Maybe "Third World" status is better

If moving from Third World poverty and underdevelopment means adopting the pathologies of modern American culture, perhaps Mexico should reconsider the goal.

A few of the cultural values, cited in a no-longer available news article (but the story is covered in this article) about 18,000 Mexicans posing for a "mass nudity photographer" (That job wasn't mentioned at Career Day in high school), are under attack and it doesn't bode well for a nation that's trying to lift itself out of poverty, if it means lowering itself into the cultural gutter.

Along with the many millions of American dollars that Mexican workers in the U.S. have shipped back home, have they also transported the less admirable cultural values they've absorbed here, mistaking them for enlightenment or progress?

"Some participants said the massive turnout showed that Mexicans, at least in the capital, were becoming less prudish." (original article)

Firstly, I would say that they misunderstand the term prude. According to Webster: One who is excessively concerned with propriety or morality. The distinctive concept in Webster's definition of a prude is excessiveness. That's what distinguishes a prude from the rest of proper society. I would argue that disdain for stripping and cramming into a public square for a photo shoot doesn't make one a prude.

"This event proves that really we're not such a conservative society anymore. We're freeing ourselves of taboos," said Fabiola Herrera, a 30-year-old university professor who volunteered to strip, along with her boyfriend. (original article)
Taboos? Yes, I guess public nudity is a taboo. But one worth shedding? Don't call it progress.

Some other values derided in the original article were: "tough-guy" masculinity, family loyalty, sanctity of life, and traditional marriage. I'd happily trade Rambo for Mr. Rogers as an example of what a man should be like, if we could retain respect for the family and respect for life.
"The capital of the world's second-biggest Catholic nation...has recently challenged some important traditions. Last month, Mexico City legislators legalized abortion...gay couples are getting hitched in civil ceremonies...and lawmakers plan to debate whether to legalize euthanasia." (original article)

"What a moment for the Mexican art scene!" Spencer Tunick, photographer/"artist", said at a news conference, without the slightest hint of the sarcasm that this quip deserved.