bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
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Mood: way too ites
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Nature of most people in Baja and the nature of people who go there
I have just a general comment/question here: I'm a nomad going on 8 years, did my first Baja trip in '85, still do a few good trips down there per
year. With some recent exceptions (in the north), the people in Baja strike me as some of the most peaceful, gracious folks on earth, people who
often, happily go out of their way to help strangers. People with modest possessions, yet totally selfless. People who smile, wave and, above all,
loathe violence.
Strangely then, from what I've often gleaned on these boards, the people who VISIT Baja tend to be advocates of vigilante justice, pro-gun and who
cling to some kind of us v. them mentality in which all manner of faceless evils (big corporations, development, etc.) are inevitably out to get
them/destroy their necks of the woods.
Personally, I don't give a damn if you have a gun, who you vote for, if you believe in god, etc. I don't care if you're pro-war, pro-gay, investment
banker or factory worker. I'm just curious why - if we believe this board to represent people who go to Baja/ex-pats - that kind of people are so
attracted to the place?
Genuinely curious.
Most of the people I have met in Baja are pacifists by nature. Which is not to say they won't defend themselves, but I think they pray they will never
have to and would certainly never haul out a slogan about guns a la “38 Cal, 45 Cal…” They'd probably quote the Bible if anything.
Just genuinely curious about the obvious divide between the nature of most people in Baja and the nature of people who go there.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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In a violent world, all or part of it, the folly is to ignore the danger and be unprepared for the worst. People who lock their doors don't do that
because they have a violent nature, but because they aknowledge the existance of a threat and the lock on the door is only one means of many, such as
a gun, to keep one safe from a very real threat.
Baja has changed. It's crazy to think otherwise.
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Skeet/Loreto
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4709
Registered: 9-2-2003
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Zaggin'
My Nature is based as follows:
Paientence
Prudence
Foritude
Justice Faith Hope and Charity
Less Govt. control with the Individual Rights as Number 1
The influx of American and Canadians ruined Baja Sur for me after 40 years.
The people coming into Baja nowdays seem to reflect our present day Culture of today/
DOPERS
DUD's
NEKID and SEX
BLAME EVERYONE ELSE FOR YOUR OWN SHORTCOMINGS
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castaway$
Senior Nomad
Posts: 742
Registered: 7-31-2007
Location: Gold Hill, Oregon
Member Is Offline
Mood: Fish on!
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bigzaggin
I have just a general comment/question here: I'm a nomad going on 8 years, did my first Baja trip in '85, still do a few good trips down there per
year. With some recent exceptions (in the north), the people in Baja strike me as some of the most peaceful, gracious folks on earth, people who
often, happily go out of their way to help strangers. People with modest possessions, yet totally selfless. People who smile, wave and, above all,
loathe violence.
Strangely then, from what I've often gleaned on these boards, the people who VISIT Baja tend to be advocates of vigilante justice, pro-gun and who
cling to some kind of us v. them mentality in which all manner of faceless evils (big corporations, development, etc.) are inevitably out to get
them/destroy their necks of the woods.
Personally, I don't give a damn if you have a gun, who you vote for, if you believe in god, etc. I don't care if you're pro-war, pro-gay, investment
banker or factory worker. I'm just curious why - if we believe this board to represent people who go to Baja/ex-pats - that kind of people are so
attracted to the place?
Genuinely curious.
Most of the people I have met in Baja are pacifists by nature. Which is not to say they won't defend themselves, but I think they pray they will never
have to and would certainly never haul out a slogan about guns a la “38 Cal, 45 Cal…” They'd probably quote the Bible if anything.
Just genuinely curious about the obvious divide between the nature of most people in Baja and the nature of people who go there.
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I guess everyone reads different things into posts, I personally don't tend to see that as an overwhelming quality of the "Gringos" that post and talk
about there adventures.
Live Indubiously!
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Bajatripper
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3151
Registered: 3-20-2010
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I think your take on the "nature of people" who visit Baja is a bit myopic.
I, for one, don't fit your description of the "typical" Baja aficionado.
Mitchman, a fellow Nomad of ours, took the time to analyze the Board's posters by the traditional "conservative/liberal" monikers and found that
liberals outnumber the conservatives on Nomads by something greater than 2-to-1. But, given that your average conservative is much more vocal than
your average liberal, they tend to be the ones that leave the lasting impression. Many of our liberals here would rather not deal with the
name-calling and other rudenesses that take place and simply don't participate.
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
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Just remember it is easy to set at a keyboard and type whatever fantasy comes to mind. It's another story when you show up in person. I doubt the gun
owners from the US actually take their guns to Baja or at least I don't know of anyone personally who does. Maybe someone with a hunting rifle or
shotgun for hunting would.
Talk about vigilante justice or something maybe close to it, back in the early 90s I had attended an off road race near Ojos Negros. After the race my
friend and I were driving up the El Compadre trail toward Santa Veronica. Past the water crossing and at the top of the hill at the cattle guard a
flatbed truck met and stopped me coming the other way. There were three men in the cab and about three in the bed and everyone but the driver had a
either a rifle or shotgun. The driver asked where I was coming from and did I see a young man and girl in a truck. I told them no, no one was on the
road but me and I asked what the problem was. He said the man was running off with his daughter and he was out to find them and bring his daughter
home. From what little I could understand from the other men the guy with his daughter was in deep doo doo. We went on our way and I don't know if he
found them or not.
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Eugenio
Nomad
Posts: 206
Registered: 4-23-2008
Location: Navojoa, Son.
Member Is Offline
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My take on Baja and Mexico changed when I became a victim. Statistics (especially coming from this board) don't mean much to me when it comes to my
personal safety. My instincts at the moment are all that matter now.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
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I was trying HARD to recall any gringo ..or local... quoting the Bible to me in Baja..and honestly cannot come up with one single time..(excluding
Mass) But then...I've only been here since 1971.
Wait! Maybe you're referring to one I hear frequently: ..."" ¡Maria dulce, madre de dios! ¡Eso es un pescado ENORME! "
Many, but not all, ranchers I have met in Baja Sur own and know how to use a rifle...a lot of 30-30's and '06's around. They pride themselves on
ownership and aim.
But you're not alone in your 'curiousity'...many express the same desire to catagorize things. Who knows? I do know that some northern folks want
..no..strive to show that the Baja locals are different than Americanos... but to me my local friends are exact doubles of my North Dakota nieghbors.
Do you suppose it might be the same rural culture and friendliness, always ready to help thier fellow man....stranger or not?
Could be that?...or it could be just something as simple as..We are all on the same chunk of rock zooming around the galaxy. It is best that we all
hold on to each other.
[Edited on 12-18-2011 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 65278
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
I was trying HARD to recall any gringo ..or local... quoting the Bible to me in Baja..and honestly cannot come up with one single time..(excluding
Mass) But then...I've only been here since 1971.
Wait! Maybe you're referring to one I hear frequently: ..."Dulce Madre María de Dios ! That a HUGE fish!" |
Yah, it's mostly the Mexicans that stoop so low to bring God into a conversation!   
Seriously, sure we are more apt to post our passions on a forum. I wish bad things didn't ever happen and that guns were never needed. That just isn't
real.
Our friend Ron, 'BajaGringo' was nearly killed in Baja as was his wife because he did not have a gun on him when he tried to stop his neigbor's house
from being robbed.
Guns don't make war as much as they keep the peace.
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2524
Registered: 10-6-2004
Location: OC So Cal
Member Is Offline
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1 would THINK Baja travellers WOULD be of the respect nature, environment friendly, leave only footprints, leave the
place better than you found it mindset, but as mentioned that is not always the case.
It is boring to read over and over these guys who
must have 'Charlton Heston is My President' tattoed
on their arms, a bunch of smoke blowers, the pharmacias must have a sale
on artifical testosterone
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KurtG
Super Nomad
Posts: 1211
Registered: 1-27-2004
Location: California Central Coast
Member Is Offline
Mood: Press On Regardless!!
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
But you're not alone in your 'curiousity'...many express the same desire to catagorize things. Who knows? I do know that some northern folks want
..no..strive to show that the Baja locals are different than Americanos... but to me my local friends are exact duplicats of my North Dakota
nieghbors....do you suppose it might be the same rural culture?
Could be that?...or it could be just something as simple as..we are all on the same chunk of rock zooming around the galaxy. It would be good that we
all hold on to each other.
[Edited on 12-18-2011 by Pompano] |
That has occurred to me as well, I see many similarities between rural Baja ranch life and the way I grew up in remote northern Minnesota all those
decades ago. BTW, a couple of months ago I had the opportunity to demonstrate to my friends at Rcho San Isidro (west of San Jose de Magdalena) that I
knew how to milk a cow. They were amazed, never thought that a Gringo would have that skill.
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Islandbuilder
Senior Nomad
Posts: 555
Registered: 11-9-2011
Location: nob
Member Is Offline
Mood: bewildered
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I understand, but regret the human need to establish general criteria with which to characterise our fellows. If so and so is a liberal, then he
thinks this about that. Or, if dude A is a conservative then he must believe B, C and D. We use that data to support our own prejudice and the gross
generalizations that are foundational to some of the most insidious acts in human history.
The reality is that I am an inconsistant hypocrit much of the time. And, so are you.
We (I) like to believe that one political party, or world view, or economic strata or ethnicity has a corner on moral superiority. The sad truth is
that we all do stuff we wish we didn't, and don't do stuff we wish we could.
I have no expectation that we humans will fix what's broken in us by electing the "right" group to lead us, or go to the right church (or none at all)
or drive the right truck.
Some of us may be better socialised than others, but that just means that some of us are better at maintaining our facades. Down deep we're all about
equally flawed, and equally able to do amazing acts of kindness.
We need to accept these facts and stop dividing ourselves by such superficialities as political stances, and recognize that it is our differences that
make a strong and layered community. What we tend to see as our greatest weakness (our differences) may in fact be our biggest strength.
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