Who do you hang out with?

Title: Who do you hang out with? (William Baddoo)

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

Jose is a male Dartmouth student in the class of 2021. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He comes from a family of Mexican descent. On campus Jose is a member of various student organizations.

Contextual Data:

Jose first heard this proverb early in high school from his mother. His mother was very protective of him and wanted to make sure that he was associating with good kids that would be a positive influence on him. By using this proverb, Jose’s mom wanted to remind him that the people that you hang out with reveal a lot about who you are. The early years in high school are very formative for most people and it is the time in life where young people try to fit in and make long lasting friendships. That is why it is so important to find that right people to connect with as those connections will greatly shape a person character at that stage in their life.

Item:

Transcript:
“Dime con quien te juntas y te digo quien eres”
Translation: “Tell me who you hang out with I will tell you who you are”

Informant’s Comments:

Collector’s Comments:

This is a very direct quote. It goes along with a theme that we saw in some of the Spanish proverbs which is that it is important to choose friends wisely and that bad friends are dangerous. In this case, if a person has friends that are questionable or not good people, then there may be a problem with that person.

Collector’s Name: William Baddoo

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive