Western Front - 1997 May 23

              SKI TO SEA: Eight
event race comes
to Bellingham
ACCENT, 9
GOLF: Vikings
shoot for
number two
SPORTS, 11
Friday,
May 23,1997
Volume 100
Issue 15
WESTERN FRONT Western Washington University Bellingham, Washington
Is America undermining Mexico?
Influential Mexican journalist, commentator says yes
By Michelle Rennie
The Western Front
The erosion of Mexican nationalism by
waves of economic globalization,
Americanization of Mexican culture and
recognition of the problems of indigenous
people are some of the challenges facing
his country today, Mexican journalist and
cultural commentator, Carlos Monsivais
told an attentive audience Tuesday
evening.
This soft-spoken man with a shock of
white hair and heavy black framed glasses
detailed these themes in his talk entitled
"Will Nationalism be Bilingual?" to 250
people in the Performing Arts Center
Concert Hall. Monsivais had his audience
pasted to their seats with a glue of cultural
and political observations, which were
both Witty and profound.
Monsivais, 59, has written political and
social commentary for leading Mexican
publications, La Jornada and PrOcesb. He
is considered one of Mexico's leading
intellectuals. Very little about Mexican
society, politics and culture escapes his
scrutiny.
"(He is) one of Mexico's most beloved,
charismatic, prolific, grouchy and eclectic
authors," said James Loucky, director of
the Center for International Studies and
Programs. The Center joined the Consulate
of Mexico and the Whatcom Hispanic
Organization to sponsor the event.
In 1992, a group of Mexican intellectu­als
came together to discuss the pending
North American Free Trade Agreement, its
impact on culture and the future of
Mexican nationalism. A consensus
was reached that "we will not
become North American,"
Monsivais said.
However, with the implementa­tion
of NAFTA on Jan. 1, 1994,
came the message, "Keep silent,
nationalism — you came out of
the past! Accept the national des­tiny
imposed by the free market,"
Monsivais said.
NAFTA poses a real threat "to
the disappearance of critical
nationalism in light of the new
social Darwinism where only the
most capable survive," he said.
"This new doctrine replaces
nationalism with productivity and
diminishes the sense of history.
This new religion of private enter­prise
would sweep away ideas of
equality and justice. In practical
terms, its name is NAFTA,"
Monsivais said.
"Under NAFTA, Mexico would
be a country where nationalism is
not a social force, but a philosoph­ical
attribute and soon be a philo- Front/Michelle Rennie
sophical limitation," Monsivais Maria Elena Treviho, law and diversity student, and Mexican journalist Carlos Monsivais
^ d ' in line for food at the reception following his speech Tuesday in the PAC.
Mexico, Monsivais explained,
is a country with a rich legacy. "In the
1950s, Mexico did not belong to the third
world — that would come and the idea of
arriving late to Western civilization was a
sentence still to be written on the wall."
Nowadays, "popular (Mexican) culture
is being kidnapped by America,"
Monsivais said. "Ninety percent of the
films and videos in the country are
American. Who can compete with Batman
and Robin?"
"There are only two bookstores in
Mexico City, one in Monterrey and one in
Guadalajara. All the rest have closed,"
Monsivais said.
'The Simpsons are the enemy of the tra­ditions,"
translation of reality, the commercial inter­pretation
of reality.
"Traditions are vanishing, yet traditions
refuse to die. For example, the Day of the
Dead is merging with Halloween. You now
have Indian children saying 'trick or treat'
or 'hasta la vista, baby.'"
In Velacruz, the players of the tradition-impact
ditions," Monsivais said. "Television's the
SSeeee Commentator, page 3 Master plan faces several problems
Planning examined as Western prepares for campus forum
• • ^ • • • S i " ^WSMiMMBKKi nrnhlp.ms misinterpretations and Union Main Lounge. The meeting Western and residents to present The City of Bellingham Plann
By Arvid Hokanson
The Western Front
The confusion surrounding
Western's Draft Comprehensive
Master Plan continues to build
from all sides as finals and sum­mer
break approach.
Sparked by communication
problems, misinterpretations and
planning process changes, the
master plan process has no imme­diate
end in sight.
Originally, Western hoped
to have the master plan
approved by the city for the
forthcoming Western Board
of Trustees meetings on June
9. Western's Board of Trus­tees
holds the final vote on
all matters relating to
Western's master plan.
Western Vice President of
Business and Financial
Affairs George Pierce said that
the process will now likely run
through the summer and into
September.
Western plans to hold a meet­ing
at noon May 28 in the Viking
Union Main Lounge. The meeting
will provide an opportunity for
the campus community to voice
agenm, will address the
nmmonsi^g0 the Western
unmmr plaWmid the surround­ing
neighborhoojLvlans.j^^
ia !|§!!P
Director of City PjMnninglmd
Communiftm/evelomtent
opinions on the master plan.
One resident of Happy Valley
said that at the recent Happy
Valley cottage meeting, the com­munity
felt ill-prepared. He sug­gested
that Western allow for both
Western and residents to present
their issues, as opposed to just
having citizens react to the expan­sive
plan.
At the cottage meetings,
questions about parking,
land acquisition and the
planning process have been
raised.
In the letter written on
May 7 to the city planning
department, Pierce wrote it
would be beneficial for
Western's neighborhood and
master planning to be com­bined
into a single process.
Patricia Decker, director of
city planning and community
development, said her department •
is still in the process of evaluating
the letter from Pierce.
The City of Bellingham Plann­ing
Commission will be holding
its next meeting at 7 p.m. June 5
in the City Council chambers.
"The meeting will be a continu­ation
of what happened at the
April meeting," Decker said.
"The agenda will address the
relationship of the Western master
plan and the surrounding neigh­borhood
plans, and how (plan­ning
and community develop­ment)
should proceed with evalu­ating
the City Comprehensive
Plan with Western's master plan,"
Decker said.
"It may be difficult for them to
combine these things," Decker
said.
See Plan, page 3