A commercial for a skin-whitening lotion called White Secret has inspired some musings about race and skin color in Mexico. A few thoughts.
First, as an obvious gringa (for those that don’t know me, I am red-headed and v. v. white), I get a lot of social privileges. I am generally given what I ask for: security guards let me go in anywhere, I can do whatever i want in stores, rarely have to wait in line at clubs. I know, I hate myself for taking advantage of all that too. But sometimes it’s hard to pass up. The down side is constantly feeling like a rich, fascist, imperialist asshole.
Another point: skin color is fairly directly correlated with social status in Mexico. Almost to a person, the lighter the richer and the darker the more likely to be in a position of service. I have seen perhaps half a dozen cases in my two years in Mexico when skin color and socio-economic status are not tightly linked.
Not exactly sure how this is related, but there is a reggeaton artist here called “Nigga,” and black jokes abound. People have a strange impression of and relationship with the idea of black people in the U.S. I have actually heard the saying “work like a N*** to live like a white” many, many times, in both Spanish and English.
Finally, an ironic detail. Almost all commercials in Mexico have a little public service note at the bottom of the screen, kind of like the “smoking causes cancer” notes in the US. In the case of White Secret lotion, the message was “Salud es belleza” (health is beauty).
Odiamos a los estadounidenses
por aprovechados
Yo tambien me odio a mi misma pero esto no cambie lo que yo soy. Estamos todos victimas del mismo sistema que roba la humanidad mas al privelegiado que al marginalizado.
“ODIAMOS”, se me hace una palabra muy generalizada, soy orgullosamente Méxicana y gracias al gran esfuerzo de mis padres tuve la oportunidad de estudiar 7 años en Estados Unidos de Norteamerica. En mi muy particular opinión, generalizar y decir que “Odiamos” a los norteamericanos, se me hace una gran falta de cultura .
En todas las nacionalidades, razas, culturas y paises hay gente buena y gente mala.
Además, México no es un pobre país donde la gente se puede venir a aprovechar de los pobres é indefensos Méxicanos, ya basta de autohumillarnos, Somos un País que día a día se fortalece más, con gente preparada, cada vez a niveles más altos, desde el humilde provinciano que ha luchado trabajando el campo, el mar ó practicando productivos oficios heredados de generación en generación, para poder estudiar en instituciones tan importantes como la UNAM, hasta gente que ha trabajado duro para poder tener una posición social a un nivel superior y estudiar desde la UNAM, hasta universidades privadas de mayor costo.
“Odiados” y “Pobres” la gente que se dedica a expresarse con “odio” a los demás, que si porque son extranjeros ó tienen dinero, mejor dediquense a ser mejores seres humanos y a dejar de culpar a los demás por los logros no adquiridos, el que trabaja sale adelante y si no lo creen así porque no se dedican a investigar la agenda de trabajo de los hijos del hombre más rico de México y así podran constatar que no por tener dinero se deja de trabajar desde las 8 am hasta, a veces, las 11 y 12 pm. No pierdas el tiempo odiando a los demás inviertelo en ser méjor ser humano asi ni “LOS GRINGOS” ni nadie podran aprovecharse de tÍ.
Fair skinned mexicans definetely think lower of people with a dark complexion.
Especially if your indigenous - If you are indigenous you are ignored - you might as well not even be a part of the country., - a majority of the people who illegally cross into the US are Indians - strange that Indians in Canada only need a letter from their Tribe that indicates they are Indian and they can come into the US - if you are mexican Indian - you have to go through the same process as any other Mexican citizen - the US does not see any difference between Indigenous persons of Mexico and the non-indigenous poplulation of Mexico. The Indigenous population of Mexico outnumber the non-indigenous population by millions - imagine that figure in the US - Indians outnumbering whites by millions with the numbers increasing every year - Mexico wants a seperation or a distinction between its indigenous popluation and its non-indigenous population - so that they won’t be mistaken for being one of the dark skinned people - now here is an interesting fact - I have been teaching to the indigenous population of the US that they are not a part of the United states government - they are not American - the term American should be considered foreign to its indigenous population - any person who is not indigenous is foreign to Indian people - this is a concept that is well known in Europe - that America is simply a foreign country to its indigenous population - now I have been teaching this concept to Indigenous persons that I meet in Mexico - and soon this belief is going to spread amongst the indigenous population of Mexico - and there will truly be a seperation from a people who will no longer depend on Mexico for its support - who no longer support the Mexican flag but look upon it as a foreign symbol, a symbol of evil etc., everything that is political will be abandonded and left behind like a hill of dung -
funny that this must come to pass - one of the reasons is that the non-indigenous people of Mexico hate people with a dark complexion -(I don’t know what classification non-indigenous persons of Mexico fall under- they are neither white or indian - but call themselves Mexican - but Mexican is not a race like American is not a race) a person of Mexico tried to argue with me that Mexicans are Indians - which is understandable - but I argued that when a Mexican fills out an application for work etc., not one ever fills in the area that says he or she is American Indian - they always mark - White/Hispanic origin., - besides no Indian consideres Mexicans as Indians - because of this - a Indian will select Native American / Alaskan section - he or she will not select White / Hispanic ., - my Mexican friend had nothing to say to that…also I have seen first hand the prejudice experienced by dark skinned people in Mexico by its fair skinned population - its the first feeling you get when you enter Mexico - you can literally sense it in the air - while in America foreign people are despised - the new fad I guess -
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