As an American of African descent I am all about things being created equal and I am always on the lookout for people and places that see me as a human being rather than a colour. Just like you, I like being treated well and looked directly in the eye. I enjoy the feeling that comes with transactions that leave racism and class out of the picture. I love not feeling like an outsider. I like feeling a part of the world I live in and I like the feeling I get when I am given common decency, not because I asked or demanded it, but because it is a given. I don't get that in America. In America I have to fight for it on a daily basis and in reality I am tired of wrangling for it. Plum Tired. Most racism today one would need a machine of some sort to detect, but it is there nonetheless. It is there for a split second when I ask for directions and the person I ask momentarily flinches in recoil not sure if I am really about to mug them. It is there when I overhear people talking negatively about a group of people, because I am not perceived as being a part of that group and that I somehow agree with their animosity. It is there when I am a customer that is dismissed only to see the next customer treated well because they are perceived as more worthy of dignity than I am. It is all over the place and any sort of 'ism' gives me hives. I am of the belief system that you can not hate one group and claim to not hate another. Hate has a remarkable way of seeping into things where they don't belong. Hate loves company in the same way that love and acceptance does. I do not use the word tolerance because to tolerate something implies that you are being politically correct but really seething inside. I personally do not want to be tolerated. I want to be accepted for my full worth. Don't you?
I am not of Spanish descent to my knowledge, but in Merida I feel accepted. I am sure that this is partially due to my skin colour but I suspect too that it also has to do with a culture, that had a revolution that resulted in the perceived lower classes kicking ass and winning what was rightfully theirs. Prior to the revolution something like 95% of the land was in the hands of 5% of the population (that sounds like American wealth, doesn't it), and the hands were mostly White and European (that sounds like American distribution too. Hmmm). Don't get me wrong there are still visible signs of racial bullshit in Mexico like the billboards that are selling stuff (media literacy) all have models that look nothing like the people that live there. This is leftovers from the European-American, lighter skinned, aristocracy crap. America had a revolution too but it did not result in African Americans winning anything as of yet.
I have a lot to learn about Mexico and Mexicans and my friend Rosalia is teaching me many things. Turner Classic Movies is available on Mexican TV but what is shown are old black and white Mexican films which we never get to see in America. Watching TV with Rosalia has cued me in to various things that I would never have known had I not had her eyes to see these things. For example, she had me sit and watch a bunch of Mexican Musicals from the 40's and in most of them I saw some characters in nice little outfits that I thought were just nice Mexican outfits. What Rosalia saw and knew was that these outfits were the outfits of pre revolution status; of the elite ruling class, and like most black and white films from the 30's and 40's, even Mexico made films that depicted the ruling class as honourable and the enslaved as really happy people relishing their enslavement. (Man that Hollywood sure can seduce, can't it?).
The other interesting thing about Merida is how large the Gay population is. No, it is not wall to wall, but there are enough Gay individuals there that one has to wonder why. Back to 'isms' for a moment. While being of colour and being Gay may not be the same issue in many minds, it is for me. Both of these groups of people suffer at the hands of bigotry and all those that suffer wish for relief. I am not sure why Merida offers relief, but it does. It may be that the sun perpetually shining puts people in better moods. It might be that Mayan culture is one of acceptance. It might be that all same sex unions are honoured in ALL of the Mexican states, something America can not say. My point is: If hordes of people who are targets of bigotry are going somewhere special I want to go too because the odds are that I too will get a chance to partake in the groovy vibe. This is another reason that I enjoy Merida, Mexico. If you are going to treat my neighbour well odds are you are going to treat me well, and for that I am game.
Now I would like to talk about some of the things that have confronted me in Mexico and has shown me just how American I am. Toilet seats. I can not tell you how many conversations I have had over the years with co-workers, specifically women, about toilets and the gunk that can be found on them and the myriad of ways to deal with it. Even recently, a college in the UK was forced to put signs in their stalls informing customers how to use a toilet. On the surface this seems funny but around the world not everyone uses a toilet like Americans. Just for the record Anne Landers says that the correct way to leave a toilet seat is down, including the cover. But what if the host country doesn't have or use toilet seats? Finding a toilet seat in Merida, in a public place, is rare. I went to far as to 'hold it' until I got to a fancy hotel in Merida only to discover that even there there were no toilet seats. But I will say that the rim was spotless. My American brain goes wonky when I have to consider sitting on the rim of a toilet seat, clean or not. Were I born a male none of this would matter as I could stand and piss up a storm without worry to my bottom. Hell, I could piss where I pleased, even between two cars and not have a worry. Let me quickly say that having recently gone to Thailand and I now view Merida's toilet seat issues as being benign in comparison but I will address that in another blog. My biggest problem with all of these toilets is that they do not take into consideration a person who can not balance, is unable to crouch due to knee problems or, like myself who deals with all three, has a pee stream with a mind of it's own. I know men often talk of 'it' hanging to the left or right but my pee stream, when crouching, often tends to the left which means a nice warm stream down my left leg. Me and squatting are not friends and I can not believe that countries that use different types of toilets don't have users like me. I just don't believe it. What do they do without hand rails or when their population becomes elderly? I never loved the sight of a well planned bathroom more than since I have traveled a bit. The other issue, specifically to Merida, is that the sewage system can not tolerate toilet paper which means that you can not chuck it into the toilet and bid bon voyage. Just outside of Merida on our way from Cancun we stopped into a WalMart and I went to use the bathroom. When I entered, stall after stall had an Out Of Order sign and a small brigade of Mexican women in a line, with mops, shaking their heads. What I did not know at the time was that the little bin next to my toilet and in every stall was meant to toss ones used toilet paper in. I left my first Mexican stall thinking that the bathrooms at WalMart were disgusting. I later learned that what is disgusting is people refusing to toss their toilet paper into the bin resulting in a constant overflow of the toilet. The shaking heads of Mexican woman came about because we Gringos seem to have an odd relationship to toilet paper. In retrospect if my job was to clean a bathroom I would definitely be happier tying the top of a plastic bag filled with used toilet paper than having to mop up shit. Wouldn't you? The way I do something is not necessarily the right way to do it; one must take into consideration ones surroundings. I write this because I have overheard many Gringos say that there is no way that they are not going to flush the paper too which in my mind echoes back to the arrogance you bring with you when you go to another country. Plainly said, you are saying it is OK with you that other people have to clean up your shit, which it is not. I no longer mind putting the toilet paper in the basket and a month of doing so usually results in my returning to America and having a moment where I am looking for the basket in my bathroom stateside; one gets used to anything.
The daytime sun in Merida can be overwhelming for some and it is therefore nice to know that when the sun goes down, the inhabitants come out. It is the evening time when the Zocalo's become enlivened and people mill about. It seems that almost everyday there are concerts of some sorts and vendors lining the street selling wares from all over Central and South America. You have to realize that Mexico is a part of North America not South America as many might have thought. There are tons of things to do and see in Merida and nearby, so much so that everyone that comes can say there was something to do specifically for their interests. This recent article from The NewYork Times offers some highlights.
Los Dos is a world renowned cooking school in the heart of Merida offering Yucatan cooking classes. An heiress of some sort bought a huge building in Centro and I would give my eye teeth to see the inside of that gig. The place is about half a block in size and from the outside nothing special can be said about it but I know behind those nondescript walls is a palace. Most, if not all, of the public parks have free wi-fi. This should give a good indication of another part of Mexico that is not running amok with crime. Do your own research. Find your own truth, but don't listen to everything you hear as it might not be true.
Next Stop Thailand.
I am not of Spanish descent to my knowledge, but in Merida I feel accepted. I am sure that this is partially due to my skin colour but I suspect too that it also has to do with a culture, that had a revolution that resulted in the perceived lower classes kicking ass and winning what was rightfully theirs. Prior to the revolution something like 95% of the land was in the hands of 5% of the population (that sounds like American wealth, doesn't it), and the hands were mostly White and European (that sounds like American distribution too. Hmmm). Don't get me wrong there are still visible signs of racial bullshit in Mexico like the billboards that are selling stuff (media literacy) all have models that look nothing like the people that live there. This is leftovers from the European-American, lighter skinned, aristocracy crap. America had a revolution too but it did not result in African Americans winning anything as of yet.
I have a lot to learn about Mexico and Mexicans and my friend Rosalia is teaching me many things. Turner Classic Movies is available on Mexican TV but what is shown are old black and white Mexican films which we never get to see in America. Watching TV with Rosalia has cued me in to various things that I would never have known had I not had her eyes to see these things. For example, she had me sit and watch a bunch of Mexican Musicals from the 40's and in most of them I saw some characters in nice little outfits that I thought were just nice Mexican outfits. What Rosalia saw and knew was that these outfits were the outfits of pre revolution status; of the elite ruling class, and like most black and white films from the 30's and 40's, even Mexico made films that depicted the ruling class as honourable and the enslaved as really happy people relishing their enslavement. (Man that Hollywood sure can seduce, can't it?).
The other interesting thing about Merida is how large the Gay population is. No, it is not wall to wall, but there are enough Gay individuals there that one has to wonder why. Back to 'isms' for a moment. While being of colour and being Gay may not be the same issue in many minds, it is for me. Both of these groups of people suffer at the hands of bigotry and all those that suffer wish for relief. I am not sure why Merida offers relief, but it does. It may be that the sun perpetually shining puts people in better moods. It might be that Mayan culture is one of acceptance. It might be that all same sex unions are honoured in ALL of the Mexican states, something America can not say. My point is: If hordes of people who are targets of bigotry are going somewhere special I want to go too because the odds are that I too will get a chance to partake in the groovy vibe. This is another reason that I enjoy Merida, Mexico. If you are going to treat my neighbour well odds are you are going to treat me well, and for that I am game.
Now I would like to talk about some of the things that have confronted me in Mexico and has shown me just how American I am. Toilet seats. I can not tell you how many conversations I have had over the years with co-workers, specifically women, about toilets and the gunk that can be found on them and the myriad of ways to deal with it. Even recently, a college in the UK was forced to put signs in their stalls informing customers how to use a toilet. On the surface this seems funny but around the world not everyone uses a toilet like Americans. Just for the record Anne Landers says that the correct way to leave a toilet seat is down, including the cover. But what if the host country doesn't have or use toilet seats? Finding a toilet seat in Merida, in a public place, is rare. I went to far as to 'hold it' until I got to a fancy hotel in Merida only to discover that even there there were no toilet seats. But I will say that the rim was spotless. My American brain goes wonky when I have to consider sitting on the rim of a toilet seat, clean or not. Were I born a male none of this would matter as I could stand and piss up a storm without worry to my bottom. Hell, I could piss where I pleased, even between two cars and not have a worry. Let me quickly say that having recently gone to Thailand and I now view Merida's toilet seat issues as being benign in comparison but I will address that in another blog. My biggest problem with all of these toilets is that they do not take into consideration a person who can not balance, is unable to crouch due to knee problems or, like myself who deals with all three, has a pee stream with a mind of it's own. I know men often talk of 'it' hanging to the left or right but my pee stream, when crouching, often tends to the left which means a nice warm stream down my left leg. Me and squatting are not friends and I can not believe that countries that use different types of toilets don't have users like me. I just don't believe it. What do they do without hand rails or when their population becomes elderly? I never loved the sight of a well planned bathroom more than since I have traveled a bit. The other issue, specifically to Merida, is that the sewage system can not tolerate toilet paper which means that you can not chuck it into the toilet and bid bon voyage. Just outside of Merida on our way from Cancun we stopped into a WalMart and I went to use the bathroom. When I entered, stall after stall had an Out Of Order sign and a small brigade of Mexican women in a line, with mops, shaking their heads. What I did not know at the time was that the little bin next to my toilet and in every stall was meant to toss ones used toilet paper in. I left my first Mexican stall thinking that the bathrooms at WalMart were disgusting. I later learned that what is disgusting is people refusing to toss their toilet paper into the bin resulting in a constant overflow of the toilet. The shaking heads of Mexican woman came about because we Gringos seem to have an odd relationship to toilet paper. In retrospect if my job was to clean a bathroom I would definitely be happier tying the top of a plastic bag filled with used toilet paper than having to mop up shit. Wouldn't you? The way I do something is not necessarily the right way to do it; one must take into consideration ones surroundings. I write this because I have overheard many Gringos say that there is no way that they are not going to flush the paper too which in my mind echoes back to the arrogance you bring with you when you go to another country. Plainly said, you are saying it is OK with you that other people have to clean up your shit, which it is not. I no longer mind putting the toilet paper in the basket and a month of doing so usually results in my returning to America and having a moment where I am looking for the basket in my bathroom stateside; one gets used to anything.
The daytime sun in Merida can be overwhelming for some and it is therefore nice to know that when the sun goes down, the inhabitants come out. It is the evening time when the Zocalo's become enlivened and people mill about. It seems that almost everyday there are concerts of some sorts and vendors lining the street selling wares from all over Central and South America. You have to realize that Mexico is a part of North America not South America as many might have thought. There are tons of things to do and see in Merida and nearby, so much so that everyone that comes can say there was something to do specifically for their interests. This recent article from The NewYork Times offers some highlights.
Los Dos is a world renowned cooking school in the heart of Merida offering Yucatan cooking classes. An heiress of some sort bought a huge building in Centro and I would give my eye teeth to see the inside of that gig. The place is about half a block in size and from the outside nothing special can be said about it but I know behind those nondescript walls is a palace. Most, if not all, of the public parks have free wi-fi. This should give a good indication of another part of Mexico that is not running amok with crime. Do your own research. Find your own truth, but don't listen to everything you hear as it might not be true.
Next Stop Thailand.
Comments
And the thing you say about hate: The way it seeps to places where it is not meant to be! Such true words!!
-Sunanda