Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Mexico, the land where nothing happens

People ask me from time to time why I'm so interested in what's happening outside my country. They think I'm not folllowing the news about Mexico or I'm not interested at all.

But I do. I read what's happening here, I'm interested in it, but I feel I can't do anything about it, that only a few people, those in the government or with influence in the national life (like television stations), can do something in this chaos we are living unwillingly. As many other Mexicans, I feel disappointed how this groups manipulate things.

This weekend, one example of this kind of manipulation happened during the Superbowl. I personally didn't see it happened, but it has been reported in every newspaper because of the stir it caused in Mexican people:  the two most important television stations in Mexico, Televisa and TV Azteca, decided to interrupt the Superbowl with political propaganda. They said they needed to do this because it was its obligation by law, but many analysts think (and many citizens) think this happened because Televisa and TV Azteca are angry at the electoral authorities that established that political propaganda wouldn't be paid and it would be aired during AA rating programs.

Of course, they should have aired this propaganda in the Superbowl, but in different blocks, or using the pauses in the game. Its aim, seems to be, was to cause people to be angry at the political parties and the electoral authorities and the sad thing is they succeeded to do this with certain kind of audiences.

Of course, it's possible this same audiences will be more disenchanted with the whole electoral process. So, our imperfect democracy will continue to be so.

I think no company has the right to do this kind of tricks, to try to influence decisions that affect them with 'vendettas' and I believe these two television stations with national reach should be punished. But of course, because this is the 'nothing happens' country, nothing it's going to happen. So, I will continue to read news from countries where things do move.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds very frustrating indeed...but I'm glad you're posting again :)

Karina Velazquez said...

:) Thank you for visiting and for the empathy about my post. And yes, sometimes work is so much I can post, but I'm trying to do it more frequently.