Being a different ethnicity in today’s culture is often looked down upon; individuals stereotype a person for what they have or who they are. Throughout both A Place to Stand and Don’t Call Me a Hot Tamale both main characters are stereotyped because of their race. Not only were both main characters stereotyped because of their race, but also because they are looked at for “having less” because of their ethnicity. In both "A Place to Stand," by Jimmy Santiago Baca and "Don’t Call Me a Hot Tamale," by Judith Ortiz Cofer both individuals have to battle with being stereotyped because of their ethnicities. As an early child Baca learned the true meaning of stereotype; growing up with his mother who desperately strived to live a “white life.” Even as a child Baca had a Man vs. Man conflict with himself because of the way he was raised; Baca’s grandparents stayed true to their heritage, while his mother strayed away from her heritage. For example, Baca’s mother would try to change Baca’s appearance to look like whites, “She’d point to the white-skinned, blue-eyed children and say I should be just like them” (Baca, 14). Baca knew his mom dreamed of being white but he did not understand why. In comparison Baca always heard his grandparents opinions about whites; “Ever since I could remember, my grandparents mistrusted whites” (Baca, 14). As a result Baca was torn between being obedient to his mother and what she wanted and staying true to his heritage, what his grandparents wanted. Baca learned the true meaning of stereotypes secondhand because of his mother; Cofer had to battle with a very similar struggle. Cofer as a child grew up in a similar battle of stereotypes. Cofer explains in Hot Tamale “You can leave the island of Puerto Rico, master the English language, and travel as far as you can go, but if you’re a Latina, the island travels with you” (Cofer, 1). Still after traveling away from the islan