Okay, You Mexican Nationals, You Actually Know Better...

It is one thing for US citizens to listen to the lies that the US government tells them, but as for the people of Mexico? Of all people on this planet, you should know better than to do anything that the US government wants you to do. Yes, that means all of you smarmy, dirty, old men who like to walk around talking to me or waving at me while I am trying to find an apartment or a new dress... Do you really think I would flirt with a dirty old man in the first place?

I am NOT a sexual object. Intellectuals do NOT enjoy being treated like a sexual object. It is one of the biggest insults to give us to treat us as though our exterior is the only quality we have. The only other thing that comes close is treating a woman as though she needs a man around to be able to ordinary daily things. In the immortal words of Bono, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." The only people who treat any woman capable of all the things of which I am capable as if she were a sexual object are men who listen to the US government tell them what to do. Any and all Mexican people should know better. And by Mexican I mean all of the people who live in this country, no matter how they identify their own ethnicity.

There was also a US veteran from the first Persian Gulf crisis who approached me in the Alameda Central. He made absolutely no sense, and I am worried that if he does not admit that all he does is lie, then he should admit himself to a VA hospital. It was one of those situations where 1.) he already knew who I am, 2.) still intentionally refused to make any logical sense, 3.) intentionally lied about knowing the geography of the Yucatán, 4.) tried to tell me I am Latina while still treating me like a rich gringa, 5.) and then feigned confusion about why I told him that his lawyer for dealing with illegally deported US citizens (particularly veterans) should just call me if she needs advice. I mean, who the hell doesn't know who I am and at least a small part of what I am capable of by now?

Yes, I walk through life being my normal, naturally law-abiding, polite, helpful, and irrationally plesant self not looking at all forward to the days when I will actually have to bring an air of who-do-you-think-you-are-dealing-with to get things done. Simply being my naturally polite self should be all I have to do to take care whatever crisis pops up in the first place... especially in a normally warm culture like this one. And yes, I consider it a very kind gift for which I am very grateful that the people here let me conduct my daily affairs like a normal non-grandiose person. I am savoring every last drop of normalcy I can before it all evaporates. Knowing that people here know who I really am and knowing that they are still allowing me to go through life as a normal person is something for which I will thank them for a very long time.

Also, and this one is for the certain subset of the US executive branch (Don't worry, it does not include the CIA.) that thinks is could ever get away with telling this nation and people what to do in the first place... even if the message only comes though US tourists... The buenagente of La Ciudad de Mexico should be free to just act like themselves. I know the US people have never had to face a terrorist US government before, so they did not know how to fight their own government effectively if at all. But the Mexican people, of all people on this planet, know better than to let the US government tell them what to do in the first place.

The US tourists who come here could really use a lesson from the Mexican people on how stand up for themselves and not let their government control them through lies. They have no experience with fighting a corrupt governing body with vigilance, and I know enough history of the people in this country that you can teach the world the importance of standing up for yourself. (This by no means is a comment on the current Mexican government. I never get the news. I do not know about any local politics.) If you want to, try telling the US tourists the truth as you know it. You will learn from each other. People who think for themselves and act through peaceful and law-abiding methods are unstoppable forces for good in the world.

How do I know it is the US government that is controlling people if those people are mean to me or flat-out do not make sense when we speak? I know because when I first arrived here, I was treated as though the people knew the truth about me, because anyone who does not listen to the propogated lies of the US government will treat me with at least the bare minimum of respect any human being is due, and because only the US could be so devious, nefarious, and incompetent as to think it could control the people in another nation and get away with it, anway. As I already said, people who think for themselves and act through peaceful and law-abiding methods are unstoppable forces for good in the world.

Yes, I know I do some strange things everyday that no one can ask me about, yet. I know I sit at restaurants late at night working through very high level mathematics on napkins. I know I sit in taquerias drinking tamarind juice and writing neo-formalist poetry in my creative writing journal. I know I walk through the Alameda Central singing along with the rock music (or even opera, on ocassion) that pours forth from the stereos of the people selling their wares. I know that when I dance, I close my eyes and move however the music inspires me; even though, I have never learned choreography nor even studied the technique for the proper dance for that type of music. I know I go everywhere alone right now. I know all of this is unusual, but I also know that I cannot help anyone understand me or what I do until people are allowed to have a real conversation with me.

As I told the US vet, I am not in Mexico looking for an American resort town. When I travel, I meet the local people and do the local things that people cannot do in the States... you know, like eat tasty local foods and learn about the everyday culture along side the culture shown in museums. And I do travel the world alone with no companion but my little Kermit doll as often as I can. This is not strange for me.