what exactly is a gringo?

[owl41]

Some of you may wonder why I'm putting this subject under men from mars.... it'll become clear in a second.

I have quite a few Dominican-American friends who have told me that Dominicans are very "complexion conscious" (to be politically correct). So my question is when it comes to gringos...is that a term applied to white americans only or black americans too? And do these sankies prey on both, or primarily white american women?

[Hillbilly]

BAsically a gringo is any foreigner. However, sankies prey on anyone, light or dark who can improve their income. Skin color has little to do with it. As it happens, most of the women who are played are from Canada, (mostly Northern) Europe and the US, and, generally speaking they are white. But anyone with a different passport is a target.

And any "gringo" or "gringa" if fair game for the sanky/sankette..

HB

[owl41]

thank you!

[korejdk]

The white dutch, italian, canadian, americans etc are all gringos...the blacks are negros !
On my last trip two weeks ago on my last two days I had grippe, so all I did ( in Sosua ) was chilling in the shade and sipping lemonade all day...the chicos that worked on the beach called eachother everythime a turist walked by...as described above, they called them all "gringo" and the african americans were named...well, you get the picture.

[owl41]

korejdk.... this is something I know.... I was just wondering if, in the context of sanky'ing.... all americans, despite color, are fair game.... there's a lot of use of the word gringo in these threads and I was starting to seem as if they were only talking about white americans...or light skinned foreigners....It also seems from some of these threads that there woulb be no point in preying on a black american woman...what kind of status would a dominican man get from this? but I think that hillbilly's reqponse makes it clear that if the woman has something...or more....then the game is still the same despite color.

[Chirimoya]

Any US, Canadian, European, etc. passport holder is fair game regardless of colour/race. Dominicans who have emigrated and hold an attractive foreign passport too, I'm sure.

[owl41]

Originally Posted by Chirimoya

Dominicans who have emigrated and hold an attractive foreign passport too, I'm sure.

Chirimoya.... thanks for this.... that was my next question.

[Expat13]

Outside of Latin America where the term is used in my opinion more loosely-Canadians and other caucasions i have travelled with were always offended when being classed under the term gringo as they did not like being grouped and considered an American...Obviously from the prior posts you can see it is very objective. If you want a more detailed posibly accurate definition-here is wikis
Gringo is a Spanish word used in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, generally to denote people from the United States. The term can be applied to any person who is known, or assumed to be from the United States regardless of race, or it can denote a strong association or assimilation into American society and culture. The term in its functional use is mostly encountered by Americans traveling abroad to Spanish speaking countries.[citation needed] The American Heritage Dictionary classifies gringo as "offensive slang," "usually disparaging," and "often disparaging."[1] Hispanophones disagree on whether the term is derogatory.[citation needed]

The term is almost exclusively reserved for Americans; technically Canadians are not "gringos" though they are usually assumed to be from the United States regardless.[citation needed] What groups are more likely to be considered, or called "gringo" depends on the country where it is used. In Mexico, white and black people may be more readily thought to be Americans while Hispanic Americans may blend in. In Argentina, with its large Caucasian population, a white American may blend in while a black American may stand out as a "gringo".[citation needed] The opposite may be true in Caribbean or Central American countries.[citation needed]

Recorded evidence suggests it was used in Spain long before it crossed the Atlantic to denote foreign, non-native speakers of Spanish.[2] Although it has various anecdotal etymologies, and various connotative or interpretive meanings, its source appears to be "griego", the Spanish word for "a Greek person" that serves as a colloquial shorthand for any foreign (non-Spanish) person.[

[korejdk]

again - I am at the same spot for the past 7 years on the Sosua playa, you all know the local operators...white gringo walks - action = " sir come here " etc etc, african american walks by = they don't bother
End of conversation , Period !

[jrhartley]

dont think so !Even I can tell a black gringo from a local,even a local thats moved to new york