U.S.-Mexico Relationship

I wish Richard Rodriguez wouldn’t call Mexico a whore. He used this metaphor four times in his Feb. 28 commentary (“Across the Fence, One Hand Soils the Other”). Just as many Mexicans purchase pleasure (and other commodities) from the United States as the other way around, so the metaphor doesn’t make much sense. In fact, the trade balance has more often been in the favor of the United States (although not at the moment), which means that it’s usually the Mexicans doing the buying.

But more important, nation-states these days aren’t so easily described as distinct individuals, but are increasingly connected to each other like parts of a single, ailing body plugged into a respirator of capital flow.

That still doesn’t make for unity, but the relation between Mexico and the United States (or between any two countries, for that matter) can no longer be easily portrayed as a contractual relation between discrete (and not so discrete) individuals. The scenario can’t really be pictured at all, in fact, but some metaphors are still less offensive and more accurate than others.

CARL GOOD

Irvine