In some of my final days or weeks living in Iztapalapa, I remember getting into a taxi to be driven around looking for murals.
In the end, I took easily photos of over a thousand different murals in a part of Mexico City well known for its murals.
On this day, I was with two different taxi drivers as the first one had to cut short his time with me to pick up his kids given that his wife called in to say she couldn't make it to pick them up.
Dude even apologized profusely for having to cut short the trip after being with me for an easy hour or two already.
I didn't mind whatsoever that he had to cut the trip short. He has his own life and I'm not entitled to anymore of his time.
Perfectly fine.
Though his apologies were a bit more over the top at first like it was some rude thing he was doing but he wasn't rude at all.
Left me by some part of Iztapalapa known as San Juan Xalpa.
During our brief time together anyhow, he asked me "where are you from?"
I told him that I'm from the US.
He nodded away and said "you know, at first I thought you were Mexican. Like from Polanco or some shit."
It was a little bit funny to me when he said that because it was one of the few times I've ever been mistaken -- if even for just a second -- as a Mexican.
To be honest, the only places where I get mistaken as a Mexican are in rough areas of Mexico City where gringos don't go.
Like Iztapalapa.
Actually, though I might write an article about it, the second taxi driver that day asked me if I "was a dreamer."
Not fucking joking.
Second dude legit thought I was a dreamer that got deported from the US or something.
It's just that -- in these areas -- they legit don't see gringos and just find it confusing that your ass showed up.
Anyway, with the first taxi driver, he clearly realized before I even told him that I wasn't a Mexican.
First off, I don't think I pass as a Mexican.
Yes, you got white Mexicans but almost all of them from what I've seen have black hair.
I don't have black hair.
Even then, I have a strong enough accent that I've been told by Mexicans "is strong as fuck" and super obvious that I'm a foreigner.
So, once I start opening my mouth, it's obvious pretty quick that there's no Mexican here.
No upper class Mexican either from Polanco.
But that was apparently his first impression of me.
That I must've been some upper class Mexican from Polanco or whatever visiting the area for whatever reason.
Definitely not a gringo though!
And he began telling me how "that's good" because he doesn't like those upper class white Mexicans.
"They're assholes, they believe in themselves too much, arrogant, think they're better than other Mexicans, etc."
It's like what I wrote here about how you got some Mexicans who hate the "white Mexicans" and call them -- in English -- "white Mexicans" as some form of insult.
To be condescending.
But with me, as a white gringo from the US, apparently that didn't trigger the brown Mexican taxi driver.
Even though some Mexicans hold similar resentment against gringos along the same rationale like they do with Argentines.
That we're racist, act superior or arrogant, are ignorant, etc.
This taxi driver though, at least with me, was very friendly and didn't seem to hold onto such ideas about gringos.
His beef was more with white Mexicans.
Upper class white Mexicans anyhow.
And it reminds me of something I heard about my own country that I never experienced personally so I can't claim it is true but have heard the idea nonetheless.
"White Americans suck. White People Elsewhere OK"
When I was in Europe years ago, I heard a similar idea about black people in the US.
That black people in the US hate white Americans but are cool with white people of other countries.
Like Norway, Switzerland or whatever.
There was some European dude -- of whatever nationality as I forgot -- who I met in Berlin of Germany in some hostel -- who told me that.
While I was in Europe, I was basically just hopping from country to country and living in hostels mostly and seeing so many capital cities briefly.
And made small talk with some German dude whose name I forgot but happened to be at the hostel.
However we got to the topic is beyond my memory but it was something he expressed to me in the moment.
That apparently black folks in the US are cool with white people but only if they're not from the US?
Like some "oh, you're not responsible for slavery or Jim Crow laws so we're cool."
Though I've never asked any black person in the US if that's how they or anyone they know think, it's not the only time I've heard that idea expressed.
But I've only otherwise heard that idea expressed on the internet.
So I cannot confirm if that's true or not.
I'm sure that, out of all the black people in the US, probably some think that way as just like how you can find people in any group who think any idea (no matter how rare it is).
Are there also black people like Uncle Ruckus?
Fuck yeah!
Uncle Ruckus vid
Still, it's a certain thing you might notice as a white person when traveling or living abroad and comparing countries to each other.
"You're One of the Good White People"
This idea being that there are white people that are good and those that are bad.
And those that are bad are the local white people who ruined my childhood.
"Who enslaved my ancestors" says the black American.
"Who laugh at our poverty while they live comfortably and are more directly descended from Spaniards and think they are European instead of Latino" says the brown Mexican.
But, while that individual might dislike or hate the LOCAL white people, they have no issue whatsoever with foreign white people.
Granted, you do have some locals who hate all white people regardless of their nationality.
Just that some of them seem to be selective about which white people suck and which ones are OK.
That's all though.
Not a very large topic to dissect but one you might notice as a white person traveling and living abroad.
If you got anything to add, drop a comment below.
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Thanks for reading.
Best regards,
Matt