diminutive, and arrogant. It is nothing more than a reminder that the members of the progressive intelligentsia maintain the right to rebrand, rename, and thereby control anyone — even the people they claim to empower.