Quote:
Originally Posted by Zarley
Mexico is an upper middle income country and the majority of Mexicans are middle class people just like the majority of Canadians. Factoring purchasing power, most resort staff make a decent living, especially those who are bilingual. Not to say there aren't pockets of crippling poverty in Mexico and significant problems with income inequality, but I think your portrayal of the country is pretty dated. There's a reason Mexico has its own illegal immigration crisis at the border with Guatemala.
|
Spot on comment. His portrayal of Mexico is quite ignorant, and a typical soap box comment from someone wanting to white knight on a discussion forum.
My buddy actually worked at a couple of the resorts down in Playa Del Carmen, and made a reasonable living doing so. Working at the resort also gave him the opportunity to learn English and move to other properties throughout the company which is how he ended up in Canada.
Did he make a fortune working at the resorts down there, nope. That said, he had an apartment, owned a car, and has disposable income. He actually gets quite offended when people find out he worked at those resorts and ask him about getting paid a couple dollars a day. His general response is that you must have a problem with going to Banff or Lake Louise then, because the service industry workers there get treated no different than the ones at these resorts in Mexico. Like most Mexicans i've met, my buddy is extremely proud and always encourages people to visit his home. In fact, the last time I was there he insisted I leave the resort to go have dinner with his family (all of whom are working class down there) and their house. Was the house up to Canadian standards, definitely not. Were they on the brink of poverty? Nope. Just very happy and proud people.
And even if Mexico was just this impoverished wasteland built to cater to North American tourists, what would not going do other than take much needed jobs away from the local economy?
If there is a reason to not go to Mexico, it's the crime and cartels. I've been there about 15 times and I see it getting worse and worse. Tourist areas were completely off limits before, but that has definitely changed over the past couple of years. Never worried me before, but now it's starting to make me second guess going there. We've spent a lot of time in Cabo and that area is especially bad now which is a shame because it's a beautiful area and the people are super hospitable. There was even a shooting in the lobby of the resort we generally stay at.