aside from looks, last names give it away most often. I mean, I understand there being those "exceptions to the rule" every now and then and I know that being Mexican doesn't automatically make you more down for the cause, but I have always noticed the strange coincidence that the majority of Nortenos who semi-regularly post on this board are either:
A) Half-Mexican half-white (or something else)
B) 100% White
C) "Latino/Hispanic" but not Mexican
D) "Other"
This has no direct relation to the statistics of Nortenos on the streets and off the net, but it comes off to me as an indicator of Northern California's notoriously more open-minded and mixed reality. This is how most of the world pictures Northern Cali thanks to the free-spirited music and hippie shit that was revolutionized in SF and Berkeley in the late 1960's. I can go down the list of White, mixed, and all veriations of South American/Central American/Caribbean "Latino" Nortenos that regularly post on here one by one, but it's easier to just list the semi-regular posters that I am PRETTY SURE are full Chicanos (full=both parents have direct roots only from Mexico). And if I miss anyone or mistakingly list someone who is NOT full Chicano then I invite you to please speak up! I do not wish to misrepresent your backgrounds and I base this only on the evidence which I have seen or know for a fact. So now... without further a-do (SP??)
(as far as I know) THE FULL BOODED CHICANO NORTENOS WHO POST HERE:
FC ENE
HOGGLIFE
SJN14
CHANGO
BIGG RUBE
STRANGERESSJ
LIL CONER
MEXICANOX4
PELON X4
N-SANE
FATAL NYGHTMARE
I'm sure there are more.
Yes it was all originally designed for Northern Chicanos in Prison, but on the N. CA streets of 2003, I sometimes wonder if there are any racial preferences for older dudes recruiting younger ones into their Norteno neighborhoods. I'm not necessarily expecting that anyone would be outright discriminating against non-Chicanos, but in the old days there was more of a strict code and it wasn't as easy for White people as it is today to claim Norte X4 on the streets (because like Oso Loc said, the Unity makes it too easy to claim XIV nowadays but the weak will eventually get weeded out... that goes for ALL Nortenos regardless of race). Of course it all comes down to who you were raised with and if there are alot of White people (for example) that grew up in a certain Norteno varrio, then I understand that they are possible prospects to one day bang it too.
Then there is the whole parallel claim of, "I grew up with black people so I say NIGGA and thats all I hang out with is black folks", which leads me to believe that all of this crossing over may be seen as "cool" for some white people to (seemingly) sell out their White roots by trying to "act black" or "dress Chicano" and suddenly start speaking Spanish even though they were not raised with it. Then again maybe it is just necessity. It's not easy to draw that line. Either way, is it that impossible to maintain a respectful grasp on the roots of your own race when fully engulfed in the activities that are usually just associated with that of another? Is the other race that much more interesting than your own that you have forgotten "where you came from" and would even go as far as denying that part of yourself? (as some do)
examples of Sell-out:
1-"J.D." (~you talk like a fuckin Chicon~) from American Me was a product of his ELA neighborhood, but he sold out the fact that he was Caucasian and wanted no part of that innate claim (at least Miclo in bound by honor was half chicano so he gets the varrio pass)...
2-Any self-claiming "wigger" who would flat out clown on his own race and do anything and everything traditionally seen as "black" just to spite his own race, is basically a Caucasian Uncle Tom (we all know someone like this)...
3-Bryant Gumble (threw that in for laughs)...
4-Coast switching posers!!! I saw so many wannabe NYC "hip-hop" fools out here in LA back in 96. I think that shit swept the nation. I checked a few of them on their raised pant legs, wu-wear chains, karl kanis, ALARMING lack of hip-hop knowledge, and fatigues. Shit man I have nothing against anyones style as long as it is authentic, but the vast majority of these dudes were straight up FRONTING talkin about "KID IM FROM BROOKLYN EAST NEW YORK SON WHA?!". I always got the truth out of them in the end and I promise you; NOT ONE WAS FROM BROOKLYN! Yup, those were some funny ass times.)
BTW: I, myself, am merely 3/4ths Chicano with the other 1/4th being Native American... but I am no Norteno. I am not in touch with my Native American claim at all because my Grandpa who holds that 50% trait was never around. Sad. I wonder if we have a casino out there somewhere?!