This will be a short diary for those who may be confused about which term to use.
I am simply copying a comment I wrote on another diary. If this helps at all, that would be great. And I would appreciate any comments or criticisms.
You might meet some older Latino-Americans who really dislike the term "Hispanic" and may even get furious at you if you use that term. The famous author Sandra Cisneros, for example, became furious in a bookstore because the owner used that word when speaking to her.
That is because during the Civil Rights movement, Lantinos didn't like that the census decided what Latinos would be called without asking Latinos (similar to how we Asians hate the term "Oriental.") Those in the Civil Rights movement were mostly Mexican-Americans in the West, and they called themselves "Chicanos." They stressed their indigenous (Indian) roots and how the Spanish conquistadors took over their countries. So they also didn't like that "Hispanic" stresses their ties to Spain as opposed to their indigenous roots.
Well, in Latin American countries it is just not like that. On the contrary, most love their Spanish roots. They call Spain the "madre patria," the "mother country." Often they denigrate their indigenous roots. So, in the Spanish language, "hispano" is the same as "latino." No difference.
So those who came here after the Civil Rights movement, first, they don't even know what a "Chicano" is (it is an American word), and they certainly don't know that there might be anything wrong about the English word, "Hispanic." Thus, younger people and newer immigrants, when polled, say they prefer the term "Hispanic."