as a whitey from New England I have a problem with the view of Mexico being pushed by newspapers and National Geog-ass-fic. I read an American newspaper article yesterday that was framed oddly. It started out describing a guy going on a date and getting movie tickets when a massacre related to a drug war had gone on in the area previously, and went on to describe a sort of mental apathy Mexico is exhibiting and describing the psychological word for it, at which point I stopped reading in disgust and felt shitty the rest of the night.
Writing about how Mexicans should act or feel a certain way about problems in their country is one of the most blatant forms of victim blaming AND telling a “third world country” how it should respond. And let me tell you something about Mexicans in Mexico. They work. A lot. I know, I know, you think they’re all “hispanic welfare people” or some bullshit but that doesn’t actually exist in Mexico so everyone fucking works their ass off whether they’re a construction worker, bank teller, chef, street cleaner, hotel concierge, doctor, whatever. More hours than you do. More days than you do. Harder than you do. Honestly. And on days off they go and have a really great time. And how dare you try to make some sort of psychological disorder out of Mexicans’ amazing, God-given ability—or anyone’s—to still enjoy yourself and live your life as normal when there are horrible problems? And why should people who have nothing to do with the bad guys let those bad guys take away their ability to live life normally? And how dare you frame Mexico as some sort of violence filled drug war hub, so that people just associate a huge country with incidents in some places? Believe it or not, there are things in Mexico that don’t involve the words “unmanned drones deployed” and “swine” and “flu” and “horrific violence”. The oldest winery in the Americas is in Mexico, did you know that? The Spanish brought grapes over to Coahuila and later, actually fucking banned Mexican wine because it had so much swag, they were scared of competition. Casa Madero, Monte Xanic, L.A. Cetto, Santo Tomas, and Casa Domecq won awards at wine festivals in Belgium, France, California, and other places the past couple of years. That’s right, up against the Old (white) World. That’s right, Mexicans can make fucking amazing wine.
Oh, and the PGA Tour is in Mexico. That’s right. Pro golfers come to Mexico to make seven hundred thousand dollars putting a Titleist. Because Mexican golf courses can be just as good as U.S. ones. And let me just say this. Katrina wouldn’t have happened in Mexico. I don’t mean the storm—Mexico has a history with hurricanes—but the aftermath. The way the US pathetically “responded” to Katrina and other disasters that plagued the poor the most is supposed to be characteristic of a first world nation? Fucking yikes. I’ve been through hurricanes in Mexico and not only was response a million times faster, preparedness was a million times better (and always is) and no, you can’t judge a country just by reading the bad stuff about it, and as a journalist, you cannot focus on one thing ignoring businesses becoming eco-friendly, women becoming empowered, smart business-owners and workers, and the brilliance and drive of students at places like Tec Monterrey—a friend of mine who went there is gonna have an internship at Toei Animation soon—kids being athletic and not-obese because they’re all into soccer and playing outside, beautiful beaches, architecture, history, and stories of heroism and a spirit that’s very much alive, not apathetic, not wiped out by the conquistadors, and an article in a newspaper berating Mexicans for going on with their lives as normal is an insult. Worse than an insult. It’s a lie.
I’m going to do something fun. I’m going to tell you that in Boston, in Roxbury, in south end, elementary school kids get caught in crossfires, armed robberies happen, officials take money secretly from public projects (hello big dig) so that parts of the fucking tunnel fall on people’s cars and kill them. Boston isn’t safe. Stay away. There is no Newbury Street. There is no Boston Public Library where Jennifer Weiner will speak this summer, there is no Boston Vegetarian Society with an awesome festival every year in Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, there is no Charles River to rollerblade on with one-dollar-sailing programs for teens, there is no Berklee, Harvard, Emerson, MIT, there is no Museum of Fine Arts, there’s no El Pelon restaurant, no theatre, no Fenway Park, no TD Garden, no Haymarket, no beantown jazz festival or book festival. Boston is just tunnels collapsing, kids in poor neighborhood getting hurt, and street crime. Oh, you don’t like that? Because it’s not true? Well suck it up. Mexico—and other “third world” nations—have been taking it for far too long. I’ll finish with a little video of a song by Luis Miguel with a tiny bit of the beauty of Mexico in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbaT5CIC8-8
It doesn’t have the Cenote Zaci, the Caribbean, or mole in it. You have to experience those yourself. Preferably with a Casa Madero to wash it down if you’re an adult. If you aren’t, horchata!!! Always horchata!
ps. i love your tumblr ladyatheist you’ve educated me a lot
