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I know this issue has been kicked around in various formats on these forums a number of times already. However I believe my particular circumstances are different enough as to not preclude me from bringing it up yet again. For all intents and purposes I am a white male and every standardized test, application, and anything else I've ever filled out that has asked about my race/ethnicity I've answered it as such. Nevertheless I've become aware recently that a number of my ancestors, of German decent, were in fact citizens of Mexico back when Texas was part of Mexico. Could I use this as a loophole of sorts to claim Hispanic status? As far as I know I have no Mestizo or Spanish blood but from what I've read your race is basically what you claim it to be. I know of a fair number of people who either have one parent and in some cases one grandparent who is Mexican American who claim to be Hispanic and yet have "white" surnames, speak no Spanish, and are about as Hispanic as Joe "white guy."

Have I possibly found a loophole to exploit, however unscrupulous some may consider it to be? What are the chances of being challenged by the respective law schools I apply to if I check the Hispanic box in my application? Surely they'll notice that I previously classified myself as white in my undergrad and on the LSAT, right?

P.S. I am in no way interested in the moral or ethical dimensions of going this route, just what is legally permissible. Thanks

mrniceguy wrote:I know this issue has been kicked around in various formats on these forums a number of times already. However I believe my particular circumstances are different enough as to not preclude me from bringing it up yet again. For all intents and purposes I am a white male and every standardized test, application, and anything else I've ever filled out that has asked about my race/ethnicity I've answered it as such. Nevertheless I've become aware recently that a number of my ancestors, of German decent, were in fact citizens of Mexico back when Texas was part of Mexico. Could I use this as a loophole of sorts to claim Hispanic status? As far as I know I have no Mestizo or Spanish blood but from what I've read your race is basically what you claim it to be. I know of a fair number of people who either have one parent and in some cases one grandparent who is Mexican American who claim to be Hispanic and yet have "white" surnames, speak no Spanish, and are about as Hispanic as Joe "white guy."

Have I possibly found a loophole to exploit, however unscrupulous some may consider it to be? What are the chances of being challenged by the respective law schools I apply to if I check the Hispanic box in my application? Surely they'll notice that I previously classified myself as white in my undergrad and on the LSAT, right?

P.S. I am in no way interested in the moral or ethical dimensions of going this route, just what is legally permissible. Thanks

FTFY

Also: IBTL

Cool story bro.

Regardless of the ethical or moral issues, this seems incredibly stupid and risky. What if you get dinged for the bar after those loans for school?

No.

I hope you are joking OP. And if you are not, I'll actually provide an answer: First of all, your race is not "whatever you claim it to be". That would be ethnicity. Hispanic isn't a race (i.e. there are black and white hispanics). It is an ethnicity, which is something you either choose to identify with or you choose not to. The very fact that you just said you had no idea you had these Mexican relatives shows that you never identified with it. So question answered. It wasn't part of your identity before and it isn't now. You shouldn't have to ask questions like these.

I'm pretty sure I just asked a very dumb question in a post that I just made about Torts exams and I'm worried about the answers that I will receive... then I read threads like this and immediately feel better about myself

Only if you had chosen SenorNiceGuy... but now it's too late.

1) You can claim whatever the fuck you want, but if you have never claimed you were hispanic before and don't identify with it at all then why start now?

2) Morality/Ethics is all you have to go off in this situation because (correct me if I'm wrong) there is no law saying that you have to claim the correct ethnicity on your application because it is almost impossible to verify whether or not some random ass distant relatives of yours were Mexican citizens.

3) Even if your German relatives from way back when were Mexican citizens, who cares??? If you don't actually have Mexican blood, your family hasn't identified with Mexican culture for generations (if they ever did at all) and you don't even have a Spanish surname you should not try to claim that you are Mexican as it probably wouldn't even give your application a boost and is not worth the risk.

4) Claiming to be "hispanic" could come back to bite you in the ass when you try to pass the character and fitness portion of the bar.

TL;DR: No.

.

So, I'm assuming that you're white as snow and have a last name to match or else you would have mentioned that as part of your justification for this plot. Let me ask you this: if you're clearly not hispanic, have never claimed to be hispanic, have no hispanic relatives, and have several decades of paperwork where you make no claim to being hispanic, how the fuck do you think you're going to get away with this? You really think having a couple German ancestors spend a few years in Mexico will be accepted by anyone as making you hispanic?

Here's a little hint: If you have to ask "Am I _______ race/ethnicity?" then you're not.

mrniceguy wrote:As far as I know I have no Mestizo or Spanish blood

This is the important part. By your same logic, if your German ancestors had lived in Kenya you could claim African American and you know that would be bullshit.

bk187 wrote:

mrniceguy wrote:As far as I know I have no Mestizo or Spanish blood

This is the important part. By your same logic, if your German ancestors had lived in Kenya you could claim African American and you know that would be bullshit.

FWIW there are many people living in Latin America with no Spanish or Mestizo blood. Shakira, for example, as well as half the people living in Argentina who are of German or Italian decent and consider themselves 100% Latin American. This is also very important, because not having mestizo, spanish, or indigenous blood does not mean you are not latino. There are many whites, blacks, asians, etc in Latin America who identify fully with their latin roots and were even born in Latin America (or have parents who were born there). OP, however, does not appear to be one of these people.

OP: Do you play the accordion in a Tejano band? If so, that might count for something.

chimp wrote:FWIW there are many people living in Latin America with no Spanish or Mestizo blood. Shakira, for example, as well as half the people living in Argentina who are of German or Italian decent and consider themselves 100% Latin American. This is also very important, because not having mestizo, spanish, or indigenous blood does not mean you are not latino. There are many whites, blacks, asians, etc in Latin America who identify fully with their latin roots and were even born in Latin America (or have parents who were born there). OP, however, does not appear to be one of these people.

I agree. My post was a bit overly simplistic, but it is hard to encompass all the facets of what is and is not Hispanic since it is so convoluted.

Ignore all previous advice ITT.

Credited answer: Do it, then post results here (including results from C&F)

I went to Cancun for spring break, can I claim to be Hispanic too?

bk187 wrote:

mrniceguy wrote:As far as I know I have no Mestizo or Spanish blood

This is the important part. By your same logic, if your German ancestors had lived in Kenya you could claim African American and you know that would be bullshit.

My grandparents and parents both were born and lived in Africa. I'm not African American.

Curry wrote:

bk187 wrote:

mrniceguy wrote:As far as I know I have no Mestizo or Spanish blood

This is the important part. By your same logic, if your German ancestors had lived in Kenya you could claim African American and you know that would be bullshit.

My grandparents and parents both were born and lived in Africa. I'm not African American.

I bet divestment really fucked them, eh?

Bildungsroman wrote:

Curry wrote:

bk187 wrote:

mrniceguy wrote:As far as I know I have no Mestizo or Spanish blood

This is the important part. By your same logic, if your German ancestors had lived in Kenya you could claim African American and you know that would be bullshit.

My grandparents and parents both were born and lived in Africa. I'm not African American.

I bet divestment really fucked them, eh?

Hahaha. Not South Africa.... Bils. You've seen me IRL. I'm pretty black, right?

eaglemuncher wrote:I went to Cancun for spring break, can I claim to be Hispanic too?

If you got tanned yes.

If you got sunburned no.

I know that some of my ancestors lived on parts of the continent now known as Africa. I am claiming African American.

Being serious, you could. If a grandparent were Mexican, then you would be a quarter and that would count. But you really shouldn't. As others have said, Mexican is considered an ethnicity, not a race, and there are plenty of pure white hispanics. If you don't believe me, check out Mexican TV or magazines. But they are Mexicans. They are a part of the Mexican culture and, even if they haven't faced the trials that some Mexicans go through, are sensitive to the needs and positions of Mexican people.

This relationship is one of the several disputed reasons that URM status even exists. The ideal exists that those practicing the law will represent their people and that the whole system will be as diverse as our country is, allowing the law to not just be the holding of one people. Whether or not you agree with this, it is one of the theories. While you qualify technically, you do not qualify in the spirit of the thing. It sounds like your grandparents weren't "Mexicans" as much as they were Germans living within the boarders of Mexico. If I counted that, then I'd be even more Mexican than I claim.

So if you think that Mitt Romney could represent the Mexican people, then go ahead and mark it. If not, don't. I don't think C&F would be an issue since you only recently learned of this. But I would still recommend not marking it.