University Study Finds Mexicans Discriminate, Stereotype, Lack Tolerance Emir Olivares Alonso and Arturo Sanchez Jimenez - La Jornada
go to original November 19, 2015

A sign inside El MarraKech, a gay bar in Mexico City, reads it does not discriminate based on sexual orientation, race, physical ability, socioeconomic status or ‘any other reason.’ (Washington Blade/Michael K. Lavers)

The investigation: Mexicans As Viewed by Themselves: The Great National Themes is “unique in its genre” and provides an x-ray of the prejudice, discriminatory acts, stereotypes and lack of tolerance of the Mexican population towards others, especially those who are different. It also shows what citizens think and the way they act when facing diverse subjects of their everyday life, politics, and economics.

Thus, university specialists who participated in the elaboration and interpretation of the data described the study that was composed of 25 national surveys covering the most varied subjects and elaborated by 93 academics and 65 assistants from various research institutes of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

María Marván, of the Institute of Legal Research, asserted that the results of the surveys have caused her to worry.

“We have found that we are diverse. Mexico can be portrayed in various ways; there are differences between the north and the south. Unfortunately, it was not a big enough study for it to be broken down by state. In spite of that, what is worrisome is that we are very intolerant towards what is different and we tend to discriminate quite intensely.”

The researcher, who participated in the volume Corruption in Mexico: Perception, Practices and Ethical Sense, remarked that Mexicans know that corruption is one of the biggest problems in the country, but they don’t see themselves as corrupt, instead “it is only others. They view it as a problem generated by what others do or don't do.”

Another fact, Marván added, is that people consider that the law “is poorly made and is not adequate with what the country needs”, so they choose not to pay attention to it. It is on that very argument that Mexicans rely, declaring that they don’t violate the law because they like to, but because it is poorly made.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

Translated by Monserrat Rivera-Chao

Mexico Voices is a blogging endeavor aimed at raising the awareness of U.S. citizens regarding the destructive impact of the U.S. economic policy and the War on Drugs on Mexico — on its people, their economic and physical security and their human rights, on the nation’s dysfunctional justice system, and on the rule of law and Mexico’s fragile democracy. Visit the website at MexicoVoices.blogspot.mx

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!