So here I am, trying to take a much needed break from all of the stressors of 2016. Well, I'm 8 days in with only 2 more to go and not at all relaxed. I've been trying to avoid the news, but it's still around. The other day, I went to breakfast and they had a TV with FOX news and entertainment on. I asked the waiter why and he said a customer asked for it...boo hoo. This compelled me to caution him not to believe everything they say and that not all Estadounidences agree. By now a couple of other waiters had joined us and we had.a really nice conversation. They thanked me for my words of caution and were grateful that someone from the US could speak Spanish and also would have a conversation with them. The activist in me felt good after that encounter.
Today was very unsettling. Since last year, two universities have opened satellite campus on the same block and they are sucking up the electricity for their AC resulting in the power going out in several of the small businesses in the neighborhood including this one. It's created a lot of expenses for the small businesses and families in the area. The peso is devaluing. There is an abandoned house next door and all of the houses share common walls. Because the peso is devaluing, the owner of this place is installing a security system with electrical wires at the top of the rooftop divider. This is a preventative measure because he knows that with the devaluation of the peso, some people will get desperate and he wants to ensure that all of his guests are safe from break ins. Those of us in my hometown know that crime increased when the economy crashed in 2008. The peso is devaluing. So much so that I paid a lot less for my room this time. Good for me, but bad for the dear people who own this establishment.
Why is the peso devaluing? Well, for the past year it has fluctuated with DJT's rise and fall in the polls. Since the election, it has gotten even worse with his proposed policies. Just today, it fell to a low that hasn't been seen in decades. 21.75 pesos to the dollar. Yesterday, the announcement that Ford would build it's plant in the US instead of MX made it even worse. Now, I think we should try to keep as many jobs in the US as possible, but I have questions. Will the president-elect bring the manufacturing of his products back to the US too? Will prices rise in the US since wages are higher? This is a very complicated situation and I'm not an expert. The question my Mexican friend asked me is, "Why is he working so hard to destroy the Mexican economy?" Doesn't he know that that will drive more poor people to try to cross? Increase crime in Mexico? We both know that not all of Mexico is nice and safe like Merida, but it's the same in the US. No wall is going to keep desperate people out. We are neighbors and should work together, not insults each other and try to destroy each other. My friend chose his words carefully, not wanting to insult the president-elect, but he heard the horrible insults hurled at no just Mexicans, but women (the worst in his opinion), disabled people, the LGBTQ community and Muslims. He even asked me if I was going to the Women's March, I am. People around the world are very aware of what we have done and are worried for the whole world.
I have yet to meet a Mexican I don't like and it hurts my heart to see my second home treated in this fashion. I am going to limit my news intake this year, but I am also going to fight against every injustice that I can. That is what citizens of the world do.
No comments:
Post a Comment