Every year it comes around, the 5th of May, Cinco de Mayo. There is dancing in the streets of Mexico and America and the Mexican restaurants here are giving away flat screen TV’s and Kindle Fires. Everyday flat screen TV’s and Kindle Fires are being manufactured in China, Bangladesh and Columbia, and shipped thousands of miles to a destination near you, or at least within reach by automobile. And there is dancing in the streets, because:
“Cinco de Mayo, (Spanish: “Fifth of May”), also known as the Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, national holiday in Mexico in honor of a military victory in 1862 over the French forces of Napoleon III. When in 1861 Mexico declared a temporary moratorium on the repayment of foreign debts, English, Spanish, and French troops invaded the country. By April 1862 the English and Spanish had withdrawn, but the French, with the support of wealthy landowners, remained in an attempt to establish a monarchy under Maximilian of Austria and to curb U.S. power in North America. On May 5, 1862, a poorly equipped mestizo and Zapotec force under the command of Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza defeated French troops at the Battle of Puebla, southeast of Mexico City; about 1,000 French troops were killed. Although the fighting continued and the French were not driven out for another five years, the victory at Puebla became a symbol of Mexican resistance to foreign domination. The city, which was later renamed Puebla de Zaragoza, is the site of a museum devoted to the battle, and the battlefield itself is maintained as a park.
The day is celebrated in Mexico, especially in Puebla, with parades and speeches. In some cities there are reenactments of the Battle of Puebla. Cinco de Mayo has also become a festive holiday in parts of the United States with large Mexican American populations, including many cities of the Southwest. Celebrations in the United States often extend beyond the actual day to encompass an entire week, with parades and festivals that include music, dancing, and food.”
And yes, we continue to do the dance and celebrate our victories, over enemies of the state, over forests that get in our way, over the “peasants” that slave away making flat screen TV’s in rickety buildings with not so much as a crevice of sunlight or fresh air entering. And when the building collapses we blame the owners for the collapse and this is the last we ever hear of it again, except when the next one collapses and we compare it to the one we have forgotten and then we forget again. And thusly we continue to dance and celebrate our victories!
I’ll be damned, but you know, I have a flat screen TV, and this computer that I am sending this to y’all on…