LatinX is not a synonym for Mexican

[tvquizphd]

Initial checklist

• I read the support docs
• I read the contributing guide
• I agree to follow the code of conduct
• I searched issues and couldn’t find anything (or linked relevant results below)

Affected packages and versions

6.2.0

Link to runnable example

No response

Steps to reproduce

See the discussion from January. As it is now, this library replaces the word "Mexican" in a phrase such as "Mexican Indie Rock" with "Latinx". The rule behind this suggests that "Latino" and "Latina" should be replaced with the "gender inclusive" word "Latinx".

I'm not here to discuss the acceptability of Latinx over Latino and Latina. Instead I'd like to ask why "Mexican" should be included as a target for replacement following this rule.

I understand that the current rule that favors "Latinx" over "Mexican" was probably written to prevent English speakers from using "Mexican" to refer to people from South or Central America. However, that is:

1. Totally unrelated to the rule "try to be gender inclusive"
2. Definitely not what we should assume is happening when someone uses the word "Mexican"

If I understand the discussion started by @metaverde, that user actually seems to suggest this project implements a rule like this:

- type: basic
  note: Avoid describing Indigenous people in terms of their colonizers.
  considerate:
    - people from Mexico, South America, or Central America
  inconsiderate:
    - latino
    - latina
    - latinx

In their view, "Latinx" actually is "describing Indigenous people in terms of their colonizers". So, I can imagine they were a bit shocked when this project suggests the opposite, to replace "Mexican" with "Latinx". The user didn't seem to see any issue with the stated goal of the rule, to prevent gendered language. In any case, I'll open a pull request #114 to simply drop Mexican from the "inconsiderate" words that trigger that gender-neutral rule.

As for the other suggested rule, I for now would advise this project avoids pitting words like "Mexican" and "Latinx" against each other. The Washington Post Article cited by the user @metaverde in the discussion is more about the gender-neutral language issue than on the acceptability of common terms like "Hispanic" or "Latino".

Expected behavior

"Mexican Indie Rock," as well as most uses of the word "Mexican," should not be flagged as offensive.

Actual behavior

"Mexican Indie Rock" is flagged as offensive.

Runtime

Node v16

Package manager

yarn v2

OS

macOS

Build and bundle tools

No response