Perception of Violence part I

Several years ago I became interested in the concept of adventure motorcycling. I'm not sure what the correct definition is or even if there is one, but I'd sum it up by saying it's riding in unfamiliar and potentially dangerous areas far from your home. It didn't take much searching to find on websites like advrider.com or horizonsunlimited.com which had thousands of first hand accounts of men and women who were riding their bikes in every corner of the world usually without a safety net. Just their own courage and wits to see them safely to the next town and eventually home. The dream was born and I was going to be an adventure rider too. Mexico was my logical choice for my first (and so far only) adv ride. It bordered the US, offered different cultures and terrains and I'd been there several times before. Now when I said I'd been there what I meant to say is I'd been to the Yucatan; Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum. Certainly different than the US but not adventurous. I mean if Uncle Fred can make it two weeks in Cancun wearing the usual tourist uniform, tropical shirt, ill fitting khaki shorts and sandals with black socks, it can't be that dangerous. I mean seriously, how long would Fred last wandering Detroit in that outfit?

With Mexico as my destination I began to research. I bought maps and guide books, I read accounts of riders old and current trips to Mexico and I talked to those around me. It was the people around me that raised the most alarm. "You're going to do what?", "You can't ride through, Mexico, it's too dangerous", "There's a drug war going on, they'll kill you", "banditos, kidnapping, rape, mayhem!". Jesus (the Mexican pronunciation), was it really that bad? I listened to my friends and families but I also listened to the riders who had been there. Almost to a person they said Mexico was safe. In fact many of them felt safer in Mexico than in the US.

So, I went. Me and a buddy rode seven thousand miles in Mexico without a single problem. After the first few days I felt comfortable and very safe. We followed precautions. Basically we did what any thinking person would do. We didn't flash cash around, not that we had any. If we got drunk it was with people we trusted and we tried very hard not to ride at night (that requires more explanation, read my blog account of the ride at motolocogringo.blogspot.com).

During the ride I often thought about the perception of Mexican violence in the US. Where did we get this perception? Why did most American's believe Mexico was a wild and dangerous country? Most importantly was this belief validated? From my own point of view it wasn't. So what led me to my own version of perception? My experiences have often showed me that reality is often very different from perception. Unfortunately perception is reality if that person believes it. As a young man I lived in Germany while serving in the Army. I traveled Europe as much as I could and found time after time that stereotypes (perceptions) of people and cultures were often at odds with what I was told to expect. What changed most during my four years living in Europe was my perception of my home country, the United States. I was told time and time again that America is the greatest country on Earth and I agree. I guess my perception was that because we were such great innovators, everything we did was better than everywhere else. I saw so many things being done more efficiently and better than we were doing back home. This changed my perception of perception. These experiences and many more like them have made me question perception in pursuit of fact.

So, what perception is reality? Is Mexico a lawless wasteland where banditos roam without fear and murder anyone in path? Or is it safe place that struggles with crime like every other country? Or is it something else altogether? Honestly, there's no way I can answer these questions but I can provide some insight. Part II will follow shortly.