Opinion Archive

What to Make of the Mexican Worker

July 9, 2008

Mexico City-born Rosario Marín, the first Mexican-American Treasurer of the United States, was in town this week to present her book, "Una líder entre dos mundos" ("A Leader Between Two Worlds"). In it, she chronicles the poor childhood that led her family to the US when she was 14 and the dedicated hard work that made her a force in California politics. This same hard work eventually put her signature on every US currency note printed during her stint as US Treasurer under President Bush.

The element of hard work in Ms. Marín's inspirational story is now a common theme for many Mexicans on both sides of the border. After having lived in five countries in America and Europe, this observer has noted that Mexican workers are the hardest-working in that select group. Significantly, in what must be one of the most important changes of perception among Americans, the "lazy Mexican" stereotype has been replaced by the eager illegal, able to outwork Americans in backbreaking labor all over the country. Today's stereotype is more Speedy González than Slowpoke Rodríguez, with Americans complaining that the Mexicans are working too hard. Who knew?

Back here in Mexico, the benefits of the Mexican worker's willingness to put in long hours, and be of service, are immediately apparent in all areas of an expat's life. Further, the agreeable attitude of most and their flexibility (which often makes up for an unfortunate lack of training) should be very much appreciated by those of us lucky enough to hire them.

There is, however, something unusual in Rosario Marín's tale that is the dark flip side of the Mexican worker's attitude towards their job life. That rare element is ambition. Unlike their Asian immigrant counterparts, Mexican workers don't really believe that their lot in life can improve much. They can't "taste it", so they don't long for it. This saps their spirit and makes them complacent. The tragic upshot is that the same people who are willing to out-carry their peers on the loading dock throw in the towel when it comes to hitting the books. Their attitude towards education makes them self-segregate into generations of menial job-holders.

Because they live side-by-side with nerdy Asian immigrants in the US, the contrast there is strongly evident. But the same lack of ambition among the urban lower classes (who are the ones that have a chance at free higher education) can be seen here. In fact, the main distinction between a member of the coveted "middle class" and those of the lower classes resides in their ambitions, not in their wealth. A middle class family can owe decades of mortgage and car payments, having a negative net worth, but they are still "richer" than the lower-class street urchin who could well have been born in the same barrio, but decided not to study at one of the multiple subsidised state universities.

It was not always thus. The "Mexican miracle" of the 50s and 60s created a significant amount of social mobility. Newly arrived provincianos sent their children to the UNAM soon after arriving in Mexico City, confident that the fast-growing Mexican economy would absorb them readily. The memory has now faded, but the country that grew the most between 1937 and 1977 was not Japan, but Mexico. Of course, unlike Japan, Mexico's fecundity took longer to adapt to better health care. In the 1970s, the average Mexican woman had over 6 children. In the 20 years between 1950 and 1970 the population nearly doubled, from 25 million to over 48 million. It was too much for our GDP per capita to handle: despite the growth, Mexico never achieved even 20% of the average US income per person. The same class of people who waited expectantly for the Revolution to "do them justice" fell into despair as the crises of 1982, 1987 and 1994/95 took their toll.

Now, for Mexico to grow, we need to know that Rosario Marín should not be the exception. After all, Ms. Marín was succeeded as US Treasurer by another hard-working Mexican-American woman, Anna Escobedo Cabral. Take that, Slowpoke Rodríguez.

Meeting John McCain

Last Thursday your correspondent had a chance to meet with Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Despite his nearly 72 years and relatively short stature, Senator McCain "owned" what was an impressive roomful of people. This was doubly admirable given his campaigning, his traveling, and the early morning visit to both the Guadalupe basilica and President Calderón (each on opposite ends of a difficult city). Given the hopeful intelligence that Senator Obama brings to the table and the experienced, principled leadership that Senator McCain exudes, Americans are going to have a difficult choice to make in four months.

For the latest thought-provoking article by Agustin Barrios Gomez please go to our Opinion Column page

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