Ethiopian Boy Throws Tantrum for Wanting to ‘Be Mexican,’ Internet Asks He Gets Honorary Nationality
Growing up, you may have wanted to live under the sea like The Little Mermaid, or have curly hair, or even be a super-cool secret agent like Kim Possible (okay, all we wanted was a naked mole rat like Rufus).
Yes, kids sometimes want the impossible — and one adorable four-year-old boy on TikTok proves it.
The four-year-old’s mother Belaynesh Gebre posted a viral, since-deleted TikTok video that has since been reposted countless times.
The clip in question shows Gebre’s young son pouting and crossing his arms in his carseat. He looks annoyed. Why the tantrum? Well, because he wants to be from Mexico.
Gebre explains to him, “You’re Ethiopian, you’re African, you’re Black. Okay?”
His reply? “I want to be Mexican,” starting out the cutest tantrum we’ve ever seen.
This four-year-old boy on TikTok had a “meltdown” for wanting to be from Mexico
As you can see in the viral video, the boy’s mother tries to reason with him about not really being able to change his nationality.
However, he’s not having it. The mother asks her son in the car, “Why do you want to be Mexican?”
He explains to her, “Because I eat quesadillas.” Who’s going to argue with him?
The mother, noticeably giggling, asks, “Because you eat quesadillas? That’s why you want to be Mexican?”
“Yeah.”
Later, the four-year-old asserts he does “not want to be from African anymore” because he “wants to be Mexican.”
As clarified by another little boy in the car, they have a friend named Negasi from Mexico and Ethiopia. Does Negasi get quesadillas for lunch? We’re feeling like Sherlock Holmes here.
The four-year-old cries, “But why am I not Mexican, too?”
“Because your parents are not Mexican,” the mother explains. “I’m not Mexican. Your dad is not Mexican.”
Still, the boy is unconvinced. “But I’m Mexican, too.”
By the end, things get heated — yep, this boy is passionate about his (imaginary) Mexican heritage!
Now, Mexicans are rallying together on TikTok to let the boy be an honorary compatriota
Over on social media, Mexico-born TikToker Angel Barragan thinks we should all just let this cute boy be from Mexico, too.
Barragan said he broke his “tough man character because of how adorable the young one is.”
After watching the video, the influencer couldn’t help smiling.
“There is a great saying that says, ‘Mexicans are born wherever we want,'” quoting the iconic singer Chavela Vargas. Interestingly, while the “La Llorona” singer is widely known for her Mexican nationality obtained later in life, she was born in Costa Rica.
Barragan continued, “If the little boy wants to be Mexican, I say, let him.”
Fellow TikToker Kya Kaye agreed, also quoting Vargas while saying: “Listen, if he says that he is Mexican, he is Mexican. Punto, ya.”
Over on Instagram, users are flooding Gebre’s comments section about her adorable son.
One IG user commented, “[He] is very welcome any time to my house to eat quesadillas!”
Another replied, “My man said he MEXICAN! Period!” Yet another wrote, “On behalf of the Mexican community we are honored to have [him] as an honorary Mexican! 🫡🇲🇽”
On another one of Gebre’s IG posts, one person wrote they would happily welcome the four-year-old into the larger Latino community.
“Let me know if your son ever wants to be Dominican!! He’s welcomed in the entire Latino community 😂 ❤️ 🇲🇽 🇩🇴.”
Another comment we can’t get over? “We all need to come together and get him a Mexican soccer Jersey 🫶🏽❤️.” Countless more can’t stop calling the child “compa.” LOL.
