Respect (respeto) is an important value in Mexican culture that represents equality, fairness, and democratic spirit. Mexicans tend to emphasize differences in gender, status, and age more than North Americans. Indigenous people will address whites with titles like "señor" as a sign of respect. Mexicans also celebrate death in their holidays with symbols, songs, and dances. Historical stereotypes show that Mexicans viewed North Americans as cold and emotionless while North Americans saw Mexicans as emotional, primitive, and in need of instruction.
Respect (respeto) is an important value in Mexican culture that represents equality, fairness, and democratic spirit. Mexicans tend to emphasize differences in gender, status, and age more than North Americans. Indigenous people will address whites with titles like "señor" as a sign of respect. Mexicans also celebrate death in their holidays with symbols, songs, and dances. Historical stereotypes show that Mexicans viewed North Americans as cold and emotionless while North Americans saw Mexicans as emotional, primitive, and in need of instruction.
Respect (respeto) is an important value in Mexican culture that represents equality, fairness, and democratic spirit. Mexicans tend to emphasize differences in gender, status, and age more than North Americans. Indigenous people will address whites with titles like "señor" as a sign of respect. Mexicans also celebrate death in their holidays with symbols, songs, and dances. Historical stereotypes show that Mexicans viewed North Americans as cold and emotionless while North Americans saw Mexicans as emotional, primitive, and in need of instruction.
■ Respect (respeto) in Mexico is an emotionally charged word bound
up with values of equality, fair play, and democratic spirit.
■ In conversations, Mexicans tend to maximize differences between persons due to gender, status, or age in contrast to North Americans who often minimize them. Mexicans generally defer to one of higher authority by using such titles as “señor” or “don” to note social standing. Indigenous people will address whites as “señor” as a sign of respect due them for their race. ■ Mexicans live with a sense of death, and celebrate it in their holidays or feast days, even with disguises, toys, confections, song and dance. Exhibit 12.3 may be helpful in contrasting perceptions between Americans and their neighbors to the south.4
EXHIBIT 12.3 HISTORICAL STEREOTYPES4
Mexican Mexican N. American
Value View of View of View of N. American Affected N. American Self Mexican View of Self Self-Control Cold, insensitive, Deal passively Emotional, volatile, Rational, calm, emotionless with stress, feminine, masculine, deals saying “ni undisciplined actively with stress modo” when through discipline something in life doesn’t go to plan Type of Condescending, Traditional, Primitive, in need Advanced, Civilization contradictory, technically of instruction on responsible for not credible inferior, “how to do things” showing others morally how to have superior democracy and free trade Racial Attitude Indiscriminate Social classes Indigenous people Racially superior. racism. Can’t have subtle are inferior, and Culturally distinguish high- shades; whiter mestizos combine heterogeneous, class Mexican is better; the the worst features but racially from Indian masses cannot of both races. The homogeneous; be elevated treatment of the racial intermixing anyway. lower classes is not acceptable North unjust, and Americans therefore higher should be able classes deserve no to distinguish respect between high and low classes and accept high- class individuals as equals
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