We’ve all experienced cortesia here. This quality of Mexico’s polite formality is often translated narrowly as courtesy with rarely a display of temper, frustration or emotion.
It is the reason you won’t see emotions explode into fistfights when Mexican legislators (or most any legislators) take to arguing.
Apparently, the last time fistfights over politics broke out here in Mexico was in 2006, which represents unusual tolerance considering that fistfights worldwide among lawmakers have been as prevalent as medieval jousting. Ironically, it is also the same year history claims the drug cartels began influencing local government business. Slight debate rule change: Shut the hell up!
According to several news sites, fistfights in legislative chambers have occurred regularly and are often left unreported. From the British parliament to the Australian, from the Nigerian to the South African, from nearly all South American countries to Scandinavian, and even in the United States. An American congressman two years ago slugged another, not over political passion, but because the dimwitted target dissed the other’s mama (true).
Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.