Thursday, July 06, 2006

US, MEXICO: Are We Really That Stupid?

Mexico is a country whose fate is entwined with that of the U.S., starting with the fact we are neighbors and trading partners. Now talk about hot button issues that tens of millions of Americans have loud opinions on: immigration and "protecting the border." Just about every TV station, from Fox News to local newscasts have had stories about immigration and the "crisis at the border".

But now that the future of Mexico is at stake, where is that same American media??? I don't mean the big city papers, whose stories get reprinted in smaller papers all across the American Union. And it is not the US-based Bloggers on both the right and left. The Ann Coulteristas and the MoveOn types, however much they annoy with their shrill propaganda, tend to be people who actively participate in national and local elections. It is hardly sursprising that they seem enthralled with what is going on down South, from a nuts and bolts perspective.

What I mean is the poor coverage from the National networks, the 24 hour news channels and local news stations. You would think that the drama of the past 24 hours, of Sunday night, is something that demands coverage on a national level. If immigration and "protecting our borders" are so important, you damn well better know who is going to lead the country on the other side of that big border, and what his policies are. To put in the crudest of terms: "the way Mexicans vote over there, can influence how many Mexicans you get over here".

But this coverage is not the news channels fault, since the market determines what gets covered. A reasonable conclusion is that most people aren't interested in what happens in Mexico - that is until they start bitching about Mexicans taking away jobs.
Are Americans so damn provincial, that they don't care or don't want to know who the next president of Mexico will be?? Canadian and Mexican media, always seem to be on top of what happens come election time in the US. Is the bulk of the US public "too good" to stay equally informed of what happens in Mexico? I can almost hear the answer in my head: "it ain't America". Keep on saying that, yeah right.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great Post Boli-Nica!
Sadly enough, I don't think it's a matter of stupidity, ... but of APATHY!
:) Melek

"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment." ~ R.M. Hutchins

Anonymous said...

I agree! I'm from Massachusetts and have been trying to follow what is going on in Mexico. It is very confusing for me (I don't know the political parties) and there is NO coverage of this election. Please keep writing about it (and with a little history, please) so us ignorant ones can come up to speed. Thank you.

Boli-Nica said...

Julian, I made the point of saying that the blogs on both sides of the political spectrum HAVE covered it in detail.

But most people get their news from: 1. 24 hr. News Channels, 2. The major network newscasts 3. local affiliates.