Being born and raised in the United States, I have the strong sense of independence that most Americans have. We don’t like the idea of being told what to do very much, especially if it is the government that is telling us. We love our freedom, our space and our privacy. I don’t have specific data to back me up, but I would guess that more “No Trespassing” signs are sold in the U.S. than in the rest of the world combined. While it’s common to see the “Don’t tread on me” slogan in many places in the U.S., I have never seen a similar sign in Mexico. Many Americans seem to take a special amount of pride in having a “leave me the hell alone” type attitude.
How else can we explain so many strong reactions by Americans to government, top-down ideas? Outlaw a 48-ounce drink? “Don’t you tell me what I can and can’t drink!” Outlaw plastic bags at grocery stores? “Hell no!” Congestion level pricing for cars? “Go to hell, lawmakers!” Common sense legislation for guns? “Don’t even think about it!”
Things seem different here south of the border. I remember in early 2023 when Mexico banned smoking in all public areas, indoor and outdoor. It was one of the strictest bans globally, and it was largely met with a shrug. For the most part, people just complied. No drama, no protests, no lawsuits.
A similar response happened when nearly every city and state in the country banned plastic bags in grocery stores. No plastic bag lobbyists filing lawsuits, no stores refusing to comply, no noticeably angry customers. People for the most part just changed their habits and started bringing their own reusable bags.
Which brings me to a series of recent initiatives by the Claudia Sheinbaum administration that are worth noting and keeping an eye on. The first, which took effect at the end of March, was the decision of Coca-Cola to stop selling its products in Mexican schools, in line with Sheinbaum’s Live Happy, Live Healthy student health initiative. The second, which went into effect in early April, was a ban on the sale of all junk food in Mexican schools. Both of these initiatives were in line with a recently enacted government campaign to attack childhood obesity.
The next set of initiatives has had to do with drug use in the country. Mexico has historically been cautiously proud of the fact that drug use has been relatively low by its own population. However there is, of course, always a risk that could change. President Sheinbaum has recently led a massive anti-drug use billboard campaign in parts of the country that even caught the attention and earned the respect of President Trump.
Trump thanks Sheinbaum for inspiring launch of major US anti-drug campaign
More recently, as some states banned public performances of narcocorrido songs — which often glamorize or pay homage to the drug trade and cartel leaders — Sheinbaum spoke out against music that condones violence.
“It would be absurd to ban a musical genre,” she said. Instead, Sheinbaum said her administration discourages lyrics “condoning drugs, violence, violence against women, or viewing women as sexual objects.”
To provide inspiration and motivation for youngsters to redirect their energies and talents away from drug usage or the drug cartels, the administration has been championing several new initiatives. Just recently they announced a new nationwide “American Idol”-style contest in Mexico to encourage singing and dancing by young people. And a few weeks ago Sheinbaum led a massive crowd in the capital for a National Boxing Class with roughly 500,000 people participating.
The government leading initiatives in singing, dancing, and sports is a positive thing. I would love to see a nationwide initiative and more focus on the importance and fun of reading — let’s hope that comes as well.
It’s too early to weigh in on the effectiveness of these new initiatives, but it has been interesting to see what President Sheinbaum is focusing on for social initiatives, and also fascinating to see relatively little push-back from the general population and businesses on the new legislation. I am always wary of government overstepping, but each of these initiatives to me seem like common sense ideas that hopefully will have positive effects on Mexican society — especially young kids. Stay tuned…
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
