by When Nationalism Forgets Who Actually Lives There
In a bold display of selective historical memory, Mexican nationalists have launched a campaign demanding “Mexico for the Mexicans,” apparently forgetting that Mexico is already primarily inhabited by Mexicans and has been since long before they started making viral TikToks about it. The movement seeks to reclaim Mexican identity from foreign influence, despite being organized entirely on American social media platforms while participants drink Starbucks coffee.
The campaign began when cultural activist Roberto Hernández posted a passionate video calling for Mexico to “return to its roots” and “reject foreign imperialism.” The video, filmed on an iPhone and posted to Instagram, went viral among young Mexicans who were inspired by his message about authenticity while simultaneously checking their Ring doorbells and ordering DoorDash. The irony was lost on everyone involved.
“We need to preserve pure Mexican culture,” Hernández explained during a follow-up interview at a McDonald’s in Mexico City, apparently unaware of where he was sitting. “Too many foreign corporations are diluting our national identity.” He then paused to answer a notification from Amazon about his recent Prime order. When the interviewer pointed out these contradictions, Hernández dismissed them as “different,” though he couldn’t articulate how.
The movement has identified several targets for its nationalist fervor, including American fast-food chains, which are incredibly popular in Mexico, and Spanish linguistic influence, which has only been shaping Mexican Spanish for approximately 500 years. According to Mexican census data, the country’s relationship with foreign influence is complicated, nuanced, and cannot be reduced to bumper sticker slogans, but bumper sticker slogans are much easier to fit on social media posts.
Protesters have organized rallies outside American chain restaurants, demanding they leave Mexico immediately. The protests typically last about two hours before participants get hungry and quietly slip inside for lunch, reasoning that “tactical tacos from Taco Bell don’t count as betraying the movement.” One organizer was photographed holding a “Mexico for Mexicans” sign in one hand and a Frappuccino in the other, creating what sociologists call “cognitive dissonance as performance art.”
The campaign has developed an extensive list of foreign things that must be removed from Mexico to restore authentic culture. The list includes American movies (despite Mexicans loving Marvel films), European fashion brands (despite everyone wearing them), Asian electronics (despite everyone using them), and Spanish colonial architecture (despite it being everywhere and economically important for tourism). When asked what would be left after removing all foreign influence, one activist responded, “Pure Mexican culture,” then struggled to define what that meant beyond “stuff from before but without acknowledging that ‘before’ also involved foreign influence.”
Historians have attempted to explain that Mexican culture has always been a synthesis of indigenous, Spanish, African, and other influences, making “pure” Mexican culture a fictional concept. These historians were immediately denounced as “traitors to the motherland” and “probably working for American intelligence.” According to professional historical organizations, this is a common response when nationalism encounters factual accuracy.
The movement reached peak contradiction when organizers launched a GoFundMe (an American platform) to fund their anti-American cultural campaign. The fundraiser description, written in Spanish heavily influenced by English syntax, called for donations to help “make Mexico Mexican again,” a slogan that definitely wasn’t inspired by any recent American political campaigns. The organizers insisted any similarity was coincidental and that suggesting otherwise was “gringo propaganda.”
Mexican businesses have responded to the campaign with confusion, as many Mexican-owned companies operate as franchises of foreign brands. “Am I betraying my country by owning a Subway franchise?” asked María Gonzalez, a small business owner in Guadalajara. “I’m Mexican, my employees are Mexican, our customers are Mexican, but apparently we’re not Mexican enough because we sell sandwiches using a business model from another country. I’m very confused.”
The government has largely ignored the campaign, correctly assessing that it will fade once participants realize that modern life involves international integration whether they like it or not. Meanwhile, the movement continues to organize protests via WhatsApp (owned by Meta, an American company) while wearing Nike shoes and complaining about cultural imperialism. The revolution, it seems, will not only be televised but will also be sponsored by multinational corporations.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/mexico-for-the-mexicans/
SOURCE: Mexico for the Mexicans (Aisha Muharrar)
