Heading Home
Monday, March 22, 2010 at 3:38PM I'm sitting outside a restaurant in Cancun looking at the most gorgeous view of the beach & the ocean, beatiful azure waves tumbling assertively onto a never-ending ring of white sands. I came here for the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank, as part of my fellowship with the Americas Business Council. I learned a TON these last few days, about everything from the structure of the Mexican economy & the nation's history, to the structural deficiencies of the "War on Drugs" and the challenges of addressing global issues like Climate Change, in the absence of a global political framework for doing so.
Overall it's been an inspiring trip. We definitely tackled some tough & unpleasant issues, but at the same time I was surrounded by a really wonderful group of very talented people, who despite having already achieved major successes at a young age, are committed to doing more to create a more just society. One of the things we discussed that touched me the most was the issue of inequality in Latin America. For all it's faults the United States is quite distinctive in it's degree of internal social mobility. It's not that life is all good & fair for all Americans. But it is much harder to "make something of oneself" if you are born poor in Argentina or Chile or Mexico or Brazil, than if you are born poor in the U.S.
Americans love the cause of the underdog. The concept of "rags to riches" is a fundamental part of our cultural ethos. Life may not be fair in the United States, but we like to think that the power of the "American Dream" lies in the fact that anyone can dream it, irregardless of station. I have a lot of friends who severely decry the degree of inequality yet remaining in our society & the fact is we are becoming progressively MORE unequal rather than less. And yet the more I've been embarking on this mission to learn about & be a part of the upliftment of the Americas as a whole, the more I realize just how good we have it in the U.S.
There is not yet a thing as a "Latin American Dream" as far as I can see, at least not in the way we speak of the American Dream. If you are not born the scion of an influential person, it is near impossible that you will become a person of influence yourself. The political classes are not comprised of people who built themselves up, but rather from those who are of a lineage that has already scaled certain heights, often many generations ago. You are not so likely to see a Barack Obama or a Bill Clinton or a Sonya Sotomayor in the countries of LatAm. This not to say that no one ever rises above their station here - it is to say that it is infinitely more difficult and overwhelmingly less likely than in the U.S.
What is giving me inspiration is that this weekend we not only had substantive conversations about the nature of social immobility & inequality in the region, but we created a structure and a plan for implementing some of the changes we would like to see. So 21 of us from across the region who by virtue of birth, circumstance or good fortune can count ourselves among the "privileged" in our world, have committed to doing our part to generate a greater equality of opportunity across the Americas. It's too soon to say if we will be successful, but I will say this - it's time that more of us in our world were willing to strive for something that advances a cause greater than ourselves.
In our broadcast on Healthcare on March 6th I heard a lot of people talking about how they don't want to responsible for those who don't have care, and that they didn't perceive it as "their problem." I relate more to the MLK quote that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." I believe our generation can truly create a more just world. But to do so we need to give a damn about more than just "me."Let's see if we've got what it takes to make our time on this Earth count for something.
Gonna' go finish my Corona and stare at the Caribbean Sea one more time before I leave.
D.N.A
ABC Fellows, American Dream, Brazil, Chile, Climate Change, IDB, Latin America, Mexico, War on Drugs, inequality
Reader Comments (2)
Awareness begins as soon as we detach from the EGO. We all have a valued purpose in this life and we should respect everyones path even if we disagree. Thank you for the manifestation for all experiences
check out on netflix 'Cocalero' a documentary bio on Evo Morales - President of Bolivia, and similarly docu-bio of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela - in their own words for contrast. Usually source of our info of them is framed by negative narrative from USA media. Personally found perspective - Las Americas inclusive of the circumcaribbean & significance/role of Haitian independence 19th century crucial for 'context' of what's happening NOW.