Letters to the Editor

This letter is associated with the following article:
The traditional quinceañera coming-of-age ceremony has mutated into an elaborate spectacle -- supported by a multimillion-dollar industry. But who's going to pay?
  • @Jade23

    "Latino teen girls have the highest suicide rate in US"

    No they don't, not even close. The population with the highest rate of suicide--by a lot--in the US are white men over 65 yrs. Native American men, particularly younger ones, have relatively high rates, too. Women across the ethnic spectrum tend to die by suicide much less frequently than men, and this is true almost everywhere in the world (with the exception of China and some South Asian countries).

    What you might have read or heard are that rates among Latinas are increasing (i.e. that a greater percentage committed suicide than last year, but still fewer than the groups above), or that attempted suicides are increasing. Either of those things are a problem, but there is a world of difference.

    And why would that statistic, even if true, "bear greatly" in this article? Do you think that Latino culture is so simple that everything important can be addressed in a single book, let alone a single book chapter? If you're actually interested, there are people writing about suicide among Latina teens. Find them.