[bowzer313]

Can someone explain to me why Mexico and the Mexicans are now, and always have been, so decrepit and backward? It is beyond my comprehension, given that they've lived next door to the greatest nation in the history of the planet for over two hundred years. You'd think they'd have picked up some good ideas along the way from their neighbor to the north, rather than the worst behaviors of their screwed up neighbors to their south. What's the basis of their problem? Inquiring minds want to know...

[newgeezer]

Maybe it's something in the water?

[broadsword]

Rotten culture, perhaps? Acceptance of vices like tardiness, sloppiness and theft?

I don't know. You tell me.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Can someone explain to me why Mexico and the Mexicans are now, and always have been, so decrepit and backward? It is beyond my comprehension, given that they've lived next door to the greatest nation in the history of the planet for over two hundred years. You'd think they'd have picked up some good ideas along the way from their neighbor to the north, rather than the worst behaviors of their screwed up neighbors to their south. What's the basis of their problem? Inquiring minds want to know...

Maybe it has something to do with our open borders. Those with initiative (whether for good or for ill) run for the border. Those without take another siesta.

[oldcomputerguy]

"Can someone explain to me why Mexico and the Mexicans are now, and always have been, so decrepit and backward?"

That question is a separate issue. This has nothing to do with being backward, it has everything to do with being poor. I can recall a friend in the military telling me about his relatives stealing electricity in the Appalachians decades ago. The bottom line is that the poor everywhere manage by doing what ever they have to do if not making a living wage.

[rellimpank]

--start with the legacy of imperial Spain--ignorance, superstition, brutality, corruption,---

[conservlib]

What we have a thing called "protestant work ethics". This causes the majority to be conscious about giving a day work for a day pay. Granted, not only protestants are conscious, but that was the genesis of this cultural lack of epidemic corruption that is so pervasive in other countries.

[MineralMan]

"You'd think they'd have picked up some good ideas along the way from their neighbor to the north"

Oh, they have. They just move here. Problem solved.

[Nataku X]

Extremely, extremely corrupt government and judical system. Sorry to sound like a liberal's wet dream, but the rich really do own it all--the land, the police, the judges, etc. The poor cannot hope to aspire to anything more than being a waiter on American tourists.

[monday]

"What's the basis of their problem?"

Endemic political corruption which stems from an Hispanic culture. This culture is less civic oriented and more family oriented. It causes people to mostly care only for friends and family and very little for others in the community.

This explains why it is not only acceptable for Mexican officials to be corrupt but practically expected. Lying, cheating, and stealing are somewhat acceptable ways to get ahead if it is done in the interests of ones family. The results are what may be seen not only in Latin America, but Africa, China, the Middle East, and India.

Countries with the least corruption also tend to be the most civic minded, often at the expense of personal freedom. Germany, Singapore, and Japan come immediately to mind. I suppose it's a trade off. The US falls in the middle with some traits of both.

[DannyTN]

I once asked that question of a cute girl from Mexico City when I was in college. I didn't get anywhere.

[Balding_Eagle]

The answers I've seen here make me cringe. This is FreeRepublic, I thought posters were smarter than I've seen on this post.

Only one got it right, NatakuX in #22, "Extremely, extremely corrupt government and judical system."

[ßuddaßudd]

They are so used to people giving them fish instead of showing them how to fish.

[Proud_texan]

My guess is a lack of the rule of law. Corruption is pretty much a way of life in Mexico and very few are willing to invest in a system where laws can be bypassed for a few pesos slipped to the right politician/LEO.

[ArmstedFragg]

Can someone explain to me why Mexico and the Mexicans are now, and always have been, so decrepit and backward

Take a look at their history. They've spent the last two hundred years in revolutions against the wealthy. In each case, they supported politicians who claimed to be "for the people" and "for the working class". In each case, the politician they supported proved to be more greedy, corrupt and dishonest than the prior one. Some might say that in a political sense, they're actually ahead of us in their evolution, not behind, and that they offer a view of America's future if we lose our ability to make critical decisions about those we put in office and instead just support those who tell us what we want to hear.