Capturing Conversations: Twitter responds to new polling on the term “Latinx”
How are people responding to this poll?
The majority of popular tweets on this issue from both sides focused on the finding that “40 percent said Latinx bothers or offends them to some degree and 30 percent said they would be less likely to support a politician or organization that uses the term.”
Only 2% refer to themselves as Latinx, while 68% call themselves “Hispanic” and 21% favored “Latino”/“Latina”
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) December 6, 2021
40% said Latinx bothers or offends them to a degree & 30% said they’d be less likely to support a politician or organization that uses ithttps://t.co/w5uzYBxT3n
“Why are we using a word (“Latinx”) that is preferred by only 2%, but offends as many as 40% of those voters we want to win?” https://t.co/6NZVaO1Ovz
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) December 6, 2021
Only one of the most popular tweets was entirely apathetic to the term’s use, seeing the outrage on the right as excessive.
No one: …
— Daniel José Older (@djolder) December 5, 2021
Nobody at all: …
Not a soul: …
Some random anglo: NO REAL HISPANICO PERSON USES LATINX IT IS PHYSICALLY LINGUISTICALLY UNPOSSIBLE AND ALL THE ACTUAL ONES HATE IT IN FACT A WHITE COASTAL ELITE INVENTED IT IN A COLLEGE LABRATORY TO DESTROY LA RAZA OK WEPA BYE
Others remained critical of the term, but questioned whether its use is actually the factor driving Hispanic voters to the right.
i’ve never used the term “latinx” & i don’t really care about these language battles one way or another. i am interested in the *underlying forces driving american politics* & i think that every democrat everywhere could stop saying “bipoc” & “latinx” and it wouldn’t matter a bit
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) December 6, 2021
I don’t really think that some people saying “Latinx” some of the time explains large-scale vote shifts, but at the same time … why do it?
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) December 6, 2021
In general, taking the lead of Hispanic elected officials in how to talk to their constituents is probably smart.
Still others emphasize that people of Hispanic origin largely agree that the term is unnecessary, and younger people are only slightly more likely to use the term.
I keep hearing about a supposed big generational divide on “Latinx” among Hispanics. No such thing exists.
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2021
Just 4% of 18-29 year-olds use it to describe themselves while 66% use Hispanic.
Who, exactly, are Democrats and woke corporations speaking to here? pic.twitter.com/J73AAhN5sT
Many bemoan the term as being forced onto the Hispanic community by urban, elite, white people.
Latinos who say "Latinx" are appropriating urban white culture.
— Shant Mesrobian (@ShantMM) December 6, 2021
#poll of Hispanics: Democrats losing with ‘Latinx’ language https://t.co/uKL1DXbKnx
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) December 6, 2021
.@JasonMiyaresVA:“Latinos don't use the term–only upper-educated white liberals who hardly interact with Latino community…every time they use the term Latinx, they lose another Latino vote.”
Others expect out-of-touch Democrats to continue forcing “Latinx” on the Hispanic community despite this new evidence.
I'm looking forward to Dems still trying to force "Latinx" on the Hispanic community despite another poll showing we overwhelmingly don't use the term.https://t.co/AlVxS31KOh pic.twitter.com/ztPbDaeFL4
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) December 6, 2021
Still others ask how the term became popularized, citing its use among corporate communication experts.
I would love an oral history of corporate comms shops deciding to use “Latinx” and “BIPOC” in their press releases from last summer about how Honey Nut Cheerios is listening to voices. I need to know how they put things together https://t.co/dGZsiw5h4K
— Google,com/email (@ByYourLogic) December 6, 2021
Some also believe most Latinos are conservative, and that’s why they do not identify with the term.
According to a new nationwide poll of Hispanics:
— Vanessa Vallejo (@vanessavallej0) December 6, 2021
– ONLY 2 % refer to themselves as Latinx
– 68 % call themselves “Hispanic”
– 21 % favored “Latino” or “Latina”
Democrats don't want to understand that most Hispanics are conservative!
We Are Not "Latinx", we are Hispanics!
As evidenced by the examples above, there are a range of views of the term Latinx and the term’s political impact. This discourse seems to put the left and right in a tenuous agreement — the majority of people on both sides oppose using the term Latinx if people of Hispanic origin are against it. Both sides blame the other for making a mountain out of a molehill to push their own political agenda instead of listening to the people they claim to represent.
This conversation ties into a larger debate about identity politics, and to what extent people and politicians should be expected to change their language to either reduce the prevalance of gender in language, or be more inclusive of non-binary gender identities.
A central theme in the conversation about the use of the term Latinx is who started the movement in the first place. To some, this poll shows that the term is being forced onto a group (by outsiders) without that groups’ consent. To others, this poll presents a practical tension between two important goals: promoting gender inclusivity and eradicating colonialism.