This was possibly the most interesting and informative essay so far. Robert Kaplan really delves into how American civilization and and Mexican civilization are very different, yet they are intermingling as we speak. It was clever of him to talk only about the surface view of Mexico that he observed while visiting, but then to reveal more about it’s social and working environments by comparing them to their American counterparts. On the one hand you have socially isolated yet extremely organized and highly maintenanced American town with it’s neat post offices and clean hotels, and then right next to it you have the over populated bustling socially active yet run down Mexican town, which thrives with and undercurrent of drug trade and a wounded economy. It was a very enlightening experience reading this essay, because it highlights how lucky we are and at the same time how spoiled we are.
Filed under: assignments | Tagged: mexico
This shows that while we are our own nation, we also need to keep our eyes on those that we can help. We are so lucky living with all our spoils and riches, we take this every day life for granted. When people of other countries think “America” they think of money littering the ground and of freedom. To other nations we are the dream, but we as citizens do not realize this because we have become so used to it.
When people come from Mexico, it is no different. They become enculterated into our socety and they adapt as well, sometimes even forgetting where they came from, until a relative or family friend comes to visit them and marvels at their living conditions. This was a little bit of an eye-opener for those who do not realize they are living so well.