The Complexity of Puerto Rico and U.S. Identity
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- Опубліковано 16 бер 2023
- While Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens for over 100 years, they don't enjoy the full rights granted by the US Constitution. In this video, we explore the complex relationship between Puerto Ricans and American identity. To find out if Puerto Ricans embrace their American identity, we're back in Old San Juan, asking locals for their opinions. Some Puerto Ricans identify as U.S. citizens but don't feel like regular citizens of the United States, while others embrace their Puerto Rican identity and culture. Join us in this thought-provoking discussion, and let us know in the comments whether or not you embrace American identity as a Puerto Rican.
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Proud to be both Puerto Rican and American...
I am both American Puertorriquena with no identity issues. Free to express my idiosyncrasies and proud of both cultures.❤
Few people know that the United States owes their independence to Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷 Soldiers from Puerto Rico under the command of Bernardo de Galvez governor of Louisiana fought for the American Revolution for the independence of the 13 American colonies and they also fought at Bunker Hill, George Washington needed help from Puerto Ricans. Every 4th of July the Puerto Rico flag should fly next to the American flag in respect to Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Woh, super cool. Thanks for sharing this info!!
@@dougkalagian neither will happen, US will lose billions if PR become independence or state
@@NegroRotary PR worthily pays billions of dollars in taxes to the USA annually, so we have the citizenship. We can opt to be independent, then, NO CITIZENSHIP, according to the federal government.
@@mindy2215 true
@2pagan The other day, I was reading about the puertorrican participation in the U.S.A. Revolutionary War. These were the times of George Washington. That is so awesome!!!. Puerto Ricans would leave Puerto Rico looking for work and were caught in these conflicts. The same happened during the time of the U.S.A. Civil War. When I attended the University of Puerto Rico, at the library, a professor told the librarian that he had the diary of a puertorrican soldier that participated in the U.S. Civil War. I asked if I could see it, and he said,' No." I had never heard of such thing. It would've been interesting if I could've read this diary.
Puerto Rico siempre en nuestro corazón ❤🇪🇦.
Proud to be both 🙌 ❤️ 😌 💪
I was born in the USA and Puerto Rico was born in me. I’m proud of both. Wepa
❤️
💯% PUERTORRIQUEÑO!! 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷
I also consider myself Boricua and not American. I got nothing against Americans but that is just my identity
What are your thoughts on statehood versus independence?
You make me laugh. You consider yourself Puerto Rican, but for sure according to the way you express in English, live or grew on the mainland. That is called hypocrisy. Neither good for the island nor for the USA.
U.S is Kool! but to be Boricua is a different world. I Love being Boricua!❤🇵🇷 Gracias! Dios Mio!🙏
No doubt!
People forget that Puerto Rico is in the Western Hemisphere which makes us American in the first place anyway. From Canada to South America, from Cuba, Haiti, Domincan Republic Jamaica, Puerto Rico, American Virgin Islands. We are all American. Yet in Puerto Rico we are also Citizen of the United States. American twice. Yet by been an island we have the advantage of keeping our own culture and costums can't get more American then that and at the same time more Puertorrican. This is why this part of the world is called " THE AMERICAS".
Very few people know that
Orgulloso de ser PUERTORRIQUEÑO y BORICUA de pura cepa. Tengo la ciudadanía americana pero americano no soy. 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷
Proud to be Puerto Rican 🇵🇷
🇵🇷💙
I’m a white American man and my wife is from Morovis, PR, we’ve been married for 33 years and she’s visiting her family right now for the Holidays. She always refers to PR as “her country” and identifies as a Puertorriquena first which is her right since its completely correct. Puerto Rico is under our protectorship and was never a colony, they have many rights as US States and some benefits that US States don’t have. No relationship is ever perfect and without us PR would have been invaded by many countries in the past 120 years as Cuba has. I advocate for PR to have a minimal foreigner presence on the island because PR is for Puerto Ricans only, too many foreign interests are buying land and driving Puerto Ricans out of the area as they increase prices and taxes the people can’t afford. Things can improve if the PR government at all levels quits being corrupt and petty, things can get done.
I am puertorican, live in the US, enjoy the same freedoms as everyone else. I don't get treated as a second class citizen but as a regular every day American. People here where I live in the South have been very welcoming and friendly and treat me normal, equal to everyone else, which I appreciate. I don't feel pride for the given things but by my achievements as a person, as an individual. I reckon that makes me a bad puertorican as I don't share that pride. But I respect others that the puertorican identity is important to. For me, it is what I do what makes me "me"and not where I was born. Not a popular opinion, but it's mine.
Thats great, thank you for sharing!!
Most Texans also feel more Texan than American, but Puerto Rico definitely has the most distinct culture together with Hawaii and maybe Alaska.
Also you'd look like my Puerto Rican half brother xD
Im proud to be both.🇵🇷🇺🇸
🌟
Was born in PR, but grew up the US for most of my life. Even though I am Puerto Rican, most of the time I feel like I'm not because I can't speak Spanish conversationally nor was I fully immersed in the PR culture while growing up. Because of that, I always feel like an outsider whenever I visit the island. I'm learning more about PR history, but the language part is difficult not only to learn but to practice.
Does that make you feel less Puerto Rican? If you became fluent in Spanish do you think you would feel more Puerto Rican?
You were born on the island but can't speak Spanish?? Do you have a learning disability!!
Born and raised in the island, lived there until I was 25 and now living in the States for the past 18 years! I consider myself both, Puerto Rican and American. But ethnically and culturally I consider myself Puerto Rican, and Hispanic and Latina because of my language. I don’t see my self as a regular American, but I do get offended if an American sees me as a second class citizen because I’m also proud of my citizenship. I’m such a contradiction, I know 🥴 I guess I just see the United States as a melting pot of different cultures so I don’t see why they consider us any different. Weren’t they all immigrants at some point? Isn’t that why we don’t have an oficial language?
Love your answer, thank you for sharing!!
Consider my self Puertorican because not gringo .Because I come from and invaded territory by the U.S. in the Spanish American war.
Great video!
Thanks for addressing the issue...
Our pleasure! Any other topics you would like to see that we haven't covered on our channel?
No se olviden que Puerto Rico fue una isla invadida por Estados Unidos en 1898. No lo olviden
THANK GOD MY PARENTS CAME TO THE UNITED STATES LIKE MOST PUERTO RICANS FAMILIES ,NOTHING PERFECT BUT U MUST WORK HARD TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE, THANK U AMERICA,
Nice! Which state did your family move to?
NEW YORK
BOOOOOO
SAYING THANK GOD SOME OF OUR FAMILIES MOVED TO THE USA IS THE DESIGN. THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT. FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TO GET OUT OF AN ISLAND PARADISE SO THEY CAN TURN IT INTO THEIR HOME.
In every country, there have been integrations of other countries that have contributed to its development. If you don't believe me, take a look at the history of other countries. That is how Puerto Rico came to be. And the U.S. was the last one to join the others. This happening did not make the culture vanish. If this had occurred, then spanish language would've disappeared along with traditions, etc... We all live in the part of the world known as America. We have North America , South America, and Central America. That is why Puerto Rico is in American territory, and for that matter, everyone born there is considered not only Puerto Rican but also American whether you like it or not. Being an American has its privileges and benefits. If any one country tries to mess around with Puerto Rico, they better watch out, because, United States will not allow it. As to benefits, Puerto Ricans are entitled to leave the island whenever they want and come to the mainland wherever they want to work, continuing their education etc... And all the financial aid Puerto Rico gets from the U. S. A. You ought to be grateful for being a U.S.A. citizen. Otherwise, we would be like Cuba and Haiti. These people risk their life in a boat or the dessert to come to the United States because their lives there are miserable. Ask a Cuban if you don't believe me. They wish they had the privilege of being born a U.S. citizen. I am the proud grandaughter of a U.S.A. Army WW1 soldier, Pedro Molina.
Thank you for sharing! So what’s your take on Puerto Rican identity?
💙
Puerto Rican and half Cuban.
👍
I was born on the Island but raised in the States. I consider myself American. 1:15 -True I feel the same way!
💙🌟
Born in NY from Puerto Rican parents but raised in PR, me considero puertorriquena ...soy ciudadana Americana de nacimiento pero en la Isla no Tengo los mismos derechos de representation ..btw por razones personales radico la 1040 y pago impuestos federales y ni eso me consigue los derechos de mi ciudadania por nacimiento...como canta Olga .. Asi es la vida...
Thank you for sharing!!
100,000,000 Puertorican. Hasta la muerte.
Long story short. We value and treasure our citizenship with the USA, but as a people, do not have a bond with Anglo Americans. It would be a night mare having Jane Smith represent a puertorriqueña at the Ms Universe pageants. To understand this, review your fears towards black Americans in the USA. We have that same fear towards whites in the USA. Also, it’s not limited to Latinos. Europeans also feel same towards Anglo Americans as we feel in Puerto Rico. Ask Arnold Schwarzenegger, a USA republican, and politician, or even Jean Claude Van Damme, or Jackie Chan how they feel about Anglo American whites as a whole. Don’t think you would like the answer. Well we in Puerto Rico treasure our relationship with the USA, as citizens, but we want to be Puerto Rican, and not blend with Anglo white American society, much like white anglo American society doesn’t want to mix with black American society. It’s the same feeling. Neither do Spaniards or Europeans except the English.
The thing is we are not a state of the USA, thought territory, and US citizenship, Spain and Spaniards never co-existed with being white Anglo, or at having relationships with Anglo based cultures, tho we assimilate with TV shows and situations related to such. Because of this Puerto Ricans, especially living in Puerto Rico, tend to view Americans as foreign or people from another country. As a kid in the island, I always saw USA politicians from the states as people from another country, and non related to Puerto Rico, or Puerto Ricans.
Thank you for sharing!!
i want to visit PR
🇵🇷💙🙌🏻
🤔... Puerto Ricans in the🏝 feel🇵🇷with U.S. citizenship...
PRicans in the states 🤔 feel like PRican/Americans🇵🇷🇺🇸...🤷♂️
@@dougkalagian I was born and raised in the States but always felt PRican. When I see an🇺🇸 flag...I see/feel safety, protection ...when I see a 🇵🇷flag it gives me goose bumps😁. I just like being part of the best of two worlds...🇵🇷🇺🇸
@@dougkalagian Oh I live in the Island. My parents moved to P.R. when I was in High School NEVER saw that coming😂 took ALOT to get use to coming from a major city to the outskirts of a small town up in the mountains was not easy at all lol. We ended up in P.R. bc my dad had a big surgery and cold weather was not favoring him so doctors recommended he moved to a warmer climate which really helped him health wise. Just subscribed what will your future content include?
I came from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 to the States went i was 3 years old born in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 I was raised in the United States I went back to Puerto Rico to be with my grand father and my grandma and my family for months at A time i never felt American 🇺🇸 the American people are so different from me that I decided to move to land were I was born Puerto Rico
Thank you for sharing!!
How many years did you live in the states?
As a polish interested in that problematics I must say that I am surprised that a nation that is proud of its culture and has its own distinctiveness agrees to be an American colony. It's incomprehensible.
There has been a long history of independence movements, but those have been quelled by violence against the leaders. Look up the Ponce Massacre for example. But also, the population is pretty mixed in what it thinks is right for its future in regards to the relationship with the US. There are quite a bit of benefits in being associated with the US.
And you for sure full of envy because your country is not a colony and your people have to live as a colony of immigrants in the USA. Assuming you are really from Poland, if a y0l3ro, in PR we have a colony of those freeloaders.
We are born American citizens. If not, we would be worse than Haiti or Cuba. Other latin countries dislike us because we don't need a green card or visa to come to the U.S. All kinds of financial aid have been given to Puerto Rico for decades. Lots of corruption in Puerto Rico, unfortunately. As to being a colony, we kind of resemble the state of Florida. It all has to do with some laws established long ago that need to be fixed. But Puerto Ricans are entitled to voting for the U.S.A. president in the mainland. Then again, if Puerto Rican goes back to Puerto Rico during elections, they can not vote. I think the same is true of any American citizen that moves to the island. Laws that need updating.
So, from what I got from this video is that Puerto Ricans feel that they are citizens of the US and that is a big deal because of all this other immigrants from other countries going through hell trying to get to the US and get jobs, money, and sometimes citizenship but Puerto Ricans they can just by a plain ticket to NY and get a head start. But once they arrive in the US they are treat it as immigrants. I read a lot of history about this topic and is just simple politics that Puerto Ricans didn't ask to be US citizens of a new colonizers after getting pass around as a trophy for a lost war that Spain couldn't win. I believe that PR could be like Singapore independent and economically strong but that is up to Puerto Ricans to decide.
First guy was spot on
What did you like about his answer?
That we are Latinamericans not "americans". We have a distinct way of seeing things but we respect american culture.
For example I know nothing about american football. That creates some divisoon there.
Thank you for sharing!
I was born in Puerto Rico and lived there till I was 11 but during summer and winter school vacation I would go to Florida and stay with my family and ever since I can remember I fell in love with the U.S. I always hated going back but its weird cause everyone I know is super patriotic about Puerto Rico but I just felt alien there like I didn't belong. I know I'm definitely in the minority but that's how I feel.
You always hated going back to Puerto Rico, why?
@@dougkalagian BECAUSE YOUR PEOPLE BRAINWASHED OUR'S WITH WHITE WASHED HISTORY. THEY FEEL LIKE THAT BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW THE TRUE HISTORY OF PR AND THE USA. AND IF THEY KNOW AND STILL EMBRACE THE USA. THEN THEY ARE VENDE PATRIA.
Maybe mental issues!! You need to check that out with a professional
Fact. Puerto Rico is a Nation. Puerto Rico was ceded to the US by Spain in the Treaty of Paris. Puerto Ricans were granted US Citizenship that allowed the US to draft Puerto Rican Soldiers in WWI. If you examine the way the USA treats its colonies, a pattern emerges. US imperialism has a long history and the colonies are finally asking the right questions and getting the right answers. VIVA PUERTO RICO.
What do you believe is the best path forward for Puerto Rico?
Puerto Ricans got the citizenship because when the Puerto Ricans agreed to be part of the nation, they had to start paying taxes, so they worthily deserved to have the citizenship. PR has a colony of freeloader illegal aliens who arrive in y-la along the coasts just to show what they know better drg tr4f!ching, as they do to NY, and the rest of the USA.
Como que cedido ? Fue robado.
Robado
In USA we are treated as minority...though American we do not have equal rights.
What rights don’t you have?
@@stevemasterson7776 we do have equal rights in the states, but in the island for example we can’t vote for the president and yet we have to follow federal laws. Practically a colonial system.
@@ilimari follow federal law? The corrupt PR govt thinks making ammunition ownership a felony is completely in line w the us constitution… thank god the US invaded before PR became the DR or Cuba. And before you get butt hurt I’m a PR resident my kids were born there and I can wholeheartedly say it’s a shit hole
What? Go ahead and explain to me what rights you FEEL you don’t have as a white person. You must be a young person that’s been brainwashed by school.
@@stevemasterson7776I don’t see it as not having the same rights. From my view, even tho we are citizens of the USA, Puerto Rico is not a United State, and has a strong Latino local culture where Latinos are viewed as family, compatriots. When it comes to Americans, especially white Americans, they do not fit into that circle, so we view them as foreigners, or at least with no bonds or ties to us Puerto Ricans. But also in the USA, most Puerto Ricans, don’t want to be integrated with white Americans in the family, or rarely friendship setting. It’s a fear of loosing our identity. If you would like to understand, it is the same fear whites feel towards black Americans, and you are both Americans, so primarily in Puerto Rico we have that same fear, but with white-Anglo Americans. It would be a nightmare having Hanna Smith represent Puerto Rico in a Ms Universe contest. Nothing personal but we don’t want to be you, nor want you to feel Puerto Rican as an Anglo white person. It’s the very same fear you feel with blacks in the USA.
Wepa.
Basically, if you want to be an American, move to the United States🛫, but don't drag my island with you, my island is respected.💌
I can be an American and live here ....we don't have to go anywhere 😂
What a hypocrite! Neither good for the island, nor for the usa. The boricua gamer lives or grew in the USA, for sure can not even speak or write in Spanish, and here he is preaching morality in underwear. If you want to be independent bbut live in the USA, Independency means NO AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP, said by the congress. *Citizenship for Puerto Ricans is not permanent, it is according to the political party who wins the elections. Go to the island and vote P.I.P.*
@@mindy2215 stop spamming everone's comment, loser
We are americans but not usanians (estadounidense). That´s the difference.
Do you identify as a US citizen?
@@dougkalagian I am. It is not a matter of identity.
How do you feel about holding that citizenship?
Sincerely, some times I feel stolen, and some times, is not even a thing. Can't explain.
Woh, very well said. That makes sense. Thank you for sharing
Puerto Rico would be a lot poorer if it was not owned by the US, let's be honest.
Why do you think so?
@@dougkalagian Look at every other latin American country, there is your answer
We are not treated equality so our pride is Puerto Rican and most of us don't identify as Black white Indian or North American we Identify as Boricuas Puerto Ricans
The United States carved its culture from the British so it stand to reason that it will be a difference with a people that built their identity from Spain, African slaves and Taino indigenous people. Politically and because it was imposed we are Americans to a degree not fully. That’s just our reality today and for the near future until the United States has no use for us.
With that in mind, how do you think the Puerto Rican identity will develop over time?
@@dougkalagian honestly? If the United States doesn’t find how to profit from owning the island it will get rid of it, plain and simple. When Spain asked the USA for time to investigate the explosion that sank the naval ship that started the Spanish American war, the USA said no. In the 1970’s Spain was declared correct in that the ship was overloaded with explosives but the 🇺🇸 used the occasion for war. That being said there’s a pattern of playing victim to commit something crazy and not look like the perpetrator. One day ( I hope I’m wrong) the United States will enter into conflict with another enemy and could use P. R. as a bargaining chip. Culturally the people in the island will always find a way to adapt to their situation. We will NEVER be a state because that decision belongs to congress. If the US wanted us as a state, we would have been one already. Independence without bloodshed is not viable, we tried it and literally got shot down & killed. Ours reality is this insane status in which we love to hate being. We keep adopting more and more culturally from the north and somehow remix it with our own & make something cool with it. It took 400 years of Spanish rule to shape us into what we are, so it will take 400 years for the USA to do the same.
I am puertorican but never american and americans never will be puertorican.
Why is that?
That’s why America is the greatest nation on earth. Your race or where you were born has nothing to do with you being an “American” people born in Africa, Asia, South America can all be just as American as a person who’s family had been there for hundreds of years
what percent of Puerto Ricans speak English fluently?
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, about 16% of Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico speak English fluently.