New York is known as the capital of the world. UN Headquarters, in its streets inhabits a microcosm of the entire planet: languages, gastronomy and cultures living, coexisting. It is a cosmopolitan city, an example that global cities and a sample of the diversity used today aspire.
The very history of mankind has been the history of migrations. From the first nomadic groups to modern exiles, humanity has enriched itself economic, cultural and genetically of social exchanges. Leaving the tribe used to be adaptively profitable.
Mexico is made of the deep fusion of cultural shocks. We are not only the result of a defeat or a conquest, but the fruit of encounters between great and millenary cultures, full of immense historical and cultural wealth. To deny our indigenous or European roots – or any other – is to cut our identity.
Today, foreign executives, digital nomads and global entrepreneurs arrive in our cities. His arrival has accelerated the so -called Gentrification, a phenomenon that goes beyond coffees and bars hípsters. This process, in turn, promotes the revitalization of urban areas, the increase in surplus value and an economic spill that, only by digital nomads, could exceed 1.4 billion dollars annually in the capital.
However, this same process raises the cost of living – with annual income of income up to 20% in colonies such as Juarez or Rome – and sometimes displaces those who have always lived there. This displacement is not only physical, but emotional, psychological and social; The sense of belonging and community is lost. Given this, the human mind enters a state of alert, generating emotions such as anxiety, anger and feeling of lack of control.
Therefore, the search for a culprit is a defense mechanism: the foreigner appears as a scapegoat, which allows to reduce discomfort. Xenophobia is not pure hatred, but fear and ignorance. It is a highly dangerous emotional shortcut that leads us to simplify a complex problem.
When that resentment is allowed to grow, it can become fatal. In history, the “other” guilt has been the spark of the darkest moments of the human being: persecutions, exclusions and hate speeches. The pattern is the same: resentment is Azuza and it seeks to blame an external group for internal evils, which gives way to protests, marches and records, and culminates in genocides, as seen in the Nazi Germany, in the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians, in Rwanda against the minority Tutsi or in the Dominican Republic against the Haitians, among many other cases.
In addition to being morally reprehensible, xenophobia is a bad investment. Okunts capital flows, frightens talent and generates uncertainty. Mexico has historically been a country with open arms; A policy that has left great benefits, from the decision of General Lázaro Cárdenas before the Spanish exile – from which the College of Mexico arose, a fundamental knowledge center in the construction of modern Mexico – to the entire communities that have enriched our life. Rejecting that today would be to betray the best of ourselves.
The dilemma is not whether we must close or open the doors of Mexico. The real question is: How do we manage this opportunity with vision? Therefore it is important to enter these proposals:
- Regular without closing: Import and adapt global best practices. As in Lisbon or Berlin, reasonable limits can be put to temporary rentals to protect access to housing without stopping tourism.
- Protect those who are already: Fiscally encourage local businesses, offer benefits to native residents and prioritize roots to balance growth with justice.
- Attract talent with mutual benefit: Promote reciprocal exchange: training for Mexicans, real labor integration and knowledge transfer.
- Zero hate tolerance: The law must be applied equally. Hate speeches, come from who come, cannot have a place. Impunity only feeds resentment.
- Promote real contact, not mere coexistence: Create meeting spaces – volunteer, cultural forums, mixed projects. Social psychology establishes that joint work disarms prejudice.
Foreigners are not the problem. The enemy is fear and ignorance.
We have the opportunity to generate investment, culture, diversity and roots to hug change without losing the same. The goal is to honor our past and build, with collective intelligence, a shared future that foster universal fraternity and consolidates a cosmopolitan metropolis, proudly Mexican.
About the author:
*Edgar Alonso Angulo Rosas is a clinical psychologist and addiction expert with extensive experience in prevention and attention to violence, addictions, mental health and human rights. He has held management positions at NGOs, public and private sector.
Email: (email protected)
The opinions expressed are only the responsibility of their authors and are completely independent of the position and the editorial line of Forbes Mexico.
Follow us on Google News to always keep you informed
