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Geos

Nov 5, 2009, 6:53 PM

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US vs. Mexican culture

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A great essay on the maniacal American consumption culture vs. the Mexican manana culture.

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/...JoeProduceOrDie.html

"It may be my bias, or my imagination, or my distaste for toil, but from here America looks like one big workhouse, "under God, indivisible, with time off to shit, shower and shop." A country whose citizens have been reduced to "human assets" of a vast and relentless economic machine, moving human parts oiled by commodities and kept in motion by the edict, "produce or die." Where employment and a job dominates all other aspects of life, and the loss of which spells the loss of everything."

(This post was edited by Rolly on Nov 5, 2009, 6:55 PM)

ken_in_dfw

Nov 5, 2009, 7:37 PM

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Re: [Geos] US vs. Mexican culture

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Read that yesterday, courtesy of fellow Mexconnecter RichMX, through his excellent blog, The Mex Files. The deadly accurate insights belong to one Joe Bageant, who, since he has migrated from Belize across the Yucatan to Lake Chapala, I am more convinced than ever, is the Dawg's long lost twin brother.

I strongly recommend Bageant's book, Deer Hunting with Jesus, for a vivid dissection of U.S. working class (aka in the South, "redneck") history and culture.

And like Bageant, I find the contrasting optics between the US' "produce or die" imperative and México’s carpe diem culture to be very illuminating.

"Respect for the rights of others is peace."
Benito Juarez

sakfogel

Nov 11, 2009, 12:00 PM

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Re: [ken_in_dfw] US vs. Mexican culture

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Read the full blog entry, read your statements.
And I'll add my own.
There are times I long to return to the US. Ten years down here, and one gets worn out, the lack of certain niceties: NPR, libraries, bookstores, well paved roads.
Then I hear an osprey call, or two frigate birds fight over a fish, and I remember why I left, and why I came to Baja Sur.

Can someone live in the US and stay out of the corpacracy?

I did it. I owned my own mortgage company, I helped the square pegs( same sex couples, minorities, single women) of Silicon Valley society buy homes, and did it fairly and honestly.
Am I completely happy and satisfied here? No? Would I be completely happy and satisfied back there? No.

High quality affordable medical care, and the low cost of medicines are enough to keep me here. Add to that friends who invite us to all of their family events. The main street of town runs along a white sand beach. It is rare to need a sweater here. Fresh fish delivered to my door. And I remember why I left and came to Baja Sur.

In ten years very few of our old Silicon Valley friends made it down here, they were always too busy. Now they have the time, but not the money.
Susan Fogel
On the beach in La Paz
Author of Margarita Mind Series of Books about Mexico
Book #1 now available: www.MargaritaMind.com