Latino Humor

One of the things that greatly separate the Latino people from the rest of the world is our unique sense of humor. It has always interested me that regardless of the country of origin, the Latino sense of humor is something that carries over across borders and beliefs.

And frankly, I think it is only fair that we all share something in common because I’m tired of everyone being so jealous of the far superior Guatemalan beauty.

What is it about our humor that intertwines all Spanish/Portuguese speakers south of Texas? We tease.

Si, we tease. This is something that sometimes causes problems with our gringo friends because they do not understand that we mean no harm through our teasing. We tease because we love.

I have a Brazilian friend who refers to everyone south of Texas as ‘Mexican’. If we happen to be watching something on television about Guatemala, he will say something along the lines of, “El Guapo, I’m not sure what you Mexicans are thinking, but you are all crazy.”

If a gringo heard this comment, he may think that my Brazilian friend is being a bit racist, but no. He is far from being racist. He is actually making fun of the American ignorance of believing that everyone South of Texas is actually ‘Mexican.’ It is funny. Laugh.

Our way of building camaraderie is done through a little tease here and there. A playful nudge. We mean no harm. It is only a tease.

We love nicknames. We love them. Love them more than anything in the world. Our nicknames make life more fun for everyone around us. If you have a large group of Latino friends, chances are you have a nickname. The way we develop our nicknames is actually an art form. We usually do one of two things: Take a feature/flaw and call you by that feature or flaw OR we Take a feature/flaw and call you the complete opposite of that.

Example? Miguel has a friend who has a large forehead. It is not something that makes people turn around when he walks down the street, but I’m pretty sure that I could project a movie off of his forehead if I wanted. Nickname: Testudo. From the Spanish word Testa = Forehead/Head. Simple and beautiful.

Another is a friend who has very suddenly gained weight. Nickname: Botón/Buttons Porque? Because Miguel told me that he has, on many occasions, heard the buttons on his shirt cry out loud from the pressure of his stomach.

“I have heard the buttons cry to me. They are in constant fear of flying across the room!”

There is very little that is off limits in the Latino humor except sisters and mothers. In some very specific cases, a sister joke can be made, but you must be almost best friends with the person. Mother jokes are off limits. Period. In the Latino culture, the mother is a saint and held above all else.

Now, if you read this blog on a somewhat regular basis, you know that I litter my posts comments on the Argentines. Do I do this because I love them deep down? No. Not at all. I do that because Argentina fancy themselves THE MAN and enjoy to keep the rest of Latin America down. I am simply the voice of reason in the form of a Mayan deity who just happens to have a mustache so lustrous that it melts snow.

Don’t cry Argentina. Don’t cry.

Mucho Amor,

El Guapo