Those Dirty Mexicans--Oh, Really?

When my wife and I announced that we were moving to Mexico, one of my wife's relatives asked us,

"Why do you want to live with those dirty Mexicans?"

Besides wanting to slap some sense into this person, I was particularly sickened (as in wanting to projectile vomit Linda Blair-style) by this hideous and most heinous stereotype. I have wanted to know since then where this originated.

I think, after doing what writers do-too much research, I have finally found it.

Apparently, historians, those guys we all love to read, have been recording these views for years. David J. Webber wrote extensively on the origins of anti-Mexican stereotypes. (Thank you very much, David. It took only two years to find you!). Webber has carefully written on the views that are responsible for today's prevalent stereotypes of the Mexican people. He wrote,

"Mexicans were considered, he wrote, "bigoted, greedy, tyrannical, fanatical, treacherous, and lazy". These characterizations of the inhabitants of Mexico congealed especially during the decades following Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821?" [1]

Many have written about the American-Mexican relations of that period. These writings, when taken as a whole, form a tidy little picture of how an American ideology portraying Mexicans as inferior evolved, thus justifying the American government's action against Mexico. Remember the Alamo?

Another one of those tantalizingly interesting historians, Cecil Robinson, wrote,

"Pioneer America could find little to approve of in the Mexican society it collided with, being affronted in all its major convictions by Mexican attitudes, real and alleged. Americans, in their Protestant individualism, in their ideas of spirit and hard work, in their faith in progress through technology, in their insistence upon personal hygiene, in Puritanism and racial pride, found Mexico much to their distaste because of its priestly power, its social stratification with a pronounced sense of caste, its apparent devotion to pleasure and its indifference to cleanliness, and its reputation for pervasive sensuality ... Adding to all this was the Anglo-Saxon's contempt for a people who had lowered themselves to a state of general cohabitation with the Indians and had thus forfeited the right to be considered "white." (Robinson, 1977)" [2]

Now isn't that interesting?

My point of bringing all this up is because of a Reuters' news item, Bed bugs threaten to put bite on U.S. Hotel Industry. Writer, Paul Simao, reports of a lawsuit brought against the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel in New York in which a couple was severely bitten by bedbugs. Can you imagine that? The case was settled out of court. (For the record, the Helmsley folks have rectified the admitted problem.)

Bedbugs tend to occur in environments that are in disarray, untidy, messy...(dirty?). In addition, their bites are not as harmless as one might think.

"Bedbugs may be a vector for hepatitis B and, in endemic areas, for American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)." [3]

So the cleaner your sleeping environment is the less chance you are going to have those nasty critters crawling all over you at night biting the snot out of you.

The rich irony of this is that a MEXICAN businessman filed the lawsuit brought against the Helmsley people for their dirty bedbug-breeding hotel rooms.

Don't you love it!

[1] EXPERT REPORT OF ALBERT M. CAMARILLO; http://www.umich.edu/~urel/admissions/legal/expert/camarill.html

[2] Ibid

[3] http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic600.htm

Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. His most recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Transitions Abroad. He lives with his wife in Guanajuato, Mexico. His new book Mexican Living: Blogging it from a Third World Country can be seen at http://www.lulu.com/content/126241

---

Celtic Jewelry: Ancient Symbolism in Popular Fashion

The mysterious and the mystical have always had the power... Read More

Ancient Philosophy On The Internet Can Change How We Think

Here I am again sitting at my computer, my job... Read More

Gymnastics History ? A Brief Overview

Gymnastics, as an activity, has been around for more than... Read More

Nessie, the Beast of the Loch

They were fierce hill tribes in what is now Scotland,... Read More

Basic Chinese Pinyin Rules

* Make sure you set your browser encoding correctly to... Read More

A Maiden Trip

I belong to a hamlet called 'Konthai' which is in... Read More

Precious Stones v.s. Semi-Precious Stones

Stones have been worn by both women and men since... Read More

Ludlow Festival

His plays and adaptations have been performed in many countries... Read More

Synchronized Swimming, Dolphin Cognition and Visualization

As humans become more technologically advanced and are able to... Read More

10 Feng Shui Tips for a Better Life

Ever walked into a house that felt like home? Ever... Read More

What is Feng Shui, and How Does It Work?

Feng shui (say "fung shway"), often called the art of... Read More

The Power of Words

I freely confess that I have had a life-long love... Read More

Is Timing the Secret of Success?

Success is often viewed as a magic potion. Market demand... Read More

Understanding Astrological Predictions

Opinions about astrological prediction are generally divided: "Mysterious! Magical!", say... Read More

Mythology and Parables in Modern Communication - Part 2

There is a big adjustment coming in terms of our... Read More

The Origin of Americas Corporate Elite (BC)

Ephesus had a shrine to the Anatolian mother-goddess and the... Read More

Those Dirty Mexicans--Oh, Really?

When my wife and I announced that we were moving... Read More

Human Genome Project and Mayan Calendar

HUMAN GENOME PROJECT: - In 1991 Michael Coe wrote Breaking... Read More

Crazy Horse

My ancestry includes Colonel Miles (or Myles) Keough (or Keogh)... Read More

Josephine the Merovingian

I cannot emphasize enough the dearth of information, or the... Read More

History of the Royal Barges - a Timeless Tradition

The history of the royal barges dates back to the... Read More

Yes Tarot Readings Are For You!

Have you ever thought?What is the best way out of... Read More

Hip-hop Jewelry and Todays Stars

Watch any of the major movie, television, and music award... Read More

Native American Indian Art Wood Carvings of the Pacific Northwest

Native American Indian art in the American southwest is dominated... Read More

Old Russian Symbolics on a White and Blue Porcelain

Russian porcelain is widely known and is often used as... Read More

To Quote or Not to Quote

"By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote."... Read More

Export/Import of Inuit Eskimo Art Sculpture Containing Whalebone or Ivory

The export of certain Inuit sculpture from Canada to other... Read More

Sun Tzu: The Art of War

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese text on... Read More

Better Red than Dead!

Red, perhaps the first color our eyes perceive.It is said... Read More

Mexican Living: Doctors, Doctors, Doctors

I am sick. I don't know what's wrong nor if... Read More

Painting Philosophy of Peruvian Artist

LifeI paint with an emphasis on expressing LIFE (the spirit... Read More

Carly Patterson: What Makes A Champion?

If you have been following gymnastics for any length of... Read More

Building Catapults Required Engineering Know How

When building catapults, armies had to include in their ranks... Read More