Mexican women are extremely fertile.

The informant asked that I not attach him name to this piece.  He told me this stereotype in conversation as we walked back from the dining hall, and I later asked him if I could include it in my project.  As we were walking, another individual stopped us and asked me if I happened to be Dominican.  I replied that I was actually Nigerian, and we went on our way.  I joked that I should pretend to be Dominican so that I could make free copies in the Latino Student Union when the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs was out of ink and the informant; I then made a comment about picking up a Latino boy while I was there, and the informant scoffed.  He then stated that he couldn’t date a Latina girl because, “Mexican girls are so fertile that if you finger one she’ll end up pregnant.” The other male that was traveling with us then stated “Mexican houses have a six child minimum.

When I decided to use the comment in my project, the informant told me that he had heard it from a classmate in high school, but he believed the implications behind the comment to be true.  He stated that Mexican women tend to have a lot of children, and that they usually start very young.  When I went to ask the informant if I could use his comment for this project, a friend of his roommate was in their lounge.  As he answered my questions, a very anti-Mexican sentiment arose.  Their visitor stated that not only was it true that Mexican women are very fertile, but they breed enough to overpopulate their living areas.  He then told the joke:

Q: What do you can a Mexican in the water?

A: Pollution

Both of these comments are examples of Blason Populaire.  The anti immigration sentiment may be partially responsible for these individuals hearing these stereotypes.  All of these individuals attended public schools in the Los Angeles school district, which in most cases are predominantly Hispanic.   These facts most likely fostered an environment where the other students felt threatened enough to begin disparaging the Hispanic population in response to a perceived threat.

Fishing Lore- United States

“When going out tuna fishing, you must eat the heart of the first catch of the day.”

Peter said he first heard this when he went deep sea fishing from his friend Michael Chang. It was the winter of 2006, and they were out fishing for rock fish. It was not in season for tuna yet but they were talking about going tuna fishing in the summer in Mexico. Mike asked him if he had ever gone tuna fishing and Peter said that he hasn’t. Well, Mike told him that when they go, the first tuna you catch, you have to eat the beating heart of tuna (raw). The guys fishing next to him, agreed with Mike and told him that he had to eat it. Peter said he didn’t really know why he had to eat the heart. He assumed it was either for good luck or by consuming the heart; he was part of the sea. He just assumed that it was a fisherman’s lore and part of the seaman’s law.

I actually heard this with Peter. I was there actually fishing with Peter and Mike; when Mike told us that we would have to eat the heart. I’ve never heard this before until Mike told us about it. I had forgotten about this “law”/ “lore” until Peter mentioned it again when I was grilling him for some folklore. I also just assumed that it was for good luck or to show your manliness. Tuna fishing has a manly bravado attached to it and to show your manliness, I figured, you would have to eat the heart. I think it is kind of a right of passage in the fishing world. My dad fishes a lot and I know he has gone out a couple of times to go tuna fishing. I have never heard my dad telling me you have to eat the heart. So I’m not sure whether this has any truth to it or not. However, the fishermen around us all seem to agree with Mike.

Talking to Eric [1] about this, he said that he hasn’t heard this before but he has heard sometime similar. He said that you are supposed to eat the heart of the first tuna you ever catch. So it is kind of like a right to passage of being a fisherman. Many people can say that they have gone fishing but not many can say they have caught a tuna and ate its heart. So he thinks it is a right of passage to manhood and fisherman.

Also looking around the internet, I found a lot of video clips of people, not surprisingly teenagers, eating the heart of a tuna. One clip I found was titled, “My first right of passage in catching my first tuna fish” [2]. So I believe it is considered to many a right of passage.

Source:

1)      Henry, Eric. Male, 21 years old. Student, University of Southern California.

2)      “My first right of passage in catching my first tuna fish”. YouTube. 8 Oct 2007.  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSsx0-Gjpds&feature=related> 2 April 2008.