It’s True, Stereotypes Do Save Time
Bienvenido loyal reader. Please join Bruce and Mary as they quiz their friend Julio, one of the excellent meseros, servers at their local pub, El Lucero del Alba. As usual for those of you email subscribers who prefer to view these posts from the blog-site, please click here.
In our jobs, moderating commentary on a Canadian news site, we deal with stereotypes everyday. And when something negative about Mexico makes the news the nasty posters employ very negative stereotypes of Mexican people. But it got me to thinking. Some people have positive stereotypes of Mexicans as well, viewing them as hard working, fun loving people. But, what do Mexicans think of themselves? Now Mexico is a pretty big country with over 100 million people. There must be cultural differences throughout the nation that are stereotyped, just like we, speaking stereotypically, do with our fellow Americans. You know, like we think that NYers believe they’re at the center of the universe. And in the deep south they marry their cousins and live on dirt floors. The west coast is a bunch of pot smoking hippies and the midwest is filled with boring but hard working people. Well we thought it would be interesting to get our friend Julio to give us his take on Mexican stereotypes. So here goes:
Julio, due to his years in the States, is the only mesero at El Lucero del Alba, our local bar, who speaks English and he speaks it well. Here are his views of people from different regions of Mexico: As we suspected, DFers (Distrito Federal – Mexico City) are regarded pretty much the same as the stereotype of NYers - pretty arrogant. But he also characterizes DF as being lawless, anything goes on the streets. Now, Julio is a native Yucateco (Yucatan has its own history, separate from Mexico, as it was a nation in its own right before being brought into the union. Many people refer to Yucatan as the Texas of Mexico) and he says this about his countrymen: As opposed to his wife’s native state of Sinaloa on the west coast, where everyone cleans their street before the street cleaners do and everyone’s yard is tidy, Yucatecos are hoarders and definitely not tidy. Plus he adds Yucatecos are very concerned with status and money. This is contrasted to the northern border states which are peopled by folk who are humble and will give you the shirt off their back. When we quizzed him about the neighboring states of Campeche, Oaxaca, and Quintana Roo he told us the stereotype of these people is simply that they are two-faced. And to end on a positive note, Julio says his favorite city in Mexico is Tijuana, in the state of Baja California Norte (BTW there are 31 states in Mexico). From his experiences living there he describes it as a fun and vibrant city.
So there you have it, one man’s stereotypical view of his own paisanos. But please understand that Julio, being a very nice person like almost all Meridanos we know, was not comfortable in giving the negative stereotypes and only did so to satisfy our desires to hear of held stereotypes and to prove our premise that Mexicanos are a vast and varied people who are just as susceptible to casting their fellow citizens in a negative light as Americans or Canadians. It gives one pause doesn’t it.
Thanks for visiting gentle reader. Bruce welcome comentarios on this subject. A spirited debate would be fun. Hasta proxima Domingo!
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April 15, 2012
· 
Bruce · 
16 Comments
Posted in: Life in Merida
16 Responses
I’m Canadian and I’d like to know which Canadian news site you are referring to where you deal with stereotypes everyday? It sounds rather un-Canadian to me.
I already knew about the strange hatred of Chilangos. When people from DF travel to other parts they usually say they are from somewhere else. It’s surprising to hear how divided the Yucatecos are.
Hola Angela,
Sorry but I am not allowed, by company policy, to disclose our clients. But our experience is that Canadians are far nicer and more PC than Americans, if that is any consolation. Yes, we have seen that disdain of chilangos many times as this is a popular tourist destination for them. BTW, we put a Maple leaf on our backpacks when we travel.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers!!
Thank you Bruce, but now I’m even more confused. Do you mean that you are hired by the Canadian news site to moderate itself? That makes no sense to me.
I’ve heard that many Americans wear our flag when they travel. I’ve often wondered what happens when someone asks you questions since most Americans (perhaps not you) I’ve met know very little about Canada.
It’s so amazing when I travel in Mexico and meet new people, they automatically think that I’m American. When I tell them I’m from Canada they immediately warm up to me and then they often start putting down Americans. Try it sometime.
I’ve been following another blog where coincidentally we’ve just been discussing how un-PC Mexicans are and how disturbing it is for expats trying to fit in. Specifically upper class Yucatans. Any thoughts on that?
Hola Angela,
We work for a Canadian company that does moderation services for many companies including several Canadian news services.
I was kidding when I said we wear Maple leaves when we travel, it was a joke on how poorly Americans are received and how popular Canadians are. There are perhaps more Canadians on the beach here, than Americans, we are surrounded by Canadian expats down here and we like that.
We really don’t know any Hacienda class Yucatecos and I understand they are a dying breed, but I have heard that they can be quite arrogant.
Cheers!
Thank’s for clarifying that. This has been very enlightening! I had to do a little research but now I think I understand better what you do and why you said that. It shows how easy things can be misinterpreted.
I’m glad that you like Canadians. I don’t know why Americans are so unpopular. I’ve always been treated well when I’ve traveled in the US but I have occasionally encountered ignorance, which I think is the root of most stereotypes.
I know that Mexicans are very hardworking, kind and fun loving people. Me gusta mucho!
Interesting! Julio points out that Yucatecos are not “tidy.” When I went to sweep up the trash from the sidewalk in front of my house, my neighbor laughed: Why waste my time? since “La basura cae del aire” (trash falls out of the sky). I have since realized that this is the Mexican equivalent of our more vulgar “Shit happens.” It’s a very useful and prevalent philosophy for accepting things in life that one has no control over – a lesson I am constantly re-learning in Mexico. I also would point out that, in my observation, Yucatecos are extremely “tidy” when it comes to personal grooming: neatly trimmed hair, crisply pressed shirt. In this department they really put others to shame.
Hola Allison, good to hear from you!
Interesting observation: “La basura cae del aire”. And I agree, when it comes to personal grooming, Yucatecos are hard to beat.
Cheers!
Yes, Angela, I agree, stereotypes are based in ignorance. Americans are uncannily ignorant of other cultures, even those of their neighbors. I give a “Canada Quiz” to friends and acquaintances and the scores are woeful. Here is my quiz: Who is the PM of Canada? Where is the federal seat located? How many provinces constitute Canada and for extra credit, how many territories? And what is the approximate population of Canada?
Thanks for reading.
Cheers!
May I gently point out that Mexico is comprised of 31 states and a federal district. We would never say that the US has 51 states.
Talking about stereotypes is an interesting topic and one in which we all indulge too often, IMHO. All of us like to be able to put objects, people and places in tidy boxes…it helps us keep track of things. I try, not always successfully, to characterize things by their unique qualities and avoid the easy and rocky road of stereotypes.
Oops, my bad, Kathe, thanks for pointing that out. I will make the correction. And thanks for your thoughtful comment.
Cheers!
Hi Bruce- I really enjoyed this article. It made me reflect on my own held stereotypes and the stereotypes held about different parts of Canada.
One of the expats at the beach had told me that Yucatecos were very status conscious which your article seems to confirm. Just something to keep in mind I guess…
Your “Canada pop quiz” made me laugh..sad but true that not many friends could name the PM of Canada. In fact I had a good friend ask me who the President of Canada was…
Hope you’ve lined up an appointment for your leg…maybe a future episode?
Hey Phil, good to hear from you!
Yeah, too many people, especially Americans, think that Mexico or any country for that matter is comprised of some sort of monolithic people and of course that is not true and talking about stereotypes was a way to demonstrate that.
“President of Canada”, funny! But I shouldn’t say much. Until we got these jobs moderating Canadian news, I could easily have asked the same question.
Yes, I’m having the laser ablation done May 2. Really haven’t decided to blog it or not, probably depend on the mood I’m in that morning.
Give Di a hug for us!
Cheers!!
My friend Genna used to get mad at Americans who would travel and pretend they were Canadians to enjoy a better reception abroad. She would say that instead of doing that, we should be honest about our country of origin and just go the extra mile to prove that there ARE decent Americans in the world. Smart gal.
Yes, Helen, Genna’s policy is the correct one and we Americans do have our work cut out for us. Maybe we have been lucky, but our experiences with locals have nearly all been positive. We can think of only two occasions in over 4 yrs where we have encountered gringo hatred, so that ain’t bad. But then Meridanos and Yucatecos are renowned for being muy amable.
See ya soon!
Cheers!!
‘muy amable’ – There you go with that stereotyping again!
Haha, Allison, Good one!
Cheers!
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