Tag Archives: mexico

Nacionalismo

Este fin de semana es 16 de septiembre, la fecha en que todos los mexicanos sacamos la bandera, los trajes típicos y nuestras mejores recetas nacionales.

Hasta ahí todo bien y sin problemas, estar orgulloso de las raíces de uno es algo muy positivo. Sin embargo, algo que me preocupó bastante es una encuesta que me encontré en el Reforma, donde por desgracia se demuestra que tenemos un concepto de identidad nacional en el que no aceptamos las influencias del extranjero. La respuesta que más me pegó de la encuesta fue en donde la mayoría de los encuestados expresaban sus recelos de aquellos extranjeros que adoptaban la nacionalidad mexicana y de aquellos mexicanos que adquirían un pasaporte extranjero. Otra respuesta que me sorprendió fue aquella en la que la mayoría se expresaba contraria al comercio internacional, cuando buena parte de la economía de eso depende.  En dicha encuesta también se expresaba el temor que tienen muchos mexicanos a que su identidad sea afectada porr "la globalización", y el 62% expresaban que la gente que critica al país o su forma de gobierno lo hacen porque no aman a la patria (punto que me parece en extremo incoherente, porque si por algo critico lo que veo en mi país es porque creo que se merece una mejor realidad que la que tiene).

Tal parece que queremos que el mundo se abra a México pero no que México se abra al mundo.  Esto en un país que es el producto de la confluencia de culturas me parece tan contradictorio como estúpido.

The middle class will save us

This article in The Economist and this cartoon by Paco Calderón make it clear: only the emergence of a middle class will save the democratic processes we're ongoing in the region.  Consumerism can also be a force for good, if it makes our societies more demanding of economic stability and growth.  The more we have to lose, the less receptive to social experiments we are.

Or maybe we might want the same consumer experiences Cubans enjoy?

Rediscovering your roots

First of all, sorry for the posting break.  I was in London this week due to work.

A couple of months ago I discovered that there are some blogs specialising in offering MP3 downloads of old vinyl records you cannot find as CDs or in any other medium anymore.  My surprise was enormous when I found they had some Pérez Prado vintage albums.  He was a mambo musician that was very popular in Mexico City until his death in 1989, and I have to say his music reminds me a lot of the city were I was born, even though I didn't like it before.

Lunch with the “Mexicans”

Today I had lunch with the "Mexicans" at work.  They are under quotation marks since many of them weren't actually Mexican, but people who have for some reason or another spent some of their time in Mexico and not only speak proper Mexican Spanish, but also behaved as Mexican as any chilango, regio or yucateco would.  Even though we were an Italian, 3 Mexicans and 2 Finns, the table sounded as having 6 Mexicans.

Globalisation and acculturisation go both ways, I've seen.

Disaster at Congonhas

I'm deeply touched by the Brazilian airport accident that happened yesterday.  Not only for the dead count (which is unfortunately quite high) but also because my family used this airport (and airline) frequently, and I have been also a passenger myself.

Given that the situation at Congonhas is very similar to what is found at Benito Juárez International, I can't help but wonder if we would see something like that in Mexico City next.  I really hope not.

Copa América Roundup

Now that the Copa América finished with Brasil winning 3-0 over Argentina, we can safely say that effectivity won over beauty.  The Argentines had an excellent semi-finals game against Mexico, who had come from thrashing Paraguay 6-0, and had beaten Brazil and Ecuador and tied with Chile in the first round.

In the U-20's WC, the kids lost also against Argentina, this time in quarters.  Furthermore, in the Pan-American games, the women also lost against the albiceleste, this time in the group stage.  So, if you bet in a Mexico-Argentina game, don't say you don't have enough background =(.

A good summary can be found here, where they basically say what I was going to write about:  Mexican football has grown and most probably the third place won against Uruguay reflects its status in the continent, but is still missing the leap in quality that will let it win when it matters against the top teams.