Gotta say - my cousins are Catalan and I thought Hilary's accent was bang on the money *cringe*. Fully expected her to break out the castanets!
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Gotta say - my cousins are Catalan and I thought Hilary's accent was bang on the money *cringe*. Fully expected her to break out the castanets!
We all are very tolerant when it comes to sexual identity. Some change, some come out with something new every season - here we are all love and understanding, which is absolutely perfect that way. Been there, done that. I am grateful for that tolerance.
BUT many can't understand that identifying with a national, cultural or even historical identity is for some as close to the heart as intimate and as difficult? Can't we be more understanding and tolerant?
I was born in a different country, I immigrated as a teenager into another one. Lucky me, I cannot identify with any of them. I don't "feel" them. I like them both, but for me they are exchangeable. I go to the land where I was born - where everyone calls me a different first name (I have two versions) - and asks me, judging my poor language "where do you come from?". I come back after two weeks speaking my "born" language and my husband laughs about my accent in my second language. Switching from one language to the other is not always as easy as changing TV Channels. Inside I cringe a little when I say my nationality (as in citizen) - because I don't "feel" it. I don't need the roots or feeling of a national belonging - I feel like a world citizen, I don't want to be geographically pinned to one country...but I understand those who need a national identity, who want to feel the connection to a national heritage (full package) My sister is still waving the flag of our mother´s country, even though she hasn't been there for the last forty five years.
My son is developing a bit of a national identity with his father's country - even though he was not born there and never visited. What is wrong with that. I don't think Hilaria lied. She has some connections to Spain which for her are important and valuable enough to identify with. I don't think she lied, I think she really feels Spanish. She really feels like a Spanish messenger.
Hilaria is definitely not the brightest candle on the Christmas tree or she would have handled the "crisis" in a "cooler" way. Her playing the victim was expectable - as expectable as Alec behaving like a Spanish bull. This discussion is so huge now, which shows how important the topic "national identity" is as it was till now something totally undiscussed - even though it has so much impact for an individual. In that way I am thankful for the discussion and I hope for more tolerant, diverse and more in depth discussions about a topic which started on twitter and rolled in every corner of social media.
BUT many can't understand that identifying with a national, cultural or even historical identity is for some as close to the heart as intimate and as difficult? Can't we be more understanding and tolerant?
I was born in a different country, I immigrated as a teenager into another one. Lucky me, I cannot identify with any of them. I don't "feel" them. I like them both, but for me they are exchangeable. I go to the land where I was born - where everyone calls me a different first name (I have two versions) - and asks me, judging my poor language "where do you come from?". I come back after two weeks speaking my "born" language and my husband laughs about my accent in my second language. Switching from one language to the other is not always as easy as changing TV Channels. Inside I cringe a little when I say my nationality (as in citizen) - because I don't "feel" it. I don't need the roots or feeling of a national belonging - I feel like a world citizen, I don't want to be geographically pinned to one country...but I understand those who need a national identity, who want to feel the connection to a national heritage (full package) My sister is still waving the flag of our mother´s country, even though she hasn't been there for the last forty five years.
My son is developing a bit of a national identity with his father's country - even though he was not born there and never visited. What is wrong with that. I don't think Hilaria lied. She has some connections to Spain which for her are important and valuable enough to identify with. I don't think she lied, I think she really feels Spanish. She really feels like a Spanish messenger.
Hilaria is definitely not the brightest candle on the Christmas tree or she would have handled the "crisis" in a "cooler" way. Her playing the victim was expectable - as expectable as Alec behaving like a Spanish bull. This discussion is so huge now, which shows how important the topic "national identity" is as it was till now something totally undiscussed - even though it has so much impact for an individual. In that way I am thankful for the discussion and I hope for more tolerant, diverse and more in depth discussions about a topic which started on twitter and rolled in every corner of social media.
If shed said she loved Spain, has an affinity with the country etc thats fine. She faked an accent, pretended to her children that they were half Spanish and pretend that she couldnt speak English! Your son has an affinity with his cultural heritage. She has no link to Spain whatsoever, so she is a liar because she lied about being Spanish!
I completely get that... I don’t have any issues with people who emigrate to another country, become a citizen etc and see themselves as a person from that country as that is where their home and life is... BIG difference is, she has nothing to do with Spain what so ever, there is zero connection. She went there on vacation supposedly but she has no link to Spain. She used it as a tool to get jobs!
She technically didn’t lie because she never came out and said she was Spanish but she hinted at it and Alec was saying she was, it’s all just manipulative behaviour to earn some money by being more than a rich woman from Boston.
It’s like me waking up tomorrow and telling everyone I am now Asian, I have no links to Asia but I feel like I want to be Asian. It just doesn’t work!
I think all that’s a bit of a stretch tbh. She’s just a faker.
Is the suggestion people can be born the wrong nationality?
Feeling rootless is a different thing.
Is the suggestion people can be born the wrong nationality?
Feeling rootless is a different thing.
The thing is, she doesn't actually have any connection to Spain other than an affinity. That's where she lied, in actuality or by inference. That's the difference.
I read somewhere that her father has been fascinated by Spanish culture since he was a child, when his father went to work in Argentina for some months. They toured South America, he learned Spanish and I think his degree is in Spanish literature. It's perfectly possible that she was brought up in a household that embraced Spanish culture and that the children were bilingual, with summers spent in Spain. Regardless, that doesn't make her actually Spanish, by birth, descent or citizenship. Did Alec never see her passport?!
I suspect Alec doesnt care enough to have seen her passport, or know anything about her, over and above 'she makes me look like a stud'.
That is what I mean, when I say It was not very clever of her. She could have said that she feels Spanish by choice. She was in Spain a couple of times and her father has some kind of relationship to Spain, too. There must be a reason why her parents chose Mallorca for their retirement and not Florida
So there is a connection, one we can't really see or follow - but she feels it. But you are right, she should have stated that more clearly (in her living clearly book perhaps...sorry for the lame joke ) so the difference to a real Spanish person would be stressed. She could have even make something really cute and sympathetic (and even more marketable) out of her passion for Spain - now she just stands there as a con woman.How does she know what it is to feel Spanish? Mantillas, fans, flamenco? Do me an actual favour.
I don't know if there may be something like a wrong nationality. Maybe... I have a friend who left Germany and changed her name and now is more American than anyone else I know. She felt a historical pressure and responsibility in being German. Now she is happy. She found her anchor. So for her being German felt wrong and she was not ready to deal with it in this lifetime.
I am nationally quite rootless, but don't miss them. My roots are "my people". But there were times where I wished I could have and feel a clear belonging to a nation or ethnicity. But I guess I couldn't settle for one
Don´t you think there is a chance that Hilaria was just extremely naive (stupid)? I think she didn't know what an explosive and sensitive topic national identity can be. In all the accent clips she looks so extremely playful but also very happy.
She spend a lot of time in Spain and I guess she dived deep in the corners of her interest. I am quite sure she might have left out some historic Spanish "malaise" but a lot of Spanish do, too. And as you mention Flamenco. In the flamenco scene are a lot of dancers from other countries who get so deep in to the Spanish culture that you would assume they are Spanish - even though they aren't.
I have Spanish family and have spent my entire life on holiday with them there. I wouldn’t insult them to say I felt Spanish.
I used flamenco as a cliche of Spanish culture people think they know about. That they largely won’t.
I used flamenco as a cliche of Spanish culture people think they know about. That they largely won’t.
I understand your past and how you are trying to see the good and I do understand - but she literally has no link to Spain her only link to Spain is her parents retiring there was she was around 27 and still living in America.
Just think of it as you waking up tomorrow and deciding you are from New Zealand for example then just telling everyone you meet you are Maori and start doing the Haka and acting like a native.
She just created a wild story and it got out of hand and now she’s stuck in a web of lies.
There’s a huge difference between ‘I love Spain and the culture so much I wish I were Spanish !’ and misleading people to believe you are actually Spanish.
But does your friend live in America, so is therefore an American resident/ citizen? Or did they go to Disneyland when they were a kid a few times and decide they wanted to be American so therefore they were, even though they still lived in Germany? Because that is the equivalent of what Hilary has done! Her parents retired to Spain when she was an adult. she never lived there. Plenty of people retire to Spain. They probably love Spain. They are not Spanish! You cannot decide your ethnic heritage because its something you are born with. If you have Spanish parents but you hate Spain and everything about it, you are still Spanish descent. Hilary is American, not Spanish, whether she likes it or not!
I am Dutch and have been living in Germany for a couple of years. I am not going to suddenly speak English with a German accent or pretend i am born here. Its just all very weird. I looked at some old interviews and she is trying hard to sound like she has a Spanish accent.
My children were raised in various countries due to my husband’s job and my youngest wasn’t born in our home country. Both dread the question ‘where are you from’, it’s too complicated an answer. They are known as Third Culture Kids TCK’s and it can be a huge identity thing for them. However it would be concerning, even now they are older were they to adopt a different accent, spray tan their skin and dye their hair all in the name of belonging or a passion for a country. I don’t think anyone sane does that. By all means learn the language, explore the culture and be passionate about the people and country, but what Hilaria has done is create a new persona. No doubt.
Besides, someone did a genealogy trace of Hilaria’s family and it’s said she has more German and Irish and no Spanish.
Besides, someone did a genealogy trace of Hilaria’s family and it’s said she has more German and Irish and no Spanish.
Exactly, I’m a Francophile but I don’t go around in a Breton top carrying garlic and a baguette
I’m curious to find out what happens now. Does she continue to speak with a Spanish accent knowing the world knows she is not Spanish, or does she drop it and speak with her American accent? This would confuse her children to no end!
I'm wondering when she will start posting again. Will she just quietly sneak back with pictures of the Baldwinitos at some point.
It must be killing her to not show off for a full week now.
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