Last Thursday, Nicholas Allen and I had a public conversation on the occasion of the anniversary of the death of Manuel José Othon, in the Palacio Municipal de San Luis Potosi. This palace was the residence of Bishop Montes de Oca, scholar and humanist who sponsored the country's Catholic culture, when the term "Catholic culture" no one seemed an oxymoron.
Upon returning from this whirlwind trip, but it was a slow flash, because the road suffered some unfortunate accident, I found a picture of the country's capital, I seems somehow portrays our inclinations. (Come to think, the accident reinforces that image.)
The Bus Station, embarrassing as most bus stations in the country, smelly, disorganized, lit up like a madman I was greeted with potholes and beggars in uniform. I approached taxi monopoly, which seemed more like the looting. We had a hard time leaving the central area and take the road axis Cuauhtémoc - eagle falling - because some traffic lights not working, second signal disgrace, they should prepare for troubles ahead. Move one or two miles until we passed a parking space in the middle lane, surrounded by hundreds of cars. The driver told me: "There pilgrimage." Is there a most singular idea that joining a pilgrimage to the basilica, in the middle of February, months of rancor and usefulness? For thousands and thousands of Mexicans took it and put it into practice. State of Mexico and Mexicans, since they came mostly from Toluca, a city famous for dyeing green chorizo. As time passed, cars needlessly consumed gallons of imported gasoline and subsidized to not say that our taxes are not working. The radius of the driver stopped briefly miscellaneous advertisements and dyslexic drums for us to hear a string of clichés courtesy of Dr. Simi, Tsar of self-medication in Mexico and Central America, Menchú Mentigoberta partner, India and Nobel. Time, mixed with polumo, it was even thicker and the whirlwind trip was becoming a whipping (huáhuatl), more akin the rate at which the worm moves. Finally we crossed Avenida Chapultepec - hill of grasshoppers - but the release, like the blacks of South Africa, was only apparent. Reform had collapsed, now not only by pilgrims (many of which, probably because deep conviction, avoided traveling on the road of shame), but by a group of disgruntled teachers and illiterate (in that order) who protested against the Ministry of Interior. Fortunately, not many, just enough to let a few thousand children out of classes, closing the road axis and let me clear that our country ranges constantly between religious fanaticism and social protest, noise and dirt, hunger and the game, authoritarianism and chaos, laughter and calamity.
But there is no reason why depressed: that night on the news channel Conaculta cultural, presented to a guest "special" and "controversial" (sic), a certain Jaime Maussan. This individual was repeatedly identified as a man "controversial" but, at least for me, I work on that channel, its controversies have gone completely unnoticed. Who's to argue with? "Monsivais, Zayd, Poniatowska, Krauze, Villoro, or who? I do not know. Mr. Maussan presented a series of videos warning that they were "shocking" and left it perfectly clear he does not know the use of a tripod. He talked about intelligent beings from outer space who come to earth to contact people like himself or the idiots who appear in their videos within botargas strange beings who are not yet smart enough to realize that Mexico is just more interesting place in terms of knowledge earthlings are concerned, intelligent beings from outer space who forget to contact in Mexico Monsivais, Zayd, Poniatowska, or Villoro Krauze, which would undoubtedly be much more interesting to talk to individuals "controversial." But the important thing is that the Lord shared with us Maussan encouraging news: Mexico is a leader in research related to UFOs and other paranormal phenomena. We're on even the United States and Europe. In the time that Mr. Maussan said this, suddenly increased its credibility - of himself and the news. Viva Mexico!
