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Want to understand the border crisis? Thanks to the stupidity of FoxNews, you can understand it in one simple graphic. The Sunday, March 31, 2019 “Fox & Friends Weekend” television show ran a graphic that read “Trump cuts aid to 3 Mexican Countries”. Although Fox has apologized for the mistake on its chyron it nonetheless exposes the driving factor behind the border crisis.

For many years I have spent time trying to correct the distorted geography that American schools seem to teach. North America includes three countries. They are Canada, México and the United States. Yes, México is part of North America and not part of Central America.

The Fox News graphic poignantly points out that many Americans really do not understand the complex dynamics behind the border crisis. Americans tend to have a world view made up of America, Europe and sometimes Australia as making up the “first world.” South of America, for many Americans, starts at México and erroneously includes all brown Spanish speaking people for many of the Donald Trump supporters.

Some of you may be tempted to argue this point but all I must do is point out how many Americans do not realize that Puerto Rico is an American protectorate whose citizens are Americans. For the Americans who have no clue of geography or geopolitics, after México there are the African countries, or for Donald Trump, the “shit holes” countries. And then there are the scary Muslim countries that are freaking Americans who have a distorted world view as evidence by the Fox chyron.

Looking at the Fox News graphic it immediately becomes apparent what is driving the xenophobia of Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson.

Until the American educational system catches up to the rest of the world, things like “3 Mexican countries” will continue and the issue of immigration will not be resolved.

Martin Paredes

Martín Paredes is a Mexican immigrant who built his business on the U.S.-Mexican border. As an immigrant, Martín brings the perspective of someone who sees México as a native through the experience...

2 replies on “Understanding the Border Crisis Through Three Mexican Countries”

  1. Most people I meet in my travels have no idea where El Paso is. I tell them it’s in Mexico. Actually, I tell them it is a Mexican city on US soil. They get that.

  2. Why not? After all to many in the US anyone and/or anything south of US border is “Mexican”. Then there are those who assume anyone brown within US borders is “Mexican”.

    The seven continents from childhood lessons and now the eighth Zealandia – Earth’s Hidden Continent – formed due to continental drift over many, many years.

    The latest continent was created by FoxNews with a stroke from their pen of stupidity. They named it “Mexico”. (Who knows, maybe they’re on to something.)

    Texas, time to rewrite your geography books!

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