Breathe
By Adina Chelminsky
Before creating false perceptions about me that generate unnecessary rudeness against my opinions, a disclaimer: I am unequivocally a Señora de las Lomas. I dovetail all requirements; with the benefits and banalities that implies.
And as a member of this cliché group, stigmatized by its assets (material) and liabilities (connection with the reality of the country) I allow myself to make a constructive and URGENT criticism to the way in which, as a "guild" (imagine that union hahahaha), we understand the political activation that, today, is imminent.
For the record:
Yes, almost all of us are worried about the 2024 election.
Yes, many of us are looking for ways to participate and "do our bit" in the country's situation.
Yes, there are some brutally intelligent ladies from Las Lomas, active in the political, professional and business life of the country.
Yes, our participation can make a difference in election results.
But, without generalizing but generalizing, we are not doing it right. The grain of sand that we intend to contribute falls short and is anachronistic in the face of the needs of the Mexican reality.
The photos I see in networks, or the groups I am invited to participate in (after this, I suspect they will stop inviting me), look more like the organization of a bazaar, prom or some charitable social activity than the strategically concerted actions of citizens committed to what national political life demands today.
Meetings where many bombastic words and concepts are mentioned, presentations by political influencers who say what we already know and stoke our fears more than our critical thinking, perfectly designed logos that brand the advertising we hand out to show that we are political activists but we also have excellent graphic taste.
The saying goes that "with great privilege comes great responsibility". We have the privilege of solvency so we have to assume the responsibility of doing things right.
Ladies of Las Lomas, if we want to make a difference in the political life of the country, we are going to have to roll up our sleeves and get out of our comfort zone.
The strategies we are used to may be excellent for furnishing a rural school but they cannot translate, by changing the name of the chat, to what Mexican politics needs.
We do not understand that we do not understand that we do not understand. The reality to which we pretend to respond is NOT the reality of 90% of the country. Do we want to help strengthen Mexican democracy in 2024 and beyond? We have to do things in a different way, more real, less embellished, more pragmatic and responsible.
We have to complement activism in networks and social events with going out to the streets. No, not only to march (which is undoubtedly important) but also to listen, to understand, to dialogue with those who think differently in order to refine our criteria and the solutions and actions that we have to offer to this country.
To complement the tweets and posts we write in our whatsapp groups with clear, constant and insistent requests to our rulers, opposition political parties and key actors, asking for concrete and well-structured plans AND demanding accountability.
We have to privilege the vote without exceptions. Voting is the cornerstone of any political activism. There is no excuse for not voting. None. It is no use if you have created a whatsapp pyramid (10 friends to invite 10 friends to invite 10 friends) if on voting day you are not going to show up.
We have to listen to the people we don't like to listen to or whose opinions and reasons conflict us. In this country there is no absolute truth, there are different realities that we have to know. Do you want to invite a speaker to talk to your friends, invite the one from the opposite party. Talking to those who think the same way we do is a waste of time, it is preaching to the choir, it is useless.
Let us understand both sides of the coin. Lopez Obrador won and continues to be immensely popular for reasons that we cannot belittle or disqualify. Let's generate a criterion of what each side does right and wrong.
We have to understand that there is a battle beyond the presidency. There are people who say that thinking that the presidency is lost for the opposition is defeatism. I do not think it is a lost battle but it is certainly an uphill battle.
Regardless of that, it is not the only battle we need to focus our efforts and advocacy on. Equally or more important is to understand and promote the conscious vote for deputies and senators. To put pressure on the parties to nominate congruent and moderately prepared candidates and to achieve, through the vote, a legislature that is a counterweight to the presidency (where the party in power does not have a majority).
And finally, form is substance. If you are going to do a social/political event, take care of the perception of elitism that it projects. Because, at this point, it does detract from the debate and seriousness. I don't belittle the delight of serving a caterer's meal or the beauty of florist's arrangements of baby roses with hydrangeas in Mexican colors but net? What's the need to upload those photos to networks?
In Salvar el Fuego (the wonderful novel by Guillermo Arriaga) there is a phrase that applies perfectly to the political moment we live in and the responsibility we have to assume: We have plenty of world but we lack street.
Ladies of Las Lomas, let us take to the streets, literally and metaphorically, let us understand, let us open our criteria and, based on that, let us act in the way Mexico needs us today.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of Opinion 51.
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