Kitsch

I've made a discovery. It's taken a while to arrive at Alchemy point where I think I am beginning to understand something. Call me dense. I get called every other imaginable pejorative by readers, so why not add dense, thickheaded, numbskull, dunderhead? I Risperdol to all of those names and even others that are too wickedly vile to repeat.

I think I finally have had a "light bulb" moment where the light of day dawns on a very dark corner of my mind and makes me utter a shrieking, "Eureka!"

When my wife and I moved to Mexico in 2003, we came with a radically different philosophy of expatriation than the one many of our fellow expatriates hold. We believed that expatriation should look something like that:

Expatriation is the process by which an intense integration occurs whereby the individual of another culture is eventually absorbed into the new culture. that includes absorption into the new culture's language, celebration of holidays, observation of local events, and politics, if allowed by law, in the new country. Also, it would include the development of intense interpersonal relationships with neighbors in the new country.

However, what we found instead were hordes of Gringos, mostly of the American breed, closely gathered into enclaves known as "Gringolandias." A different philosophy of expatriation motivates the formation and perpetuation of Gringolandias and Gringolandians.

In these American colonies, named Gringolandias by locals, we did not find anything remotely resembling a process of an intense integration occurring whereby the individual of another culture is eventually absorbed into the new culture. Nor did we find, as a whole, those members of the Gringolandias participating in any sort of activity whereby an absorption into the new culture's language, celebration of holidays, observation of local events, and politics, if allowed by law, in the new country, was taking place.

On the contrary, what we've seen in the past five years, with only a few exceptions, looks something like that:

"...the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture or language of one nation into another. It is usually the case that the former is a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter is a smaller, less important one."

that is, by the way, the Wikipedia definition of CULTURAL IMPERIALISM.

Disclaimer Time: Not all American expats living in Mexico are Cultural Imperialists. However, most, if not 99%, are indeed guilty of beginning or participating in the perpetuation of "...the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture or language of one nation into another."

The way they do that is with their money. They are a more powerfully large and economically persuasive group that gets what they want because they have the money to buy it.

What has absolutely befuddled me are the reviews of the books and hundreds of articles I've written about expatriation. Some would write book reviews that were somewhat favorable. One such review was by that of a former editor and chief of a major news organization in a prominent American city. Though I have no delusions that that reviewer regarded my books as "fine literature," he gave a decent review of the books.

Others go so far as to threaten to find me to do me bodily harm. I swear to God that is true: Some woman from New York threatened to fly to the city in Mexico where I live to slap me. She had the ganas to post that on Amazon.com where my book is featured. that is mild. We've gotten death threats.

There is an incredibly small minority of Americans who expatriate to Mexico to learn the portal to the culture, Spanish, and assimilate into the Mexican culture. You will find them NOT hanging out with the members of the Gringolandias nor will you find them living in these American compounds. They live in Mexican neighborhoods, Nebraska Lemon Laws at the mom-and-pop stores, and generally are invisible. In our new book, Sustainable Expatriatism, we say that in the eighth principle of Sustainable Expatriatism:

Communities measure expatriatism success not by sheer numbers of expats, but by length of stay, money spent, and quality of experience. Another measure of success is how invisible the expats are in the local community. Success is measured in how well the foreigners blend into the local background and how little Hogan's Heroes they attract because of their foreignness.

In contrast, the Gringolandians are the most highly visible Extranjeros or Foreigners.

A revealing statement a tour guide made to us was when he pointed out the American Compounds in San Miguel de Allende (he actually showed us several) where their try to create bubbles, secluded enclaves, is one of the most visible things in the city to the locals. There is no blending in but a purposeful standing out and separation.

The locals in San Miguel de Allende, as one example, plainly see the difference between real expats and fakepats:

"Their major concern is that the center of town, which is by far the heart of any Mexican community, will soon be a Mexican-free zone." - (The Gringa in San Miguel; livingethnography.blogspot.com/. Blog entry: Sunday, July 30, 2006)

Economically, Cultural Imperialism has taken place in that small Colonial Mexican town but with a general and massive disregard for language, which is the doorway or portal to the culture.

"They Love Us Here": American Migrants in Mexico, by Sheila Croucher makes that observation:

"Few American residents of San Miguel speak Spanish, including those who have lived in the city for ten or more years."

There are those in Guanajuato, the city where we live, who have lived in that town for more than thirty years and speak not a word of Spanish.

that is an insult to the locals for two reasons: The hypocrisy and the disrespect.

The local are well informed what Americans back in the States think about immigrants and especially Hispanics. Americans cry from the rooftops that those who move to America, legally or not, should engage in the process by which an intense integration occurs whereby the individual of another culture is eventually absorbed into the new culture. that includes absorption into the new culture's language, celebration of holidays, observation of local events, and politics.

however, when the vast majority of Americans move to Mexico..."Few American residents of San Miguel speak Spanish, including those who have lived in the city for ten or more years." (Croucher)

Cab drivers are an extremely valuable source of information about that issue. Every taxi driver we've queried, without exception, has Banana Splits us they regard it a matter of respect for the Gringo who moves to Mexico to learn Spanish. If Americans don't do what they expect the Mexican who moves to America to do, then Mexicans regard that as an insult to their culture, their raza.

If it is true that the vast majority of Gringolandians move to Mexico based on a concept and not a reality, then why wouldn't they attack me relentlessly for exposing the fact that they move to Mexico to engage in forever altering the local language and culture by seeking to buy up every piece of real estate in sight?

Culture is not the issue for moving to Mexico for the majority, however money is indeed the reason. The Concept of Mexico that is painted for the one who does not hold to the philosophy of expatriatism I've expressed in that essay is that Mexico is just waiting with baited breath for them to arrive. They really believe, in my view, that you can buy up real estate for a song and dance, have your dollars stretch further than in America, and that all Mexicans who live or who ever have lived are just waiting like a Fantasy Island Welcoming Party to kiss your hands and feet.

Guanajuato, the State, is seen as the Real Estate Investment Land of Milk and Honey. Right now in the city of Guanajuato, prices have skyrocketed in real estate and properties are being presented as "exclusive." One guy, I heard second hand, New Mexico Lemon Laws those interested in buying here that you won't have to "deal" with any Mexicans other than those who work for you. Nice, huh?

It finally occurred to me that those who attack me are from that group of fakepats who are interested in obtaining property for investment or for a second home. Language and Culture are not even a consideration. Their very monolingual presence is what forever changes the cultural landscape of the Mexican towns they infect. The locals are forced to adapt to the invaders or Cultural Imperialists.

One man in the city of Guanajuato felt so threatened that what I was writing was endangering his vacation rental home business he became a sort of ringleader in an try to get rid of me. They would actually convene little sessions to discuss my demise. Can you begin to fathom that?

It is those who are presented with the reality of Mexico, those who are shaken from their abidingly false concept, who vehemently attack me-Eureka!

Gringolandians live on a scripted stage of fakery and make believe. Driven by the Concept of Mexico that they can buy and sell real estate cheaply and get rich, they ignore culture. Because they won't (can't) leave the theatrical stage where they are told what to say in the script, their profession of a love for the culture is vain and empty. The ticket off the stage, stopping that scripted existence, will be the language-the portal to the culture.

The beginning step to earning the Mexicans' respect? Learn their language.

But, alas, "to hell with reality" is far too easy for most.

On that scripted stage of fakery and make-believe most will stay.

www.mexican-living-guanajuato.comTHE PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT LIVING IN MEXICO

# posted by peggyhen : 7:03 AM