During the past few months, it's been an ongoing theme that just about every article I've written for Escape From America Magazine or Expat Daily News, at least one concerned reader asks why safety isn't mentioned. This is with good reason; with all the news reports on violence, that seem to be more and more frequent, any retiree or other potential expat has the right to be concerned, and ask.
Why, then, don't I dedicate at least half of every article I write to talking about violence?
The bottom line is, those of us who live in Mexico don't think about it much. Our lives our defined by walks on the beach, bike rides, sports, a relaxing culture, excellent food, etc. Of course, those of us who aren't retired yet work too. As far as problems are concerned, we're much more likely to be thinking about the annoying bureaucracy of government offices; although this only turns up when you have to renew your visa or if you start the process of becoming a permanent resident, it's something we have to deal with far more often than violence. In fact, most of us never experience or witness violence. (Note: it's not seldom or infrequent – it's never, for the majority of us.)
When I write my articles about life in Mexico, or about the different real estate areas people could consider buying properties, I write about the issues that define our lives as expats - the things we think about, the things we do and see.
The worst crime I've witnessed was that when I lived in Mexico City, I saw young Mexican guy being robbed coming out of the subway; he walked away completely unharmed. Petty theft can happen, but that's true in any U.S. city, big or small. Even petty theft, however, is not something we see every day, or even every month or year; especially not here in the main tourist and expat centers. Even Mexican nationals I know are shocked and appalled when they hear that their cousin who lives in another city was robbed, and will remember the event for years to come. It's by no means common, although its by far the worst crime problem that exists for regular residents. You do have to avoid leaving a big fat wallet hanging out of your back pocket, or leaving a purse sitting on a park bench, but this the same common sense you would use in a U.S. city.
This contrasts heavily to the news Mexicans hear of the senseless killings and serial murders that take place in the U.S. on an ever more frequent basis. Sadly and unfortunately, it's often impossible to identify the motivation of these events. When it comes to petty theft, at least you know what their looking for, and 99% of the time, it can be avoided through common sense.
Many expats in communities like Lake Chapala, Playa del Carmen or Puerto Vallarta say they actually feel safer than in their home city.
So, what about the big news reports about dozens of drug-related deaths? Are they exaggerated? The details are definitely not fabricated, and the problem of drug violence is a real one. No one has to invent anything to make these stories shocking.
But news reports fail to put the details into perspective; the headlines of CNN state "Dozens die in Mexico." Mexico is huge. Where did this happen? Who were these people?
The reality is that these events happen mostly up in areas along the U.S. border with 3 or 4 other isolated pockets throughout the country. In virtually every situation of this sort, all the people involved are members of the warring drug mobs. That's why even Mexican nationals in most communities throughout the country feel fairly distant from these problems. (Mexican news papers are actually worse about this kind of exaggeration and lack of perspective than U.S. papers, by the way.)
We also hear the news sometimes that a tourist experiences violence, or even worse, in one of these beautiful paradise locations. No one can deny that these unfortunate things to happen now and then. But again, the events are not put into perspective; when one American is attacked in [name any beachfront city], we forget the number of Americans here at the time. In some of these areas there are upwards of 50,000 expats, and this number is greatly swelled by large influxes of tourists. When the stats are compared, the rate of violent crime against Americans is still much lower here than back home.
The news is much more shocking when it happens to someone away on vacation to relax. News sources know this and capitalize on it to grab people's attention.
While living in Mexico, expats are generally so distant from all of this, that we forget about it. We go home to visit, and are surprised by concerns of friends and family. It's not something we think about, most of the time – usually only when a friend from back home calls or e-mails us concerned about our safety.
If you're concerned about safety in Mexico, start by talking to someone you know who lives here, or comes on vacations regularly. Then come and see for yourself; you'll be pleasantly surprised.
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico's Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely
If you are considering Living In Mexico there are hundreds of articles and resources on EscapeArtist that you can browse for more information.
Looking for Vacation Rental In The Riviera Maya, Mexico?
Why, then, don't I dedicate at least half of every article I write to talking about violence?
The bottom line is, those of us who live in Mexico don't think about it much. Our lives our defined by walks on the beach, bike rides, sports, a relaxing culture, excellent food, etc. Of course, those of us who aren't retired yet work too. As far as problems are concerned, we're much more likely to be thinking about the annoying bureaucracy of government offices; although this only turns up when you have to renew your visa or if you start the process of becoming a permanent resident, it's something we have to deal with far more often than violence. In fact, most of us never experience or witness violence. (Note: it's not seldom or infrequent – it's never, for the majority of us.)
When I write my articles about life in Mexico, or about the different real estate areas people could consider buying properties, I write about the issues that define our lives as expats - the things we think about, the things we do and see.
The worst crime I've witnessed was that when I lived in Mexico City, I saw young Mexican guy being robbed coming out of the subway; he walked away completely unharmed. Petty theft can happen, but that's true in any U.S. city, big or small. Even petty theft, however, is not something we see every day, or even every month or year; especially not here in the main tourist and expat centers. Even Mexican nationals I know are shocked and appalled when they hear that their cousin who lives in another city was robbed, and will remember the event for years to come. It's by no means common, although its by far the worst crime problem that exists for regular residents. You do have to avoid leaving a big fat wallet hanging out of your back pocket, or leaving a purse sitting on a park bench, but this the same common sense you would use in a U.S. city.
This contrasts heavily to the news Mexicans hear of the senseless killings and serial murders that take place in the U.S. on an ever more frequent basis. Sadly and unfortunately, it's often impossible to identify the motivation of these events. When it comes to petty theft, at least you know what their looking for, and 99% of the time, it can be avoided through common sense.
Many expats in communities like Lake Chapala, Playa del Carmen or Puerto Vallarta say they actually feel safer than in their home city.
So, what about the big news reports about dozens of drug-related deaths? Are they exaggerated? The details are definitely not fabricated, and the problem of drug violence is a real one. No one has to invent anything to make these stories shocking.
But news reports fail to put the details into perspective; the headlines of CNN state "Dozens die in Mexico." Mexico is huge. Where did this happen? Who were these people?
The reality is that these events happen mostly up in areas along the U.S. border with 3 or 4 other isolated pockets throughout the country. In virtually every situation of this sort, all the people involved are members of the warring drug mobs. That's why even Mexican nationals in most communities throughout the country feel fairly distant from these problems. (Mexican news papers are actually worse about this kind of exaggeration and lack of perspective than U.S. papers, by the way.)
We also hear the news sometimes that a tourist experiences violence, or even worse, in one of these beautiful paradise locations. No one can deny that these unfortunate things to happen now and then. But again, the events are not put into perspective; when one American is attacked in [name any beachfront city], we forget the number of Americans here at the time. In some of these areas there are upwards of 50,000 expats, and this number is greatly swelled by large influxes of tourists. When the stats are compared, the rate of violent crime against Americans is still much lower here than back home.
The news is much more shocking when it happens to someone away on vacation to relax. News sources know this and capitalize on it to grab people's attention.
While living in Mexico, expats are generally so distant from all of this, that we forget about it. We go home to visit, and are surprised by concerns of friends and family. It's not something we think about, most of the time – usually only when a friend from back home calls or e-mails us concerned about our safety.
If you're concerned about safety in Mexico, start by talking to someone you know who lives here, or comes on vacations regularly. Then come and see for yourself; you'll be pleasantly surprised.
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico's Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely
If you are considering Living In Mexico there are hundreds of articles and resources on EscapeArtist that you can browse for more information.
Looking for Vacation Rental In The Riviera Maya, Mexico?
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