John Scarffe, Anywhere USA.  Recently local politicians took part in a debate vying for U.S. senate seats in the 2016 election. The commentator asked the candidates about what they thought of U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s stance on immigration.

The would-be senators pretty much avoided the actual question, but instead turned the debate into an attempt to attract voters among minorities such as blacks and Hispanics, who really aren’t minorities anymore.

Obviously a bunch of white boys, the candidates used terms such as “they” and “them,” utilizing the common stereotypes held by many of both groups, in this case primarily Hispanics. We all know the stereotypes, so I won’t repeat them here.

What it raised in my mind, however, was exactly who are “they” and “them?”

When speaking of Hispanics, who are they referring to? Just because they have brown skin and might or might not be able to speak a language other than English, does that necessarily mean that any stereotypes apply to them?

Folks categorized as Hispanics come from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. Their ancestors may have been in the United States far longer than many whose ancestors, grandparents, or parents have come from European nations.

In the San Luis Valley of Colorado, for example, the area was first home to Native Americans. Later, Spain ruled much of the territory and Spanish owners of vast land grants invited Mexicans to settle in the Valley.

Today, in some areas of the southern Valley, these people of Mexican descent still herd sheep and live off the land, much as their ancestors did. Others have melted into Valley towns. They certainly are not new to the United States of America.

I also knew a couple in the Valley whose family came to the United States from Spain. They very much resented being classified as Hispanics, because their heritage was as European as anyone from England, Germany, or France.

Not only do those classified as Hispanic hale from Mexico, they may have heritage from Cuba, Puerto Rica, Guam, Chile, Peru, or Costa Rica. They are not Mexicans.

Like the rest of us in America, folks so classified cannot even claim to be fully of one cultural background or another. Mexicans have married Cubans or Puerto Ricans and may be half Caucasian through marriage or other happenstance.

Americans classified as black also have varied backgrounds and heritage. Their ancestors have arrived in the United States from various tribes or locations in Africa, Haiti or Jamaica, among other locales, and they also have intermarried and may not be pure anything.

My nieces and nephews on my sister’s side mostly live in Denver but are also in New Mexico and Arizona. They would be classified as black, but they were born of Hispanic and Black parents and were raised by Caucasians.

Historically, other ethnic groups, who now have a firm foot in the great American melting pot, also were called “they” or “them.” Of course, even the English settlers were “they” or “them” to Native Americans, and much evidence suggests that Norsemen explored the Eastern and Southern United States before the first settlers arrived on the Mayflower.

Later in history, immigrants arriving from Ireland were “they,” and these days Americans have huge parades and a holiday devoted to the Irish. Chinese who immigrated to both the East and West Coasts were “they,” because many continued to practice the same cultures they did in their home lands.

As World War I dawned and then World War II came along, Germans were “they,” as were Japanese. Many living in the United States were shuffled off to internment camps, one of them being in the Valley.

Today, many folks of Japanese heritage still live in the Valley after their grandparents or parents came back willingly because it is such a beautiful place.

Some Valley residents continue truck farming in the family tradition, while others have gone on to become professors and lawyers and such.

While I was working at the Laundromat on Quebec and Colfax in Denver, a short, chunky little white guy with glasses came in to do his laundry. He was rude and demanding, but while listening to him chat with others, it became obvious he was a little on the slow side mentally, so I decided to give him a break.

I was mortified, however, when he sat down by one of the regular, weekly customers who happens to be oriental. She is a very quiet and reserved individual and does not get involved in conversations usually.

He turned to her and opened the conversation by asking, “Where you from?” She answered, “Here.” Not content with that, he said, “But you’re Asian aren’t you?”

“My ancestors are from Japan,” she said. “You must be good at computers,” he said, referring to an oriental stereotype. “Not especially,” she said, and then he continued to talk to her about computers, and it was obvious she didn’t give a hoot.

She finally got up, packed up her clothes, and left. I was relieved when she returned to the laundry the next week as if that had never happened.

At the end of it all in today’s Americas, from Canada to Argentina, who are they?

They are us.