WRITING LATINOS 101

( i. ay dios mio )

( writing latinos 101 )
i. AY DIOS MIO
❝ ¡catch phrases! ❞

Ah "Ay Dios Mio" the most popular stereotype for Latinos. If there is a Latino character present it's said all over the place. Hell, the Latino characters in Hollywood probably chant it in their sleep.

Now, don't get me wrong here but, my family and I say "Ay Dios Mio" at least once a week. But you just said it was a stereotype? Yes, I did. And the reason why is because the world made it a "trend" for Latinos. Honestly, the amount of times I hear this phase when a Latino character is present is insane. The world over does it and it has come to a point where it is a huge stereotype. Yes, we may say "Ay Dios Mio" but we don't say it every breathing second of our lives.

Let me give you an example of Hollywood with Latino characters:

Latina: *currently sleeping while sleep talking* ay dios mio

Latina: *wakes up* Ay dios mio I running late to clean Mr. White house!

Latina: *eats breakfast* Ay dios mio food is good!

Latina: *gets in car* Ay dios mio music es excelente!

Latina: *gets stopped by a police car*

Police man: Hello ma'am

Latina: Ay dios mio!1!1!!1!1!1!1!11!

Latina: *dies of a heart attack bc the police man was too edgy for her lifestyle*

Latina's grave plaque: AY DIOS MIO 1987 - 2017

See what I'm saying?

It's as if every single word that comes out of a Latino character's mouth in Hollywood is Ay, Dios, or Mio, specifically in that order.

I am tired of hearing it and I am tired of people thinking that's all we say.

So if you're gonna write a Latino character, don't use "ay dios mio" in every sentence. In fact, you should hardly use that phrase. There are a ton more phrases we Latinos use. Stop being stereotypical and be creative. Use a different phrase like "No pues wow" which means like a sarcastic "wow really?" or a sarcastic "of course" it just depends on the situation really (I honestly say it all the time). Or use anything else honestly like "A la verga" which means "ah shit". Or "Mira nomas" which is like "oh my gosh" or "you don't say". Or "No me degas" which means "oh you better not (tell me)". Or "A poco" aka "really?". Or "Que padre" aka "that's cool". Or "No manches" aka "don't bullshit me". Or "Orale", "Sale", or "Andale" which all mean "heck yeah" or agreement to something.

I literally can go on and on with these.

So now you see that there are a crap load of phrases we use. So give them a go in your book.

( written by saray )