Hi Kami,
Your question is tough. My opinion is that it's natural for two nationalities that have SO much in common to try and distinguish themselves for the sake of it. That is what I have noticed in general. It is just a strong sense of self identity otherwise Dominicans and Puerto Ricans would just all be considered the same. Meaning similar culture, history, music and food etc. It has been my observation that people tend to like unite when there is a crisis. "Let's unite for the cause" but in the day to day it's envy and jealousy and this is just in very general terms. I find individual relationships between Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are great but when it comes to identification as a group there has been some rivalry, name calling etc. and I think it has its roots in economic factors, race to a certain extent, stereotyping and just a downright superiority complex on both sides. Puerto Ricans are Americans by birth but not culturally. They have a long history in the US thus they may be (and can be) considered more progressive as a group whereas Dominicans may be more associated with individual success. I also observed that the perception of Puerto Ricans vs Dominicans differs on the island compared to in the US. I am familiar with Carolina,
PR and the outskirts of San Juan where many Dominicans live and I have heard many negative comments (I refer to my experiences in
PR only), always turned a deaf ear but I readily realized that the Puerto Ricans who made those comments did not associate with Dominicans so really in my opinion their comments were invalid. Overall, I think the gap has lessened which is positive from a cultural and social point of view. More communication, association and interaction between the two groups will definitely improve relations.
-Lesley D