Pride in Being Mexican?

By: Elián Zidán

For a long time, I’ve been circulating the idea of starting an opinion column. On one hand, I wondered whether anyone would really care about what I have to say, and on the other, I couldn’t find a topic that truly inspired me to put my thoughts into words.

But that all changed on September 15th, 2024, when I had the chance to host Univision's broadcast of the "Grito de Independencia" from the "Zócalo", Mexico City’s main square.

In a time of intense political and social polarization, following the victory of the ruling Morena party’s judicial reform, I found myself bombarded with posts on social media questioning whether or not we should even celebrate Mexico's Independence.

For some, it was a day of national pride and the crowning achievement of López Obrador's presidency; for others, it was the death knell of democracy and the beginning of an autocracy.

That very September 15th, while I was preparing to go live, I was scrolling through "X" as usual when I came across a photo of President López Obrador with the newly elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum. The post confirmed that just moments before stepping onto the National Palace's balcony to deliver the Independence Day shout, the president had signed the decree for the judicial reform.

At that very moment, I looked out at the Zócalo and realized that I was witnessing a country living two entirely different realities. While hundreds of thousands of people were cheering and chanting “¡Sí se pudo!” (Yes, we did it!), others had decided not to celebrate at all from the comfort of their homes.

John Dos Passos once said, “You can take a man out of his country, but you can’t take the country out of the man.” I emphasize that last part because I think that’s the real question here: Does pride in being Mexican depend on someone or something?

I came across an Instagram post from someone I’ve known since childhood. He said that, even though he disagreed with the country’s political decisions, he and his wife were still going to celebrate to teach their young children about patriotism. According to him, love for one’s country is something you fight for from whichever position you choose.

In times of such deep division, it’s crucial to remember that Mexico is more than a president, a political party, or differing ideologies. In a perfect world, we would all know that, first and foremost, we are Mexicans — and we shouldn’t need to wait for a World Cup or the national soccer team to remind us of that, or to unite us in shouting “¡Viva México!”.

Patriotism isn’t just a symbol of pride; it’s also a symbol of courage. And it’s this courage that pushed me to write these words for the first time. As a journalist, this is the only platform I have to share my perspective on an event that will go down in the history of the country that gave birth to my family and me, and has given us so much.