Real Racism Is In Mexico, Not Arizona

According to Lennox Samuels of the Dallas Morning News: "Officially, Mexico’s population is mestizaje—a mixture of White and Indian, or mestizos. But the country’s political, business, social and cultural elite is dominated by White descendants of Spanish conquistadors, while mixed-race, indigenous and Black people generally are relegated to supporting roles in society." It's just a little disingenuous of Mexico to be celebrating its Bicentennial Independence on September 16th, when the fact is that most of the country is ruled by the descendants of the conquering Spaniards, who conquered the Mayans and Aztecs in the 1500's under Hernan Cortes.

Furthermore, it's just a little hypocritical when Felipe Calderon, who went to the best Ivy League schools money can buy, chastised Americans for their racism over the Arizona SB-1070 Act of July 2010 allowing the police to ascertain the immigration status of a person apprehended for another crime. Meanwhile, in Calderon's country of Mexico, very little is being done to help the indigenous people, whose way of life is disappearing, according to the UNHCR. This is rather surprising, because the War of Independence from Colonial Spain, led by Hidalgo was fought by the indigenous Indians and mestizos. Even one of the 19th centuries most famous Mexican reformers was President Benito Pablo Juarez Garcia who was a Zapotec Indian. from Oaxaca.

However, things have changed, and now most of the illegal immigrants from South of the border are coming into the US because of discrimination against them in their own country. They do not want to be identified as indigenous peoples and do not want to learn the arts and crafts of their people. The young people want to be "cool. and hip" And Calderon's government is doing very little to retrain them in new industries. Even the world's wealthiest individual is from Mexico, Carlos Slim Helu,and he has set up some educational philanthropies. However, he has a complete monopoly on the telecom business in Mexico, so any new enterprise is squashed. Possibly Mr.Calderon and his government should look into revising some of their business practices, to give others a shot at being successful.

August 29, 2010