Mexico is one of the most racist societies you can imagine. Think about it. What do you see when you see Mexican politicians, or media personalities (including those amazingly hot women they sprinkle all over their news programs on Telemundo or Univision, not to mention the telenovela actresses)? They’re all pure Caucasian. They’re descended from the Spaniards that settled the country at various times.
Now look around at the (possible) illegals in your neighborhood hanging around outside Home Depot or slinging sod on a landscaping crew. They’re Indians. They’re descended from the native Indians of the country. The Spanish-descended Mexicans have never stopped treating the Indios like crap. They are Mexico’s permanent underclass, poorly-educated and low on the totem pole of society.
So it’s a huge win for the Mexican elites if we don’t solve illegal immigration by closing the border. They get to “encourage” their hard-working but uneducated and potentially troublesome lower class to head north. And then they become our problem, not Carlos Slim’s or Felipe Calderon’s.
}:-)4
Much of Latin America consists of the Creole minority governing a mestizo or native majority; it is the only way things work. I believe Bolivia has a “native” president, but they can also sell drugs instead of having a real functioning economy.
Mexico stands out as the only country where natives played an active role in the independence movement in the early 19th century; the others were more like the US (with Spaniards here revolting against Spaniards over there). In the US our native population played an insignificant role in the revolution; those that did fight were on both sides, rather than only supporting independence.
Moose4 makes some good points. ACCURATELY true. I dressed up some of my white Mexican girls in Indian dress and sent them to hotels in Mexico City and they were told, WE HAVE NO ROOM. I am white anglo, and showed up and they asked me how many rooms I want. BUT...but.. Mexicans aren’t so much racist as they are class distinctionists. If you got money, the darkness of skin lightens up easily.
I’ve been to many villages in Mexico and heard so MANY people say, WELL, THE REASON WE’RE SO POOR, IS THAT THE GOV’T DOESN’T HELP US”. Many Mexicans honestly do consider that the source of wealth if gov’t. How could Mexican politicians end up with millions and millions of dollars in Swiss accounts on just their salary. They are taking bribes.