The border and its external stereotypes

by Valeria Barajas


Hello everyone!

Today I want to talk about something that I find bothersome, but that few people question: how our border community is presented in the media, in other words, our image to the world. Many reports and news outlets portray us as a violent place, full of crime and insecurity. And it's true that the border community has an enormous cultural richness, yet the media doesn't reflect it.


Our community has many positive aspects as a community: communication groups, support groups, and social media platforms that help us stay connected and share information. From information about the famous Trolley and its safety, to recommendations for cafes and events. We know how to take advantage of binational life. Living between two cultures broadens your perspective on the world and gives us a unique identity.

However, there's much you could improve. Media outlets outside our community only portray the border as a problematic place. Crime and insecurity are the most frequently mentioned issues, and this is why many countries recognize the busiest border in the world, completely ignoring the lives of those of us who live along it. Life on the border is much more than danger; it's a place full of culture, traditions, creativity, dreams to fulfill, and unique experiences that can only be had here, creating a magical community.


The problem is that those who report information about our community are almost always outsiders, people who don't know our culture or our daily dynamics. This creates incorrect stereotypes and an unbiased view of who we really are as a community. What we know as a magical culture, the world reduces to a violent culture, filled with chaos, ignoring the two cultures that make up our community, the sacrifice and hard work of those of us who wake up early to take advantage of the unique opportunities at the border and achieve our goals.


In conclusion, it is important to criticize how the world perceives us from the outside and remind the world that our community is much more than the news headlines about "The Most Dangerous City in the World." The border community is not just people crossing a wall; we are young people studying, working parents, families gathered to celebrate our blended traditions, and we are those who take advantage of every opportunity the border offers us. Criticizing the established stereotype of our community does not mean ignoring all the real problems that exist; it means remembering that we are a strong, complex community that must be respected beyond what is reported in the news.

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