Federico Reyes Heroles
In memory of Claudio Isaac’s restless intelligence.
Life is full of twists and turns. Trump became world famous for his ostentatious use of lies, thousands of falsehoods with which he swindled the Americans. In the south of his country, something very similar happened. Thanks to efforts like Luis Estrada’s, we learned of the impact of the machine gun of lies in the mañaneras. The Mexican style surpassed Trump’s by 30% in the final count. Without any restraint, the blasts here continued their unbridled march. Today, we know of the perversions that the blast provoked, both in the perception and the citizens’ culture. Anything to be astonished about?
A recent study (Data OPM-Estepaís) shows that Mexicans no longer consider corruption a major problem. Behind thousands of expressions affirming that we are here… and corruption is over, the authoritarian megaphone buried Segalmex and other scandals. However, the vast majority consider the fight failed; corruption continues! Finally!
Several thinkers, such as Rob Riemen or Timothy Snyder, shed light on this perversion: the lie. Snyder even established stages in the social destruction of truth: 1. the non-verification by the media, 2. the repetition of lies (Goebbels dixit) until the truth is rewritten, 3. the concealment of contradictions, 4. the faith in the “messiahs of the people”, they incarnate the truth. In six years, the incipient democratic reflexes of Mexican society were diluted. Thus, the ratification of continuity took place. Colophon: to end with a stroke of a pen, the autonomous organizations with the capacity to point out falsehoods and accredit truths.
In 2024, Trump returned, they preferred his lies—the consequences there were also severe. About 70% of the population did not recognize any economic achievement of Biden. There were. Today, migrants are pandemonium. But the lies stumble. Now, given the open confrontations between liars about the role of Mexican workers in the US, the “caravans” of migrants, the fate of Chinese cars arriving in Mexico, or the damage of transgenic corn on human beings, or the strange shipments of oil to Cuba and many others, both presidents will have to prove their statements with truths—ironies of life.
Are Mexicans displacing Americans, or…are they no longer interested in those jobs? How many migrants have been detained here? Are we hiding Chinese imports or not? Data and positions are binary: yes or no. From the outset, there will be a problem for the Mexican government: being judge and party in the discussions. Something very different would be with independent actors -several would give their figures in the automotive sector, and the same would be valid with migrants. Several organizations have been following this phenomenon for decades. That is precisely why it is helpful to have independent and authorized voices not part of the discussion.
For many years, the idea of creating an organization called “Friends of NAFTA” or “Friends of North America” has been around. Canadians, Americans, and Mexicans are all intertwined by the fantastic commercial exchange the treaties have brought about. Voices that help – at times like these, when the skirmish only causes more confusion – to focus the debate. How strong is the Mexican government’s authoritarian ambition to become the sole voice in all matters? Suppose there were significant educational advances; who -independently- could accredit them? The same applies to security, where, at last, there seems to be a turnaround. If the figures come only from those directly responsible for guaranteeing it, they can be disqualified from the outset.
Let’s leave ethics behind and pursue pure pragmatism. Centralism and authoritarianism are tortuous and inefficient politically. Governing in democracy is simpler.
Now they go by themselves.
Further Reading: