Hispanic Fanatic

Yes, we’re all getting ready for the Super Bowl this weekend (even though my team was eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs, which sucks).

So I’m not going to dwell on this study that points out how far Latinos have to go to achieve political power that is commiserate with our growing population.

But basically, if Hispanics had representation in Congress that matched our actual presence in the nation, there would be 90 Latino representatives or senators. Instead, there are 37. Just nine of those are Latinas.

Like I said, it’s too depressing to rant about at length. So you may now return to your preparations for the big game.

I’m betting on a Seattle upset.

Perhaps it’s no surprise in a culture that has produced such literary geniuses as Garcia Marquez and Vargas Llosa. But the news that reading is a vital part of young Hispanics’ lives is heartening nevertheless.

According to a recent study, Hispanic children read for more than an hour a day (68 minutes on average), or an average of 14 minutes more per day than white children do.

Still, it’s not all literary highlights. The study also found that Latino kids average about a half-hour a day more TV time than their white counterparts (127 minutes verses 98 minutes).

That’s over three hours a day that Hispanic kids are either glued to the tube or have their noses in books.

Apparently, we really, really like a good story.

As I’ve written before, we Hispanics are known for our fierce work ethic.

Think of immigrants slaving away at grueling tasks that native-born Americans refuse to do. Or consider that last year, “the number of Latino entrepreneurs grew more than white, black, and Asian entrepreneurs.”

Yes, we sure like to work. It’s unfortunate, then, that so many Hispanics who reach old age have nothing to show for it. This is because “fewer than half of … Latino workers have retirement plans on the job, leaving the vast majority of them with no savings designated for their golden years.”

To continue reading this post, please click here.

Congratulations to BananaPajama, who won passes to see Ice Cube’s latest movie, Ride Along.

By the way, isn’t it odd that Ice Cube, the guy who rapped about how much he hated the police, has portrayed a cop gazillions of times onscreen?

I’m sure there’s something psychologically deep to be uncovered there, but I’m going to skip that opportunity because I’ll be too busy cranking up AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted.

Back in the day, nobody was more intimidating than Ice Cube. Then he entered a mid-career phase of playing the cuddly teddy bear. But recently, he’s returned to being the toughest mofo on the block.

You can see his latest incarnation in Ride Along.

I’m offering you the chance to win passes to a screening of the movie in one of the following cities:

Chicago

Dallas

El Paso

Houston

Los Angeles

Miami

New York City

San Jose

The film is about a fast-talking guy who joins his girlfriend’s brother—a hot-tempered cop—to patrol the streets of Atlanta. The guy gets entangled in the officer’s latest case, and to prove that he deserves his future bride, he must survive all kinds of hijinks over the next twenty-four hours. John Leguizamo is around to represent la raza.

All you have to do is comment on one of my posts (including this one) about anything you please. Just make sure to tell me what city you plan to see the movie in, so I can allocate the passes.

If you win, I’ll email you the tickets. By the way, I won’t make your contact info public, so don’t worry about that.

I’ll announce the contest winners in the next week or so.

If you’re lucky enough to win, just remember to tell ‘em where you’re from.