HISPANIC OR LATINO

Recently I filled out a form where it asked me if I was of “Hispanic” or “Latino” origin.

Huh?

Before I could I can apply the required black ball point ink pen to paper to this all too important question I must carefully consider my answer.
Let’s see…… I was born in a fishing village near Havana…Cuba.
So what am I, Hispanic or Latino?
Off I went to my trusty four year old e-machine home computer and that great answerer of all questions “Google”

I typed “HISPANIC” in the search bar….After a bazillionth-quadillion-supertridillionth nano second (you know the same time frame between the light turning green and the guy behind you beeping the horn) so many answers filed my 19 inch computer monitor that I almost had to run out and buy a bigger one just to see them all.Alas…Much to my dismay, not one thing on my screen helped satisfy my query. Web page after web page I looked, to no avail.

Then like a bolt of lightning (non-dangerousness lightning) I came across one page that directed me to someplace called “HISPANOLA” I thought to myself that sounds like “HISPANIC” lets check this out, that’ must be where “HISPANICS” come from “HISPANOLA” yes it must be.
After reading for a while, I discovered two counties exist on “HISPANOLA”; Santo Domingo and Haiti. Since I’m not; “Haitian” or “dominican” this isn’t the right answer! I can rule out being “Hispanic”. Damn!
Google helped me see that I’m not “HISPANIC” maybe Google can help me see if I’m, “LATINO” or not.

Back to Google.
This time armed with the knowledge that my previous search found the island of “HISPANOLA” I asked Google to locate the country or island of “LATIN”.
I waited and waited. After a while, I got up, had a smoke, and came back to my computer…. Nothing. Well to make a long story short, several cigarettes, two phone calls and a conversation with my neighbor later. Google was not able to locate a county or island called “LATIN.”

I’m back to square one!

Hell…….Maybe the correct answer is…

“CUBAN BY BIRTH, AMERICAN BY CHOICE”