Spanish American Customs, Culture and Personality.

359 Pages·2007·5.25 MB·English

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DOCUMENT RESUME
FL 003 704
ED 069 196
AUTHOR Reindorp, Reginald C.
TITLE Spanish American Customs, Culture and Personality.
PUB DATE 68
NOTE 358p.
EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$13.16
DESCRIPTORS American Culture; *Area Studies; Comparative
Analysis; *Cross Cultural Studies; Cultural
Background; Cultural Differences; Cultural
Interrelationships; International Education; *Latin
American Culture; *Sociocultural Patterns; Spanish
Culture; *Spanish Speaking
ABSTRACT
This textbook develops a cross-cultural portrait of
Latin America. Four major sections are concerned with the cultural
blueprint, historical and social foundations, the social structure,
and intellectual and economic life. Subchapters include: (1) the rise
of the Spanish people, (2) administration and jurisprudence, (3) the
church, (4) the personality heritage, (5) early New World
civilizations, (6) Spanish America to independence, (7) independence
and its problems, (8) social background, (9) attitudes and beliefs,
(10) customs and practices, (11) education and intellectualism, (12)
art and tradition, (13) ethics and linguistic usage, and (14)
economics and business administration. A bibliography is provided.
(RL)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION 8 WELFARE
OFFICE OF EDUCATION
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE
PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS
STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION
POSITION OR POLICY.
SPANISH AMERICAN CUSTOMS.
CULTURE AND PERSONALITY
Reginald C. Reindorp
Department of Foreign Languages
Wesleyan College
Macon, Georgia
1968
O
rib
(46
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Copyright 1968
Reginald C. Reindorp
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Available through College Book Store
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Macon, Georgia 31201
ii
The above quotation, beside the library at the Institute Tecnologico
y de Estudios Superiores in the city of Monterrey, State of 1uevo
Leon, United States of Mexico, could be but is not necessarily, the
motto for "Tec." It is, however, the philosophy of the Spanish Ameri-
can in epigrammatic form.
0
PREFACE
Most people are interested in travel, are quite curious about the
behavior of other peoples or nationalities and are eager to hear about
it. The meat of any good traveller's tale is not the strange places it
tells about but the "queer people." Stories of alien customs are the
gossip of our species and they and travelogues are listened to with
the same. mixture of smug self-satisfaction and acknowledged envy
which makes the smaller gossip of one's own society so delectable.
The greatest of all international gossips, Herodotus, devotes much of
his history to what we would call today descriptions of culture. He
even goes so far as to point out some of the more outstanding dif-
ferences between Greek and Egyptian customs, with genuine surprise
that these barbarians retired to the house to perform their private
functions instead of taking to the street in civilized Greek fashion. In
other words, what "we" do is the only "civilized" way. The modern
term is ethnocentrism.
The unabashed egotism required to undertake such a study as is
presented here can be excused only on the basis of man's lack of
knowledge concerning himself and the need to fill the void. In this
light, any small and humble contributions, where so few are avail-
able, may be acceptable for they may add to the small store of know-
ledge available in this field. A proper scientific study would require
that one be at least a specialist in each of the disciplines of sociology,
psychology, anthropology and philosophy, to name a few, and be bi-
lingually fluent in two languages with all that this implies with refer-
ence to a thorough understanding of the two cultures involved in the
study. Since all this seems not to fall within the realm of the probable
at present, perhaps a study based on first-hand observation and re-
search over many years will not be unacceptable.
The experience of teaching the Spanish language to English-
speaking students and vice versa, on both sides of the Rio Grande, in-
variably left a sense of dissatisfaction. There was the feeling that
something was lacking, that more was needed to make the language
come alive and to facilitate learning. After all, they are living langu-
ages and should not be studied as dead ones. While meditating upon
the problems, which the students struggled with, in the light of my
own use of the language over the years, a possible solution for the
problem began to take form. It soon became clear that while I had
learned the language in context, in the common, everyday situations of
life, my students had not the slightest conception of the situation in
which the language is used. Furthermore, textbooks furnished no
ii
genuine aLi or comfort. This situation soon resolved itself into a
realization that what the Anglo student needs is an image of the
Spanish-speaking person functioning in the norma! situations of life.
The result was a first and sOniewhai crude attempt at a course in
Spanish American Customs and Culture. The experience of teaching
the course repeatedly prompted additions, revisions and reorganiza-
tions that eventually resulted in the necessity of re-writing the entire
course once more. This in turn made it necessary to re-think and re-
organize with the result that the course has also become a study in
personality.
The fruit of it all is presented in this limited, experimental edi-
tion with the hope that more teaching and study of the living organism
will produce a revised edition, worthy of the people whom it purports
to interpret in some small degree, and more useful to the student of
Spanish and the overseas worker. Comments and criticism will be
welcomed with joy as long as their hiiention is to produce a better
understanding of the Spanish American personality and the Spanish
language.
Reginald C. Reindorp
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Credit has been given the respective substantiating authors at
the appropriate points in the body of the context. The references at
the end of each chapter include these and a few additional readings
that may be useful to the interested reader. Others, however. had no
place in the context yet should receive their just due.
Among these are the many Spanish American friends to whom
a deep debt of gratitude is owed for their hospitality, their friendship
and their cooperation in our numerous undertakings and relationships
over the span of a life time, especially for what they have so graciously
given of themselves. Only the smallest portion of this debt of gratitude
could possibly be discharged in this offering on the altar of inter-
American friendship.
Credit is also due to the numerous students who "suffered"
through and made pertinent contributions to the development of
this course.
The Organization of American States is entitled to important
recognition and deep appreciation for the research Grant through the
Pan American Union which made it possible to spend the entire
summer of 1966 in Mexico in research on recent trends and develop-
ments in Spanish America.
Finally, this page would be ungratefully incomplete without
a recognition of the great debt due to my wife, Trudy, for her patience,
tact and typing assistance and for her moral support, inspiration and
encouragement when the going was rough.
Reginald C. Reindorp
INTRODUCTION
In Perspective
Americans (U.S.A. variety) are frequently given to wondering
why other peoples act so "strange," why they do things so differently.
They often ask, "What makes other peoples act the way they do?"
Then, when they go abroad they fail to realize that it is they who are
the foreigners and not the people whose country they are visiting.
Taking a global look, Anglos are probably the strangest people
of all with the most difficult language, the most unusual ideas, man-
ners and customs and the queerest way of thinking about things.
Through it all they seldom realize that they have very few differences
with the English in spite of the oft quoted statement by H. L. Menc-
ken that Great Britain and the United States are two great countries
separated by a common language. The differences are so few because
they have a common origin and had lived together for so many cen-
turies before they separated. As time goes on the diversity sharpens,
but in the meantime the common origins hold both countries together
or at least furnish many common interests.
It is the lack of these common origins and the possession of dif-
ferent languages that give rise to the differences in customs, culture
and manners. Isolated groups of people in prehistoric times looked at
the world and life with different eyes. At the same time and for un-
known reasons they selected different groups of sounds to form their
separate languages. The viewpoint imposed the structure; later the
structure imposed the viewpoint and the ideas. Or, as has been so aptly
said, we began by speaking as we thought and ended by thinking as
we speak. In other words, language has become the mold of thought.
After language began to appear it became instrumental in the
development of culture and culture in turn influenced language. The
result is that each cultural group is quite divergent from the others.
Hence, to understand a people we must study their language, their
origins no matter how far back they go, and their development.
As we undertake this study of Spanish American culture and
personality it will be well to put the contrasting Anglos in their pro-
per relationship to the other peoples of this world; let us put them in
proper perspective. For this purpose, suppose for a few minutes that
the total population of the world is represented by 1,000 persons.
What, then, would be the relative position of the Anglos in this group?
According to the American Bible Society, in this population of
1,000 there would be 60 Americans (U.S.A. variety); the remainder
of the world would be represented by 940 persons. This is the propor-
ix
tion of the American people to the population of the world . . . 60 to
940.
The 60 Americans would have half the income of the entire
group, with the other 9.10 sharing the other half.
About 330 people would be classified as Christians; the other 670
would not.. Fewer they 100 would be Protestant Christians. and some
230 would be Roman Catholics. At least 80 would be practicing Com-
munists, and 370 others would be under Communist domination.
White people would total 303, with 697 non-white.
Half of the 1,000 people would never have heard of Jesus Christ
or what he taught. On the other hand, more than half would be hear-
ing about Karl Marx, Lenin and Stalin.
The 60 Americans would have an average life expectancy of 70
years; the other 940, less than 40 years on the average. The 60 Ameri-
cans would have an average of 15 times as many possessions per per-
son as all the rest of the people and would produce 16% of the total
food supply. Although they eat 72% above the maximum food require-
ments, they would either eat most of what they grew, or store it for
their own future use at enormous cost.
Since most of the 940 non-Americans would be hungry most of
the time, it could lead to some ill feeling toward the 60 Americans, who
would appear to be enormously rich and fed to the point of sheer dis-
belief by the great majority of the people. The Americans would also
have a disproportionate share of electric power, coal, fuel, steel, and
general equipment.
The 60 Americans and about 200 others representing Western
Europe and a few favored classes in other areas in South America,
South Africa, Australia, and a few wealthy Japanese would be rela-
tively well off. But the majority of the 1,000 people would be ignorant,
poor, hungry, and sick.
The American families would be spending at least $850 a year
for military defense, but less than $4.00 a year to share their religious
faiths with the other people in the community; many wouldn't even
be grateful enough to be thankful for the privilege of being Americans.
Quite a few would pass up an education, even though hundreds of
others elsewhere would give anything to obtain it.
Now that Anglos have been placed in proper perspective for all
time, let us not forget some stark realities. Anglos are in the propor-
tion of 60 to 940 of the world's population with the highest (and most
desirable) standard of living in the world. If they do not share some
:;f their well-being, others may decide to take it all. As few as they
are against the many, what chance would the Anglos have when they
are so vulnerable from all sides including the air, not to mention the
tactics of infiltration.
Suppose Latin America were to loin foz-:es with the Anglos, all
together there would still be only 120 against 880. Because of their
proximity being right on the United States' front doorstep the
Anglos had better make friends with Latin American people or never
have even a chance to put up a fight in self defense. But to make
friends of them is not a simple matter of patronizing, good intentions
coupled with handing out millions of dollars. In fact, this is the reason
for failure in so much of Anglo foreign aid, not only in Latin America.
but elsewhere.
Friends are made only among equals whom one understands. To
understand Spanish Americans. which is the purpose here, it. imme-
diately becomes necessary to know not only the language, but also
the customs, culture and manners. Just as one accepts, understands
and perhaps makes allowances for friends at home, so must one learn
to accept and understand the even more divergent ways of living,
doing, thinking and behaving of other peoples who are not exactly the
same, who do not have the same ambitions, hopes, standards, likes
and dislikes that seem so important. Theirs are equally as important
to them and they possess values which often are useful to others. They
are neither inferior nor superior. They serve their purposes in an ex-
cellent manner.
Who do you Americans think you are?
Anglo Americans are somewhat conceited as is demonstrated by
the fact that they insist on calling themselves Americans. The fact is
that they have no more right to this name than do another two hun-
dred million people.
As insulting to the intelligence as it may seem to make the state-
ment, Columbus did not discover the United States . . neither did
Amerigo or Americus Vespucci give his name to the United States.
Columbus discoved the New World and Vespucci gave his first name
to the same area. The New World embraces everything between Ber-
ing Strait north of Canada and the Strait of Magellan south of Argen-
tina, and this is what Vespucci's first name was applied to. Therefore,
any one from Central. South or Middle America is as much an Ameri-
can as any one else from the New World, including Canada.
Since people from the United States are not the only Americans,
how may they be specifically designated? What may they call their
country? The United States is not a distinctive name since there are
the United States of Mexico, of Brazil and of Venezuela. In the same
way North America is not applicable for the purpose since Central
America, Canada and Mexico are all in North America.
Latin Americans have been kind to Anglos and allowed them to
call themselves Americans or North Americans because they under-
stood, went along and avoided embarrassment by themselves using the
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