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 Editorials | September 2005 
Despite Hardship, Patriotism Still Thriving
 Wire services
Mexico rarely wins at the Olympics, hasn't won a war against foreigners in more than 130 years, and recounts a history of dead heroes and hard times.
As hundreds of thousands of Mexicans fill the streets today, Friday Sept. 16, to celebrate Dieciseis de Septiembre literally, the Sixteenth of September, Mexico's independence day, their motivation for waving green, white and red flags will be far different than in the United States, where the mood is often tied to a fight for victory and being No. 1.
Even in times of trouble, many U.S. citizens take their ability to rally for granted because they've been taught about generations of victories and take heart in being the world's democratic super power.
But in Mexico, globally recognized triumphs are few. There is a strong collective spirit of being an underdog, a feeling that while people have been through a lot, things will get better. But even if they don't, they can take it.
"Flag waving is all about how they screwed us and will never screw us again," political scientist Federico Estévez said. "It is defensive nationalism we lost half our country, the place keeps getting invaded, the capital is taken over, Pancho Villa was chased all over the country; it is one disaster after another in terms of patriotism."
Street vendors here stoked the mood this week with their annual hawking of dolls, hats, horns and noisemakers emblazoned with Mexico's national colors.
They also sold cartloads of flags not the kind to hang from a porch or garage, but to tie to an eight-foot pole and hoist into the air by a bearer muscling through crowds or saluting the annual military parade.
As in many countries, patriotism and nationalism get blended.
Some Mexicans support their country by drinking the locally produced mango-flavored Boing beverage instead of a Coca-Cola or grabbing a taco instead of a Big Mac.
Others demand the creation of more jobs, the jailing of corrupt police and the advancement of democracy.
"It is just about being 100 percent Mexican," said Alicia Ortega Servín, 30, a folkloric dancer. "We are proud of our country. It is beautiful we have the sea, the mountains and the desert."
The night before Sept. 16, during which there is also a lot of celebration, the president leads the annual shout, "el Grito," that commemorates revolutionary priest Miguel Hidalgo's 1810 urging of Mexicans to rise up against the Spaniards.
Hidalgo's army grew, captured cities, then was suppressed and its leaders executed. But Spain, weakened by the upheavals of Napoleonic Europe, lost its grip and Mexico's independence was achieved a decade later without a fight.
"We have a lot of scars in our history," said Guillermo Zepeda, a Guadalajara sociologist. "Our heroes are martyrs who had a lot of determination."
He ticked off a list of Mexican heroes who gained immortality in defeat, from the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtémoc, who was tortured with fire and hanged by the Spaniards, to revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata, killed in ambush in 1917 and credited with proclaiming, "It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees."
To remind Mexicans of reasons to celebrate, Televisa, the nation's largest television network, is airing public-service announcements describing how Mexico has distinguished itself.
The series of 30-second spots are glimpses at history, culture and achievements. With upbeat music as the backdrop, the flashing images range from glasses of tequila to preColumbian pyramids to the stock exchange; from actress Salma Hayek to author Carlos Fuentes to 2004 Olympic silver medalist runner Ana Guevara.
The narrator directly addresses a national inferiority complex.
"In Mexico, we know how to win," the voice says. "This is not a country of almost, where victory always slips away at the last minute."
Still, the challenges continue.
It was big news here when Mexico last week sent soldiers and sailors to the United States to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Mexicans nationwide basked in televised images of a northbound convoy of military trucks, with Mexican flags hanging from their cargo bays.
It was the first time a regular Mexican military unit operated in the United States since 1846, at the start of the Mexican-American war, in which Mexico lost half its territory to the United States.
Then came the slap at Mexican pride. San Antonio health inspectors insisted the Mexican army kitchen crews who had set up shop at a shelter there refrain from serving carne guisada due to concerns about Mexican beef and mad-cow disease.
"You can go through any sphere of life and we do not have anything where we come out way ahead," said Estevez, the political scientist. "But nonetheless you have something to unify behind."
George Grayson, a Mexico expert at The College of William and Mary in Virginia, said the Old South in the United States, which suffered physical devastation or at least social upheaval from the Civil War, offers an analogy of what might be happening in Mexico.
"Areas that have lost wars overcompensate for their defeats by manifesting excess patriotism," he said, noting the popularity of "Stars and Bars" symbols in the former Confederate states. |
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