Will Mexico Beat the U.S with the First Female President?
Reasons why it is quite unlikely….
Although the American election happened in 2016, Mexico’s next presidential election will be held on July 1, 2018. Mexico in the past few years has been battling a civil war. Rape, crime, and kidnappings are a regular occurrence. Officials are persuaded by cartels to do their bidding, and the police turn a blind eye away from the crimes that are reported. In the midst of the chaotic occurrences, a phenomenon happens. Her name is María de Jesús Patricio Martínez. Maria is a prominent feminist, who is selected for by the Zapatista Army of the National Liberation. Since day one this woman had defied the odds and continues to fight for her people.
Since the beginning of democracy, presidents have always been descendants of the Spanish that colonized Mexico. The only Mexican president to have ever been indigenous was Benito Juarez. Although it is stated that more than 1of 10 Mexicans speak an indigenous language, Mexicans still hold prejudice towards the indigenous. In order for Maria to run as a Mexican candidate, she must receive over 800,000 signatures to be placed on the ballot on July 1. Maria fights for women’s right, yet she has a disadvantage. Mexico and the U.S have similar attitudes towards indigenous people. Both countries were colonized by European countries, therefore the favorable “white” stigma is seen in both countries. When someone enters a store in Mexico, if he or she has a lighter skin then they are attended quickly. If the person has a dark complexion or looks indigenous, the person is ignored. Andrea Smith in her article, Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy” describes the reasons for the beginning of white supremacy. In her article, as she explains how indigenous people are a threat to the colonizers she states, “This logic holds that indigenous peoples must disappear. In fact, they must always be disappearing, in order to allow non-indigenous people the rightful claim to this land.” Before Mexico was colonized, the land belonged to the indigenous natives of Mexico. When the Spanish arrived, men, women, and children were described as inferior to the Spanish. Many of them were killed while the others became slaves. Through this action, the Spanish were able to colonize Mexico and other Latin American countries. The indigenous people are invisible and Mexico only recognizes a few groups. The main struggle that Maria faces is that she is indigenous, therefore she is invisible to many citizens that are not aware of the Zapatistas. Since many Mexicans still believe that the indigenous are inferior, many of them will not vote for her.
“Machismo” is a stereotype that many Mexican men have to obtain, to be seen as men. Therefore, men are given a higher status than women. Women should stay in the private sphere. This means that a woman’s job is to clean, cook and take care of the kids. She has to be obedient to her husband at all time and do exactly what he tells her. Women in politics are heavily frowned upon in Mexico. In Andrea Smith’s article she states, “In turn, patriarchy rests on a gender binary system in which only two genders exist, one dominating the other.” Having a woman in the public sphere, for many Mexicans is seen as weak. A woman that is older and indigenous, is unheard of. Many female candidates running for president are often not given enough votes and often times they are well educated, younger and beautiful. An indigenous woman running and becoming president, will, in turn, change the entire patriarchy that the colonists first introduced. All of the male candidates are well known and they are also affiliated with a well-known political party. Maria is trying to run as an independent, and as a Zapatista backed candidate, she is the last candidate to be considered for the presidency.
Lastly, all Mexican presidents have had an education and money. Maria represents the poorest communities. In order for her to become an official candidate, she must first receive over 800,000 signatures to participate. In order to participate, people must have an Android smartphone in order to sign the petition. Most of the people that want her to participate are poor and can’t afford a smartphone. In Rhianna Taniguchi’s article, “Why Poverty is the Worst Form of Oppression and Why Would Start Giving a Shit” stated, “Poverty is society’s way of perpetually dehumanizing people and subjecting them to unlivable conditions while calling it “just.” Although the Mexican government states that all group members are allowed to run for president if they abide by the rules, this is false. The qualifications make it difficult for someone from the indigenous group to properly run. Since most people don’t have a smartphone, they are at a disadvantage. They are not allowed to fill the form on paper, therefore the votes that Maria needs have greatly increased. The unfairness of this “law” keeps most indigenous people from being able to run. They are treated as second-class citizens and therefore are being oppressed by being kept poor. Many of these people have lost their land and want it back from the government. If they don’t have someone representing them, then it is unlikely that they will ever get their land back. The same owner and slave treatment is seen when looking at the indigenous population in Mexico.
Unfortunately, Maria needs a miracle to happen for her to ever become a president. Machismo makes it difficult for the Mexican men being “bossed” around by a woman. She is indigenous therefore invisible in the eyes of the government. She has no education, she is a curandera and uses herbs to cure sickness. Lastly, she is poor. In a country where the gap is high between the rich and the poor, it will be difficult for her to get sponsors. Although all the odds are against her, her story is quite interesting. She is fearless, strong, independent and will never stop fighting. Mexico is still not ready for her, but we are hopeful that one day they will have a female, indigenous president, to represent the true Mexican.
