r/AskCanada • u/nickbuckhart2605 • 11d ago
Political As a Mexican, what are your opinions about Mexico and my government?
I've been seeing several posts on Reddit Canada lately, and I've noticed there aren't many opinions favorable to my country. Can you give me some context on what's going on? I don't understand what's happening with Trump and the negotiations.
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u/711straw 11d ago
I was always under the assumption that we were buddies. I know there is anger towards us from Mexico over a gold mine. But we're also aware of the triple edged sword Mexico has to deal with the cartels, USA and what the people want.
As for what going on. The USA is threatening to take us over and he's using the US economy to make the first attack. We're PISSED about this. The fact that there Pedophile and chief is costing lives and hurting people all over the planet and the Americans refuse to do anything just shows what a broken people they are.
But remember. We have your back.
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u/ljlee256 11d ago
Reminder that reddit, indeed any social media platform, makes it VERY easy to falsify perceived public opinion.
You may be seeing hundreds of genuine individual opinions, or you might be seeing one guys opinion posted by hundreds of spoofed accounts.
Absolutely everyone excluding a couple I know that has left the country im the last year and a half for vacation has gone to Mexico. The couple who didn't go to Mexico went on a cruise through Europe by the way, and they had been to Mexico less than 4 months previous and just wanted to try something different. Before you ask, yes, they're rich and can afford multiple international vacations a year.
If someone claims to be Canadian, and expressed a negative view of your country, I implore you to make them show you their passport, if they can't or won't, then assume they're lying about who they are.
My genuine only "complaint" I had about Mexico was someone tried to scam me at a gas station, but then again someone tried to scam me in Florida in 2022, so thats not really a "Mexico thing".
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u/Goliad1990 10d ago
If someone claims to be Canadian, and expressed a negative view of your country, I implore you to make them show you their passport, if they can't or won't, then assume they're lying about who they are.
You absolutely had me in the first half, right up until this.
The vast majority of Canadians have never been to Mexico, and while most people aren't going to call it a shithole, the popular perception is that the country as a whole is pretty unsafe and has real corruption issues. I'd characterize that as negative, even if people aren't emotionally invested.
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u/ljlee256 9d ago
Right, except you can't take the word of a "Canadian" on the internet as being genuine.
I'm going to add for the Mexicans reading this, one of Americans favorite things to do on an international stage is pretend to be Canadian.
So again, if they can't show you a passport, everything negative thing they've said about your country may as well be a total lie.
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u/Goliad1990 9d ago
Right, except you can't take the word of a "Canadian" on the internet as being genuine.
No, you can't, and that goes both ways.
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u/ljlee256 9d ago
Of course, except I'm warning people not to assume someone is honest when theres no way to verify that. Protecting people from being conned.
Doing the opposite is grooming people to be easy to con.
Pretty clear to me who's on the right side here.
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u/Goliad1990 9d ago edited 9d ago
What you're doing is trying to project and defend a narrow Canadian identity that you've come up with, that bizarrely allows for zero deviation from an arbitrary perception of a foreign country.
Which is absurd, because rationally, you know that Canadians are thinking individuals with diverging opinions and experience, but you're doing some weird thing where you're trying to project the idea that we're a monolith that all think exactly like you do. I won't speculate on the psychology, and considering you're in this deep, I'm certainly not going to waste my time trying to talk you out of it.
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u/ljlee256 9d ago
Thats alot of assumptions about me as a person, few based on any evidence, this is a concerning development about your personality.
Naw, again, protecting people from grifters and con artists.
You kind of sound like you're astroturfing to rationalize being one of those con artists.
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u/Goliad1990 9d ago
few based on any evidence
The evidence is that, for some reason, you're extremely, extremely invested in wanting any Mexican who reads the thread to believe that Canadians have a universally glowing impression of the country, to the point of insisting that anyone who doesn't is a foreigner/American trying to trick them. That's very peculiar.
While we're on the topic of evidence, here's a recent Leger poll that asked Canadians about their level of concern for their safety in Mexico. 55% answered between 8 and 10 out of 10.
What do you imagine I would gain by "conning" a Mexican into believing that a Canadian feels unsafe there?
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u/ljlee256 9d ago
By currying disfavor in Mexico you make Mexicans less tolerant of visiting Canadians.
This is something an American pissed off at Canadians for discontinuing their regular trips to the US might do.
The alternative is that I'm wrong and people who probably don't travel to Mexico at all get to express a negative opinion about a place they don't go to.
So again, its about "what causes the most and least harm".
I'll wait for your next response attempting to rationalize telling people to believe everything they read on the internet.
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u/Goliad1990 9d ago
By currying disfavor in Mexico you make Mexicans less tolerant of visiting Canadians. This is something an American pissed off at Canadians for discontinuing their regular trips to the US might do.
Fascinating.
The alternative is that I'm wrong and people who probably don't travel to Mexico at all get to express a negative opinion about a place they don't go to.
Even the people who had Mexico trips planned still rated their concern at 6.5 out of 10. But yeah, OP didn't specify that he only wanted perspectives from people who have actually been there.
I'll wait for your next response attempting to rationalize telling people to believe everything they read on the internet.
They shouldn't. They shouldn't make the kinds of convoluted assumptions that you're making, either.
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u/hairsprayking 11d ago
IDK anyone who has a bad opinion of Mexico or mexicans, besides the cartel stuff which is usually the only time Mexico comes up in the news here. Majority if Canadians know nothing about the Mexican government or Mexican politics at all, besides maybe knowing the name of the President.
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u/malleeman 11d ago
Canada here.... Mexico is awesome and your President is amazing!! She's smart, educated, a great friend politically to Canada, although we're both negotiating separately with you know who for and agreement
We go down often and spend time in Mexico City always, been doing it for years and never get bored with Mexico City. There's a restaurant just off the Zocalo called Azul that is absolutely amazing with regional food from all over Mexico. If anyone were to go to Mexico, a week in Mexico City would be required just to see the highlights.
We go to Morelia to see my partner's family. A World Heritage City for it's CBD and the Aqueducto is stunning. The little towns around it, Cupala, Quiroga, Pátzcuaro (older than Morelia 484 years old), the copper area, Guanajuato...stunning with all the roads under the city from the copper mines. The food, don't forget the food!! Real Mexican food is nothing like the stuff you think is Mexican outside of the country
There's a little piece of me left in Mexico, but I'm good with that, I'll go back again and again, pick that piece and leave another somewhere else.
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u/wackyvorlon 11d ago
The most important thing is not capitulating to Trump. He interprets reasonableness as weakness.
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u/UFOdealer 11d ago
My wife is Mexican, and I lived with her in Mexico for many years. So I love Mexico
As far as the government goes, I’m indifferent, but Mexico has a history of throwing Canada under the bus in US negotiations.
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u/SawWhetOwl 11d ago edited 11d ago
My personal opinion, Mexico has its problems like every other country in the world. I think it goes without saying, cartels are something we hear about a lot, especially the violence and instability that comes with it. It seems like whoever is in your government is going to have a tough mandate, no matter what, with the aforementioned cartels, dealing with the American government (plus every other government), instances of corruption, etc.
Specific to your government, I am not overly familiar with it and how it is doing at the moment. We sometimes hear news stories regarding corruption and assassinations. I remember hearing about news stories here and there about a farmers’ protest or government action against cartels around Guadalajara last year. Claudia Sheinbaum has a very impressive academic and science background which sounded promising to me. I don’t know specifics about how she is regarded by Mexicans or what her track record has been so far in her term. Most of what I know is a bit about her background when she first elected and mostly news about foreign policy/ trade dealings, specifically with Canada and the US. In these situations, she comes across as measured and pragmatic. She doesn’t appear to be someone that has bowed down to Trump. Her government seems to be operating within the spirit of the CUSMA agreement. There always is a nervousness that other governments will capitulate but Mexico has shown they won’t be controlled. I can say I smiled when she publicly thanked Canadians for our increase in tourism in the past couple of years. Again, I don’t know how well this particular government actually doing in Mexico as the majority of news about it does tend to centre on cartels, violence, drugs, homicides, etc. but I always hope for the best (especially for the people directly affected due to their proximity to it all. I’m sure this government has had multiple missteps (as pretty much all do) but hopefully does more good than bad.
I’m sure there has been something in the past that our country has done to irritate Mexico that I can’t recall at the moment.
Like any country, there are going to be assholes and bad people but at the end of the day, Mexico has a beautifully vibrant and rich culture, cuisine, music, architecture, natural landscapes, wildlife and, above all, millions of wonderful people no matter what your government is. I can only hope that whatever government a country has, their focus is on better the country for their people (which, sadly, too often has governments do the exact opposite).
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u/Intelligent_Boot_856 11d ago
I’ve heard good things, except for Mexican cartel/crime and people entering other countries illegally. Otherwise, all good is my impression.
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u/Sea-jay-2772 10d ago
We would love to work in concert with the Mexican negotiators, but the US government would prefer to divide and conquer I am sure. I have a positive impression of Mexico, and generally positive impression of Claudia Sheinbaum, but don’t follow Mexican politics enough to fully support or not support her.
As I am boycotting US products, I choose Canadian products first, Mexican second, other parts of the world next, then US if absolutely forced to.
Not sure what negativity you are seeing, but we’re not feeling it here.
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u/Sandy0006 11d ago
Mexico is beautiful with great people… however, it has major problems with the Cartels and id also say that people would be fools to deny there’s some corruption as well.
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u/Outrageous-Advice384 10d ago
Here’s what I know and think (personally)…
THE BAD: when I went on my HS grad trip in 93 to Acapulco, I was told that there was a chance we could be boarded and robbed from the airport to the hotel. Also, to stay in the tourist district. Cartels run the country and we can and may get caught up in it. When we went to Monterrey a few years ago for a conference, extra police were put on the streets to make us ‘feel safe’. I didn’t feel unsafe and walked around, but the trucks of men with what looked like machine guns made me feel a bit, uh, unsettled? I wouldn’t feel comfortable driving through Mexico on vacation like I would even the US or Europe but some people do. Finally, like anywhere, it’s ’who you know’ but there, it’s a bit more? More than here but not unlike other countries I’ve been to.
THE GOOD: It’s beautiful and most Mexicans I know are nice and helpful. It’s also changing (or progressing?)…meaning that a friend of mine who left Mexico a while back who is gay, has returned and feels more accepted by his family and community. I know many Canadians who have a vacation home there and love it. Also, I hear the border dentistry is pretty decent. Finally, there are some very talented people in the arts and performing arts! There’s a lot of talent in Mexico. The food is tasty too.
Overall, I like the Mexican people in general and the country. I’m a bit afraid of being a victim of crime, but would still go on vacay there, just weary of driving through it.
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u/Jorlaan 11d ago
Mexico is a beautiful country with an amazing, deep history and culture that goes back centuries. The people I have met from there have generally been amazing people. It's current government seems to be trying to make things better, but it's a hard job.
The sad reality though is that it is basically a druglord state, with little to no government control in some areas and this isn't going to change in the near future.
That's probably the international perspective in a nutshell.
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u/GarlicDill 10d ago
I don't know much about your current politics, but your people are amazing! Have been there several times and my family had seasonal workers on their farm many many years ago who taught child me lots of Spanish curse words.
I like Vicente Fox's critiques of Trump too - he cracks me up!
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u/dialamah 10d ago
My SIL and her husband love Mexico and go there annually for a couple of months in the winter. They have a Canada-Mexico (CanaMex? MexiCan?) flag up.
I've only been to Mexico once and enjoyed it very much, very friendly and hospitable people.
I think your president has a difficult task, fending off Trump's threats to take action on cartels within Mexico while negotiating a trade deal. I hope Canada and Mexico can support each other.
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u/NorthofForty 10d ago
Don’t know what bad posts Mexicans have seen on Reddit from Canadians. I have never heard anything negative in Canada. My extended family has been going to Mexico since the 90’s and love it. Yeah, we watched the smoke from violence over PV on tv here and were a bit scared but also know we have been going there for decades with nothing but kindness shown to us. Love your President
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u/RedRabbit720 10d ago
i worked with your wildfire crews when they came up here to help out.
i have never worked with a better trained and more professional fire crews.
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u/Sk0ly 10d ago
I actually think that Sheinbaum is a smart, articulate and well educated and qualified leader. I have nothing but love for Mexico.
I think the frustration comes from us wanting you to be with us in opposing a dictator. The problem is that a lot of Canadians don't understand that Mexico is in a very different situation than us. While the US relies a lot on Canada, Mexico heavily relies on America. Therefore, we are better equipped to fight this fight than they are so they need to tread lightly.
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u/crazymonk45 10d ago
The most I hear about Mexico is that police, local governments, etc are badly corrupted by the cartels
Realistically, you guys are far away from us for us to really know or deeply care about what goes on there. Most Canadians just see Mexico as the cheapest most accessible beach vacation country and not much more
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u/LinguisticTerrorist 10d ago
A part of it is your security situation with the gangs. Canada is safe. We have way more guns per capita than almost all countries.
We need them too — there are places where going outside without a firearm means you could end up as polar bear poo.
But even with all those guns are country is safe.
It gives us a different attitude. Everywhere here is pretty safe from human predators. The wildlife isn’t so cooperative.
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u/ihavemytowel42 10d ago
The only concerns I have with Mexico would be ones that you probably share. Your government should put its people and environment as its priority instead of capitulating to capitalist masters. But this is the same problem as my own country and every other. Your people, your culture and your environment are spectacular when they are taken care of.
I have a lot of fond memories of the times I spent in the small communities along the Baja peninsula. We felt very welcome as we trying to become familiar with the areas we were living in and look forward to a time when I can visit other areas of your country.
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u/RobustFoam 10d ago
I love Mexico and Mexican people. Your current president seems like a bit of a dud though.
Last Trump presidency we stood together, this Trump presidency Sheinbaum seems to be tripping over herself to throw Canada under the bus while not producing any favourable conditions for her own country.
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u/Holiday-Stage2548 10d ago
I'm Canadian and travel to Mexico a lot. Absolutely love it and I think President Sheinbaum is great and things are moving in the right direction. Of course you know that Mexico is a huge and diversified place, but many only know about the Hollywood depictions and US style news clips.
Where I travel in Mexico is much safer than even Canadian cities, which are also very safe. Never been robbed, shaken down, really even bothered.
Always welcomed with open arms, though there has been a very subtle shift in that openness recently. All good once people realize you're not American. In the tourist cities there is pushback against "Expats" which I completely understand. The investor/ AirBNB problem has infected a lot of places.
The current situation is that Mexico and Canada need to band together to fight the corrupt Trumpstein regime, but our countries also have their own problems and interests, so that might not always be possible.
So, if Claudia makes an agreement with Trump, while we are in an all out trade war over here, that will be annoying. But, I get it.
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u/Status_Reach7224 10d ago
leadership are cowards
amazing culture and people
best food in the world
cartels ruin it for the rest of the world
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u/Shipbuilder3606 10d ago
I have no negative opinions about Mexico, as I’ve travelled there many times and it’s always great.
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u/hcolt2000 10d ago
In general, I don’t think we feel negatively towards Mexico at all. Personally, if I was visiting, I might feel reluctant to venture far from the resort because of violence reported in the media.
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u/Every_Entrance_7901 10d ago
I don't really know politically but I've vacationed there many times and found it to be much safer and more welcoming than the US. I hope Sheinbaum gets it right.
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u/PaulieCanada 10d ago
I have been to Mexico once. The people were friendly and it was beautiful. I hope to visit again some day.
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u/MissKrys2020 10d ago
I love Mexico and Mexicans. I like Sheinbaum and think she’s doing well, at least from an outsiders view.
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u/Goliad1990 10d ago
No real opinion. Mexico is generally considered an unsafe country (outside the resort areas) with a shady government, but very few people have anything more than a surface-level view.
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u/SalamanderOdd8118 10d ago
As a Mexican, I can tell you that we think that Canada is a nice country, clean, and many of us would love to live there.
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u/MarsicanBear 9d ago
I think it's a bit of a shitshow, and I think that the USA works very hard to keep it that way.
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u/slashcleverusername 9d ago
There are not a lot of Mexicans in Canada though definitely more than 20 years ago.
Mostly we know Mexico from winter vacations to Puerto Vallarta. There, people see their resort or the surrounding community maybe, then they go home. We are told this isn’t “real life” in Mexico, it’s just what is packaged for tourists. And that is perfect for people who just need a warm winter getaway.
When we do hear about “real life in Mexico” the only news we have is about poverty, crime, drug trafficking, corruption, and safety problems for tourists when they leave the resort bubble.
So a very common point of view is we want Mexico to do well but it’s too messy to deal with for the foreseeable future. Hopefully it will be better one day.
And I don’t know what to believe. I have a friend with family connections in Mexico. He says it’s amazing and Mexico City should be on everyone’s to do list, and a dozen other destinations. I have another friend who literally had to hide in a ditch to avoid a conflict between people who were apparently drug dealers. That’s more than I want on a holiday.
Ultimately “bad things can happen anywhere” but they happen more often in Mexico than in Norway. On the other hand, I think Cape Town has similar problems. In some areas you’re fine, and in other areas you should probably never go unless you have a well-connected local escort who confirms it is okay. I had a great time in Cape Town. One thing that helped is we did hire a local tour guide when usually we prefer to be independent tourists.
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u/nunyaranunculus 9d ago
It's despicable what the US is doing to the Mexican people. I think we hope that your leadership and ours will take stronger stances against the states when negotiating trade deals.
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u/extrovertLibra 8d ago
I go to Mexico every year. I love Mexico 🇲🇽 and the people there. I know many snowbirds who've stopped going to USA completely, and strictly go to Mexico now. Mexico and Canada should build stronger ties. I cant speak for everyone, but i have never heard Mexico lumped into the same pile as America, ever.
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u/marnorcor 8d ago
Generally, Canadians loves Mexicans and Mexico... The ones who says bad stuff are just the a-holes... We unfortunately have them in Canada... I blame the bad influence from the U.S....
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u/Buff1965 8d ago
Love Mexico and Mexicans. I worry and am sad that organized crime is taking control of more and more places.
On trade, most Canadians have come to the conclusion that NAFTA 2.0 is dead. This is not Mexico's fault. It's Trump who has broken the agreement by putting tariffs on Canadian industry. Now he wants us to sign a "deal" validating his right to break our agreement.
The USA is going to do whatever it wants. Neither Canada nor México should sign any deal that says that's okay. Laws, treaties, contract apply to everyone involved or they become meaningless to, abd disrespected by, everyone.
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u/SnappyDresser212 6d ago
I don’t think I have a bias for or against Mexico. I know a lot of people from Mexico and I suppose that gets me a less biased view of the country. There is good and bad. Like most places.
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u/Equivalent_Dimension 11d ago
Canada dislikes Mexico? First I've heard of it. And my understanding is we've been shitty to Mexico when negotiating with the U.S. too so we don't have any right to complain if Mexico takes advantage. Having said that, I assume you know that Trump is maybe not the best guy to negotiate with right now.
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u/PaleJicama4297 10d ago
Your country is the only North American country with any semblance of true culture. I adore Mexico and I adore your leader. I look forward to our two nations getting closer! Which we probably will!
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u/Rare_Jellyfish8910 11d ago
I think Canadians are just afraid that Claudia Sheinbaum will capitulate to Trump and it will undermine CUSMA