Job Discussion Forums

[Fitzgerald]

I ask these questions in a spirit of reasoned discussion.

1) Given all its numerous advantages, Mexico is a significantly underachieving nation. Why do you think this is so?

Among those advantages, I would include:

Large land area (world's 14th largest nation)
Large population (world's 11th most populous nation)
Significant natural resources, including oil
Very high biodiversity
Direct access to both Pacific and Atlantic/Caribbean worlds, with long coastlines
Proximity to U.S.
Year-round growing season
200 years as independent country
Linguistic compatibility with much of the Americas

2) Do you feel that Mexicans are complacent about corruption? Many of my students tell me that reform is an illusion, that Mexico has always BEEN corrupt, and Mexico will always BE corrupt. The attitude seems quite fatalistic, and is sometimes tinged with Catholicism (the belief that the way things are is God's will). One student told me disgustedly that some of his classmates talk openly, not about reforming corruption, but about looking forward to getting their piece of it, and that the only thing for people like him to do is to get out of the country, which is what he plans. What is your take on this?

3) I notice at my institution that people are VERY reluctant to speak up about issues. Rocking the boat is considered not only inadvisable, but suicidal. Is this actually a long-standing "cultural" trait, or is it recent learned behavior premised on the quite accurate idea that if you speak out on the wrong issues in Mexico today, you could get yourself and your family killed?

[Phil_K]

On that happy day that I ship out of Mexico, I'd like to write a book on this subject, (it's almost written in my head) but meanwhile I'm reluctant to put forward my theories here, for the reason you state above, and for fear of going against forum policy.

[notamiss]

[Fitzgerald]

[Fitzgerald]

[notamiss]

Some people posit that a great deal of Mexican culture (such as codes of behavior) is more Oriental than Western, and I think this idea has some truth – you observed this yourself in the similarity to Korea.

Re growing season, I come from a land where everything is frozen solid and covered with snow for 5 months, so the idea of outdoor winter crops is completely alien.

[BadBeagleBad]

[BadBeagleBad]

I think corruption is a part of it. But I also think it is far more common in cities than it is in small towns. I lived in Mexico City for many years, as well as Guadalajara, and now live in a very small town, and I see people here are much more honest, much less corruptable, both in small things and big things. But I also think that people feel powerless to change things.

I think education plays a huge part as well. Most public schools are mediocre at best and spaces even in Prepa in many places are limited, even those who qualify don't always get in. One of my nephews is sitting out a year because he didn't get a spot and his mother is a teacher in the same school! Ditto at the university level, but even more so. That is if there even IS a prepa. Even then, salaries for most professionals are fairly low, and unless you have a family house, land, etc., it is fairly difficult to become very affluent in a small town. The population where I live is very unbalanced, with far more women between 20 and, say, 40 than men, due to men either being in the US working, or in Mexico City or someplace else where they can maintain their families and/or even save a little money.

I think with the current government corruption will increase, if anything. I also agree that it might not always be safe to be politically active. We recently had municpal elections here, and I heard stories of candidates being threatened in nearby towns. When I lived in Mexico City I was very politically active and never felt threatened, but the PRD also rules there. I have seen the PRD erode in the last few years, and have grown disillusioned with the aliances they have made in my area with the PAN. At this point I don't feel there even IS an opposing party, unless Lopez Obrador can get Morena up and running, or the PT grows agallas. It is really quite depressing to think about, but where I live now it really doesn't effect my day to day life, which I know kind of sounds like a cop out, and maybe it is. I think a lot of people are just too busy trying to survive to think about change, political or otherwise.

[Fitzgerald]

[MotherF]

I want to think about this a little bit more before I make a full contribution,

but one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that Mexico is a highly centralized country. This makes it very hard to get things done in an efficient manner if you are not in Mexico City. I'm leaving next week to take my three children to the US for a month and it's been a big hassle trying to get all the documents they and I will need from my small Oaxacan town.

[Phil_K]

[BadBeagleBad]

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

Avoiding the personal asides and getting back on topic would be a very good idea IMHO.

[El Jefe]

[MotherF]

1) Given all its numerous advantages, Mexico is a significantly underachieving nation. Why do you think this is so?
Because of questions 2 and 3---which must be what you think, or why else would those be questions two and three?

2) Do you feel that Mexicans are complacent about corruption?
Yes. But I think Americans are too. Corruption in the US is masked as capitalism. There is wide spread corporate and political corruption in the US. Almost every American is complacent about that.
In Mexico corruption is more widespread into every aspect of life. While it is easy for Americans to be complacent about political corruption because they are not actively involved in it--only passively. In Mexico, Chingas or te chingan. in almost every aspect of life. And unfortunately it has created a class that accepts that they are going to be fucked over. And the culture--part of that culture being Mexico's brand of Catholicism--has made those people almost think they deserve to be fucked over and that it's their lot in life to endure it.

3) I notice at my institution that people are VERY reluctant to speak up about issues. Rocking the boat is considered not only inadvisable, but suicidal. Is this actually a long-standing "cultural" trait, or is it recent learned behavior premised on the quite accurate idea that if you speak out on the wrong issues in Mexico today, you could get yourself and your family killed?
Both.