I have a general understanding of the gringo communities in some Mexican cities and what’s happened there historically and what is currently happening. I have a specific understanding of two cities, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, since I live in one of those cities and have “informants” in the other. I am also passing from the “general understanding” to “specific understanding” concerning the city of Patzcuaro. Try as I have, I cannot seem to keep away from expat issues. They always seem to be waiting around the corner ready to jump out at me. Each time, I swear I will devote my research to travel writing and not expat issues.
I’ve recently been studying the issue of acculturation and just how intimately it is interwoven with the language of the culture into which you are trying to assimilate. One author makes the point that, apart of from developing a high degree of spoken and reading fluency in the language in which you find yourself, you can never hope, in a million years, to learn the culture. And, you know what? He is right. No matter how much you think you know the culture because you have “Mexican friends,” the truth is you cannot hope to acculturate without an intimate knowledge of the language.
A monolingual American claiming to have scores of Mexican friends as the basis of having successfully integrated into the culture is a pipe dream. It is a delusion. And all you end up seeing is the mask your so-called Mexicans friends show you, their monolingual American pal, who refuses to learn Spanish. You will never have the chance to see past the mask unless you show them the ultimate respect by learning Spanish.
Don’t fight it. Don’t deny it. It is how things are.
In San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, there is a common expression a lot of the gringos use regarding their hired Mexican help:
“They will have to adapt to serve us.” –a comment born out of an unwillingness on the part of the Americans to learn Spanish.
This so reminds me of a science fiction television series I used to watch called Star Trek: The Next Generation.
In this series, the brilliant writers introduced an arch nemesis to the Federation of Planets called The Borg. The Borg were these cybernetic creatures, half machine and half humanoids, which set about conquering the galaxy by assimilating other cultures. This meant they would inject their victims with tiny atomic-sized nano-probes that would enter the bodies of their victims and convert them into Borg.
When this formidable and almost unstoppable enemy confronted a species they were about to assimilate, they did them the courtesy of saying something like:
“We are The Borg. You will adapt to serve us. Your life as you know it is over. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.”
I can’t help but make the comparison.
My fellow Americans come zipping into a Mexican city and set about, with their nano-probes consisting of money…money…money, money, money, converting (assimilating) the Mexican city into something that will “serve us.”
And, is it not the same? (Borg = Gringos)
“We are the Gringos.” (Most definitely half human and half something else.)
“You will adapt to serve us.” (Destruction of your culture.)
“Your life as you know it is over.” (We will make your town into a colonized American Disneyland.)
“You will be assimilated into our households as maids and gardeners and adapt (learn English) to serve us and us alone.” (Our money always wins.)
“RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.” (So, don’t even think of resisting.)
Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. His most recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Content, Transitions Abroad, International Living, Escape Artist, and The Front Porch Syndicate.
He is founder of zyworld.com/theolog/page14.htm Mexican Living Print & eBooks.
