The English language weekly Guadalajara Reporter ran an article today surveying the feelings of local residents on repercussions of 9/11 events. The full article can be read by clicking
here. Some comments from area residents are extracted below. They mirror perceptions I hear in daily contact with others in the area. If anything, they seem subdued and chosen for publication rather than the freely offered expressions commonly heard among friends. Those in general tend in anger, fear, and disgust toward what on DU is termed a "MIHOP, or made it happen on purpose" outlook.
....... Jorge Perez, an electrical engineer in Guadalajara, said the attacks occurred because the United States has created a lot of hate around the world. "They invaded Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, helped Pinochet in Chile, El Salvador; what do they expect?" he said. ........"Since the attacks, the world has gotten worse," Perez said. "Here in Mexico the economy is in recession, and we don't know when it will end."
........Felipe Rosales, a day laborer in Guadalajara who lived in the United States for 19 years, said, "The United States has always been a powerful country, seeking to gain more power and some people got angry because of it."......Rosales said the United States has cut aid programs in order to fund the war on terrorism. "They don't use their money appropriately, giving it to those in need," he said........Rosales thinks Bush was simply thinking ahead. "Since presidents can be reelected in the United States, Bush took the country's emotion and used it to become more popular."
.........Tita Avelar, a homemaker in Guadalajara, said the September 11 attacks changed her life and the lives of other Mexicans both economically and emotionally. She could not believe the loss of human life, but the economic effect has had just as much impact.
........Milagros Gomez, a student studying business administration at the University of Guadalajara, said before the attacks, everyone dreamed of going to the United States, either to work or visit. Now, she said, more Mexicans think it's better to stay away. "Everyone thought the United States was invulnerable," Gomez said. "But now, well now we know that they could be attacked at any time."
.......Mike Kelly, another U.S. veteran who lives in Guadalajara, said, "I worry a lot about security. I thought we were bulletproof, but not so anymore."
.......Nancy Hagen, a retiree who lives in Ajijic, left the United States ten years ago to live abroad. ....... As a result of the attacks, she hopes the United States has realized that it is not the best country on earth, something she has learned from living abroad. Hagen said her view probably differs as she has lived in many other countries, giving her the opportunity to see how the United States is seen from outside the country. This view is one that few people inside the United States are aware of, living in such an "insulated and parochial" country. Hagen said many people she talked to after the attacks said the United States had finally gotten what they deserved.
.......David Hernandez, from Guadalajara, said he fears U.S. interests abroad may provoke an attack in Mexico.
"I fear that the fight will come down here," he said.
(My own concluding comment: "Ojala no, pero ni modo")
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