Reaction to Massacre in Mexico

I thought Massacre in Mexico was interesting primarily because it told a story that I had previously heard nothing about. I think that's rather sad, because the fact that the event took place right before the Olympics should have made it huge international news, and the victims should still be remembered with the Olympics today. However, it was kept secret precisely because of the Olympic games, and seems to have flown under the international radar ever since.

My last post was about the Olympics, too, and my feelings about this book match up with my feelings about human rights and the Olympics in general. I think that the students were probably trying to use the extra publicity of the journalists in town for the Olympics to their advantage, and the Mexican government was not going to allow the students to embarrass them in front of the entire world. Unfortunately, this resulted in the murder and imprisonment of many people, but it is easy to see why the government overreacted. In a way, the students provoked the government by making a fuss in front of the international visitors. While it is true that they should be allowed to state their opinions whenever they want, to whomever they want, they really could have done things in a more diplomatic way. I don't want to sound as though I am excusing the massacre or human rights violations in general, but I do feel as though it was a bad move on the students' part to demonstrate on the eve of such an internationally viewed spectacle as the Olympics. In addition, I feel as though the manner in which the government fought showed how panicked they were -- they were disorganized and ended up shooting at each other as much as at the students. I think that shows that they were desperate to keep the students from acting up in front of the international community.

Writing-wise, I thought the book gives a good sense of the chaotic nature of the event. The various fragments provide quick glimpses into peoples' experiences, and while it was frustrating to try to keep all of the names and relationships straight, that also added to the feeling of chaos and confusion that must have been felt at the time. The only issue I had with the form was that it became very repetitive, and I felt as though I were reading the same thing over and over.

Overall, I think this is a good read simply because it tells a story that is too infrequently told, both in the sense of the actual event and in that it shows the darker side of the Olympics, which is too often covered up.