No Responses to “The Podcast : Episode 23”

1. Alex Says:
   June 20th, 2008 at 8:38 am

   I decided to pimp out 1 Million Mad on my blog: http://slightlyunstable.org/node/214

   Just thought I would do a small favor, I will write some more as 1 Million Mad grows.

   

2. Corey Says:
   June 22nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm

   Hello Robert, I’ve been listening for awhile after you received a shout out from Vegan Freaks but have yet to comment. Between you both I’ve had to restart practicing yoga just to keep from blowing up at the public-at-large but that’s cool.

   So I just listened to your episode on immigration and thought that I might be able to add to your already elegant explanation of the problem. You see, I am currently a Peace Corps volunteer (hence the anominity) living in Mexico… yeah, I know, I too have issues about my working for the government but the work I do down here is really worth my suffering. During my time down here I have met many Mexicans that want me to teach them English so that I can find work in the U.S. I have also met many Mexicans (a lot actually) that have worked in the U.S. And, I have been to many pueblos consisting purely of women because all the men have gone to work in the U.S.

   You were right in your assessment of the economic situation down here being largely the result of Amrican companies. Take, for example, Wal-Mart. They recently purchased the largest Mexican department store (Aurrora Bodega) - guess they didn’t like the competition - and are well represented in every Mexican city. Now I don’t know what is more sad: that when I go to Wal-Mart the grocery section is packed with the Mexican middle-class shopping, that the lower class cannot afford to shop at Wal-Mart (nearly 50% of the country lives in poverty, the rest are doing just fine or better), or that there are times when I actually have no choice but to go shop at Wal-Mart (I hate myself for it).

   You see, just as in the states, they are managing to squeeze out the competition locally. Thankfully, I live close to two mercardos where I can buy my produce but, unthankfully, there are certain househould items which I can only find at the Wal-Mart. Particularily items for my 3 month kitten which my girlfriend and I adopted after finding it abandoned on the street (oddly none of the local pet shops carry kitty litter or cat food). They are actually building a Supercenter across town as we speak because we all know that one Wal-Mart per city is not enough (though they do not change the names of their Aurrora storees, sneaky eh). As a PC volunteer I do not get paid much, slightly below mid-career professionals in this city but still much higher than non- and early-career professionals. Still, I find shopping at Wal-Mart to be expensive so I can only imagine what the majority of Mexicans think of the experience.

   I can understand, when they see Wal-Mart (or KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King, Radio Shack, Abercrombie & Fitch and the whole host of other American brands that are down here) why they might feel the need to work “on the other side” in order to live like their more well off countrymen who happened to have landed jobs at these companies. Because of their success with the middle-class, the locally-owned alternatives are disappearing and our shopping (and their employment) options along with them.

   There is also a list of other problems creating this need, mostly several decades of corrupt government acting in their own self interests rather than of the people (sound familiar?). To the argument of why the Mexicans don’t do anything to help themselves: well, they are, but these things take time and their families need food now. For example, one of my projects down here is working with a local pueblo near the national park where I am stationed. I am helping them develop eco-tourism businesses such as trail guides, campgrounds and adventure sports outfitters to name a few. We also developing an environmental education center to host visitors already visiting their pueblo on excursions from other parts of Mexico and I am creating environmental education workshops to train potential educators.

   So there is hope for the Mexican economy, but change can be slow at times and difficult when the airwaves are flooded with American programming as if to taunt them of the fact their neighbor’s car is bigger and faster. In the end, for whatever their reasons, it is also important to note that the majority of these people do not want to immigrate to the U.S. Yea, they want to work there but only to send the money home and as much of it as possible (hence the cost-saving stereotype of packing so many into a single house or apartment). Mexicans love Mexico to the same extent that we love America. It is their home and they have every desire to remain Mexican citizens and to return someday, not to become legal Americans. So you’re right, we need to allow them to work legally in the U.S. so that they can help themselves out of a situation we helped them into. After all, it is the neighborly thing to do.

   Besides, most of the people complaining about the “immigration problem” are not exactly giving up their cheap meat and produce… why do they think it is so cheap in the first place? Chew on that fucking rednecks the next time you bite into your $1 value menu torture-burger.

   

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