Understanding Latino Youth Culture

[ The following article helps to reveal some of the cultural influences and traditions that many immigrants are bringing to our area, and how those things may affect not only their daily lives, but ours as well. --Editor]

El Monte, a suburb located in Los Angeles County, is comprised mostly of Hispanics. Youth in El Monte are challenged in many ways. They are caught between two cultures, the traditional rural culture of their Mexican heritage and the sophisticated urban culture of Los Angeles. Next, they come from a low-income ethnic group. Also, street gangs associated with the Mexican Mafia are influential. Finally, a large proportion of them are in broken and disorganized families. These factors make them a challenging population.

Hispanic youth assertively distinguish themselves from other groups. They are proud of their racial origin. This ethnic pride fuels their anger at perceived injustices in the system. They have not internalized the shame engendered by racism to the same degree as African Americans. Predominant racial tensions seem to lie between Hispanics and African Americans. These tensions may be a product of turf wars between Hispanic street gangs based in El Monte and black street gangs encroaching from neighboring suburbs. It appears that most racial incidents are gang-based.

Traditional sex roles surrounding “machismo” strongly influence the youth culture. Being macho is important for adolescent males; this is encouraged and modeled by their fathers. This is exhibited as many Hispanic men regularly give commands to females while resisting instructions by others, especially women. Sexual conquest is an important aspect of machismo; this is seen as young Hispanic boys are extremely possessive of their girlfriends, practically regarding them their own exclusive property. Conflict arises when the boyfriend sternly argues with his girlfriend for having any friendships with other boys; even friendships with other girls must not interfere with his claims on her time. Machismo may facilitate domestic violence, in that it is culturally acceptable for a boy or man to hit his wife or girlfriend as a way of establishing his authority over her. Girls who reject such treatment are regarded as rebellious and disrespectful. Attempts to deal with this type of violence clash with the cultural norm.

Hispanic girls find themselves tangled between restrictive traditional roles of their Hispanic culture and their American desire to carve for themselves a career and a happy life. Having a boyfriend is a status symbol. Yet, they receive mixed messages from their culture about sex. Hispanic girls are expected to care for and serve men, submit to them, and give them great freedom. A girl who refuses the sexual advances of a boyfriend risks social disapproval. Alternately, there is a conservative sexual ethnic expecting chastity and exclusive fidelity from a woman to her man; infidelity can provoke violence. As a result, there is a high rate of Hispanic teenage pregnancy, and teenagers frequently become sexually active around the age of 15.

Another strong influence on Hispanic teen culture comes from street gangs...

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