The Challenge to Puerto Rican Identity reflection

Puerto Rican culture is somewhat complex, - others will call it colorful. Culture is a series of visual manifestations and interactions with the environment that make a region and/or a group of people different from the rest of the world. Puerto Rico, without a doubt has several unique characteristics that distinguish their culture from any other. The debate over how to refer to Spanish-speaking people in the U.S. is one that has contributed to the confusion of identifying members of this group. In the 1970s, U.S. government came up with “Hispanic” to resolve the problem. The term is still used today as an umbrella name that includes all Spanish-speaking people living in the United States. But some members of the Spanish-speaking community have continued to opt for an identity which is connected with other aspects of their lives such as their countries of origin, their culture and the race with which they affiliate. In this article it talks about how much U.S. influence has affected the identity of a traditional Puerto Rican. A concensus is that Puerto Rico has had more direct exposure to the United States than other Latin American countries have had.
Since 1898 Puerto Rico has had close to 80 years of cultural penetration by the United States. One interviewee even said that Puerto Rican's were never tied to material comforts, but rather human virtues. I believe that the media has a huge role to play in this. When I walk around here in Puerto Rico I see a need in the women here to dress up everywhere they go. This to me shows a materialistic point of view. I think the biggest assimilation of the United states culture is seen in music. Nowadays the music here in Puerto Rico focuses on the same aspects as the music in the States. "Sex, drugs, and Money". The reading also talked about cable television and Christmas celebrations being two of the main factors that are threatening the Puerto Rican culture. One thing I also agree upon in the reading is that it said there are a lot of spanish radio stations that play mostly American music . This has also affected the culture. This was a very interesting reading I enjoyed it very much.