It’s an endearing way of saying you don’t know the language. More specifically, Spanish. Or at least not well enough to carry a full conversation. A generation of children and young adults we’ll proudly say “I am a No Sabo kid.” Which by my loose interpretation could be meant to say I am Latino, but I am not fluent in Spanish.
It’s a statement and state of mind, in my opinion.
For a generation that likely grew up being told that being bilingual was important and necessary, but who’s own parents may not have been fully bilingual themselves, this act of self-affirmation is a symbol of embracing their true selves and challenging the stigma that in order to be fully Latino one must be fully bilingual. It’s their way of saying, language is not the definition of identity, and not the measure by which we should be criticized or judged on how connected we are to our cultural heritage.
As a parent myself who struggled with the conundrum of how long to force my child to speak Spanish at home and how strict to be about enforcing this rule in the early 2000s, I can tell you there are no easy answers. My son himself has jokingly called himself a “No Sabo” kid at times. Although to my relief he is pretty bilingual and is actually factoring in his knowledge of the Spanish-language as a measure of his career opportunities once he graduates from college and begins his career.
The truth is language tends to slowly be forgotten. No matter how strongly we feel about holding on to it and passing it on to our children and grandchildren, it is not up to us to determine how they will relate and interpret their own relationship to our ancestral native tongue. That is not to say that we shouldn’t try. Rather that we should be more realistic about our expectations, and less judgmental about the evolving dynamics of culture and language for our children. As is often the case, the less we push the more open they may be to exploring these matters on their own… in their own way.
Maybe its not the sappy love ballads and poppy sounds of our favorite 90s group bands, but take a moment and pay attention. It’s the hip-hop infused sounds of corridos tumbados, R&B Latin beats, and even the fusion of South American artists with Mexican Regional bands. The culture is there. The music is there. The language and identity are there.