Love It or Leave It: Latinx People and the Pressure to Affectively Assimilate

Abstract

One widely held belief about Latinx people is that they are slower to assimilate to US mainstream culture than other groups. This belief has generated the worry that, given the sizable population of Latinx people in the United States, their lack of interest in assimilating could erode national identity and undermine national prosperity. This article makes the case that Latinx people are expected not only to comply with dominant US social norms but also to experience emotions, feelings, and attitudes that indicate that they have internalized and endorsed those norms. That is, they are expected to affectively assimilate. This article analyzes the use of the phrase “love it or leave it” to offer an account of affective assimilation. It argues that the pressure to affectively assimilate is backed by social sanctions for those who do not comply. It also shows that assenting to affective assimilation comes with its own set of costs. This situation creates a double bind for those who will face drawbacks no matter how they respond to pressure to assimilate.