Commentary by Ilya Adler ©2005
His e-mail: ilyaadler09@aol.com

It has been said by many non-Mexicans such as Americans, Germans, French, among many others, that Mexicans are much too touchy: They don't seem to handle criticism very well, and are too easily hurt. Stated bluntly, too touchy.

It is interesting to note that within many cultures, people often say the same thing about women, even in "touchy" cultures such as Mexico.

In the world of business, having a reputation of being too sensitive can often be the kiss of death. In the West, especially, the world of business has a highly militarized language, probably because much of business culture was derived from military mentality (and male, of course). Thus, in business we talk about conquering and penetrating a market, or we talk about the business environment as a "jungle," and about all kinds of wars: price wars, incentive wars, discount wars, among many "wars." Therefore the Western business model frowns upon people who seem easily hurt, and guess what, the Mexican sensitivity (at least in their eyes) can be perceived as a trait which makes them ill-prepared to handle the rough world awaiting them.

The problem, as is always the case in cross-cultural matters, is that what in one culture is perceived as overly sensitive, in another culture the same behavior is considered harmonious, well-mannered and needed behavior to establish relationships.

Let me illustrate what I am trying to convey with one specific example - public embarrassment. In Mexico, to put a person in a public situation of feeling embarrassed, for example, of looking ignorant, or ill-informed, is to embarrass that individual, since his or her weakness is being displayed publicly. In Mexico they use the term "balconear" to convey this behavior. "Balconear" comes from the word "balcón" (as in a balcony, literally), and in the old days leaders or young ladies would appear in balconies to be seen publicly. Thus, if you are running a brainstorm session in Mexico and do not agree with what a person does, it is considered rude to criticize the person or the idea too directly. If you say, "I think that's completely wrong," you will very likely get Mexicans to react with hurt feelings. Touchy, touchy.

As I make this point to non-Mexicans, they offer strong resistance. . .

Subscribe to Mexico Connect and read all the complete articles . . .