The Poor Rich Girls of Mexico

[ordnance11]

I was looking at an article on Slate:
The Poor Little Rich Girls of Mexico

A couple of thoughts went through my head...
Okaaay..she looks like a slut..a hot slut, but still..lol. Especially #1 and #3
These are not sets...these are rooms in houses they own!? Geeze, Trump and Snooki et al must be gnashing their teeth in envy!
And one observation...these are wives and daughters of the ruling elite..and it look like 1 of them may be a mestizo (Mixed Indian and European blood). The rest of them are creoles ( Mexicans of pure European descent). What kind of political and economic system allows these folks to live like this?
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

[Dragonflight]

Well, you're talking about a political elite that is probably paid a ludicrous amount of bribe money to ignore all the blatant drug trafficking in their country.
Because, honestly? Even though they probably don't have the manpower to stop it, if they really wanted to end it, they could invite the American army to party in Mexico for a year or so, and oh by the way, bring a few tank divisions and Apache gunship wings with you while you're here.
I feel sorry for those girls. I imagine they all live pretty narrowly defined lives. They do anything which reflects badly on their families, they either get cut off, or hidden away from the high society they hobnob with. For most of those girls, that's probably the only avenue they have for regular socialization.
---
Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do.

[Werehawk]

Not so much a drug smuggling issue as the fact that it's pretty typical for Latin America for the most part. Pretty much a lwgacy of how the independence movements in Latin America in the 19th century took form which were pretty much an example of local rich landholders taking the opportunity of the chaos from the Napoleonic wars to claim power and break away from the Spanish Empire whose administration was very caste driven if you wanted to rise very high you had to be born in Spain or have Spanish parents if you were born in the colonies from second or third generation colonists you were limited in how far you could rise as for mestizos and natives or descendants of slaves you were far more limited in your options...

A lot of the richer upper class families are of Criollo descent from the original Spaniard landholders or the descendants of the Factors and representatives of the 19th century European trade companies or later immigrants from Europe and Middle East. In the case of the old money families they tend to be very inbred as they tend to marry whom their families want them to retain control of the family fortunes with some of the issues that arise in such inbred groupings.

There's also the tendency in many countries to have family owned monopoly companies that have a stranglehold on certain parts of the economy. In Guatemala for example you have Novela family which owns the sole Cement factory in the country (Cementos Progreso) and Cerveceria Centro Americana (Cervesa Gallo) which is owned by the Castillo Family being the country's sole beer producer.
--Werehawk--
My mom's brief take on upcoming Guatemalan Elections "In last throes of preelection activities. Much loudspeaker vote pleading."

[ECSNorway]

Indeed. Corruption is pretty much endemic in these countries, at least partially because the idea of nationalism hasn't really sunk in. These aren't third-world countries, either, Mexico, India, and the like are the so-called "Second World".

The problem is that the attitude of "My clan/family/tribe is more important than my nation" is endemic. Cronyism is the name of the day, and power exists to serve the clan before the good of the nation. Someone who gets a high-level job and doesn't use it to provide cushy sinecures for his less-capable-but-still-ambitious relatives is looked at as being, not civic-minded, but dangerously insane, because he won't support his family when he has the ability to.

Add in the fact that many of them still honestly believe that they are nobles lording it over peasants, and that they -deserve- it by virtue of birth...
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Dragonflight]

Someone who gets a high-level job and doesn't use it to provide cushy sinecures for his less-capable-but-still-ambitious relatives is looked at as being, not civic-minded, but dangerously insane, because he won't support his family when he has the ability to.

That is seriously screwed up. I can't imagine a society where the people would look down on someone for not using his power and influence to squirrel away as much power and wealth as the job allowed for their families as he could.
---
Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do.

[ECSNorway]

Someone who gets a high-level job and doesn't use it to provide cushy sinecures for his less-capable-but-still-ambitious relatives is looked at as being, not civic-minded, but dangerously insane, because he won't support his family when he has the ability to.

That is seriously screwed up. I can't imagine a society where the people would look down on someone for not using his power and influence to squirrel away as much power and wealth as the job allowed for their families as he could.

Unfortunately that is pretty much 90% of the world outside of the USA and Canada.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[CattyNebulart]

Unfortunately that is pretty much 90% of the world outside of the USA and Canada.

From living in America I would say pretty much everywhere outside of Europe, Canada and New Zeeland, with some parts at least trying to improve themselves some of the time but backsliding often like the USA.
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

[ECSNorway]

A good chunk of Europe gets it too, Catty, especially France, Italy, and the Balkans.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[CattyNebulart]

A good chunk of Europe gets it too, Catty, especially France, Italy, and the Balkans.

Granted, for Italy and the Balkans, though France? While everybody likes to rag on the French that is not one of the things they are typicaly known for. And as someone from northern/central Europe any thing south or east of the alps is so very different that it can hardly be considered the same as Europe proper regardless of what the maps say. :p
E: "Did they... did they just endorse the combination of the JSDF and US Army by showing them as two lesbian lolicons moving in together and holding hands and talking about how 'intimate' they were?"
B: "Have you forgotten so soon? They're phasing out Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

[Black Aeronaut]

Geographical isolation. Just gotta love what it does to cultures.