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> There are still slums and pockets of poverty, but by and large when I visit there now I think, “Wow, most people who live here are middle-class. What a miracl

> There are still slums and pockets of poverty, but by and large when I visit there now I think, “Wow, most people who live here are middle-class. What a miracle.” Overall I enjoyed his letter, but I find this quote a bit deceptive. A recent photo (http://i.imgur.com/atxDiw6.jpg http://i.imgur.com/atxDiw6.jpg) of the poverty line in Mexico City paints a very different picture than Gates' conclusion that most people there are "middle-class." Another source (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/30/us-mexico-poverty-idUSBRE96T01F20130730 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/30/us-mexico-poverty-...) claims that Mexico's poverty line is nearly 50%, far different than "pockets of poverty."

beachstartup 13y ago
1. the photo you provided shows far more middle-class high rise dwellings than the low-lying tenament slums. 2. he was talking specifically about mexico city, not mexico as a whole. the point is real, tangible progress is obviously being made, and that the work needs to continue. it's not "hopeless".
humanrebar 13y ago
I'm surprised he chose Mexico as an example as well, but because of the issues it has with corruption, emigration, and violence. Even a middle-class country with those problems seems like a bad example of progress.
- sp332 13y ago
  Does Mexico still have an emmigration problem? I know that for the last few years, the USA has had net-negative immigration from Mexico, as people are moving back.
  - humanrebar 13y ago
    I'm not an expert, but I understand that was more a function of the economic downturn than anything. Relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/us/immigrant-population-shows-signs-of-growth-estimates-show.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/us/immigrant-population-sh... That article reports that immigration from Mexico may be on the rise again. It also cites that half of the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. (about 6 million people) were born in Mexico. I guess my point is that Mexico has significant issues to deal with and therefore it may not be a good anecdote and instead be a better candidate for the special-considerations bucket.

beachstartup 13y ago

1. the photo you provided shows far more middle-class high rise dwellings than the low-lying tenament slums. 2. he was talking specifically about mexico city, not mexico as a whole. the point is real, tangible progress is obviously being made, and that the work needs to continue. it's not "hopeless".

humanrebar 13y ago

I'm surprised he chose Mexico as an example as well, but because of the issues it has with corruption, emigration, and violence. Even a middle-class country with those problems seems like a bad example of progress.

sp332 13y ago
Does Mexico still have an emmigration problem? I know that for the last few years, the USA has had net-negative immigration from Mexico, as people are moving back.
- humanrebar 13y ago
  I'm not an expert, but I understand that was more a function of the economic downturn than anything. Relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/us/immigrant-population-shows-signs-of-growth-estimates-show.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/us/immigrant-population-sh... That article reports that immigration from Mexico may be on the rise again. It also cites that half of the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. (about 6 million people) were born in Mexico. I guess my point is that Mexico has significant issues to deal with and therefore it may not be a good anecdote and instead be a better candidate for the special-considerations bucket.