Can you define Puertorican?

[Suki]

Miranda, people act so 'surprised' at the religious diversity on the island. When I went to high school and to the University I met Seiks from the Golden Temple from Yogi Bhajan, I also met people who were Zen Buddhists and Buddhists have a temple in Isla Verde I think. I met Muslims, in fact one of them came to my husband's 'caserio' and tried to convert him. Lol. To no avail of course. I saw pentecostals, baptists, methodists, seventh day adventists, etc. etc. Puerto Rico is enormously diverse religiously speaking.

When I was living there I met people from Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Japan, China, Korea, Jordan, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Bolivia, Ecuador, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy and even people from Malta and Greece. Many permanent residents. I even met some Australians who lived in El Viejo San Juan for years. Those who don't think Puerto Rico is diverse are fooling themselves.

Yes, Puerto Ricans consume. But they can't afford the really 'ritzy' places to shop in. In fact I remember two relatively expensive department stores that are no longer in business in Puerto Rico. One is de Velasco, and the other is Gonzalez Padin. Now people buy mostly in the really 'affordable' places such as PITUSA, and Grande, and so on. Even Pueblo supermarkets are considered a little pricey for the average boricua consumer. People are in debt and strapped and are paying 20% and above interest on island credit cards from BBV and other credit lenders. IT is very worrisome. Puerto Rico lives in an artificial high consumeristic society with low or no savings and high debt ratios and where most workers make a lot less than mainland equivalents in salaries.

Basics such as water, electricity, food, and transportation costs are going up and are spotty and unreliable. Yet people consume luxury goods such as expensive fashions and so on like if there is no tomorrow. It doesn't make sense in many ways.

[Slap]

Originally Posted by L_F_Miranda

Stanley said:

I was thinking about the "us versus them" issue and the idea of independence. Miranda mentioned the folkloric PR person and I realized I am not that folkloric.

Can you (anybody?) define Puertorican?

Thanks

If you ask a Statehooder, a Puerto Rican and an American is the same thing. Much like a Texan, an Iowan or a New Yorker is an American.

If you ask an independentista, its pretty obvious that a Puerto Rican (Us) and an American (Them) are like oil and water. The most that we resemble is that we're both human beings.

If you ask an American, a Puerto Rican and an American are two different things. Puerto Ricans are those folks you see dancing and fighting with knives in West Side Story. Actual response made by a Nebraskan.

If this is still not clear, lets look at it in another context that explains it better than words.

When Puerto Rico played the U.S. and WON at the olympics, it was a matter of Them and Us. It was never one region of the U.S playing another region of the U.S., like statehoders would have loved it to be seen. It was NEVER US AND US. Don't believe me! Ask the loosing dream team.

When Madona wrapped the Puerto Rican flag around her privates in concert, most Puerto Ricans were outraged. It was a Gringa Ho , Them, disrespecting Us. LOL

However there are always some, like certain folks we know here, who don't know what I'm talking about. LOL

Para Miranda lo que dice un ignorante de Nebraska es la pura verdad. Es la fuente de su inspiracion. Es como los que dan por verdad las definiciones absurdas de los nacionalistas de Puerto Rico. LOL

No es cuestion de que el boricua y el resto de los estadounidenses no mezclamos o somos agua y aceite. No, no. La cuestion es que los boricuas somos estadounidenses por nacimiento. Y basicamente nadie en Puerto Rico desea dejar de serlo.

[Yujike]

Lamento Borincano

Me siento como cualquier perro realengo, sin abolengo.

En la basura obtengo mi sustento, casa no tengo, no se si voy o vengo.

Vago por esta ciudad sin rumbo, Co~o!, salte del medio o te tumbo!

Soy cojo, manco, tuerto y hasta zurdo, no tengo brujula y por eso me turbo.

En mi vida no existe derrotero, soy pistolero, buen hechicero,

me tratan de acusar de pendenciero, porque a los ricos yo hiero.

Unos dicen que fue la sociedad, pero yo les digo la verdad,

nunca me aproveche de la oportunidad.

Malgaste mi vida. Es la verdad!