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Why All Americans Should Root for Mexico in the World Cup
Rooting for our Fellow North Americans and Neighbor is Good Form and Good Business
It’s Time to Reach Out and Touch our Largest Neighbor and 2nd Largest Trading Partner in the World
Today in the knockout round of the World Cup, the comeback kids from Team USA lost to a swifter Ghana squad that turned on the speed at the right moments to score a 2 to 1 victory. While the loss was painful, the success of Team USA and its ability to mesmerize our country and impress the world was remarkable. This 2010 run was a really big deal.
More importantly for the USA, our former President Bill Clinton was there sharing with our global community and showing our fellow man that the USA is a team of class.
Win lose or draw, Team USA and its captain, Landon Donovan, demonstrated an amazing amount of class that was truly inspiring to millions of Americans looking for heroes in a world where we really need some. More, they showed the world that the USA is part of the global community and that we are embracing our place among our fellow man.
On the other side, Ghana is now the shining light of Africa. The whole continent is behind their fellow African heroes. Its’ truly great to see a struggling continent get a place under the sun on the world stage. And while so many of us are disappointed today as our beloved Team USA was defeated on the pitch, in sport as in economic competition, one must admire the victors for their competitive spirit and amazing accomplishment.
Which brings me to Mexico…..
Mexico is now the only team in our beloved North America left in the tournament. Over the last decade or so, Mexico, the country and it’s peoples have been beaten up by many in the US Media for being a weak burden on the USA. We hear the grumblings about drug wars, immigration, and brown peoples who don’t share our values.
When Mexico has problems in a few of its border towns with drug cartels who are killing one another to supply our addicted culture with drugs, we issue travel warnings to the whole country. It’s crazy.
Can you imagine if Mexico or any other country issued a travel warning to the whole USA just because some serial killer rapist in New York City was on the loose. That would be irresponsible. Yet we listen to our mainstream media who thrive on a “ratings drug” as if what they say is always true.
What is sad is that Mexicans are used to the nonsensical travel warnings that are ominously issued to “watch out” as they travel to Mexico. It is causing massive economic harm but worse, it’s causing social harm between neighbors. It’s wrong.
The power of the mainstream US Media has been so bad that U.S. Citizens are actually frightened of Mexico. What’s even more weird is that even Mexican Americans are afraid to travel to Mexico. Yeah, its’ bizarre!
All this as Mexico, which is infinitely more safe and less violent than the USA, forges ahead in the global competition with an important growing middle class, a stronger peso versus the dollar over the last 10 years, and availible and responsible credit for consumers from banks owned by international players including but not limited to Banamex owned by Citibank, HSBC from Hong Kong, Nova Scotia Bank in Canada, and Santander of Spain. Mexico even has an amazing amount of new democracy being forged by many established and new political parties in the country. It’s not he same 1 party place that existed in the 20th Century.
In fact, one can argue that the relative change Mexico has experienced over the last 10 years blows away what we in the USA have experienced.
So you’d think we Americans, as people, would be all over it. But we’re not. We are too frightened by that speck in our eye. And while we continue to look in the mirror admiring ourselves, Mexico is moving rapidly forward without the U.S. people taking notice. It’s very strange.
What’s even more odd is that Mexico is probably more like the USA than any other country in the world; probably even more so than Canada.
Upon travel to Mexico, one cannot help but notice a Wal-Mart on every corner mixed with a Costco, Home Depot, Applebees, Ford, Chevy, and GM dealers not to mention McDonalds, Papa John’s, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Subway, Carls Jr, KFC, and so much more. Does this sound like a 3rd world country to you? I mean, the USA corporations get it. They’ve invaded Mexico and took it over! Capitalism is thriving. But the U.S. population is strangely unaware.
In fact, the majority of the U.S. population believe Mexico is living in the dark ages. It is precisely this kind of ignorance and lack of awareness that produces failure. Can we really afford to keep admiring our past accomplishments without noticing the other guy’s rise to prominence?
What’s even more telling on how close Mexicans are to the U.S. culture and shared values in that Mexicans follow more USA sports than any country in the world. From MLB baseball, NBA Basketball, to NFL football, Mexicans are huge fans of our sports.
In fact, I bet most readers here don’t even know that the # 2 attended NFL game is history was in held in 2005 in Mexico City. That’s right! Mexico!
At the time, the lowly last place San Francisco 49ers and the last place Arizona Cardinals played a regular season game at Aztec Stadium. I can’t imagine how many would have shown up if that game actually was between two contenders. It could have been 150,000 people! Wow! What a huge market opportunity!
I am still wondering why no U.S. professional sports league has put a team in a city with more than 25 million people! Yet they have teams in Calgary Canada and want to put a team in London which is far across an vast ocean in a way off time zone! Very strange!
NFL FACTS
The Dallas Cowboys home opener in 2009 against the New York Giants drew 105,121 fans which is the largest regular season crowd in National Football League history. The game marked the first regular season game played at the brand new $1.15 billion Cowboys Stadium. (NFL.com Game Center: NYG 33, DAL 31)
Previously, the largest crowd for a regular season game occurred on Oct. 2, 2005 when the San Francisco 49ers played the Arizona Cardinals at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. That game drew 103,467 fans who witnessed the first-ever regular season game played outside the United States.
The point is that we North Americans should embrace our fellow North Americans. It’s good business and good form.
Mexico is NOT a bunch of smugglers and drug dealers like some with a political agenda try to portray. No! It is massive diverse country with over 110 million people. It is about 3 times the size of the Canadian population. It’s a growing extremely close neighbor of ours both in proximity and cultural values and we need to embrace those ties that bind. It makes cents.
Creating exaggerated news about her breeds contempt. It is irresponsible and extremely foolish. In fact, contempt only reflects poorly on our ability to win friends and influence peoples not only in Mexico but around the world and that’s not in our best interest. Contempt renders us impotent. Furthermore, it’s morally wrong.
Now that’s not to say that Mexico does NOT have it’s own challenges, it does! But Mexico is growing up and we need to pay attention. It’s not the romanticized Sombrero and Donkey culture fed by some outdated stereotype. In fact, it’s extremely hard to find a Sombrero wearing Mexican and even see a working donkey. That was the 20th century not this New World Order!
And while Mexico does NOT face many of the self-inflicted wounds that we have committed against ourselves over the last decade, Mexico does have its own set of challenges ie… a new democracy filled with a very young population that is need of more globally competitive employment. Also, Mexicans face a drug cartel that is illegally and violently working to fill the U.S. demand for its’ products causing massive harm to it’s family dominant culture.
What is weird is that this is major challenge that requires massive cooperation between both the supply and demand side of the equation. Yet, our pathetic mainstream media keeps lobbing scuds at Mexicans as if they are the one’s who are consuming them! It is completely out of balance and irresponsible. This challenge belongs to both of us. Period!
So as we sob for our Team USA and it’s loss against that wily Ghana squad, let us do what Africans are doing for Ghana. Let us stand up and support our neighbor. Let’s root for Mexico and her success. And when Mexico competes against the highly favored Argentina, let’s be proud that a fellow North American is on the pitch working hard, competing, and doing their best to bring the same hopes, dreams, and aspirations that our beloved Team USA brought us!
Copyright 2010 Johnny Punish
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=37744
Posted by Johnny Punish on Jun 26 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Business, Economy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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[...] Why All Americans Should Root for Mexico in the World Cup : Veterans Today [...]
I will NOT be rooting for Mexico tomorrow or…ever! When the USA National Team plays Mexico our players are not only pelted with coins and batteries but blatantly anti-American sentiment. And after 9/11 when the rest of the world was sympathetic to the victims of that horrific attack, 80,000 Mexican fans taunted the USA National team in unison with the chant of “OSAMA!” Disgusting, and unforgivable. Mexico can rot!
Shut the heck up you wanna be patriot Piss off! You have no clue in what you are saying. In less than 20 years your beloved USA will have a president of Hispanic decent. So piss off y Que Viva Mexico
Hey Stan F##K Off you LOWLIFE! How dare you criticize a REAL American! You must be one of the ILLEGALS here in the US! GET OUT, WE DON”T WANT YOU AND YOUR SPANISH SPEAKER BOTTOM FEEDERS HERE IN THE US!
Marc C. Daniele
100% Disabled Army Veterans, and REAL US Citizen
Hercy, Mo.
I get your point Marc and understand your anger but where are your manners? “F##K Off you LOWLIFE!”? Ouch! In my view, manners, civility, and a return to self-respect with integrity must be cornerstone principles held in high regard if we are to move ourselves up from this horrible bottom. It does NOT mean that we are to be weak. On the contrary, the mastery of ourselves means that we will be more effective with others. We cannot waver in our quest to return our country to a better place. In my view, the Age of Vulgarity must be replaced with something more effective. Across the board, vulgarity is just not working! We can do better, much better! Think about it..
I was at the 49ers vs. Cardinals game in 2005 and 100,000 plus Mexicans were cheering wildly doing the wave 30 minutes before game time. I have never seen so much enthusiasm and support for America and its cultural icon, the NFL! Amazing! They are super fans. Like the rest of the world, Mexicans admire the American cultural success. What they angrily react to is the contempt and so they lash out when they can.
As leaders it is up to us to set the example for class; not vice-a-versa! We blew it and we’ve been blowing it…. and the world is charging us for our sin. It’s time to change our disposition from feared bully to empowering inspiring leadership based on consistent respected principle with the operative word being “LEADERSHIP”
YEP!!! As to just business, we sealed our fate in that in much or the world over the previous decade with our extremely failed policies that are still ongoing, similar to policies that used to be done in the dark and followed by few, now with the death and destruction, known by all!
Well Johnny P. good for you my friend. Based off of Rob statements his attitude is that which makes up MANY Americans. Sad Sad Sad when the citizens of the Free World become animalistic in their thought process.
Also J.P. I was watching ESPN’s coverage of the World Cup. There was a German Sporst Announcer who said, when asked by Mike Terico of ESPN, how does the U.S. become REAL contenders on the World Cup stage. The German, who as lived in the U.S. for 12 years, said that the U.S. should go into the Inner Cities and recruit Latinos, and African Americans who would have MORE of a Passion for the sport and their Country.
Here is a German and from my interaction, with many Germans, it seems that Germany has evolved into a more perfect UNION after the mistakes it made due to fascist ideology of Hitler and the Nazi’s!!
I am NOT a Soccer fan. However, I recognize the importance of the Sport to at least unite the world if for a little while. However, as I read posts as the guy posted above it disheartens me that WE as a Nation have those type of ANIMALS in our midst.
This is a NATION of DIVERSITY and based on the latest demographic studies I suggest that such rhetoric be put aside and THEY begin to make friends!!!
Have faith my brother! Our US peoples are resilient. We are resourceful and hard working! We will rise to the occasion and once again lead with great ideas in action and prevail over the ugly failures. From immigration to energy to wars, we will rise from these ashes. I know everyone is scared. Many are predicting doomsday. But really, I do believe we will return to that shining city on the hill! We have to take down a few banksters, lawmakers, and shake up the system. And yeah, we may need to arm wrestle with ourselves and brawl it out but then, once we break it up, we can make it up and together with one voice, move it forward and once again travel down the path of our aspirations, hopes, and dreams. Viva the United States of America! Now, let’s get to work!
Dear Johnny,
I speak fluent Spanish. I was married to a man from South America. I will cheer for NAFTA to be abolished and Mexicans to return to their own country where they really want to be. They have a very different culture than ours and they have lived under terrible conditions in their own land and they deserve happiness, but not by flooding the USA. You do not understand their culture at all. Way too many people who have not had to live in regions of the country flooded with illegals do not understand what the problem is.
When Texas tried to open the roads to Mexican truckdrivers to drive down the wages of the independent truckers in the USA, I told many politicians that this was a terrible mistake which would cost far more than it saved any businesses. Here’s what I told them…to view Mexico and its people as a monolithic source of cheap, docile labor is completely wrong-headed. Despite what many people think, the average Mexican or South American understands far more about economics, rates of exchange and other issues that anybody in the US. They are not going to passively accept trucking contracts far lower than those of Americans. They are very aware of market rates. What they will do is to find some way to “even things out” such as “losing” parts of loads etc. They will also reduce their expenses by “borrowing” truck parts, lights etc. from wherever they find them. ALL THE WHILE THEY WILL ACT AS THOUGH THEY ARE PERFECTLY CONTENT TO TAKE CHEAP TRUCKING CONTRACTS..
After many lost shipments, street lights being stolen off highways (for sale elsewhere no doubt), trucks falling off the highway bridges and being discovered to have NO INSURANCE along with no brakes and all kinds of crimes committed at truck stops etc., Texas withdrew the trucking rights. IT WAS JUST TOO COSTLY.
I have seen equal injustice on the American side of things where Mexican laborers are not paid fairly or fail to receive their pay because their employers know that they can’t go to anyone to collect those wages. There are many real justifications for Mexicans to dislike Americans.
What I am trying to say is that the realities are very different than portrayed by the IDIOTS (and you know who you are) who want to create a gigantic trade block of Mexico and the USA. These are ideas brewed up by BANKSTERS who sit with other banksters and know very very little about the man on the street. You will not be able to control these immigrants despite what your cronies , the super rich banksters of Mexico, have told you. There is a reason why their policemen carry machine guns rather than just pistols. They have created a super feral group of people who have learned to survive under horrific conditions through stealth, deception and the abandonment of laws.
I know Mexico and Mexican from behind the mask. I have helped many with their issues here and I know what they really think of the United States and WHITE PEOPLE (or Hueros as they call them). Those of you who imagine that there will be a group hug going on after the borders are eased HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Ask those whose parents migrated here a couple of generations ago. They are strongly opposed to open immigration for the same reasons that I have just mentioned.
WHEN FROST SAID THAT “GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS,” he could have been talking about Mexico. If we really want Mexico to thrive, we will get rid of NAFTA which destroyed their domestic industries and created temporary jobs BEFORE shipping those same jobs to China and India. Look at the numbers, Mexico was far better off under strong tariff laws that protected their domestic industries in the 1940s than they are now. FREE TRADE DOESN’T BENEFIT ANYONE BUT THE BANKSTERS and multinationals. It makes everybody’s job dependent on big indifferent companies and alters the power balance to the detriment of the average person. I am all for protectionism, smaller companies and bosses who know everybody who works for them on a first name basis.
MK
MK, a return to the past is NOT a solution. That train already left the station. Now what? I think the USA has big challenges to meet.
1. We need to enforce our immigration laws. Period!
2. We need to fine any company that hires an undocumented worker in the most strict and penal way so that the incentive to hire “underground” is taken away completely
3. We need to build more bridges with our 2nd largest trading partner and continue to work towards better wages and more opportunity in Mexico as we continue to shore up our laws and economic stability in the USA
4. We need stop investing in overseas mis-adventures and invest all of our money at home for our children’s education and marginalize the drug addiction culture in the USA
We need solutions that make cents!
Well, in sport most people cheer for the home team. Once in a while you have problems like the time many years ago when we had the Air Force vs the University of Colorado—well I was Air Force and Colorado was my Alma Mater, that was hard so, in such case “may the best team win”.
As for North America, it stops at the Mexican Border where Central America Starts. Mexico is the leading nation in Central America and should help her neighbours.
Natural regionalism, in order to survive, must be based on commonality of language,culture and common borders that will facilitate integration. In the 50s rationalization was the next step for growth and it was tried, only those with commonality survived. Interestingly, In the Middle East the introduction of Israel became an obstacle to their planned region of all Muslim states. Libya tried to get around Israel but it did not work. So they have a legal Arab League but eventually they will find a way to unite and what will leave Israel an Island. Why not ask Israel to join? Jewish people are by religions separatist, they have not been able to assimilate any where in the world, that has been one of their problems. They now have their state and independence and are not likely to assimilate on an equal basis. Israel is of course a unique issue on the global regional stage. World Regionalism, and Ecological Analysis was my Master Thesis then the basis of my Phd.
Just and Important FYI for our readers. Mexico is in North America NOT Central America. If you call a Mexican “Central American” they will take issue with you. Canada, USA, and Mexico are in North America. To befriend our neighbor, we must know our neighbor.
To Hell with Mexico! They lost anyway, very badly! They were embarrassed! HAHA!
Mexico and all its ILLEGALS here in the USA can go to hell as far as I am concerned!
SHIP THE ILLEGALS BACK TO MEXICO NOW! SUPPORT ARIZ.’S IMMIGRATION LAWS!
We worry more about Mexico and all their ILLEGALS here than we do about our veterans that were willing to give their lives for this country! Hell our Elected Officials care more about the Illegals here than they do our troops on the front lines fighting our our so called “War on Terror” that the more I read and learn about was actually caused by ISRAEL! Check it out for yourself its true! Yeah I said it, the worlds REAL enemy is ISRAEL! 9/11 was really an Israeli operation! I guess now either our Duel Citizenship, US and Israel, run US Government will take away my veterans benefits, or Israel’s “Massad” will try to shut me up too! COME TRY I”M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
SUPPORT THE ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAWS, AND START ENFORCING US IMMIGRATION LAWS!
NO IMMUNITY FOR ILLEGALS NO IMMUNITY FOR ILLEGAL NO IMMUNITY FOR ILLEGALS!
US STOP SUPPORTING THE REAL TERRORIST STATE, ISRAEL! REMEMBER THE USS LIBERTY!
Everyone know know about how Israel murdered US Sailors in cold blood? You would if our Duel Citizenship run US Government had not covered it up! It is supposed to be against US Law for a member of our Government to serve when they are a citizen of another country yet nothing is being done about the numerous key government positions being held by Duel US and Israel Citizens!
This country could save Billions of Dollars by stopping the support of a state that causes most of the worlds terror, Israel! God’s chosen people, yeah right!
Marc C. Daniele
100% Disabled Army Veteran
Hercy, Mo.
m6c9d2000@yahoo.com
Johnny, Mexico is a beautiful country with hard working people who only want to make a living. The problem is the Mexican government, they control the money and there is no middle class, no tax base because people like “Carlos Slim, the richest person in the world” don’t pay any taxes. I think the American people look at Mexico in fear and think, that may be us if we don’t change.
Yes U.S. Citizens are rightfully in fear. Our standard of living is lowering for the first time. We are running directly into the global competition of the flat world with its New World Order and we are fumbling the ball on so many fronts. We are not sure what to do. But playing the blame game is not going help. We need real effective solutions that make cents.
The solution is to quit running away from the problem. Mexico needs to become a home to its citizens again… Not a place to escape. There’s enough corruption to go around the World several times over. That doesn’t mean you can’t fight the good fight.
I’d say it’s time to take the bull by the horns, if I happened to be Mexican.
Agreed 100%! You have may vote!
Sorry man, Argentina crushes Mexico at World Cup…
Too bad no one seems to be able to crush the Drug Cartels.
LOL! Yeah, I watched the game! It would have epic if Mexico defeated the heavily favored and superior Argentina. I still smarting for the Ghana defeat!
As for crushing the Drug Cartels, there is something very sinister as to why we cannot solve this challenge. With Prohibition, we legalized alcohol and the “drug cartels” went away. In the USA we are aiming towards legalization of Marijuana and that will help but the real solution is…..
Stop spending trillions on wars around the world and giving aid to countries without a serious and meaningful payback. We need it for ourselves. Let’s invest ALL OF IT on drug education for our children, rehabilitation for our addicts, and then reduce our prison populations by half while we legalize the light drugs like marijuana and tax it along with marginalizing the hard drugs through education, PR, and compassion for our addicts. In other words, let’s hire PR firms in Hollywood and on Madison Avenue to make “drugs” un-sexy, ugly, and something that cool people just don’t do. Let’s marginalize it.
When drug consumption in the USA is marginalized, then the “drug cartel” business will be become a low profit worthless effort. This is great for the USA and great for Mexico too! Now that is a neighborly thing to do, ya think?
Let me preface this comment by stating I’m against drugs as a whole. And in my circle of friends/ acquaintances, I’m the only person to refrain from doing drugs (with the exception of drinking alcohol) my entire life. From one musician to another, I’m sure you’ve seen lines of coke everywhere. That’s just for starters. Fortunately, I made a choice to pass. I drank for a while to get pumped at shows. It was trying enough to produce music… Much more of a challenge to get on stage and face an audience full of people. So it was for me, and my nerves of course. Never really got used to it… On to the point.
I feel you’re on track with legalization. It strips the need for an underground. Likewise with any major market for goods. Revenue from taxes and interest would entirely fund public works. I’ll take up a debate on usury. Be forewarned though… I make a compelling argument. The way to fix things…
1. Control the monetary system.
2. Research your history.
The banking cartel started the drug trade. Go back a few hundred years when opium was taking boat rides. The same names surface over and over again. If you want to pick up the cause, a classic cartoon said it best… “Knowing is half battle.”
Yes, at the number 1 spot on my to-do list is education.
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” – Frederick Douglass
Looks like we have quite a bit in common including our taste in personal avatars!
-Thomas
“Knowing is half the battle.” There we go!
Me too, I am against drugs as well and yeah I’ve seen lots of drugs just like most in our society.
We really are a drugged up society and it’s making us crazy sick. We need to fix it. It’s killing us.
In my view, we are at war with ourselves. From our addiction to drugs and our addiction to oil, we are in the midst of a major social revolution that will see lots of pain before we right the ship.
1 . Let’s sell our internal combustion engine cars and buy electric.
2. Let’s stop using drugs and pull every kid aside and educate them on how they are being used while we make it cool NOT to use drugs.
3. Let’s fix our immigration challenge and get our house in order compassionately, rightly, and with great respect for human dignity.