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But much of that is hysteria - even from those fleeing Mexicans themselves. It's just very easy for them to relocate over the border but claiming that all of Mexico is unsafe is a lie. They don't care - they're all about money and don't really care what image they make for the country they are abandoning.
There's absolutely no reason for tourists not to go to Guadalajara, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Puebla, Chiapas, Cancun and many other cities. Of course it wouldn't be wise to get into any dealings with the criminal organizations but they aren't going after innocent tourists.
Exactly, if people actually took the time to research the data they'd see that the violence is situated primarily in border states and that the vast majority of deaths are cartel people themselves. These people are killing each other over territory; it's quite sad how the media is portraying all of Mexico as a third world nation suffering from violence throughout the nation when that is far from the case (in regards to the whole country).
Have you even been to Mexico? Mexico is not a 3rd world country anymore it's a middle income nation and as I have mentioned numerous times before illegal immigration from Mexico has dropped 80% since 2004. It could be because their economy is growing 4-6% every year (even faster than the U.S.), they have low unemployment and education is more accessible. They do have drug violence but 99% of that is concentrated in border states and most of the murders are people involved with the drug trade; almost everywhere else in the country is safe. The reason Americans keep visiting is because they do actual research on the country instead of listening to sensationalized media reports (you're more likely to get murdered in NYC than most cities of Mexico).
Good lord ..... Mexico is a failed narco state, and the majority of the population does live under 3rd world conditions. Corruption is so widespread, it's accepted as inevitable ... the drug cartels own the cities where they operate, killing officials, police, judges, and who ever dares challenge their illegal activities. There was a story recently, where in one jurisdiction, an entire police force resigned. Ever been to Mexico City? It's a cesspool of filth and pollution and overcrowded conditions. The World Resources Institute recently named Mexico City as the world's most dangerous place for children due to the extreme air pollution which often prohibits school children from playing outdoors.
What most people don't realize is that even though Mexico is one of the richest countries in the world, with more Billionaires than any other country, the majority of the Mexican population are very poor by western standards.
Last edited by GuyNTexas; 08-28-2011 at 09:22 AM..
Good lord ..... Mexico is a failed narco state, and the majority of the population does live under 3rd world conditions. Corruption is so widespread, it's accepted as inevitable ... the drug cartels own the cities where they operate, killing officials, police, judges, and who ever dares challenge their illegal activities. There was a story recently, where in one jurisdiction, an entire police force resigned. Ever been to Mexico City? It's a cesspool of filth and pollution and overcrowded conditions. The World Resources Institute recently named Mexico City as the world's most dangerous place for children due to the extreme air pollution which often prohibits school children from playing outdoors.
What most people don't realize is that even though Mexico is one of the richest countries in the world, with more Billionaires than any other country, the majority of the Mexican population are very poor by western standards.
56% of the Mexican population is middle class or rich, so the majority does not live in 3rd world conditions. 44% are considered poor but only about 14-16% live within the food based poverty not much different from first world nation like the UK which has 12% food based poverty. The reason why people are not starving in Mexico is because most people have jobs, unemployment is only 4.8% and while many are paid little they're paid enough to buy food and have a place to live in. When I hear third world I think of places like Africa; while there are many cities in Mexico that look just as modern as the U.S (talking about public areas where anyone can go not just rich or middle class neighborhoods).
I don't deny there's corruption and drug violence but like I mentioned before, most of those deaths involve people who have a connection to the cartels/drug trade and most of that violence is situated in the border states. Also, there are cities that have bad areas but you can find that in any city around the world not only Mexico.
56% of the Mexican population is middle class or rich, so the majority does not live in 3rd world conditions. 44% are considered poor but only about 14-16% live within the food based poverty not much different from first world nation like the UK which has 12% food based poverty. The reason why people are not starving in Mexico is because most people have jobs, unemployment is only 4.8% and while many are paid little they're paid enough to buy food and have a place to live in. When I hear third world I think of places like Africa; while there are many cities in Mexico that look just as modern as the U.S (talking about public areas where anyone can go not just rich or middle class neighborhoods).
I don't deny there's corruption and drug violence but like I mentioned before, most of those deaths involve people who have a connection to the cartels/drug trade and most of that violence is situated in the border states. Also, there are cities that have bad areas but you can find that in any city around the world not only Mexico.
Who would want to live just a bare minimum existence though? Steetview random cities in Mexico. The vast majority of them have houses in disrepair and falling apart, roads that seriously need paving, sidewalks and areas near roads are in need of cleanup, etc. If that's the middle class of Mexico, I dread to think what the poor looks like.
The average person in Mexico can only buy approx. USD$14,000 worth of goods a year. That means the average Mexican has a purchasing power similar to someone from Belarus, Romania, Bulgaria, etc. Places where people don't exactly have a high standard of living like Western Europe and the U.S. and Canada have
Last edited by theunbrainwashed; 08-28-2011 at 01:17 PM..
Who would want to live just a bare minimum existence though? Steetview random cities in Mexico. The vast majority of them have houses in disrepair and falling apart, roads that seriously need paving, sidewalks and areas near roads are in need of cleanup, etc. If that's the middle class of Mexico, I dread to think what the poor looks like.
The average person in Mexico can only buy approx. USD$14,000 worth of goods a year. That means the average Mexican has a purchasing power similar to someone from Belarus, Romania, Bulgaria, etc. Places where people don't exactly have a high standard of living like Western Europe and the U.S. and Canada have
Like I said you can find ugly looking areas in any city around the world. I was shocked when I first moved to Houston because I wasn't used to seeing so many damaged homes and I was surprised to learn that people actually lived in them (I'm originally from Chicago). There are also bad areas in Chicago but not as bad as the homes I witnessed in Houston.
Now how do you know if the areas you looked at in street view were middle class? You were likely looking at poor areas and when I was discussing public areas I meant something like parks, downtown, other areas people go to to spend their free time with the family, etc. Now you mentioned money you forget that the cost of living in Mexico is lower so you don't have to make as much as you would in the U.S.
Here are some photos:
Obviosuly it's not as advanced as the U.S. or other European countries but when compared to some parts of Africa and some Asian and Middle Eastern nations how can you call it third world?
Leon: According to wikipedia this is the most environmental friendly city of Mexico
this first photo looks like a lower middle class area, but looks rich compared to the poor areas of Houston
This is when they had their air balloon festival
Guadalajara:
Puebla:
Monterrey - sad to think this used to be the safest and cleanest city in Mexico before 2007, but due to it's proximity to the border it has become violent
Merida:
Last edited by Canaan-84; 08-28-2011 at 02:22 PM..
Like I said you can find ugly looking areas in any city around the world. I was shocked when I first moved to Houston because I wasn't used to seeing so many damaged homes and I was surprised to learn that people actually lived in them (I'm originally from Chicago). There are also bad areas in Chicago but not as bad as the homes I witnessed in Houston.<snip>
I'm sorry, but selective photos of the zócalos and CBDs are not going to convince me that Mexico has a thriving middle class. You can go into Google Earth and just RANDOMLY pick any street in ALL of the cities and see massive poverty everywhere. And I've done with with different sectors of the cities, varying distances from the center of town, on the outskirts, in the dead middle, and I've yet to see neighborhoods that look as remotely as good as the ones you pictured.
here's another where I just randomly dropped the streetview man onto a street to the north of Monterrey. Again, not middle class. If you can't see that this is no more than working class, you haven't lived in Latin America then.
I will never go to Mexico again because it is a country run by drug cartels. The government, the police, and the military are in the pockets of various cartels. No thank you. There has been drug violence in Cancun and Cabo San Lucas. It is not just border cities.
Last edited by pommysmommy; 08-28-2011 at 03:28 PM..
MONTERREY, Mexico — President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 52 people.
He said Congress needs to take steps to curb an "insatiable" demand for drugs and crack down on the illegal trafficking of weapons across the border into Mexico. "We're neighbors, we're allies, we're friends, but you are also responsible," a somber and angry Calderon said
Oh the irony! A Mexican President demanding the US gets a hold on OUR drug problem? Wow Felipe, why don't you take the log out of your own eye?
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