Ruben Trevino - On Marketing

A great wall? Might not be a bad idea — as long as it comes with a mirror

A wall made of brick or just smoke? In this short essay I want to share my ideas and reflections inspired by a rainy autumn Sunday morning after months of an excess of information on the presidential elections in the USA. In Mexico we have our cultural and economic challenges influenced by a general feeling of confusion: who is moving into our neighbor’s house and how is it going to affect us? We have several trade agreements, educational exchanges; we share the water of the river which unites (or divides) us. We exchange music, food, vacations; I’ll give you a margarita and you give me a hamburger. A taco for a Bud.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. What happens on November 8th is something that will be decided just by American voters and the winner will impact the rest of the world…mainly the vecino del sur (south Rio Grande neighbor). For us, one candidate looks and feels “friendly” the other one claims he’ll “make America great again”.

How? By building a brick wall and deporting millions of undocumented Mexican migrants. The other candidate wants to build a new bridge.

USA voters will define the leader they choose to make or keep America great. They will decide the path to follow: an interactive bridge or a high-tech wall. The bridge already exists. The wall will be “built and paid for by the southern neighbor”. The bridge requires some maintenance; maybe an expansion. If destiny comes with a wall, it will be built and paid for by Mexicans. The layout would be ready mañana, the government will say. Maybe it will be done by the year 3000.

On this side, south of the border, I reflect: how can we make Mexico great again? Have we ever been great or perceived as such? Let’s take a look at ourselves in the mirror.

One of the recent years’ bridges came with NAFTA. Señor Trump wants to kill it or change the conditions, as long as they’re his. If he wins, he will meet with our “street-smart negotiators”. Maybe it’s not a bad idea. After NAFTA was implemented millions of campesinos — agricultural workers — went broke after the millions of US imported corn. Many of them migrated north the Rio Grande to be able to feed their families. Sadly the same clever negotiators did not plan for those implications, or for getting work options for those campesinos. Some others lost their businesses with the franchise invasion. Large USA retailers such as Walmart, HEB, and Home Depot also changed our cities’ landscapes, affecting small business that are not ready and did not have the resources to compete against them. The USA cultural invasion has been a popular subject for Mexican writers and intellectuals and maybe this is the moment for some evaluation on this side of the border. Why do we have to celebrate Halloween instead of el Día de Muertos/Day of the Dead? Are we willing to change our tacos and salsa for hotcakes and hamburgers? Do we really have to like Miley Cyrus? Do we really need to go to Wal-Mart and forever abandon the mercados, those popular markets owned and operated by very small entrepreneurs?

I encourage my Mexican fellows to check with the figurative mirror on the wall and try to find our actual and desired identity. For some, we became too gringo and some gringos don’t seem to appreciate that at all, not caring whether we drive Fords, eat at McDonalds, smoke Marlboros, shop at Home Depot and open our homes to dozens of Hollywood movies and series in our Sony screens made in Tijuana. Mexico became a paradise to international brands and we’re happy with that, paying a big price, both culturally and economically.

The smoke wall has already been erected. All the rhetoric created by migration combined with Trump’s hate speech showed an insight that was hidden in an important percentage of the USA’s population’s behavior. It already crated a devaluation for our Peso, making the US Dollar more expensive and ironically more attractive for potential migrant workers. For Trump supporters, we are not welcomed either with a legal or illegal status. With or without our background and context. Understood. Comprendido.

If some of us do travel north showing off the Gold American Express, the shopping experience will feel different: buy. Pay. Get out of here as soon as you can.

I remember a few years ago a decal in a pick-up truck saying: yes, California is beautiful. Now go back home. Ouch! Sadly, there are several signs spreading the same idea in several states creating stress and confusion; signs aimed even at Latinos born in the USA. In some future moment I wish we can still be good friends and look back at this moment as if it were a bad dream.

In conclusion, Trump’s wall, whether it be brick or smoke one, is a golden opportunity for Mexicans (south of the border) to reevaluate our past and present ASAP, hoy mismo; to expand our culture, to demand much more from our politicians and “street-smart” trade negotiators, to recover our values, to return to a lifestyle where happiness is not associated with economic success and expensive brands. Considering the fact that we have millions living in poverty that deserve an opportunity in their own country, we Mexicans have to start building our own mañana , whatever our good neighbors decide on the day of the election. In the meantime, whoever is north of the Rio Bravo who likes our relationship, respects our cultural and socio-economic differences and enjoys an authentic margarita at the Mayan Riviera, will always be welcomed by this friendly, southern neighbor.

Rubén Treviño — Author / Speaker / Marketer