Monday, May 16, 2011

The¨Me First¨ attitude

I just read another blogger's blog about Mexico's me first attitude.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with her and that just adds one more Con to my previous list.

     I have been to 3 different areas in Mexico and all are the same. They just ignore everybody else's problems since, ¨It's not them or theirs¨

First example, I was in Coahuila and a car ran into the people's house next door and everybody just went outside to stare but, nobody tried to help. I was told it is not our business so we do not go but, it was enough their business to sit there and stare.

Second example, I was in Oaxaca and a man was laying on the side of the road, he looked dead or about dead, the people just walked by him and the exception was an older lady who probably knew him. She stopped and checked on him.

Third example, Here in Guadalupe. A week ago, the lady accross the street was being beat up by her husband and she was yelling for my sister in law. You could here things being broken, slung up against the wall, and her screams for help. My sister in law wanted to go but, my mother and father in law would not let her, they said ¨it was none of our business¨. She however did go to get her friends mother in law. Throughout the whole ordeal people went over to the entrance and just looked inside but, did nothing. I wanted to call the police, I went as far as to the phone and started dialing 911 but, then remembered it doesn't work here. Nobody would give me the number. My husband wanted to go help her but, his Dad grabbed him and wouldn't let him. So, here we were totally freaking out for this lady and everybody else just standing there. All they kept saying was well she probably deserves it. That got me, I got mad and told all of them I hope you never have to go through something like that because noone deserves it and that I lived through that for 7 years and if somebody had thought that it  ¨it was none of our business¨, I would be dead right now. I asked his Mom if my siter in law would deserve it if it was her and if she would want somebody to interven before her husband killed her. She then said yes and I said well this lady has a mother who would want someone to intervene. They still did nothing but, then the girl's mother in law arrive and stopped it. About an hour later the police arrived and arrested him for assault, possession of drugs, among a few other charges. However, the next morning he was out without paying anything, all it took was a phone call from the mother to the chief of police, another con of Mexico, the police ¨being bought¨

4 comments:

  1. Definetly a con. This is so sad, I cant believe they would not do anything. No one deserves this I hope that she gets out and survive's like you. I pray that she is ok and will be.

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  2. Yeah, the me-first mentality is a big problem here. That's why people drive the way they drive, don't stop for pedestrians, push past others in line, don't get out of the way for an ambulance, etc. I don't think Americans are better, I think we just tend to follow rules more. It still bothers me after so many years. I especially want to yell at people who are standing around watching a person lie on the ground after a car accident. I know some of them probably try to help but usually there are way more spectators. It is very unsettling. It suprises me that your in-laws wouldn't help your neighbor. I really can't understand that.

    Oh, and the number for emergency here is 066. Just so you know for the future. And don't expect them to show up very soon. At least in my experience it can take 20 to 30 minutes.

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  3. How sad, while i have noticed the me first attitude, i have had very positive experience with people helping out neighbors and so forth. Any time we have had car trouble and stopped on the road, more than one car has stopped to offer help. I can't think of any other examples now, but i know there have been other times when people have gone out of their way to help another. Maybe it is a small town thing.

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  4. What a terrible experience. I agree that there are a lot of people who don't want to get involved and I think it's out of fear. But there are also a lot of good people. Living in Mexico can be very frustrating.

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