That infamous Latin temper....

My Latin temper blows up pretty fast, but it goes down just as fast. Maybe that's why you seldom hear of ulcers in Latin America. - Desi Arnaz

Ever since I moved to this US of A, there has always been the question: "Do you have a temper?". Ummm, yes. Doesn't everybody?

Not like the Latin Temper, I am led to believe.

From the spitfire image of Carmen Miranda with her fruit hat, to all the other Latinas in movies and theatre, most people think that we do have the WORST temper. But...

Do we really?

I relate very well to the quote above from Desi Arnaz. So, I wonder...is it that we just say things like we see them, and then get over them, while others just keep it all in? Personally, I rather get it out of my system, instead of letting it fester up inside.

When I first moved here, a potential employer called my prior one, and blatantly asked if they ever had problems because of me being Puertorican, because, she said, "you know that Latin temper". My then supervisor gave great references of me.

Little I knew, over the years, I was going to laugh, seeing how most people would lose their temper sooner and faster than I ever allowed myself to in public. Also, little I knew, other ethnic groups also have a "hot" temper reputation, but you just don't hear as much about it. Why?

Why don't we, here in the US, hear about those who lose it just as fast? We have all the stress-related diseases. We have people battling depression, eating disorders and other mental-health-related issues. Ever wonder if the pent-up, bottled anger, may have something to do with it? I come accross stoic people who are too proud, or too embarrassed to admit they have a problem, or to even talk about it with someone who does not live under their same roof. What? Some don't even talk about their problems with their own family!

So, is the Latin temper really that "bad", after all? I don't think so. I am happy. I rarely hold a grudge. Is it really THAT bad?