Waiting for the Mexican Spring: When Will Change Finally Come to Mexico? Jorge Ramos - Fusion
go to original April 13, 2016

Coming back to Mexico always fills me with vitality and hope. Whenever I return, I feel like the country is on the verge of big change. But, inevitably, the change never arrives.

I have a routine when I visit Mexico. My first stop is usually to buy some Churrumais - corn snacks accented with lime and chili - or to get some tacos al pastor. The food takes me back to my teenage years and the country I left behind 33 years ago. But while I may have left Mexico, Mexico has never left me. And the longer I am away, the more I appreciate what I left behind.

During my last visit, I saw a lot of families walking hand in hand, strolling along, frequently lavishing affection on each other. (I think that children in Mexico are among the most kissed and hugged in the world). I also enjoyed some wonderful meals and unhurried talks over coffee. In Mexico, meals are a ritual where soul and flavor intertwine.

What I like most about Mexico are the intangibles - those things that you can’t touch but that feed your humanity. For instance, I’ve never felt lonely in Mexico. In the U.S., on the other hand, life can be quite lonesome for immigrants, especially during Christmas and other holidays. Also, I love the way that my fellow Mexicans use our particular brand of humor - through Internet memes, cartoons and double entendre - to briefly balance out inequities in society. Criticizing Mexico has always been a way to show you love it.

I also admire the healthy distance that Mexicans keep between their rulers and themselves. They don’t just blindly believe whatever their leaders tell them. From the Aztec Tlatoani to the Spanish viceroys to the modern “mirreyes” - the group of rich, entitled Mexicans who are now suffocating the country - our people have always questioned the motivations of people in power. In recent times, after so many presidential administrations rife with scandal, deception and abuses of office, Mexico has understandably become a country of nonbelievers. And I consider such skepticism to be healthy for the nation - change, after all, begins by questioning authority and traditions.

But, when will change finally come to Mexico?

Read the rest at Fusion

Related: Mexican Journalist Jorge Ramos Crosses Swords with Donald Trump (Agence France-Presse)

Photo: Getty Images

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