Today is...
Why Jíbaros.com?
About This Website
by Don Jíbaro Orlando
Some time ago, I was playing guitar in a restaurant in Los Angeles,
where I met an intelligent young Puerto Rican man who, as we sipped
some espressos, told me about his struggles with the duality of the
ethnicity of Puerto Ricans in the United States. By the inflections
of his speech, I understood that to be "what you appear to be" to
society and "what you are in reality" were to different
things. From then on, I kept seeing
the phenomenon of identity as a virtual necessity to express that
ethnicity.
As part of the Diáspora, we take the Christmas, Easter and most
holiday seasons too deep to heart. That's good. Our rich cultural
traditions dominate the essence of our thinking... a cuatro...
guiros... pasteles... La Plaza del Recreo...!!! Ah... We can't help
but to have a couple of "pasteles" and maybe a cup of "coquito"
in the back of our minds.
Like other ethnic groups, we, as Hispanic immigrants into the
U.S.A., rely on that identity to establish our position in today's
society. It's vital for us to accept it, since the world urges us to
recognize ourselves as it recognizes us, not as we really are or
anything else.
The many misconceptions, battles with stereotypes and individual
struggles have made it essential for me to build this website. The
majority of JIBAROS.COM readers are, evidently enough, outside of
Puerto Rico... the majority of them are in the United States. That's
why most of the data is in English with Spanish flavor rather than
vice-versa.
As Puerto Ricans, we've inherited a life with so much spice, flavor
and wonderful color that many times it gets shadowed by our need to
survive in today's society. The human race beckons: "We gotta work
harder to stay afloat." Because of this, many times we forget to
stop and taste the "mavi".
Concerning the people involved in making this site, it's just me,
Don Jíbaro, one person doing all the work from a small corner of my
house. I am not saying that boastfully... it's just that there's no
one to help and since I get no money from the website I can't hire
anyone to help. Yes, I used to make pennies with some advertisers here and
there, but some wanted discounts, or paid late, etc. I turn down a lot of
advertisement from folks that are out to get you as consumers. ¡No,
no... not here!
Anyway,
About me...
My name is Orlando, Orly... Orlo, et al. Nobody knows
Orlando the artist, writer, musician. They know Don Jíbaro, my pen
name, nom de plume, literary double... a pseudonym adopted to
protect my identity. A pen name is used if a writer's real name is
likely to be confused with the name of another writer or notable
individual, or if their real name is deemed to be unsuitable.
Orlando was a furious killer warrior. Not my idea of a man. I am an
artist... a student of all things.
I consider myself somewhat of a curmudgeon.. a
sensitive guy with a distaste for mediocrity who hides pain behind misanthropy.
I can
easily turn pain into humor while at the same time attack the
shaggy-dog phony because it devalues genuine sentiment.
I also dislike the insincerely emotional such as hypocritical
expressions of sympathy, a silly love song
and definitely people who pretend to live their lives as a cheap
sentimental soap opera.
To my detriment, people think that I have no hair on my tongue. Yet some
consider me as endowed with a somewhat keen perception and sly wit.
For what it is worth, I thank each and everyone of them three. Yes,
thanks!
"Don Jibaro Orlando might have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is
blamed for the message: commenting on the human condition without
apology and continually refusing to applaud mediocrity, and if given
the opportunity, he'll howl it down vehemently with morose glee... Subsequently,
his versions of the
truth might get softened with humor." --Don Juan Winokurr.
Still, my fan base is comprised of people from within all ethnic
groups who share a love, interest or passion for all things human
and all things different. My goal is to promote the beauty and depth
of our culture, its values and positive influence... as a
contribution to the wellness of our local communities.
One of the activities that I'd love to see is having domino games,
FREE mini-concerts, readings, cuatro, guitar and conga classes, and
many other CLEAN fun activities.
My simple vision is uniting existing social groups into a community
where trust, respect and charity can be promoted and practiced.
Helping and feeding the poor will be our altruistic objective... It's a tough street out there, but we can do this!
Jíbaros.com has become way more than just a simple blog, but a web magazine (e-zine) that celebrates the
humble Puerto Rican countryman, the one that makes mistakes but
seeks resiliently to bounce back without missing a beat. He learns
from his errors and will not allow history to repeat itself on him.
So, this website is for you to be transported to a "virtual"
Borinquen... to tell the world that we are
not boring. We are happy, creative and sharp folk and have more
than meets the eye. YES, we have a people to uplift and I am just doing my share.
donjibaro@gmail.com
This is the bottom line
"Fools won't take advice, but the smart will listen."
(Proverbs
12:15)
Jibaros.Com®,
Jibaros.Net® - ALL content is Copyright © by Orlando Vázquez,
owner-designer and com does not accept any responsibility for the
privacy policy of third party sites