VivirLatino

Contrary to what the mainstream media reports, Latinos are not monolithic. Not only do we represent different countries, religions, races, and languages, we also have varied tastes in music, clothing and food. So I let out a big yawn when last Sunday’s New York Times ran a story on small group of Latino Goths from the Boogie Down Bronx. The tone of the story is expectant of shock from the reader.

In America, Goths are usually thought of as white, middle-class and suburban. But the young people who hang out at Fun World live not on Long Island or in Connecticut but in the Bronx, and many of them are newcomers. Korpse, whose real name is Alexis Molina, was born in Puerto Rico. He and his friends, who shift easily between English and Spanish and go by so-called scene names like Selene, Zombie and Dexx, represent a new breed of Goth: immigrants or the children of Spanish speakers and of immigrants from Latin America.

I guess I should be happy that the mainstream media is showing that not all Latino young people are into hip hop or reggaeton, but the overall tone of the article still seems like it’s trying to have a certain shock value. For Latinos like me , in their late 20’s who grew up in the U.S. , Latino goths, punks, and any other “subcultures” don’t surprise or shock. It’s just more proof that Latinos can’t fit nicely into one little box.

Need more proof: Check out this site I stumbled across – Ethnic Goth

Via / The New York Times (Registration Required)
Image Via / Wikipedia