Transcription
Hello. I am here in Benito Juárez, a place that according to the UN has the same development index as Switzerland. A place where also lives the richest 10% of this country. Yes, only 10 out of every 99 Mexicans live like this. But something doesn't add up, does it? Where are the Lamborghinis? Where are the skyscrapers or something of the sort? As you can see, the big surprise of this video is that something doesn't add up. Well, this place, this whole place, shows us a deeply uncomfortable reality for politicians and for normal people alike. Something that also happens in Latin America, unfortunately. Well, the big secret of this place is that, despite it being true that only the richest 10% of this country can live here, in reality, those who live here are the middle class, not the ultra-rich or anything of the sort. This means that most people are poorer than they think. Ah, they're going to pass by. Because when they think about what the richest 10% of the country is like, they don't think of this place or anything similar, but perhaps of some mega skyscraper, of some mansion like the ones I showed in the last video. Well, it happens that most imagine themselves in the middle of the scale, meaning they believe that while they are not rich, they are also not among the poor. That is, they imagine themselves within the middle class, in the middle. But then they see these places where the richest 10% of the country lives and they say, "Hey, wait a minute. If this is what the best-off 10% looks like, how the hell does the remaining 90% live? Where is the luxury then?"
Well, here is where the video is going to get ugly, in quotes, for the vast majority of people. The luxury is in something as obvious as what I've been showing since the beginning of the video. This, I'm walking as if nothing, with my cell phone, with the microphone and all that, without fear that they're going to rob me right now or do something to me. This is how it is in this country and in many places in Latin America. One of the greatest luxuries is a very basic and also very invisible thing: security. Believe me, I grew up in the neighborhood. This whole idea of being able to walk at night, of having your things outside as if nothing, is so surreal that you feel like something isn't working right. It's more like you feel like you're the fool for going around like that, as if nothing. On the contrary, you think that so much calm only means that something bad is going to happen, that if there are so few people, it's because it's going to be dangerous. That remaining 90% of the country sees insecurity as so normal that it's included in their common expenses when buying a cheap cell phone, one that doesn't work, so that in case they get robbed, they can give it up quickly and thus more or less get rid of the problem. And many others have, as the most common thing, to avoid going out walking, going out to the neighborhood, going out to see the place where they live, as much as possible. Or even worse, in places like the State of Mexico, it's the government itself that puts up ads telling you, "Hey, if you don't want your things stolen, don't have things. If you don't buy anything expensive, they'll never steal anything expensive from you." Foolproof life plan. In fact, while I was researching this video, I was walking around here working with my computer on the street, and it was already dark. And well, what can I tell you? It's strange that it's so common and safe to have something that costs several thousand pesos in plain sight.
In contrast, the average Mexican is so poor that they only know security when they lock themselves behind a gate or a wall. But even with this argument, which is so compelling, the average Mexican, and even the average Latino, doesn't like to feel, much less think, that perhaps they are not middle class, that perhaps they are poorer than they think. Well, the stage is another great luxury that this place shares with Europe, and it's something you've already been seeing on camera this whole time: transportation. Not only with safe buses, but even walking or cycling, you have access to shops, shopping centers, hospitals, schools, libraries, theaters, all of that, but above all, in a completely safe way. One would expect that the luxuries that most distinguish the richest 10% of the country should be something like a yacht, a gold car, a skyscraper, something like MrBeast, and not something as simple as walking without fear of being robbed, or at least without much fear. Or, well, walking, having the option to walk to get to places that interest you or that you need. I mean, the fact that you are not obligated to have a car to move around, to get to your job, or that you even get to your job in less than an hour, even half an hour, 15 minutes. In other words, this place is proof that to be in the richest 10% of a country that is mainly poor, let's admit it, you don't need to be rich. Being middle class is enough to be in this group. This way, most people end up seeing the most basic, simple, and essential things as a damn luxury. And this creates a dangerous and terrible scarcity mentality where people start to believe that the smallest crumbs are a whole banquet. So, who asks for more than crumbs? Whoever is not satisfied with those crumbs or doesn't celebrate them is a lunatic, an ambitious megalomaniac, a whiner, a complainer, a "challenge." You're already becoming quite spoiled, dude. How much do you think rich people earn? Middle class? It can't be. From 30,000 to maybe 10,000 or less, I don't know. Per month? Per month? Between 20,000 and 30,000 pesos a month? 100,000 pesos a month? I don't have money. With a pathetic salary as a deputy, how am I going to have it?
Although it may seem impossible to believe, in the last video, "Hostile Architecture," where I mentioned that having trees is good, necessary, something that is good for your health, there were people who said, "No, it's the trees, you don't understand." They were completely against them; they seemed like something too excessive, a luxury that was already too much, too whiny. And there were several more comments about benches and other things that said, "Well, you're a social resentful person, it's obvious." So they left me several comments like: "I hate that you don't like how things are, however terrible they are. I hate that you don't believe you have to put up with it. I feel that the fact that you don't like them makes you a whiner, a crybaby. People should be there suffering all the time. It's very important to suffer, it's very important that things go badly for you because that's how you realize that you are poor and that you have to suffer. Things are very good just as they are, they shouldn't change." And also others who were like: "I don't care if children, the elderly, and sick people have to suffer, as long as the people I consider poor, screwed, and bad also suffer." Or, or even, "Well, only the poor walk, right? That's why you want to walk, because you're poor. If you had a rich mentality, you wouldn't be wanting to walk." And then you come to this place where the richest 10% live, and you spend your time seeing people walking, you spend your time seeing that almost everything is focused on that, on everything being within walking distance. So ironically, it seems that they are the ones showing that social resentment that they complain so much about, that they use so much as an insult, and not just any type of social resentment, but in fact, one of the most special and cruelest. I'm talking about that resentment that has already burned to the bottom of the pot, in which the person already embraces the terrible nature of their situation and feels that things will never really be different because they have already accepted it as their reality. Therefore, the only way they find to deal with this suffering and frustration is to convince themselves that they actually love it, that they are proud of themselves for enduring so much suffering, which makes them special, makes them better. Therefore, they even reach the point of attacking all those who tell them, "Hey, old man, no, there's no reason to be proud of that, that's wrong." This is what Biri Ríos said in his article: "No, you are not middle class." He was saying it to more than half of the national population, who in effect are not middle class, even though only 1% in the country earns more than 38,000 pesos monthly. And believe me, with 38,000, you can't afford to live here. Here, the monthly rent for a very small, very old apartment is at least 12,000, 13,000, 14,000 pesos. And to even buy a property, we're talking about the staggering sum of at least 1,600,000 pesos, plus deed fees, bank credit, and so on. It ends up costing you around 1,900,000, 1,800,000 pesos. And I repeat, all for a small space, and also already very old. For the same amount in the State of Mexico, which is not that far from here, you can get a big house with several rooms.
Look, for example, as I was walking just now, I came across this bench. In the "Hostile Architecture" video, they were arguing that benches placed by the state, meaning paid for with our taxes, should be more uncomfortable, much more uncomfortable than this one. This is a bench that a private individual, a person from here, put there so that if you're tired, you can sit down. And although it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, it's understandable. It's something a private person put there, not the government with your taxes or mine. At least it allows you to relax for a while. You might not be able to sleep on it or anything like that, but this isn't being put there by the government. Perhaps because of this, the average Mexican believes that by buying a hamburger at Burger King or a t-shirt at Zara, they are already middle class. Because there is so little middle class that they seem like the rich people of the country, when they are not, not by a long shot. For this reason, I believe that the average Mexican lives in a deep but understandable social resentment. Only they live by denying it to themselves through loans, through spending, but above all, through many mental gymnastics. So, instead of saying they hate being poor despite how hard they work, they say they hate the poor because they must be lazy, because that's why they are poor. Instead of saying they don't like being condemned to pay rent for the rest of their lives, they say that those who rent do so because they just like to throw money away. Instead of saying they hate that public transportation is in a terrible state and they are often forced to buy a car and throw their money away on it to travel with some dignity or at least some safety, they say that only the poor and lazy people who can't afford a car have to walk or take a bus or a subway. They say all these horrible things about the poor when, statistically speaking, they are most likely poor or very close to it.
Therefore, let me cite a simple fact: out of the 2.7 million entrepreneurs in Mexico, almost 2 million are officially classified as low or lower-middle class because they do not have high incomes. This translates to seven out of every 10 entrepreneurs having such low incomes that they cannot meet the needs of a family of four. Even among entrepreneurs who are considered more productive by being in the formal sector, 38% do not manage to make it to the end of the fortnight well, if they have any workers, any dependents. Perhaps this is why we have seen many restaurants that do not pay their workers their full salary and expect the consumer, with their tips, to pay for it, because there are quite a few businesses that, due to inequality of opportunity, are unable to pay their workers and pay their taxes. This is something that should change.
In summary, all of this we have been seeing shows that the average Mexican is not middle class as they believe, but is poor. But since they live in this fantasy where they are actually in the middle of the scale, they are not interested in demanding or requesting policies that could increase their possibilities and opportunities, that could elevate them to the middle class, or at least dignify their lives despite being in poverty. As Biri Ríos puts it, the business community must articulate a political agenda that eliminates the inequalities among them and the systematic restrictions that prevent them from growing. This agenda should seek to increase the collection from entrepreneurs belonging to the 1% so that resources are available to subsidize small entrepreneurs and expand productive loans at preferential rates. And above all, the legal resources available to the Federal Economic Competition Commission must be expanded and facilitated to prevent market concentrations and monopolies, so that small businesses can also compete. Companies that do not pay their small suppliers on time and in full must also be sanctioned.
Let's see, this last part is something that perhaps many do not know, but unfortunately, it is very real. But sometimes it happens that a very large company, say, receives services or materials from a small company, one that is just starting, say, 20 workers. It has everything and needs everything to continue. They are indebted, but they see it in the future. And what happens? Suddenly they tell them, "Oops, I'm not going to pay you for that service, I'm not going to pay you for those tons I bought from you, and do whatever you want. And if you don't like it, sue me. Let's see how long it takes you to finish that lawsuit, let's see how much your lawyers cost, and let's see how you end up on the blacklist of companies. Put up with it, man. Look, if you can endure this little pinch, then we'll keep doing business, okay?" This last part already involves many details. It's an anecdote that happened to the family of an acquaintance who had a factory. Perhaps because of this, two of the most important stores in Mexico are Coppel and Elektra, two stores that sell on credit. One of their main lines of business, where they get most of their profits, is by helping, with their sometimes excessive credits, the Mexican, thanks to the screen, the cell phone they sell in 88,000 installments and so on, to have that fantasy that they are actually middle class, just by having consumer goods, not capital assets. That is, you don't have a house, you don't have land, you don't have health insurance, you don't have many other things. But since you can have these things that the middle class also has, like TVs, screens, and so on, you already feel like part of that social class.
Look, there's a theater there, and it's not the only one this place has. This little thing reveals much more than a Ferrari or something similar. It reveals something that most Mexicans cannot afford: entertainment. What we used to do in the neighborhood on weekends, when we didn't come to Mexico City for a walk or something similar, was to buy some beers, put on Dragon Ball, watch the game, a movie, and that's it. Why? Because it's cheap, basically. It doesn't cost much, 150 pesos, and that's it. And this was not at all strange, because statistically speaking, most Mexican households dedicate the smallest portion of their salary to entertainment, culture, and recreation, because obviously, most of the money goes to food, health, debts. For me, the fact that you have several theaters here shows more clearly what the statistics already say. The other great luxury, which is actually something basic that most of Mexican society does not have, and only 10% achieves, is entertainment. Believe it or not, for many people, watching a movie is a luxury, let alone going to the theater, going to a concert, a recital, going to the library, or participating in a cultural activity. We have to rethink cities. We have to understand them differently, not as simple spaces of interest like "Wow, there are buildings, there's an expensive car over there," but as a sum of all their parts. Because the biggest message of this video is that to know ourselves, we have to know others, since only by looking beyond what we see in the mirror can we contrast ourselves, compare ourselves, and get out of the little bubbles of reality in which we often live. In short, it is absolutely incredible what we can learn when we start to see our cities, our environments, as a strange place, as a place that is for some reason, not as a place that is because it always should have been, because it is the most natural, because it could not be any other way. Thank you very much for supporting this video. See you in the next one. [Music]