Jerry's City

I just had to respond to yet another demented letter to the editor at Atención San Miguel. In case you don't know, this is the Gringo Rag-Newspaper that exists for the Gringolandian's sake. It has a letter to the editor column which, from time to time, my wife will call to my attention as blog fodder.

Jerry Writes:

This is it! I unilaterally declare war and tomorrow will buy an anti-aircraft gun, or in case my aim is shaky, a heat-seeking missle. My target will be the light plane that circled San Miguel today (Thursday, November 6), broadcasting advertisments so loudly that the walls of the house shook. If I receive any messages from heaven I want them to come from an archangel or directly from God Himself, not from some thoughtless clod who has no respect for the citizens of San Miguel.

Dear Jerry,

Believe it or not, citizens of San Miguel de Allende are those who are Mexicans or naturalized Mexican citizens. I strongly suspect this does not include you, Jerry Davis. I have no idea how long you have lived in San Miguel de Allende, or SMA, but if you are a typical Gringo in that town you either have a tourist visa, an FM3 visa, or nothing at all. This means, Jerry, that you cannot included yourself in the "respect for the citizen of San Miguel." And, as far as that goes, did you survey all the citizens of San Miguel to find out what they think before you began speaking on their behalf?

San Miguel is about fireworks, church bells, music in the Jardín and fiestas. The authentic sounds and noises of Mexico only add flavor to the town we love to live in. Up til now I have tolerated the chainsaw whine of the ultralights, the nasty chop, chop, chop of the helicopters and the drone of light planes. I hoped that they would be banned; now I will be tempted to eliminate them all.

Jerry, you silly Gringolandian Clown! Davis seems to me to be an Anglo and not Mexican name. How is it then do you begin to have the ganas to tell everyone what San Miguel de Allende is about? You are living in a Gringolandia Bubble, an illusion, a fantasy, a Concept about Mexico, Jerry, and not the Reality. San Miguel de Allende is not about what you Gringolandians have as your illusion of what Mexico should be. It is about Mexicans doing what they want in their town! It is not about you Mr. Jerry Davis and your silly notions and fantasies of how you want San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico to be.

And, by the way, Jerry...I am forwarding your letter to the editor to the authorities here in the capital. You can expect visitors, soon!

This really is a very, very typical Gringolandian and from the American Gringo species I suspect. They believe that the town in Mexico in which they buy a house (or even rent) empowers them to regard that town as "theirs" and that they have this right or authority because of the money they spend in the town, to speak as though Mexican authorities should jump when the Gringos snap their fingers.