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El Comadante Loco
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In all this discussion there is need for reflection. It is so easy to find fault with any nation or culture. Perhaps we should start of to think of
"When will the people of America take back their country "
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Packoderm
I'll look for it in the library tomorrow. I have a little time off, and I've been reading a bit. Thanks. |
Look for other books by Gary Jennings as well. He was a very good writer.
Here's Aztec:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Aztec/Gary-Jennings/e/97807...
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Skipjack Joe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
But, just remember that some of our greatest mistakes in recent decades in the Middle East is our profound lack of knowledge of their religon and
culture.
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I'll try to remember that next time.
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mtgoat666
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Registered: 9-16-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Packoderm
When will the people of Mexico take back their country?
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All those gringos who bought up the water front lots should be concerned about Mexico taking back their prime real estate. It happens often, so I
hear.
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Iflyfish
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Bajahowodd
And how does this relate to post-Columbian times? Nostalgia?
My point is that the people of Mexico have been subjected to an incredibly long history of extreme autocratic rule (Aztecs), then conquered and
enslaved (Cortez and the Catholic Church), then experienced a series of autocratic rulers, followed by 75 years of one party rule. I am saying that
this history has influenced how Mexicans experience their own personal sense of empowerment.
Cultures evolve in response to social structure as well as geography. Our social behavior is conditioned by those around us who communicate to us how
to behave in the society in which we are born. If we were living in parts of Borneo we would have bones in our nose and wonder about those "others"
(non-humans?) who do not have these essential items. The bones in our own noses are the hardest ones to see. If we lived in ancient Asia one Kow Towed
(prostrated one’s self on the ground) to the emperor/higher authority or died. No wonder they still bow to each other as a greeting in modern Japan.
Mexican culture has evolved over millennia in a very different context than the 200 year old culture of the USofA. The culture of the USofA has of
course been influenced by the legal system of the English (Magna Carta etc.), the Enlightenment of Europe (French Revolution), the legacy of the
Puritans (strong emphasis on right/wrong), the concept of Manifest Destiny (Whites are superior to Native People and have a right to take their land
and use it for their own purposes), and a geography that required a great deal of individualism and independence to deal with the reality of the
geography (a seemingly unlimited land available for settlement and exploitation). The culture of the USofA emphasizes the Individual. Our cultural
identity, if we are white, has included a seemingly unlimited aspiration and an emphasis on individual responsibility for ones condition. Contrast
this for example with India where a rigid Caste system determined ones work and social position in life. If you were born a Brahman, the highest
social caste, you had nearly unlimited opportunity, if born an Untouchable you were relegated to a low class with no way to rise above your position
in society. Jobs were handed down in families from father to son etc. Contrast this with Mexico where for millennia the ordinary person could hold
little hope for achieving beyond their natal station. Consider how in most of the history of Mexico to assert ones individuality could well cause one
to be killed on the spot and your family enslaved.
We are a product of our genes interacting with an environment which includes climate, food resources, family scripting (we Iflyfishes eat, sleep,
mate, educate and behave in certain ways) sub-cultural scripting (for me white, Anglo Saxon, Protestant, urban, post graduate education, suburban
home), Cultural Scripting (USofA, region and history noted above), Religious Scripting (Animist, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic etc.)
We are conditioned by our culture to have certain expectations of ourselves as well as expectations as to how others will behave.
This Tuesday the USofA inaugurates its first Black President. It will now be a part of the cultural scripting of young blacks that they can indeed
have nearly unlimited aspiration to achieve the highest office in the land. This is cultural scripting that is happening right now in front of our
very eyes. In the USofA the cultural script is indeed “Yes we can”. In Mexico it’s more like “ni modo”, “what’s the point, the deck is stacked anyway.
Iflyfish
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postholedigger
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Packoderm
I'll buy a Pacifico for each of the next 100 people who respond to this thread saying the people will stand up - and it does actually happen.
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Just on the 1 in a million chance that it does happen...
THE PEOPLE WILL STAND UP!!!
There...now if it does happen...I'll have a free Pacifico. 
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Sharksbaja
Elite Nomad
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You want scary?
  
DON\'T SQUINT! Give yer eyes a break!
Try holding down [control] key and toggle the [+ and -] keys
Viva Mulege!
Nomads\' Sunsets
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Bajahowodd
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Iflyfish- I agree.
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XRPhlang
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Wow Iflyfish. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a car with you on a long trip.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 10-17-2006
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XRPhlang
Thank you.
I am so hot for a road trip right now! I would love to tour your wine country on my next run to Baja.
Iflyfish
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
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Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Sharioncetoldmeiflyfishisafascinatingspeaker.
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Iflyfish
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Since the odds are right, I'll hedge my bet and get in line for the Pacifico, Nada Mas. I'll hold postholedigger's coat and take the second brew and
raise it to the people of Mexico if they can "take back their country", which they already have.
Iflyfish
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postholedigger
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Actually, my view on this whole issue is the same view I took on Iraq. If the people can't rise up and overthrow a government or change a situation on
their own, they aren't going to do very well on their own after someone has overthrown or changed it for them.
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BajaGringo
Ultra Nomad
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Location: La Chorera
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Mood: Let's have a BBQ!
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| Quote: | Originally posted by El Comadante Loco
In all this discussion there is need for reflection. It is so easy to find fault with any nation or culture. Perhaps we should start of to think of
"When will the people of America take back their country " |
Give them a few more years to really get that one...
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by El Comadante Loco
In all this discussion there is need for reflection. It is so easy to find fault with any nation or culture. Perhaps we should start of to think of
"When will the people of America take back their country " |
With Obama we have taken back our country from the despots of the GOP..
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Bajahowodd
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Guess you could say that Bush is owed much gratitude.
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