Thursday, July 23, 2009
Odd Answer
I was reading a magazine called Equilibrio in the Torreón airport yesterday, and I came across a feature in which the magazine asked lots of famous folks, What is Mexicans' worst trait? It's an odd question, to be sure, but Jorge Castañeda's answer struck me as even odder: individualism. Individualism is essentially a good thing, a hallmark of a free society (see the difference between the US and China for examples). Additionally, of all the traits, good and bad, spilling out of Mexico, I guess I just don't see individualism near the top of the list. Evidently other famous Mexicans agreed; many mentioned lack of identity and authoritarianism as Mexico's worst trait, which would seem to, indirectly at least, contradict Castañeda's analysis.
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2 comments:
Rather than individualism, I would label it egoism. It is one reason, in my opinion, why Mexicans find it so hard to collaborate and work in teams together - another important reason being machismo.
One of the many paradoxes in Mexico is the coexistence of this individualism/egoism with a strong sense of family, solidarity and community
I'm not sure my experience here squares with that. I have to do a fair amount (way too much, in fact) of projects in teams at work, and I've found most of my coworkers much more eager to work together and cooperate than I. Although perhaps that says more about me than them...
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