There's a new show out in Netflix called "Made in Mexico." I first heard about this reality show during a Latinx meeting, and it was highly criticized as falsely representing Latin American values and culture. I looked it up later, and from the synopsis and the trailer considered the idea a great one. The show is about the lives of social elites from Mexico City, a group I don't consider myself a part of, yet have many friends who fit right in. I think that the purpose of this show, drawing from the trailer and the synopsis, is about representing how absurd the lives of this people can be. It is also about giving insight to the social class that leads Mexico in trends. I think that this show can be tied to my last blog post, referring to the "double consciousness" and how in Mexico it has a more socio-economic aspect.
As of right now I'm watching episode 1. So far there has been nothing that is surprising or new for me. However, I feel that many people who are not from Mexico will be very surprise to realize that there is a different aspect to our country than the general narrative. It is important to have this types of shows, regardless of how ridiculous the stories and characters might be, to show the rest of world the different points of view, or "consciousness" that a country has.
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How specific in applicability is this concept? Do other groups experience the same, or at least a similar, sort of of "double consciousness," either in the United States or elsewhere? Is Du Bois' concept helpful for an understanding of other societies and other experiences, beyond the United States?
While I don't have a lot of experience on the topic of racial divisions in the United States, I know that the racial division in Mexico is not as visible as in America. The division in Mexico can be seen more clearly at the socio-economic level, rather than the racial one. Yet, these two are tied together in what could be considered the consequences of Spanish colonization. Descendants from the Spanish usually held high offices and had the economic power while native populations and mixtures between natives and whites used to be in the lower spheres of social influence and economic wealth. Although this link between socio-economic and racial division can still be seen in Mexico today, the narrative of "double consciousness" is not as applicable throughout the history of my country. Different civil wars and social movements have presented fluctuating relations between socio-economic classes and ideologies, but there has never been a mayor fracture due to a racial divide. Sometimes the rulers were of native descent, many other times they were of Spaniard tradition, yet this was never a crucial stand-point for most of their actions. I do not consider myself an expert on Mexican history, but I do consider the following statement to be true: a big factor to explain the absence of a racial divide in Mexico, compared to the United States, is due to the fact that there was no systematic oppression of a specific race. In other words, there was no slavery. I am not saying that there are no profound divisions in Mexican culture. Oppression targeted at ethnic and racial groups happened throughout my country's history, but most of the times it was attributed to socio-economic status or education rather than race. The consequences of these historic events can be seen in our modern politics, were the everyday people, "el pueblo", feels oppressed by a ruling elite that controls every economical and social sphere in the country. So there is a "double consciousness" in Mexico, yet it is difficult to attribute it to a single race or group, as labels have been fluctuating more throughout Mexican history. On a side note, I found interesting that Vicky, who is Latin American too but not Mexican, also mentioned how the double consciousness "does not exist as harshly as it does for African Americans in the United States." What her comment helped me realize is that the situation in Mexico resonates in other Latin American countries too. This tells me that Spanish colonial rule, in some sort of way, managed to merge the European and native cultures, and that the almost complete lack of native slavery affected how these societies merged. Maybe some possibles solutions to the racial divide in the United States can be drawn from the history and culture of its latin American neighbors. I also want to thank Sophia for using my commentaries on her blog! I'll be happy to answer comments and questions about the post, as I enjoyed very much writing about this. |
AlonsoI'm from Mexico City. I love cooking and eating Mexican food. Archives
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