On 7/8/2010 9:02 AM, Brian Swale wrote:
> Very enjoyable insight. I liked it as always.
>
> So many people !!!
>
> I always have a feeling of amazement that these large gatherings in this part
> of Spain, with so much alcohol, seem to be so good natured and friendly.
>
> Here, there'd always be somebody spoiling things with violence, and here,
> alcohol always seems to cause problems especially with young people ( of
> both genders) drinking far too much and getting hopelessly drunk. We have
> too many young people here (males especially) dying due to excessive
> alcohol poisoning their bodies in one session of drinking.
My late wife was half Mexican and born in Mexico City. I don't know directly
about Spain, but there are significant
cultural differences between the largely N. European derived mainstream culture
of the US and that of our neighbors to
the South.
When I was working on a joint venture with a Mexican supermarket chain, we
discussed some specific differences that
affect that business. In the US Canada, customers don't much like navigating
close quarters, where they may get too
close to others customers.
In Mexico, at least at that time, leaving too much customer space, especially
in the produce section, made the customers
uncomfortable. Anyone who has been in a public market in Mexico or Central
America will know the feeling of being
crowded up with many other people, and very often touching. The concept of a
queue is entirely missing there.
There is also a different family dynamic and attitude toward public
celebration. I especially recall a Fourth of July at
a large park not far from here. The Hispanic, mostly Mexican, families were
playing happy music, grilling food drinking
moderately and having fun as families. Many of the culturally USians, of
various skin colors, were groups of under 30s
already drinking heavily at mid day, many already getting pugnacious.
I've seldom been less proud of my cultural peers. That's not to say there
aren't problems in Mexican culture, or any
culture, for that matter. And the mixed culture apparent in many poor Hispanic
areas has it's own issues.
On the other hand, apropos another current thread, I've not seen that sort of
behavior problems with drinking and
violence in my children or their peers. and the possibility of a Hispanic
majority in Calif. in my lifetime doesn't
bother me at all.
Moose
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