When I first traveled to Mexico in 2002, there were only two major airlines and airports were mostly the domain of the oligarchy. Just two decades later, there are numerous budget airlines to choose from and airports are now filled with a bustling, diverse middle class all connected via WhatsApp and TikTok. It’s one thing to read books about economic development; it’s another to watch it unfold with your own eyes.
On Monday, I had a meeting with the University of Guadalajara’s Accountability & Anti-Corruption Research Institute, which is planning to open Mexico’s first museum dedicated to corruption. They envision four wings with the first dedicated to 50 infamous corruption cases, from the country’s founding to fake medicine given to children with cancer to Peña Nieto’s Casa Blanca scandal. The second wing will be “pedagogical,” offering definitions and examples of corruption, accountability, auditing, transparency, impunity, and related concepts. The third wing will look at the effectiveness (and often lack thereof) of institutions and interventions aimed at addressing corruption, including Congress, the National Institute for Access to Information, the Federal Superior Auditor, the Attorney General, and the National Anti-Corruption System. Finally, the fourth wing is for temporary exhibits, offering a space for artists and cultural producers to display their works exploring corruption.
They are working with a renowned museum designer to create an experience that they hope generates outrage that feeds productive civic engagement rather than fatalistic disappointment with democracy. At the same time, the University of Guadalajara (like most public universities in Mexico) has accumulated its own case studies of corruption over the years. And the state’s governor recently reduced the university’s (considerable) funding, which some say is revenge for criticism by a handful of high-profile academics. Will the museum manage to maintain its independence and legitimacy while depending on government funding? I’m not sure, but I’m looking forward to checking out the museum when it opens — hopefully by the end of next year.
Private schools and public libraries
After my meeting, I walked across the street to Guadalajara’s new public library and cultural center. Damn, I love me a good library. I was born with the irreverence gene, but there is something about large, cavernous collections of books that fills me with a quiet, sacred reverence. I think it comes from knowing how difficult it is to write and publish a book: wrestling with others’ arguments, developing a unique point of view, reconciling contradictions, and sculpting clear, concise prose. My reverence for libraries is rooted in the sweat and tears of so many writers who persevered when most of us would have given up.
All week, I heard my Mexican friends complain about the rising cost of tuition for their children’s private schools. And yet, here was an immaculate public library with free workshops, classes, movies, performances, and books — and it was nearly empty. I remembered a recent observation by Byron Auguste: universities are ranked by how many people they exclude, not by how much students learn. “Exclusive” is still a successful marketing tactic, not a societal problem to overcome.
A useful tool: Today’s front pages
Speaking of museums and libraries, the Newseum was a Washington DC-based museum dedicated to journalism and freedom of the press. In 2019, Time Magazine included The Newseum in its annual list of “greatest places.” That same year it shut down after the Knight Foundation stopped providing funding. Many of its exhibits, however, were adopted by the nonprofit Freedom Forum and continue in digital form, including their Android/iOS app, which gives you access to nearly 500 front pages of newspapers from around the world, updated daily. It is one of the few apps I use Every Single Day to get a sense of what is happening around the world, especially in Mexico, Ghana, and Kenya, where much of my work is based. I even include PDF versions of the front pages of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal in each of my morning journal entries so that I have a quick glimpse of the day’s news when I look back at previous entries.
The 80:20 pleasure:pain principle
Most athletes know this principle intuitively, but it helps to put a name to it. If you train five hours a week, then four of those hours should be light and enjoyable. If you push yourself hard for more than 20% of the time, it won’t lead to greater performance and it might even cause you to slow down. I suspect that more people would exercise if they knew that you’re only meant to be uncomfortable 20% of the time.
AI accent removal
My precocious niece Ximena told Iris that I lost my gringo accent when speaking Spanish. She intended it as a compliment, but in fact, my Spanish (accent and vocabulary) today is much worse than when we were living in Mexico City back in 2014. Now there is software to remove my accent when I speak. It was developed for Indian call center operators so that they sound more American when answering customer service calls. And while most of the American tech blogs reported on the company through the lens of white supremacy, I can absolutely imagine white Americans wanting to use the software to remove their accent when speaking, say, Spanish or Chinese.
Kudos
Happy birthday to my mother-in-law Teresa, who turned 70 this weekend, and to my sister-in-law Susana, who celebrated her birthday two days later. I am fortunate that they’ve adopted me as one of their own despite my quirky, gringo ways.
Have a great week!
David