Living with Uncle Sam

Puerto Rico ist eine Kolonie der Vereinigten Staaten. Dieser Artikel aus dem Reiseführer Lonely Planet gibt eine gute Zusammenfassung der involvierten Geschichte und Gefühlen.

Puerto Rico’s political status inspires a curious mix of guarded ambivalence and grudging acceptance. For many, the idea of the living with Uncle Sam has become more a habit than a passion. Suspended constitutionally between full-blown US state and sovereign independent nation, the island’s population remains in a curious state of limbo. It seems as if the people can’t decided what they want their country to be. Last put to the vote in 1998, the advocates of statehood were pipped at the post by supporters of the existing status quo, i.e. a commonwealth or incorporated dependent territory of the United States. The various independence parties, meanwhile, continue to come in a distant third.
Triggered historically by the Grito de Lares in 1868 and reignited briefly in the 1950’s, the independence issue has long been a perennial damp squid. Compromise is invariably touted as a more desired modern option. Cemented in the 1952 Constitution Act, the current relationship between Puerto Rico and the US was largely the work of iconic national governor Luis Muñoz Marín. A prophetic democrat, Muñoz believed that to push for political independence from the Americans was a folly akin to economic suicide. In order to liberate the masses from the crippling poverty of the inter-war years, the island needed to maintain an arm’s-length relationship with the US while at the same time retaining its distinct Latin legacy. Steering a fine line between free-thinking commonwealth and obedient colonial lapdog during the 50’s and 60’s, Muñoz successfully lifted the island out of its economic coma. He also professed to have safeguarded Puerto Rico’s cultural identity and political “freedom” for future generations.
It’s a sentiment with which many would concur. While few Puerto Rican’s play the out-and-out nationalist card these days, most continue to uphold an unspoken cultural resistance toward their venerable American neighbors in the north. Ubiquitous shopping malls and Burger Kings aside, the proud Boricuas have consistently resisted swallowing the American Dream hook, line and sinker. Distinctive cultural manifestations pulsate everywhere. From the Spanish language, to the hip-gyrating music, to the way they over-enthusiastically drive their cars – patriotic islanders have always been Puerto Rican first and American a distant second. It’s a cultural paradigm that looks set to continue for some time yet.