Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Tells Fox News What “the Latina Thing” Really Means
"It’s a ‘21st century’ thing."
Earlier this week, Fox News’ Laura Ingraham and conservative lawyer and conspiracy theorist Joe diGenova mocked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the way in which she pronounces her own name.
The two compared her to Barack Obama, who they say “put on accents.” Ocasio-Cortez, diGenova says, “does the Latina thing.” He demonstrated what he meant with an exaggerated accent, misstating the congresswoman’s name as “Anastasio Ocasio-Cortez.”
Ingraham guest Joe Digenova says @AOC “does the Latino thing” when she talks. pic.twitter.com/sa1LLExkBA
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) March 20, 2019
The decision to run that exchange over the chyron reading “A New Low in Journalism” was, I’m sure, more accurate than they intended.
The comments are clearly rooted in an assumption that the “Latina thing” is something AOC puts on to seem more Latinx to her base. It seems to be outside the realm of possibility for them to consider that she simply is Latina and just likes to pronounce her own name correctly.
Ocasio-Cortez wasn’t going to let the dig go unaddressed.
If by ‘the Latina thing,’ she means I actually do the work instead of just talk about it, then yeah, I’m doing ‘the Latina thing.’
Unless of course she‘s talking about being multilingual, which we know isn’t a ‘Latina thing.’
It’s a ‘21st century’ thing.https://t.co/v41dAyjshP
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019
Siri, show me the brand of ‘economic anxiety’ that mocks Americans of color as unintelligent + unskilled, while *also* mocking those same Americans for speaking more languages than you: pic.twitter.com/HXBC7Osexu
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019
How insecure or just plain ignorant do you have to be to see a person’s refusal to mispronounce their own name as something strange or funny?
“How dare they refuse to say their name in a wrong accent & not mangle their own family name so that I can feel more comfortable instead of look inside myself & examine why something as small as *a person’s name* makes me uncomfortable in the first place?? This is an outrage!” https://t.co/ArYd28WVcv
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019
This isn’t the first time Fox pundits have mispronounced the congresswoman’s name. They seem to think it’s a real sick burn.
By the way: Fox News likes to say my name (incorrectly) as “Cortez,” which I can only imagine is bc that sounds more ‘stereotypically’ Hispanic + probably incites more ‘anxiety’ for them.
Pro Tip:
My last name is not “Cortez,” just as theirs isn’t “Ingra” or “Carl” or “Hann.”— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019
My last name is Ocasio-Cortez. Full stop. That’s my name.
No, you can’t say “Cortez.” I’ve never used that in my life. “Cortez” is referring to someone else.
Even if they‘re trying to be rude + wrong, my dad’s last name was Ocasio anyway.
(His name was hyphenated too, though.)
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019
Once again, she has to point out that her name—like its pronunciation—isn’t “progressive.” It’s just correct.
For the curious, in Latinx culture children take *both* their parents‘ names.
It’s not a “progressive, new thing.” It’s just how some names work. PR hyphenates, others mark differently. Your last name = the families that came together to make you.
AOC is also fine though :)
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 21, 2019
I know Fox News is desperate for something to mock Ocasio-Cortez over, but it seems like they should be able to try just a little bit harder—or, you know, give up.
(image: Lars Niki/Getty Images for The Athena Film Festival)
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