One of the characteristics of the 70 year PRI reign in México was its alliances with the cultural elite. If the neocons of the Bush clan in the beginning began to blame the malaise that affected American society on Hollywood only to then raise ’acceptable’ cultural icons at a later stage (for example when elections came around) then the PRI resorted to more crude methods to achieve the same goals. Questionable methods that so far have not been spoken of such as intimidation, cerrando filas as it is said in spanish, and coertion and influence peddling.
México has always had its cradle of cultural elitism based in DF. So the cultural establishment has always been on a short leash in México. The direction of the movement of whatsoever cultural movement has always had its defenders, often on the payroll of government, and its detractors, who are also on the goverment payroll, yet attain its sacrosanct aura of which my conciudadano Federico Campbell spoke of recently here.
Though allow me to open a parentisis here regarding my fellow conciudadano. I believe there is no word in english that is equivalent of that word in spanish. Federico is making a distinction that is in accord with the accepted notion that writers need to be universal. I agree that there needs to be a universal of humanity in the writer and of what he writes but I am afraid that we, as a people, as a people of Tijuana, are far from it. Ironically enough, while my fellow conciudadano says that it is good that there aren’t any feelings of sacrosanctness in the mexican writer he places himself there, in a sacrosanct position that challenges us to try and dethrone it. I believe that we need to be rural, we need to stay within our borders to explore ourselves. So that when our eyes look further than the horizon we can see and compare and come to a just conclusion about human affairs. What my conciudadano then is saying is a parroting of what is already known and adding very little new to the real debacle that the mexican cultural bearer has to contend with. Our reality, as border town has to be explored, we must understand our demons and our angels within the very fabric of our being to udnerstand ourselves better. End of parantheses.
So México and its powers to be have an unholy alliance with the cultural establishment. It has continued uninterrupted even to this day.
One of the bearers of this alliance is called the CISEN. México’s CIA. It is in charge to keep an eye on the population though it contravenes the constitution and its history is marred with accusations of evesdropping on all sorts of public citizens throughtout its natural institutional history. There hasn’t been a period of government administration that has abused this institution for its own personal gain, sort of what the Bush clan has done with the CIA.
Which brings me to the next point, is the mexican blogsphere infected with CISEN agents?
Historically, the CISEN has had a covert operation, sort of like mandate, that it must keep mexicans on a short ideological leash, whoever speaks of México must do so in accord with accepted norm so as to keep the false notion that México is a homogenous nation. Kind of like following a style book at a newspaper office. Things must be done in accord with what the DF wants. Hence the shutting down of dissenting voices that go against the grain, the voices that differ radically with the notions that are disseminated with the approval of the big honchos at the top. That is why one hardly hears from Yaqui voices in the desert and when one does it occurs under the narrative of the ’victim’ tale.
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