Guanajuato, Mexico - ¡Se Habla español, solo!

If the Great Gabacho Genie would grant me one wish it would be this:

I WOULD HAVE ALL GRINOS REMOVED FROM THE FACE OF MEXICO (AND ALL SPANISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES) UNLESS THEY HAD, AT A BARE MINIMUM, AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD'S SPANISH SPEAKING, READING, WRITING FLUENCY LEVEL.

If you want to know what can get my goat faster than anything is the Cultural Imperialist Arrogance of a Gabacho making the claim that he or she knows Mexico so well by virtue of the fact she or he has visited Mexico (a tourist, mind you) since 1991 making he or she an expert in Mexico Cultural.

I know these authors who have written books on expatriation issues to Mexico. A woman, Mary Rassmussen, from Minnesota, writes of one of the books of these authors:

If you are part of the "I hate America crowd", this book is for you.

She goes on to say:

He is so obviously biased against America and Americans, I figure this point of view must affect everything he writes about, and therefore I don't trust he has any objectivity.

As for the proof of her arguement that the authors are so obviously biased is:

I have travelled to Mexico many times since 1991, and I have seen an American behave badly once.

This is in reference, I can only assume, to the chapter of one of the author's books that speaks to the horror that has been wrought upon San Miguel de Allende.

To read an excellent article by Sheila Croucher a professor of political science at Miami University in Ohio which speaks to the Gringo disaster Americans wreak upon Mexico click here.

Mary Rassmussen's judgement call is that:

1. Anyone who has bought this book is in the "I HATE AMERICA CROWD."

2. Anyone who is thinking of buying this book in the "I HATE AMERICA CROWD."

3. Anyone who will at anytime in the future buy this book in in the "I HATE AMERICA CROWD."

The things written in THE PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT LIVING IN MEXICO are mild and affectionate compared to Professor Croucher's article.

And for a "slap you in the face" shocking yet honest review of what Americans do when moving to Mexico click here for an article by Bill Davies and Karen Harding, long time residents of San Miguel de Allende--GRINGOLANDIA CAPITAL OF THE WORLD..

Even more deplorable is how Amazon.com allows such comments on their so-called "Reader's Reviews."

Under some Pollyana delusion that all of their "readers" must be granted the opportunity to write "a review" people who have never read the book, maybe partially insane, or whatever, can write the most vile and contemptous things about authors. All authors get it from the least of us to the greatest and yet, Amazon.com feeds into a device (a forum structure) that more often than not brings out the very worst in people.

Yahoo had to learn that the hard way. They used to let unfettered comments flow from Americans with an internet connection to make comments on the news. It devolved into anarchy and Yahoo finally took off this nonsense!

If you are interested in sharing your feelings with Amazon.com on this issue you can do so by clicking here.

The point is that as long as the American, and it mostly Americans, come to Mexico for retirement and refuse to become fluent in Spanish, then culture is forever beyong their grasp. Language, learning Spanish, is the portal to the culture and apart from that portal, you can never in a million years begine to know culture no matter how many times you've visited Mexico.

And that, dear Mary Rassmussen, from Minnesota, is written about you!