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Today I was following a news story of a conference in Leon dealing with the current scary worldwide economic crisis. I wasn't paying close attention letting the news play in the background of my thinking of something different until English was heard on the screen.
The Mexican news reporter was interviewing a guy who "looked" Hispanic but for some reason was speaking English. I quickly gathered he was a conference invitee but for some reason was replying to the reporter's questions in English.
What he was talking about was the problem with Mexicans being stuck in tradition when dealing with economy and trying to solve problems. The man went on to say if Mexicans were to begin to think outside the box of tradition when dealing with problems, stop getting stuck in the cement of the traditional ways of doing things, that they could emerge as an Economic World Power.
First of all, I could barely believe they let the comment on the air and could just see telephone lines lighting up with thousands of complaints. I was shocked there was no, "Point, Counter Point" exchange over this interview. But, so far, and it's been an hour since it aired, no fallout.
Here's the thing: There are Mexicans all over the Republic who see that Mexico has got to change.
Change from what, you may be wondering?
Change from the Provincial: A person, city, or country of local or restricted interests or outlook.
Tradition seems to almost always win in this country whether you are trying to pin someone down on when they will carry a particular food item in the store or deal with the Narco-Taffico-Terroristas!!!
This is a true story: I know this man who went into a Wal-Mart and asked if they would have such and such back on the shelves soon? The store manager told him that it was too hard to keep it on the shelves. My friend asked if he meant it was too hard to order from the supplier? The manager said no, that it was too hard to keep it on the shelf because it sold out too quickly.
They would not refill their order with the supplier because it was too hard to keep it on the shelf for very long because of its popularity. They would rather put something on the shelf making the shelf look full of "something" rather than thinking of order MORE of the particular item that sold out quickly.
Tradition told the store manager that it was better to look "full" rather than allow empty shelf space to remain unfilled.
He could not think past this.
A prosperous store has shelves that are full to the brim and not empty. An empty shelf made the store look shabby and not prosperous. This is very, very common in Guanajuato.
I asked a Mexican friend from one of the Northern states what he thought of Guanajuato.
"Mired in history and tradition."
Guanajuato is one of the Uber-Provincial cities in the Republic.
Tradition, no matter what, and even it prevents them from keeping up with the rest of the world, rules everything.
One of my wife's ESL students is a chemist in a company in Guanajuato. Her company mandates that she has to try and place an order with Guanajuato suppliers first. If they can't meet a deadline, then she can look outside Guanajuato for her order fulfillment.
She says, that she no longer orders from any supplier in Mexico. They are so ruled with byzantine rules and lack of methods that she says it is quicker and most often cheaper to order from the States. She says her questions are answered before the day's end and orders are filled or discounted if there is a delay.
Truly the guy on the television interview was right......
...if Mexicans were to begin to think outside the box of tradition when dealing with problems, stop getting stuck in the cement of the traditional ways of doing things, that they could emerge as an Economic World Power.
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