78 posts tagged “society”
You may be aware that Mexico is not one of the most egalitarian societies on this planet, and socioeconomic differences are very much a part of the social fabric. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a middle class family in the capital, with access to good schooling and domestic and international travel.
While growing up I think I tried to make the best possible use of these opportunities, but when I reached my teenage years I realised I truly disliked the pseudo-elitist environment I was brought up in, and got rather fed up with those social standards on what to wear, how to act, what kind of music to listen, what car to drive, when to gossip, etcetera.
Fast-forward 10 years. I had been living in Finland for a few years and moved to Brussels to study my masters degree. The school was not very big, so for extra-curricular activities and a couple of courses they tended to band together the undergraduate exchange students and the foreign graduate students for what one could call "economies of scale".
Two of the exchange students were from Mexico, and one of them embodied pretty much everything I disliked of that environment I had left: the feigned (or real) ignorance and lack of curiosity, the social and religious conservatism, the gossiping and the materialism were all there, and I couldn't avoid this person for half a year.
Needless to say, the beginning was quite hard, but it definitely taught me to face my own prejudices and not only deal with it, but actually get along pretty nicely and (most importantly) sincerely. While we didn't become best friends, I believe we were able to have a good working relationship, which is one of the most valuable lessons learned from my time there.
One of those things that I was not used to anymore was how Mexican wedding receptions are organised. The wedding ceremony itself can be religious or not (usually you have both, as there is complete separation of Church and State in the country) but as almost everywhere else you have the reception.
In Finland, the reception is a very orderly affair, with a programme that will include the toast and the banquet, performances by a band and maybe even the guests, speeches and finally some dancing. In Mexico, it is quite orderly as well, but you don't notice it so much. You will first have the toast and the banquet, then the first waltz and finally a lot of dancing (6 hours of it).
To keep the audience entertained, depending on the music being played the band will use props that will also be distributed to the audience, so for example they'll have balloons when having samba, cowboy hats for music from northern Mexico, hats, shirts, etc. Furthermore, they'll bring in certain members of the audience to dance on the stage with their respective attire, which becomes very funny with songs like YMCA.
I'm not saying one is better than the other, they're just different.
I've read a couple of stories about immigrants and their children starting up their own companies here in Finland, especially in the service sector. There are two companies whose services I use that are founded by immigrants: my barber (Figaro barbers in the corner of Albertinkatu & Uudenmaankatu, Helsinki) and one of my favourite fast-food places (Habibi Lebanese cuisine in Forum, Helsinki).
Given the simple facts that there are quite many barriers to open a business (capital investment required, cultural, regulatory, etc) I find their belief in their success quite admirable.
I'm just waiting to see when would somebody open a proper Mexican restaurant, as the stuff hereabouts is Tex-Mex. Maybe I'll have to do it when I retire. Mole poblano and tacos al pastor anyone?
This is a marketing campaign for Kauppalehti, the leading Finnish business daily that brings forward the labour shortage in Finland. The English language version of the online component of the campaign is actually quite bad, whereas the Finnish one has real content in it. I guess that contrary to what the campaign seems to be about, they didn't care too much about the immigrant / foreign audience after all.
Funnily enough, there was a completely wasted bum/drunk just next to this ad, but I couldn't bring myself to take that picture. I guess it would have been too poignant of a social commentary.
One thing that really surprised me on my last visit to the US was the amount of health product ads on TV. It is rather annoying to see that, in a country where the health care system is completely private and extremely expensive, pharmaceutical companies target consumers instead of doctors in their marketing, sowing fear and insecurity.
Update June 17, 2008: The BBC has an article on this as well.
Finland is a very egalitarian society, as anyone who has visited Helsinki can attest to. Given that it is also a relatively affluent society, I have somehow come to the conclusion that maybe some Finns (especially of the younger generation) cannot relate to poverty anymore, as they don't necessarily see it (if Kontula & Suvela are the worst the country can throw at you, you're not doing so bad). Or rather, some cannot see it as something that could happen to them, and "if it can't happen to me, it isn't real".
This is especially interesting since Finland was not such a well-off country until the 80's, and even in the 90's there was a terrible economic crisis. How can people so easily forget?
I've heard before criticism of Mexican TV saying that the actors and acresses there depicted have very little in common with the average Mexican (if there is such a thing). I think it shows a certain aspirational aspect of the Mexican psyche, where being fair skinned is desired.
Mexicans use TV to escape, not to see themselves the way they are.
Even though certain sectors of society rant against neoliberalism and whatnot, the truth is that Mexico has become a rather consumerist society. Everybody is trying to sell you something in TV, in the street and even when you're driving as the photo shows. Status is more and more about what you own, less and less about who you are.
At least it means that the economy (at the macroeconomic level) is in good shape with the Mexican Peso being surprisingly strong.
One thing that I really don't like about many Mexican women is the amount of make up they use, especially around the eyes. I understand that the social pressure to be beautiful is rather strong, but looking like a raccoon won't improve your chances of finding the man of your dreams, really. You're more beautiful if you accept who you are and smile (there's nothing more beautiful than a woman smiling) than if you end up looking like a sunburned geisha.
Long life to those with subdued make up!
I didn't feel unsafe in my travels throughout Mexico, but it is true that you find more than enough well-armed security guards and policemen everywhere, and there is plenty of stuff in the crime section of the local newspapers.
Security (or the lack of it) has been named as one of the main reasons for the lack of growth in Foreign Direct Investment in the country, and is one of the most important areas that the government has focused on, with mixed results.
