Comments on: The (Laughable) Times They Live In

By: sweetleaf

sweetleaf — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 23:23:07 +0000

last night i heard about a study done that showed mexico, puerto rico, and cuba to have the happiest of people, and the united states to be closer to the unhappiest of people in a country, and russia, took dead last. i also heard that mexico’s canines are seen as much happier than their neighbor dogs in the united states. (this is attributed to the people of course).
i’m not sure the correlation of this, to this slanderous, false, biased, piece of crap “journalism?”, except as i read it, i thought it reflected the character of the writer more than what he wrote about. also what came to mind is, the border is under the major influence of the white side and demonstrates this slime accordingly, as did this weeden dude.
i heard about the above study when watching a video with deepak chopra. he explained the source of this (as also described by a local in cuba), is the peoples focus is on relationships and not consumptive, commercial, wasteful, activities that is prevalent in this country.

By: mgrace

mgrace — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:00:21 +0000

Alice: It is possible to visit the Zapatistas in Chiapas. Here’s a link to a visit I took earlier this year: http://m-grace.blogspot.com/2008/04/nuestra-lucha-no-entiende-de-fronteras.html.

Terrible news about Sally Grace. Absolutely tragic. I am sure her family and friends are devastated. (My last name and hers are the same, although I am unrelated to her and we had never met.)

By: Bloody twits! « The Mex Files

Bloody twits! « The Mex Files — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:00:42 +0000

[...] 8, 2008 · No Comments Nezua got a bit bent out of shape about the The Times (of England) On-line 7 December “Confessions of a Tourist: everything goes [...]

By: nezua

nezua — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:36:52 +0000

well the way you set it up was funny. not laughing at your friend’s eagerness or idealism. at the same time, it also reminded me of this recent tragedy that befell another young, idealistic, hopeful and helpful woman. which does not make me laugh at all of course.

so yes, there is danger of course. especially for people coming into an area as a total outsider with ideas that may or may not mesh with reality on the ground. especially idealistic ideas. and nowadays, there is more violence than normal since the Mexican Govt is squeezing the Cartels. people are dying every day in big numbers. this is outside the normal happenings. so perhaps now is a rough time to think of such things…

but i’d not know more. and i leave it to your friend and her fate to feel it all out. i hope your friend finds her path.

By: alice wilson

alice wilson — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:27:55 +0000

Thanks nezua, glad you got some laughs. My friend does know the history very well already. She’s young and idealistic, and wants to know about better ways to live. She’s sick of being a product of the American empire, and she wants to know firsthand what that sincere difference that the Z’s express is really all about. She’s wary of coming across as a tourist. There are apparently some outfits that offer package, well, “tours,” of the Zapatistas, but I don’t know much about such visits. Yeah, Mexico is portrayed here in America as dangerous, especially that area, and I’ll admit that’s probably scaring me for her sake.

By: nezua

nezua — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:11:48 +0000

thanks richard! i like the letter so far. “humour” thats good.

By: nezua

nezua — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:09:35 +0000

i have to laugh for a minute. alice, i dont know. there are so many variants. why does you friend want to visit? how do they plan to do it? when? where are they from? and finally, how could i know? i cannot. my father did it years ago and wrote a book…a lot has changed. and mostly, i would question what their goal is. to stop by and talk shop? to ask “what is it like to be a zapatista?” to impress them? i guess you can tell right away i’m feeling it may not be the best idea, but then again, i think the way you told me about it sort of set that up.

i can’t tell you. but i’d just offer a guess that it might be best to at least study up on whats going on, history, current, causes, how they feel about gringo visitors, etc, for a good while before even thinking about doing it.

good to see you, thanks for commenting.

By: alice wilson

alice wilson — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:02:07 +0000

Ugh, amazing! The colonial mentality runs deep and sour. Sometimes it just has to spill out.

Say, I have a white American friend who loves the Zapatistas and wants to visit them. Do you think that’s a safe idea?

By: Richard the unassuming gringo

Richard the unassuming gringo — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:55:28 +0000

… oh, and I’ll try to find the famous article on the world’s most hated tourists. Unsuprisingly, it’s the British.

By: Richard the unassuming gringo

Richard the unassuming gringo — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:54:24 +0000

I’m drafting one now. Here’s the start…

To the editor, The Times:

I realize that on your cramped, damp island, known mostly for poor dental hygene, inedible food and pasty heroin addicts, “Confessions of a Tourist: Down Mexico Way” was meant to be another in the pathetic tradition of what is sometimes called British “humour.” However, it might be noted that the streets of Ensenada have been paved since at least the 1950s. Those in the tourist district are cobbled, and have been since the community was founded in the 19th century.