BajaNomad - Didja ever notice

Didja ever notice

jrbaja - 7-20-2005 at 11:50 AM

that there is a select few members on here that only show up to slam me? :lol:

They contribute absolutely nothing to this board as far as stories, pictures, or Baja information. One of them is an exception as he writes some stories pretending to be "in tune" with the peninsula. He'snot but writes some good stories.
The rest of them however seem to have nothing going on other than complaining about me, how Doug runs the board, and taking statistics, and then they just go away again. :lol:

Ah well, it takes all kinds I guess. Good thing they keep most of them in enclaves down here until they come up with some sort of repellant! :lol:

Me No - 7-20-2005 at 12:27 PM

JR, you are the lightening rod that gives meaning to their lives. They glom on to people ******* because he is an instant friend to anyone who will have him. Then they act all buddy buddy, but they don't really know the person at all. The guy could be a child molester or child abuser, but hey, he gives me information that I am too lazy to look up myself, he says nice things about me, he bought me a beer once, ................

People like us are easy targets, we stick our neck out and dare people to try and chop it off. While it is true they don't know us either, it is obvious we are not trying to kiss anyones butt for a free place to stay, like you know who.

One old cliche that people should heed on this forum. BEWARE OF INSTANT FRIENDS. Nobody here needs to think too hard to realize who is the most instant of instant friends. :lol:

[Edited on 7-20-2005 by BajaNomad]

Sharksbaja - 7-20-2005 at 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Me No
JR, you are the lightening rod that gives meaning to their lives. They glom on to people ******* because he is an instant friend to anyone who will have him. Then they act all buddy buddy, but they don't really know the person at all. The guy could be a child molester or child abuser, but hey, he gives me information that I am too lazy to look up myself, he says nice things about me, he bought me a beer once, ................

People like us are easy targets, we stick our neck out and dare people to try and chop it off. While it is true they don't know us either, it is obvious we are not trying to kiss anyones butt for a free place to stay, like you know who.

One old cliche that people should heed on this forum. BEWARE OF INSTANT FRIENDS. Nobody here needs to think too hard to realize who is the most instant of instant friends. :lol:

Kind of like instant coffee, looks ok till you drink it :lol:

[Edited on 7-20-2005 by BajaNomad]

yankeeirishman - 7-20-2005 at 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jrbaja
that there is a select few members on here that only show up to slam me? :lol:

Ah well, it takes all kinds I guess. Good thing they keep most of them in enclaves down here until they come up with some sort of repellant! :lol:

I never get picked on :lol:

Jr...Your views are washed of politically correctness and table mannerism?just plan straight shooting from the ol hip. That scares some folks that ain?t used to that type of conversation, I suppose. I respect you for being upfront and bold. Yee haw Cowboy! Keep it up.

No wonder I generally prefer

jrbaja - 7-20-2005 at 01:50 PM

the company of Mexicans. Seems like they just became fairly well known for their honesty rather than their political correctness :lol:

Dave - 7-20-2005 at 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jrbaja
the company of Mexicans. Seems like they just became fairly well known for their honesty rather than their political correctness :lol:

Let's not generalize here. There are honest and dishonest people of all stripes. Mexicans don't own the franchise for honesty, or the reverse.

You're politically correct Dave

jrbaja - 7-20-2005 at 02:13 PM

I was actually thinking of the Mexicans who haven't become americanized. :lol:

Dave - 7-20-2005 at 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jrbaja
I was actually thinking of the Mexicans who haven't become americanized. :lol:

So now the implication is that Mexicans who are dishonest learn how from Americans?

You should try not thinking for awhile.

Dave, let me be specific for you.

jrbaja - 7-20-2005 at 03:22 PM

The Mexicans who have very little contact with the outside world, wherever they happen to come from, do not have greed, jealousy, arrogance or any of the lovely characteristics so commonly seen down here.
I noticed these same characteristics a lot when I lived in the states, especially california. And I am an american.
So, I feel I am entitled to comment on my fellow americans and their actions. I really don't have any right to talk about other nationalities as I am not one. Maybe they are "just like that" :light:

Dave - 7-20-2005 at 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jrbaja
The Mexicans who have very little contact with the outside world, wherever they happen to come from, do not have greed, jealousy, arrogance or any of the lovely characteristics so commonly seen down here.

And you could say the same thing about Elbonians. The point JR, is not that they become Americanized but that they become exposed to the World, influenced by all the bad and good in it.

Don't single out America or Americans as the culprit. There is plenty of corrupt influence everywhere, including Mexico.

Ya but,

jrbaja - 7-20-2005 at 04:36 PM

I'm not one of them so I don't have the right to pretend to know how they think.
Americans on the other hand, I grew up with, am one, recognize them for who they are, and generally disagree with many of the actions I see, both up there and especially down here.
I know it basically comes from a lack of real parenting as well as the lacking education system. And I also realize where this all stems from but this is not a political discussion.
There are plenty of americans who come down who set very good examples of what wonderful people we can be. Unfortunately, the majority of us don't! :no:

PacO - 7-20-2005 at 07:42 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050721/wl_nm/rights_mexico_dc
These must be some of those that have been polluted by norteamericanos.
They must import them and run special schools for that. I mean, hell, they would have been blissfully singing all day if not for that!

Dave - 7-20-2005 at 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PacO
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050721/wl_nm/rights_mexico_dc
These must be some of those that have been polluted by norteamericanos.

JR is right! It said so, RIGHT IN THE ARTICLE. Rudy Giuliani did it. :biggrin:

You wouldn't expect Mexican police to abuse their own citizens without the gringos showing them how, would you?

Also, the cocaine probably came from the States.

[Edited on 7-21-2005 by Dave]

Bruce R Leech - 7-20-2005 at 07:55 PM

wow PacO that is heavy duty stuff. thanks for showing me that story.

Seems as if

jrbaja - 7-20-2005 at 08:17 PM

the gringos have a hard time understanding there are original Baja people who have had little outside influence and those that live in or near the cities and gringo enclaves.

Oh well! :lol:

Dave - 7-20-2005 at 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jrbaja
the gringos have a hard time understanding there are original Baja people who have had little outside influence and those that live in or near the cities and gringo enclaves.

Oh well! :lol:

Yes, but these "originals" are as rare as Inuits in Alaska. And if they are, as you say, truely that isolated and ever came down off the mountain to discover what their country had become they probably would disown it.

[Edited on 7-21-2005 by Dave]

bajalou - 7-20-2005 at 08:43 PM

I don't really think they are the "Origional Baja People" They are the decendents of the soldiers and missioneries that got rid of most of the really Origional people thru infections and mistreatment when they wouldn't conform to the invaders ideas of how they should live. Probably a little of the origional indian blood, but mostly the invaders.

pokey - 7-20-2005 at 08:50 PM

I suppose the only corrupt i.e greedy Mexican public officials/workers are the ones who have been exposed to the "out side world" lol.

That was a good read about the police in DF. The mentioning of lack of training and education reminded me of a guy from Michoacan I use to work with. Before he crossed to the U.S he had been a policeman in his home town. This guy could neither read or write in spanish yet he was apparently qualified enough to be a policeman. Oh... he was a drunk too. :wow:

I knew I would be called

jrbaja - 7-20-2005 at 10:00 PM

on saying the "original". On the other wampum though, many of these guys are actually descended from the people that inhabited the land before the land was invaded by europeans. What we like to call indigenous. I call that acceptable if it goes back 200 years or more. And it does.
But, there is a mystery as to who were the "originals". And it is extremely interesting to hear the mountain folks ideas on this. Especially since they are the ones who heard the history being passed down from some very old "indigenous" people themselves!
They by no means consider their ancestors as the "original" people of Baja. Interesting story.

Dave, you of all people need to get out and see for yourself what it is I be sayin. There is a whole world of Baja that most on this here board have no clue about. And it really isn't so small.
These rural people are not stupid and some of their kids go to schools in the cities. They know exactly what is going on in the world and as I have mentioned before, about 50% of these folks want no part of it.
But, whether they are for or against "modernization", they all get along, discuss all problems/ ideas without name calling
and taking offense, and they sing. Every dang one of them.
They sing to accomplish a task, they sing to announce their arrival, and they sing because the birds sing. I guess they learned from them. :light:

It is true that this life will probably change in the near future. I wonder if they will stop singing?

HUM

lindsay - 7-20-2005 at 10:40 PM

I've been watching this post and thinking about what everyone has been writing and we will all have various takes and views on values that we find in a culture or among different groups of people.

I can vouch for some of the descriptions that JR writes about but as with most all of our impressions, they are personal and I can not judge another's experiences. So, I will add what I have experienced for myself and my reflections. As some of you know, my daughter's dad is from Mulege and Sara has a very big family there. I have been to the grandma's brother's ranch in a remote area of the Sierra Guadalupe and life is basic without pretension but not void of human drama or complexities either. Topics do not focus on the trappings of technology, the internet and other worldly gadgets but there is still plenty of chisme out there about people's personal relationships and behavior.

In Mulege, I would say that the trappings of the modern world have arrived in different degrees and Sara's older cousins who are teenagers are definitely getting into the consumer mode of the latest fashion trends, they are very "wired" and love the IM world but I still see that they have been imparted with strong family values. This is not to say that they do not have all the dramas of teenagers in other countries and the temptations of drugs, drink, sex and other detours are still in their path. Whether exposure to American culture is public enemy #1, I can't say. I can say that I have heard among Mexicans in Mulege a tone of voice when sizing up fellow Mexican tourists as well...the TJ crowd during Semana Santa, the chilangos from DF mainly. I can't say if it's jealousy but more of a small town vs. the big city visitor mentality and it cuts both ways. It's not a 100% thing between these different groups but it's out there...

I also see these dynamics not just in Mexico but where I work in SD, I have teen and adult students from dozens of countries in the English school here. There are so many historic rivalries that influence how these students intially size up one another, it's quite something. However, it's really great when putting them all together under one roof for school starts to break down the long standing perceptions that they have of each other's countries. So, to finish up here...this topic is complex but it's not just a Mexico & U.S. dynamic...as I wrote in an earlier post about a comment from one of my student's who said, every country has it's good, bad, and ugly...OK, nomads, time for bed, hasta manana!!

Diver - 7-20-2005 at 11:30 PM

JR,

I just had to log on to slam you for even posting this post; you rabid poster, you ! Here you are always posting....sometimes you don;t even spell good or use puctiation or gramir. You bamboozeler !! :lol:

Hey, how long does a bamboo beer mug last anyway ? Can you put them in the dishwasher ?

Funny, I must have avoided most of these "enclaves" over the years. We drove into the fancy trailer court near the marina south of Loreto once and almost puked at the thought that we would ever turn our Baja experience into that. It may be ok for some, but "our" Baja is something else; always part what we've loved about previous trips and part new, unknown and exciting.

The only time we ever had a problem with anyone in Baja was when three locals in a Ford Ranger stole the gas can from under our truck one night at El Requeson. Is that what you call corruption to quench the thirst of the "american machine" ? :lol: