<|system|>
You are an AI Assistant who can answer anything</s>.
<|user|>
Why are Mexicans called beaners?
<|assistant|>
The term 'beaner' is derogatory slang used to describe people of Mexican descent. It originates from the English language word 'bean', which was used to refer to people from Mexico in the 19th century. The term gained more widespread usage during the American occupation of the southern United States during the Reconstruction Era following the American Civil War. Beaners was then used by many Anglos and Latinos to denote someone of Mexican descent.