Assignment One, Allen

1. I thought that it was disturbing and kind of weird that many of the family members of the people that were kidnapped chose to deal with the matter themselves, rather than to tell the police and get them involved in the case. Why is their culture so different in that manner? Do they not trust the public figures, such as police? And why are there so many deaths and kidnappings occurring in Mexico, is it simply a fad?

2. I think that Mexico is currently being run by authority who is choosing to take their power to a whole new level than what their role requires. I think that Mexico is experiencing multiple problems, including these random kidnappings, and that the people that live there must be feeling extremely overwhelmed. I don't think I would visit Mexico in the present day because of these kidnappings. I would be scared to travel to such a place where my life is basically put on the line daily. I also think that Mexico is undergoing a change in their culture because of these new generational ideas and lifestyles.

3. If I were a Mexico City resident, I would definitely be living my life in fear. In Mexico City today, people are not trusting one another because they don't know who is the true suspect in all of these thousands of cases. I would be scared to be living there because I would feel like I could only rely on myself. I think that America has experienced this same feeling post 9/11. Americans didn't want to trust others, even their neighbors, for fear of them being a possible terrorist. I think that Americans and Mexicans alike share a common fear of the lack of trustworthiness between neighbors and strangers for that matter.