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No, it's not an opinion. There are objective measures that make it clear that the U.S. is more desirable.
You may personally have subjective opinions that indicate preference for Mexico, but objectively, it is impossible to argue that Mexico is wealthier, more educated, safer, higher quality of life, less corrupt, more opportunities for youth, etc.
Mexico City is a global city, but, for the average person, this is meaningless. Mumbai is more global than Stuttgart but one cannot reasonably say that Mumbai is better for the average person. DF is richer than Mumbai but the average Chilango is still poor and lives a very difficult existence, and would probably love to leave DF, but cannot because jobs are mostly in the capital. It means nothing that Carlos Slim lives part-time in DF, or that you can buy luxury items in DF. The average Chilango is not shopping on Masayrk or spending money at Palacio.
And no, I would not say that DF is remotely similar to Milan, Madrid, Chicago, LA and Toronto. These are rich cities where the average person is quite prosperous. DF is a poor city where the average person is struggling. Better comparisons would be to Sao Paulo, Rio, Bogota, Lima, Buenos Aires. Santiago now is probably too prosperous for comparison. I would compare DF to developing-world cities that have many positive attributes but are overall still difficult places for the average person.
Which "cultural amenities" are you referring to? DF has one world-class museum, the Anthropology Museum. It does not produce much in the visual or performing arts. The Philharmonic (which I have been to, many times, in Bellas Artes) is not particularly well-regarded, and most of the theater (stuff you see in Teatro Insurgentes and the like) is just Broadway imports. I would say that a city like Buffalo offers more for the average person. And Toronto is 2 hours away, and NYC is a day's drive away.
The art museum in Buffalo (Albright Knox) is better than any art museum in Mexico. Cleveland's art museum is even better, and quite close. And if you live in the U.S. and are middle class, you can travel anywhere for culture. Middle class Mexicans can't do this. My wife and I aren't rich, yet have traveled all over France, Italy, Spain, and Germany in recent years. We couldn't do this if we lived in Mexico and were paid in pesos. It's 15 pesos to the dollar right now.
And this is not how people choose cities. Almost no one says "I pick City A over City B because the art museum is better". Otherwise everyone would be living in Florence, Paris or Manhattan. The most culturally rich cities in Mexico (Guanajuato, San Miguel, Cueravaca) are not particularly large.
Some people choose cities based on the poetic sound of the name... who the heck are you to determine what others' values and criteria are? You sound like you may suffer from solipsism.
Some people choose cities based on the poetic sound of the name... who the heck are you to determine what others' values and criteria are? You sound like you may suffer from solipsism.
No, actually you're just being silly and argumentative, and you don't understand the difference between objective and subjective factors.
Obviously I can find people who prefer Somalia to Switzerland. That doesn't mean that someone can argue that Somalia, objectively, is more attractive to the average person than Switzerland.
The OP claims to live in the fine city of Kitchener over the border in Ontario, so it's all sort of moot point, although I'd like to see a Mexico City vs. Buffalo thread on here.
Though I doubt the OP knows anyone who spent much time in Mexico City if they described it as being "humid"...
Last edited by CanuckInPortland; 12-20-2014 at 05:08 PM..
No, actually you're just being silly and argumentative, and you don't understand the difference between objective and subjective factors.
Obviously I can find people who prefer Somalia to Switzerland. That doesn't mean that someone can argue that Somalia, objectively, is more attractive to the average person than Switzerland.
You just aren't being very precise with language. Just because a majority of people may prefer one place / thing/ song/ food etc. over another does not make it objectively superior. People have different criteria and different values.
You just aren't being very precise with language. Just because a majority of people may prefer one place / thing/ song/ food etc. over another does not make it objectively superior. People have different criteria and different values.
Obviously, no, but a place is objectively more attractive if it is richer, more educated, safer, less corrupt, and an immigration entry point, rather than an emigration exit point. If we don't use objective metrics, then what's the point of the discussion?
There's no objective way to say that Mexico is preferable to the U.S. One obviously can prefer Mexico on a personal level (and many people do) but obviously this is completely subjective, and therefore pointless when discussing overall desirability.
I live here (have done for almost three years), and never have I not been able to see a block in front of me. Complete exaggeration.
Maybe they've cleaned up the air a bit since I was there a long time ago. Or you've had favorable winds all that time, which is unlikely. They may have begun requiring pollution devices on vehicles.
Obviously, no, but a place is objectively more attractive if it is richer, more educated, safer, less corrupt, and an immigration entry point, rather than an emigration exit point. If we don't use objective metrics, then what's the point of the discussion?
There's no objective way to say that Mexico is preferable to the U.S. One obviously can prefer Mexico on a personal level (and many people do) but obviously this is completely subjective, and therefore pointless when discussing overall desirability.
OH, like the studies done by sociologists and geographers? Objectively measuring the financial and cultural importance of the world's cities? Like the one I cited upthread, which classifies DF as an Alpha city on par with Toronto, LA, Madrid, etc. : Global city - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maybe they've cleaned up the air a bit since I was there a long time ago. Or you've had favorable winds all that time, which is unlikely. They may have begun requiring pollution devices on vehicles.
I don't dispute there's pollution here in Mexico City. But to say you cannot see a block ahead of you (even on the worse day) is, to me, an exaggeration. I lived in southern California for over a decade as well, and Los Angeles's air quality was way worse in my opinion. The humid ocean air probably has something to do with it. Here it is not humid, and often breezy, so it helps.
Thank goodness they have begun requiring smog tests, and they even have driving restrictions for older vehicles (e.g. we cannot drive on Wed and every 1st and 3rd Sat). But, because people don't want to be inconvenienced by not being able to drive, they find ways around the smog test and the driving restriction. Some people even buy a second car with different restricted days---so they just drive that car on the days they cannot drive the other car. Simply put, this city is overcrowded and there are too many cars, trucks, busses, big rigs on the roads. Too many people = too many cars.
Plus, unfortunately, the MX government is waaaaay too lax about environmental protection. There are tons of factories in and all around the outskirts of this mega-metropolis---and they're spewing every kind of ICK into the air and onto the land. One day I was walking over a footbridge near an industrial area and the river bed below was flowing with some liquid that was bright fuscia in color---one of the car manufacturing plants was dumping what looked like paint right into the river bed. And these are American, Japanese, German, Chinese and Mexican companies--they are all guilty of doing this kind of thing here. In fact, Chinese manufacturing presence is on the rise here---I guess they've polluted their own country to the point of no return that they have to come over here now to keep making profits--and dump their garbage onto this land. But to be honest, many internat'l companies do the same thing. Just dump on Mexico. WTF? The people need to stand up, but too many people depend on those jobs so they don't say jack.
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