Dear Sir,
For some reason our Mexican workers, without whom we could not survive, are in trouble and it’s partly our fault.
No matter how appreciative and understanding you are, your Mexican friend who works for you cannot take this gratitude to the store and buy groceries with it. He cannot say to the grocer, “I worked so hard, I did such good work. She really appreciated my efforts. Doesn’t that qualify me to take home some bread and some milk and eggs and perhaps a kilo of ground beef?” It doesn’t work that way. Not at all. He is hungry. His family is hungry. Even the dogs are hungry.
It’s wonderful that you have found this Mexican worker who seems to be able to do so many different things. At home you would have to call three or four persons to do what this one does.
So why does he accept this job when he knows you won’t pay him what he is entitled to? Why does the man on the street sell you the blanket for less than it cost him? He’s hungry, that’s why. If he were your son, or your husband, or your brother, you would be enraged, but he’s only a Mexican so I guess it really isn’t that important, is it?
Alice Macnamara,
Riberas del Pilar