First, i need to say that i'm not Mexican but Colombian. Though i think i'm making an accurate generalization, racial composition in our countries varies.
Would I be correct in thinking the elites are white, the poorest are Indian, and the...middle class?...is mestizo?
It's true that it may be reductionist up to a certain point, because is not too rare to find some mestizos or brown-skinned people in priviledged postitions. For example, look at the current Mexican president Manuel López Obrador. He looks racially indigenous to me. However, on average, yes, economical and political elites are whiter than the rest of the people, and indigenous people and black people have singnificant higher poverty rates.
It's a little like in the US: Black people are on average poorer than white people, but you have already had a black president and there are many examples of succesful black persons. Even though black people may be "equal" in the law now, given that there was a (long) history of racial segregation and economic exclusion and racism still exist to some extent, you still have an economic gap in the present. The difference is that in our countries non-whites are the majority of people so white priviledge is distributed worse. Also, some countries still lack the public discussion about race.
The situation you saw in the movie: white rich people having indigenous-looking servants, isn't uncommon. In Colombia you can still see what you saw in that movie "The Help" in some places. Pic related:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zXw2-LWV20s/Tt_AMg-m6UI/AAAAAAAAAvs/Mh_-VKrbycI/s640/poderosas.jpeg
But that's not even the worst. The worst is that you can still find postcolonial-extractivist institutions in our political systems. Read that book "Why Nations Fail" by James Robinson and Acemoglu. I believe it explains well why are we so poor.
Sorry if my English sucks too much and isn't comprensible
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MNRebecca (750)
5 years ago
You're doing great except that Google says I should search "postcolonial-extractive institutions" instead of "postcolonial-extractivist institutions." :)
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MNRebecca (750)
5 years ago
Look at that! Top link - review of "Why Nations Fail"!!!
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MNRebecca (750)
5 years ago
For those who, like me, were unfamiliar:
Acemoglu and Robinson theorize that there are two kinds [of political institutions, which are asserted to be the real determiner of national success or failure] — “extractive” institutions in which a “small” group of individuals do their best to exploit the rest of the population, and “inclusive” institutions in which “many” people are included in the process of governing.
From Huffington Post,
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-k-levine/why-nations-fail_b_2007916.html
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