Expect delays — democracy on the march

Foreigners (ok, gringos, at least) get discombobulated every time they run into a manifestacion in Mexico City.  They think the Revolution is about to start.  Nah… everybody takes demonstrations for what they are … just part of life in a democratic society, and part of living in the nation’s capital.  The morning radio shows give you the accident reports, the construction updates and … the protest marches. 

I was a little amused by this coverage of a fairly good sized Friday afternoon demonstration, in Jornada:

A contingent of at least a thousand students will march from the Glorieta of the Angel of Independence down Paseo de la Reforma headed for the Plaza de la Consititución.

The demonstrators, part of an organization called the “Federation of Mexican Peasant Socialist Students,” will occupy all eastbound lanes on Reforma, which is expected to cause serious traffic problems.

The Federal District Public Security Secretariat said that once the group begins marching, they hope to continue down Reforma to Avenida Juárez, to the intersection of Francisco I. Madero, and then on to the Zócalo.

The  junior high and high school students are protesting the government’s neo-liberal policies and in favor of more funding for rural schools.

Police recommend drivers seek alternative routes. They recommend using Avenida Chapultepec rather than try to cross Reforma at Insurgentes.

Tuesday is May Day (Labor Day), so it’s perfect timing for a school field trip. Mexican kids go to Mexico City like U.S. kids go to Washington… and hang out of the school bus windows staring at the Palacio Nacional just like U.S. kids stare at the White House. It’s a lot of fun for the kids, especially for those that don’t get a chance to go to the big city very often.

I just wonder if the Etica (what we call Civics) teachers are gonna require a report — “How I picketed the Capital” — next week. Sounds like a good time will be had by all… except the commuters on Reforma.

Can you see YOUR local school board getting a request from a student group with a name like “Federation of Socialist Peasant Students”? Our school board had some serious issues with letting the Alpine Fightin’ Bucks Marching Band take an overnight trip to Corpus Christi to perform at a Naval retirement ceremony … what if they caused trouble? With one chaparone per six kids, the juniors and seniors are going.

We always hear about Mexican kids having mamates (“mommy-itis” — they depend too much on mommy), but forget they’re a lot more self-reliant — and expected to be self-reliant than our kids are. Good or bad, I can’t say. But they don’t seem to have much trouble finding their way around the big bad city.

Besides, I’m sure the Mexican Federation of Socialist Peasant Students has advisors, and some parents are along as chaparones, and really … how much trouble can a country kid get into in a city of 15,000,000? They’re only there for the demonstration anyway.