Study finds: Hispanics in the United States suffer from "skin color discrimination"

According to the Associated Press Phoenix reported on November 4, a study by the Pew Research Center found that skin color affects the daily lives and long-term achievements of Hispanics in the United States.

The nonpartisan research center surveyed 3,375 Hispanics living in the United States and found that 62 percent said darker skin tones affected their chances of success, while 59 percent said lighter skin tones helped them. The results of the study were released on Thursday.

Just a few months ago, the film "In the Heights" was criticized for the lack of darker-skinned black Latinos as the protagonists, sparking widespread concern about skin color discrimination. Skin color discrimination is discrimination based on skin color, usually from within someone's own ethnic group.

Racism has been a major concern for Americans over the past few years, but the issue of skin color discrimination has not been discussed as often as racism.

Some sociologists believe that this is in part because skin color discrimination highlights internal divisions of race and ethnicity. Others point out that skin color discrimination is a centuries-old worldwide problem, particularly in Latin American countries colonized by Spain.

White skin has long been considered superior to dark skin and indigenous appearance in these countries. Many Hispanics in the United States may also have this internal bias.

The Pew Center study found that 57 percent of Hispanic Americans say their skin color affects their daily lives, and that most darker-skinned Hispanics have been discriminated against as a result.

Nadia Flores-Jerfar, an associate professor of sociology at Texas Tech In the United States, said the findings are also supported by years of research. These studies show that people with darker skin tones earn less and suffer more from prejudice.

Flores-Jaffar said that depictions of darker-skinned people in movies and television can also influence how we perceive them. "On the Heights" is no exception — in most American media, darker-skinned Hispanic actors always play background or gangster roles, while lighter-skinned Hispanic actors are more likely to get important roles.

Flores-Jerfar said skin color discrimination has existed for centuries. "And it doesn't look like there's going to be much of an improvement in this issue," she said. ”

Source: Reference News Network