Thread: Confronting Mexico

Book review

Confronting Mexico

Former foreign minister argues that major changes are necessary if the nation wants to move forward

by David Gaddis Smith
Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 6 a.m.

BOOK---“Manana Forever: Mexico and the Mexicansâ€

He cites the impressive rise of Mexico’s middle class over the past 15 years and the number of students in higher education more than doubling to 2.6 million.

Too bad they're all in the U.S.

He cites the impressive rise of Mexico’s middle class over the past 15 years and the number of students in higher education more than doubling to 2.6 million.

That's because a good portion of Mexico’s peasant class is living illegally in the United States, thereby allowing a middle class to emerge in Mexico. Like I always say, the United States is Mexico's welfare system and will remain so, until this country gets serious about enforcing our immigration laws and securing the border.

"Change" will never occur in Mexico until the United States stops acting as the pressure release valve for Mexico. Mexico has no incentive to change, so long as they can continue to manipulate the United States into not enforcing our immigration laws; which benefits them tremendously. Mexico knows how to play the game and they play it well and I’m not referring to soccer

Castañeda uses what he calls Mexicans’ self-medicating mentality; their reluctance to make hard decisions; their tax avoidance; their attention to ritualistic style over substance; and their lack of international prowess in team sports to argue that his countrymen are too individualistic, too nonconfrontational and radically dysfunctional. He says Mexican society must undergo major change to progress.

Self-medicating = drunkeness...

Tax avoidance = let other people pay it for me... leaching

Radically dysfunctional = Mexican culture...