None of the arguments espoused by those Colgate University students back in 1992 convinced me then, nor do they today, that the term "Latino" is better or less controversial than "Hispanic." This is why: The use of the "Hispanic" label by the federal government beginning in 1976, short of an imposition, actually responded to Hispanic leaders' demands that the government collect information that combined the various Hispanic geographical origins.

"Latino" actually carries an even heavier imperialist baggage. Few people know that the term was developed and invoked by French imperialists seeking to highlight a common Latin origin in opposition to Anglo-Saxon America. Remember Cinco de Mayo, the day when Mexican troops stopped French invaders in the Battle of Puebla in 1862? Mexicans were defeated the next day but never bought the Latin argument. They are Mexicanos!

What about the broader inclusivity of the term "Latino"? If it is a matter of inclusion, why not include Jamaicans and Barbadians? For linguistic and other reasons, Brazilians are not part of the U.S.'s broader Latino community. They keep to themselves.

What about the "imposition" argument? "Latino" is as much of an imposition as "Hispanic," even if the former was generated by Latino community leaders. It is interesting to note that after several decades, U.S. Latinos have consistently shown a 2-to-1 preference for "Hispanic" over "Latino."

After "Latino" came "Latino/a," For a while, some experimented with "Latin@" (which did not gain traction for obvious reasons). Of more recent vintage are "Latine" and "Latinx." We are also often lumped as "people of color" or "brown people," which amounts to the racialization of our ethnicities. The very latest term is the odd-sounding "BIPOC," an acronym for "Black, indigenous and people of color."

Strikingly similar to the offensive term "colored people," "people of color" came into vogue in the 1980s as part of the Rainbow Coalition concept, an idea that never went beyond a concept as courageously explained by Nicolas Vaca in the book "The Presumed Alliance: The Unspoken Conflict Between Latinos and Blacks and What It Means for America." Anyone familiar with New York City, Miami or Los Angeles politics can attest that, short of collaborative, Latino-Black relations can be tense, even hostile.

It may have been the same Colgate University student group that introduced me to that infelicitous term. "Dear professor of Color," read the salutation in an invitation letter. Most Latinos deem that term inappropriate and perhaps offensive. I did not respond to that letter and still do not respond to that appellative. If you want a response, please never address me as Mr. BIPOC.

"Latinx" began to circulate in 2004, gained traction in the aftermath of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre and has become the preferred terminology in many colleges and universities, as well as in journalism. The term emerged as a critique of "Latino" and "Latina," which were deemed reflective of a binary concept of gender. "Latinx," the argument goes, is gender-neutral and more inclusive.

Unlike Spanish pronouns, nouns and adjectives, which are generally gendered ("maestro" or "maestra," for example), English words are mostly not; we say "teacher."

An August 2020 Pew Research Center poll shows that only 3% of Latinos use "Latinx," while 76% have not even heard of the new term. It is more commonly used among younger, liberal, college-educated Latinos/Hispanics. What used to be called Latino studies programs are rapidly changing to Latinx studies programs.

I recognize and respect all individuals' right to self-label as they wish, be it Hispanic, Peruvian or Brazilian, Brown, Latine or Latinx, even BIPOC. What I reject is the imposition of any ethnic label, whether by the federal government or local activists — or, for that matter, the Royal Spanish Academy, which, by the way, in 2018 rejected "Latinx" as a Spanish word and the use of the letter X as a gender-neutral option to the feminine A or masculine O. It does make for awkward grammar and cacophonous prose: "Ellxs son maestrxs expertxs" ("They are expert teachers").

So, what term should you use? It depends on where you are and who is your audience. In the U.S. Northeast, "Latino" is more widely used, while in the South, "Hispanic" dominates. In colleges and universities, and increasingly so in journalism, "Latinx" is taking the lead.

At the end of the day, no matter which term you use, you are likely to offend someone and be scolded.

The corporation is in trouble. Fixing it will take much more than adopting a new logo.

Readers can reach Luis Martinez-Fernandez at LMF_Column@yahoo.com. To find out more about Luis Martinez-Fernandez and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.