{"id":2951,"date":"2014-03-29T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2014-03-29T11:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/?p=2951"},"modified":"2014-08-01T20:24:24","modified_gmt":"2014-08-01T19:24:24","slug":"angeles-sin-alas-politicas-del-contenido-en-la-telenovela-mexicana-1957-1997","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/utiles-para\/utiles-para-creadores\/angeles-sin-alas-politicas-del-contenido-en-la-telenovela-mexicana-1957-1997","title":{"rendered":"ANGELS WITHOUT WINGS: CONTENT POLICIES IN MEXICAN TELENOVELAS, 1957-1997"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>115 Minute, 33 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nTD P { margin-bottom: 0cm; }P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link {  }\n--><\/style>\n<table style=\"page-break-before: always;\" width=\"590\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"4\">\n<colgroup>\n<col width=\"633\" \/> <\/colgroup>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #000000; padding: 0.1cm;\" valign=\"TOP\" width=\"633\" height=\"89\">\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.5cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: DejaVu Sans Light,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Paper presented at:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0.5cm;\" align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Representing Mexico: <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Transnationalism and the politics of culture in Post-revolutionary Mexico<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid #000000; padding: 0.1cm;\" valign=\"TOP\" width=\"633\">\n<p align=\"RIGHT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">International conference sponsored by<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"RIGHT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Yale<\/b> University and the <b>Woodrow Wilson Center,<br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"RIGHT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">at the <b>Smithsonian Institution Tower<\/b>,<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"RIGHT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Washington, D.C., U.S.A.,<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"RIGHT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Friday 7<sup>th<\/sup> and Saturday 8<sup>th<\/sup>, November, 1997.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p align=\"CENTER\">.<\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><i><b>ANGELS WITHOUT WINGS&#8230;<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>, <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>CONTENT POLICIES IN MEXICAN TELENOVELAS <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"CENTER\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><b>(1957-1997)<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"RIGHT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Blanca de Lizaur,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"RIGHT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">U.N.A.M.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>TABLE OF CONTENTS:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Introduction <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, what they are <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">The birth of Mexican <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The myth of progress <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Literature&#8217;s social function <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Who decides what can be shown <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Contents&#8217; agenda <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">A short history of religious elements in Mexican <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Religious elements in two week-long samples, 1996-97 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span lang=\"en-GB\">Conclusions<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Introduction.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">In 1981-82, an Argentinian serial \u2500aired by &#8220;Canal 13&#8221; (the then-seldom-watched Government TV channel), achieved unprecedented popularity. Its name: <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Andrea Celeste<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote1sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">1<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> It was so popular, in fact, that soon afterwards <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">produced a Mexican version under the name <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Chispita <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(1982-83),<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote2sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">2<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> which became an astounding success.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote3sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> The story?; that of an orphan girl who lives and works with an average family, wins their love, and becomes a full-right member when her mother appears (suddenly recovered from amnesia and looking for her daughter) and marries the widowed head of the house.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">During her many years of trial and suffering, though, Andrea Celeste was never alone, as her guardian angel remained on call and helped her always out of trouble. This was apparent in the Argentinian version, where the angel dressed up properly for the occasion (long ivory-white dress and all) and the orphan&#8217;s name referred to its Heavenly origin \u2500<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Celes<\/i><em>te<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>;<\/em> but was not so clear in the Mexican version, where the pre-adolescent &#8220;angel&#8221; had to wear an aggressively-white tie and suit: No long dress, no wings, no Heavenly name, no anything. <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> could not possibly abuse the \u201cgullible\u201d people of Mexico by \u201cfeeding their ignorance with dark superstitions and ancient myths&#8221;&#8230;! It was evident that the girl was protected not by an angel but by an extraterrestrial being, actually, during the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenov<\/i><em>ela<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>&#8216;<\/em> s first-chapter,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote4sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">4<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> but the story&#8217;s producer was smart enough not to press the point in the following &#8230;291 chapters. People were given enough clues to understand its role according to their own beliefs, but the Mexican Government could not complain that the TV company was feeding the country with centuries-old lies. <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">had to cooperate actively in the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>modernization<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> of Mexico.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thirteen years afterwards (1996-97), a third version of the story was produced, again by <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, under the name <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Luz Clarita<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote5sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">5<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> Angels are the fashion, now, and the new producer was certain that a Heavenly character could push the story&#8217;s rating up. Permission to include it was denied, though. The angel became a fairy queen in its third version.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote6sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">6<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> The character remained strikingly white, Heavenly good, and capable of appearing and disappearing out of nowhere, &#8230;but certainly without wings.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Clearly, content policies in Mexican media may have changed since the Revolution, but not as much as it would seem!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i><b>Telenovelas<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>, what they are.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"> are serialized sentimental dramas bradcast by television. Unlike American soap-operas, their length is limited \u2500hardly ever do they last more than a year on-air, because the story usually reaches an end as soon as the protagonists have overcome the main obstacle on their way. This means that <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"> are generally built around a central conflict, and that \u2500hence, a growing tension can be detected until the problem is resolved with a &#8220;happy-ending&#8221;. In fact, the so called &#8220;happy-ending&#8221;, is the one in which each character receives what it has <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i><b>merited<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"> with his\/her behaviour, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>according to the audience&#8217;s culture <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(as required by this literary genre&#8217;s social function).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">They are usually aired Monday through Friday in 30 or 60 minute-long episodes, which are never independent from one another; and they are mainly produced in Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil [paper presented in 1997].<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> have become an every-day dish of the TV-menu mainly in Latin America and continental Europe (including Russia and other Eastern countries); and have attained significant success also in some Arab and Asian countries (like China, <em>long before its recent economic revolution<\/em>).<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote7sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">7<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> In Mexico they rank second amongst the most watched TV-programs \u2013the first being soccer-foot ball matches, the third being movies, the fourth being special events like the Olympic Games&#8217; openning ceremony (all of them: one-time events),<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote8sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">8<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> but they actually come first when we consider that they captivate their audience for months, and not only for 90-120 minutes.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Their impact is so broad, that it has been reported that some war zones have been paralized during a certain <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovel<\/i><em>a<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>&#8216; <\/em>s transmission,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote9sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">9<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> or that some of the Tupac-amaru hostage-takers followed them intently during the months in which they controlled the Japanese Embassy in Peru.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote10sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">10<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> In Mexico, newspapers have published that the E.Z.L.N.-representatives left peace-negotiations every day in time to watch their favourite <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovela<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote11sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">11<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> It is also well known that they proved an excellent vehicle for transmitting Government family-planning campaigns in Mexico and several other countries.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote12sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">12<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> Thus, it can be said that <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> are watched by almost everybody, although some particular works are liked better than others, by different social groups.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>The birth of Mexican telenovelas<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">When television was born in Mexico in the 1950&#8217;s, both the cinema and the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>historieta<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> industries were flourishing. It was a decade of political and economical stability, and the progress and modernity promised by the Revolution seemed to finally become true for a vast majority. The radio industry was strong and far-reaching, and <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>radionovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">were amongst its most appreciated shows. It naturally followed that television had to experiment with the genre and create <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. The first TV-drama produced with a daily serial format, was called <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Senda prohibida<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, and was written by Fernanda Villeli (adapted from her previous radio story). It was transmitted in 1957,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote13sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">13<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> roughly fourty years ago.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Many television programs \u2500at the time, were produced either by brokers,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote14sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">14<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> advertising agencies or by their clients (like Colgate-Palmolive). This accounts for the market-driven orientation of Mexican television, which somehow managed to coexist with the medium&#8217;s convenient subjection to the Revolutionary Government&#8217;s party. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">This phenomenum lead into the conformation of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, the gigantic communications conglomerate, nearly twenty years later (January 3<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">rd<\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, 1973). <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, a near monopoly, is the main Mexican <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">producer, and the most prolific television producer in the world (from a &#8220;number of hours annually produced&#8221; point of view). In other words: Mexican television&#8217;s, like Mexican <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>historieta<\/i><em>s<\/em><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>&#8216;<\/em> contents and formats, have been modelled by three coexisting forces: 1<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">st) <\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">A mainly conservative nation (whose free-will consumption was required), 2<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">nd<\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">) a liberal (or rather: anti-conservative) Revolutionary Government \u2013with a very distinctive political discourse, and 3<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">rd<\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">) a nearly Capitalist economy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">The study of Mexican <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>&#8216;<\/em> contents, therefore, offers a particularly valuable insight into the cultural policies of post-revolutionary Mexico, and how the ruling party&#8217;s official myths merged with its peoples&#8217; own myths, and rooted succesfully in our land.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>The myth of progress<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The Mexican Revolution \u2500it is generally admitted, cost the country about one million lives, and unaccountable material losses. Ideologically, though, the people needed an explanation, some kind of justification for what they had been forced to undergo. Left wing revolutionary slogans like &#8220;<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>la tierra es de quien la trabaja<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>&#8220;<\/em> (&#8220;the land belongs to those who work it&#8221;), called for a Marxist interpretation of the then-recent past, and accounted for the foundation of a Liberal Revolutionary-Government. The very people whom the Revolution had been said to protect, raised against it, however, when the Marxist interpretation of reality was pushed past culturally-unacceptable boundaries (traditional, economical, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>and <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">religious). Thousands died, and many more migrated, mainly to the United States.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote15sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">15<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">This forced the Revolutionary Government to undertake an enormous task: That of changing our society&#8217;s values, in order to provide itself with a broader support base, thus securing operational stability for its institutions and members on the long run.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote16sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">16<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A worthwhile goal had to be offered in the place of such values, as otherwise people would not accept to sacrifice what had proven to be important enough for them to raise in arms against a professional army with international support. The goal?: <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Progress and modernity<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote17sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">17<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> No price would seem too costly in exchange for the general well-being of society. \u201cConformism\u201d \u2013conformity with one&#8217;s \u201clot in life\u201d, was unacceptable, as it entailed a certain rejection of necessary changes.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">As synonims to progress, literacy, education, health (only through modern allopathic medicine), industrialization, urban-life, peace and freedom, and economic welfare were offered. Whatever opposed to them could be interpreted as negative for the whole nation. Together, they became the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>new myths <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">of the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>new society<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">The bridge between the old and the new times would be tended on common grounds. The new public discourse could only consider &#8220;good&#8221; \u2500positive, prosocial, desirable\u2500 what both sides agreed to consider so; that is: what both understood as humanly convenient. Conversely, what either party rejected, became unmentionable in the public discourse, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>whenever an agreement need to be reached between social agents. <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Moral talk, obviously, was deemed unacceptable by the authorities, as it related to religion, and memories of the counter-revolutionary war were still fresh.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Such a reinterpretation of history, of reality, of cultural institutions, asked for mass vehicles; the new ideology was to be transmitted and supported by the school, the press, and the rest of the media. The three <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>had<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">to be controlled by the Government. It had to be done in such a way, though, that the image of democracy remained untainted.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">And they have managed superbly, until crisis became a permanent feature of Mexican reality, and the image of ever-lasting progress (tied to the Government&#8217;s party, at least) collapsed. It is not by chance that civilian boycotts against media grew larger and stronger during De la Madrid&#8217;s and Salinas&#8217; <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>sexenios <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(6-year long presidential terms: 1982-88 and 1988-94), right after L\u00f3pez Portillo&#8217;s 1981 presidential report about the \u2013then newly arrived\u2013 crisis.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Literature&#8217;s social function.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The importance of Literature as a remodelling tool for reality, whether transmitted in print or through any other technology, can be accounted for only from a sociological point of view. As Mims &#038; Lerner defined many years ago: Literature, as a social institution&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8220;Consists of a scheme of controls, through which it performs its social function by organizing the verbal expression of experience, and thus integrating on an emotional level the activities of the group with its underlying view of life&#8221;.<\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote18sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">18<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Literature is, then, &#8220;both culture forming and culture ridden&#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote19sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">19<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">&#8230;and works <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>for <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">society by serving as a vehicle for its ideas, culture and values, from one generation to another; and also inside any one of them, by reaching those members of society who cannot be instructed into the ways of the group, by other social institutions (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>i.e.:<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">the family, the school&#8230;).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span lang=\"en-GB\">How can it perform such an enormous task? Simply by giving an image of reality which transmits those ideas, culture and values <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u2013<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span lang=\"en-GB\">by &#8220;rewarding&#8221; behaviours society considers to be acceptable, and by &#8220;punishing&#8221; the unacceptable ones. Old wisdom recently confirmed by Social Psychologists like Albert Bandura, from Stanford University.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Can this be considered good or bad? Probably both, depending on our personal point of view. It is only natural, though; every particular group needs to transmit its view of the world to its new members, and justify it both from a rational and an emotional point of view, or perish.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Such ideological processes are innate to human societies to the extent that even minorities make use of them inside their own groups, even while they complain because majorities frequently ignore o mistreat them in the latter&#8217;s own broader-reaching literatures.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Hence the importance of controlling all narrative&#8217;s channels of distribution (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>i.e.<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">the media), not only those supposed to transmit historical, real events (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>i.e.<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">school and the press), if the Mexican Revolutionary Government wanted to rule for long over a people <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>who did not share its world view, <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">but who <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>hungered for peace and stability.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">transmit narrations that organize &#8220;the verbal expression of experience, and thus [integrate] on an emotional level the activities of the group with its underlying view of life&#8221;.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote20sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">20<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> This enables me to consider them as literary works for the purposes of my analysis. Of course, neither are they built, nor they function, like \u201chigh-brow\u201d works, but they all belong to Literature from a sociological point of view.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Who decides what can be shown<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Mexico is the only country I have news of, where the ethical control of advertising is in the hands of the Ministry of Health (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Secretar\u00eda de Salud<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Direcci\u00f3n de Control Sanitario de la Publicidad<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>)<\/em>. It had to be so, because ethical limits were not in the realm of the revolutionary discourse, while health was. The ethical control of magazines and comic books, as well, was supposedly supervised by the Ministry of Education (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Secretar\u00eda de Educaci\u00f3n P\u00fablica<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Comisi\u00f3n Calificadora de Revistas Ilustradas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>)<\/em>, with the ocassional help of other Government ministries.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote21sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">21<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> True banning (political, or related to the Revolutionary discourse), though, was in the hands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Secretar\u00eda de Gobernaci\u00f3n<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">), where it was executed indirectly, through controlling paper supplies, TV and radio concessions, and other mechanisms, as it is generally mentioned. Where it regards TV, a particular ministerial department was created: the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Direcci\u00f3n General de Radio, Televisi\u00f3n y Cinematograf\u00eda <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(R.T.C.).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A clear manual or by-laws was never publicly issued, as it would have entailed an outward recognition of ideological control, when the revolutionary discourse that officially legitimated the authorities&#8217; actions, exalted freedom of expression.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote22sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">22<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> This allowed for discretionary actions and occasional &#8220;pressure-valves&#8221;, resulting in a not very consistent application of censorship, that paradoxically rendered the system flexible enought to last.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Where it regards <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, TV-companies have had to rely on a case-by-case personal negotiation: R.T.C. appointed a representative for a certain work or channel, and the producer had to reach an agreement with the censor as to what could be shown during its transmission. Still today (1997), <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">accepts having an &#8220;in-house&#8221; R.T.C. representative, who issues final decisions about what will be aired.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote23sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">23<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Born and raised in this environment, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">has structured itself to give results (achieve high ratings) anticipating what R.T.C. will accept or refuse to air. After fourty years of ideological conditioning in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, they first think about R.T.C., and then about the audience, without realizing that inside such narrow margins, there are few more things they can still show without repeating themselves more than it can be normally enjoyed, or irating either the audience or the Government representatives.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote24sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">24<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Contents&#8217; agenda<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Media and the school were, then, entrusted with the precious gold of ideology \u2500with the promotion of the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>new myths <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">in the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>new society<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">. But media were privately owned, although \u2500in the case of TV and radio broadcasts, for example, concessions to operate them were arbitrarily granted. Permits could be cancelled at any time and for any reason. It is easy for us now to disqualify near-monopolies like <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, but the truth is that they could have lost everything at any time if they had not yielded to Governmental requirements. Their subjection, of course, was handsomely rewarded with monopolical revenues, tax advantages and political favours.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">What I have called &#8220;the synonims of progress&#8221; (and &#8216;will describe later on), had to be shown always from a positive point of view in the movies, illustrated magazines \u2500including <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>historietas <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">(comic stripes<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">), the radio and TV, establishing a clear correlation between them and the well-being of those positive characters the audience loved the most. Conversely, whatever opposed to &#8220;progress&#8221;, had to be shown as harmful \u2500destructive, antisocial, negative\u2500, both for society and individuals. \u201cPersonal advancement\u201d was the general, dogmatic and unquestionable goal, at least as far as it concerned main characters.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Simultaneously, positive human values had to be promoted because both parts agreed in that they were desirable for everybody \u2500they constituted the common grounds for a public discourse, I talked about earlier. A man, for example, could not be shown beating a woman or child, or married to several women at the same time; they all agreed those were undesirable behaviours they did not want to support.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ideological revolutionary foundations had to be promoted actively, too, including the Government&#8217;s approved official version of History.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The previous paragraphs serve as an introduction to the content policies I will now describe:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>First content boundaries: The synonims of progress<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">a) <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Literacy <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">was depicted as the sure key to self-advancement and success \u2500any knowledge stored in print, had to be considered true and worthy, automatically.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">b) <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>education <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">was shown as the only sure way to self-advancement and a better job \u2500therefore, in <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">there were no incompetent, unlikeable, or destructive teachers; schools taught only objective truths \u2500\u201dscience\u201d, not \u201cbiased and faulty points of view\u201d\u2500 (as opposed to what \u201cindividuals and families taught\u201d); and schooled individuals were always treated better than those who lacked studies.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">c) <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>health <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(but only through modern allopathic medicine, and hygiene) was represented as the foundation of well-being. Folk medicine \u2013with its herbs and massages, with its closeness to natural elements and cycles, and its frequent spiritual invocations<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">could only prove either useless or fatal \u2500as in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Marcha nupcial <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(1977).<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote25sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">25<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> Physicians made no mistakes. Self-medication could only prove fatal. Characters never smoked nor drank, unless they were to die of it (occasionally, they were allowed to hold a glass of &#8220;champagne&#8221;, but only during very special celebrations, and the camera could never focus on the action of drinking from it). If they had a drinking problem, only A.A. (Anonymous Alcoholics, a non-gobernmental organization) could help them. Kids might die of amoebic dysentery in a <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">(a healable illness nowadays), <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">because they had forgotten to wash their hands before lunch &#8230;just once. Sports were the key to recognize a worthy young character. Drugs were not shown, not even from a negative point of view; they simply did not belong in our country&#8217;s brand-new modern image \u2013people had no need to escape from a perfect Revolutionary society. And, as a matter of fact, few did.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote26sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">26<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">It is common to read and hear about the negative influence of media on society, but seldom do we speak about their equally pervasive positive influence. A content policy about health has helped the Revolutionary Government improve the general well-being of its people. It cannot be doubted, for example, that slogans like &#8220;wash your hands after going to the bathroom and before eating&#8221;, or &#8220;if you sell food, do not serve it before first washing your hands, or right after holding money&#8221;, have helped expand average life-expectancies; or that the easier access to modern allopathic medicine, has helped to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">d) <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Industrialization <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">had a favourable image in <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>;<\/em> it created riches and jobs, and brought poor peasants into the \u201ccivilized\u201d, modern&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">e) <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>&#8230;urban-life <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">where potable water, drainage, electricity, telephone, doctors, education, and commodities were available \u2500this almost flawless image, by the way, was one of the first ones to collapse, early in the 1980&#8217;s.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote27sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">27<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">f) <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Peace and freedom<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. There was little organized crime in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Mexico, no drug-dealers, no terrorists, no unpunished crimes, no social un-rest, no kidnaps, no strikes (there can be no unhappy workers in a perfect Revolutionary society); no prostitution, no homosexuality, no suicide, no abortion;<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote28sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">28<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> no un-punished corruption,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote29sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">29<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">no banning&#8230; \u2500no failure whatsoever in the Revolutionary system.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">g) <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Economic welfare <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">had to be shown as the mandatory consequence of all the above-mentioned.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Even though our first reaction to content controls is usually negative, we must not forget that migration to the cities (until the 1980&#8217;s, at least) helped reduce the misery of thousands of peasant families, and improved their life-quality. We tend to idealize small peasant and native communities, nowadays, conveniently forgetting how children and women are sold, used, and are generally exploitated in many of them \u2500for example.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote30sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">30<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Other content boundaries.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">h) <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Ideological foundations.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Logically, the first ideological taboo was democracy, because the Revolution was instigated \u2013and initiated, to the cry of, &#8220;Effective vote, no more reelections&#8221; (&#8220;<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Sufragio efectivo; no reelecci\u00f3n<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>&#8220;<\/em>). Democracy was the only political system that could bring progress to the country, and as such had to be depicted always favourably. Elections, according to TV newscasts, were always clean. TV companies avoided the issue in <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, though, because they were afraid to anger the audience.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Religion was a particularly difficult subject, as the Revolutionary discourse related it to ignorance, poverty and fraud; but it could not be continuously portrayed that way, because it greatly angered the audience, too \u2013as it is generally better liked and respected than the authorities, despite the many human imperfections of its members. Alienating the audience could not be considered a good strategy, if the authorities wanted TV companies to transmit its messages to the people. A certain balance was reached by virtually showing no religious elements at all, &#8230;so that people would learn how to live without them. <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Proselitismo religioso <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(the promotion of religion) was ruled out of <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote31sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">31<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> not only because or general ideological reasons, but also because religion remained an illegal activity in Mexico until January 28<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1992 (forbidden by the National Constitution, no less), and direct immediate negative consequences could fall upon the TV company and its personnel for \u201cinfringing the law\u201d. Even after its legalization, its practice remained greatly hindered, compared to most other countries&#8217;.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The audience rejected a love-story that did not end with a religious ceremony.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote32sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">32<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> Therefore, long awaited weddings could be shown briefly, but &#8220;priests&#8221; in them were usually not allowed to talk during the ceremony (their voices were muted, while we listened to a love song). <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Party or political promotion was ruled out of <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, too, to avoid alienating the audience.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote33sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">33<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Public criticism against the &#8220;system&#8221; was generally tolerated from worthy and notable left-wing intellectuals \u2500whose prestige the authorities inderectly granted and managed through allowing their works to be distributed, as well as through grants, awards and subsidies, or through employment in official cultural institutions, for example),<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote34sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">34<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> as long as it did not reach too broad an audience,<\/span><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> in order to counterweigh the people&#8217;s mainly conservative pressure against school and media contents<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. That way, the Government proved to be \u2013always, the &#8220;center&#8221; wing, the key to balance and stability.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>La traici\u00f3n <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(1985) is a good example of how contents could be negotiated with the censor. Originally, the story&#8217;s most powerful character was that of a State Governor who repeatedly abused his authority; the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">depicted how he amassed riches out of the misery of his people, and how he made use of crime and injustice as an instrument to retain power and annihilate those who were not his friends. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The R.T.C. censor understood the story could put the Government in an uncomfortable position, and asked for changes. <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, then, created a secondary character, and loaded him with all the misdeeds previously planned for the State Governor \u2500the new-character&#8217;s boss, and under whose authority the villain was <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>mistakenly <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">thought to work. The innocent Governor \u2500a revolutionary heroe, by the way, was finally proven excellent, and the Revolution proved its uprightedness and desirability once again.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote35sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">35<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">The official version of History was untouchable, too: In 1965, a <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">was produced about <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Maximiliano y Carlota (Maximillian and Charlotte)<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, the unfortunate emperors of Mexico. The central story was that of Carlota&#8217;s great love for her husband. Unfortunately, the XIX<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">th<\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">century\u00a0Mexican Republic founding father, Benito Ju\u00e1rez, turned out to be the villain, as he decreed the emperor&#8217;s death at <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>el Cerro de las Campanas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">. People&#8217;s reaction <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>against <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">the national liberal heroe and <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>for <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">the emperors was such, that the authorities ordered the TV-company to repair the national heroe&#8217;s good name, in a following <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovela<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">i) <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>General human-values<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">The <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Nacionalismo <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Revolucionario <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">required that the media made use of the &#8220;national language&#8221; (Spanish). Particularly during certain periods (like Echeverr\u00eda&#8217;s presidency or <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>sexenio<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>)<\/em>, Mexican TV could pride itself on using practically no foreign expressions, and maintaining a minimum level of linguistic correction.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">A number of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">was produced to promote or reinforce behaviours the Government deemed necessary or convenient for the country \u2013they were known as \u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">with social (or pro-social) contents\u201d, or \u201cin society&#8217;s own interest\u201d. Amongst them: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Ven conmigo<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Acomp\u00e1\u00f1ame<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Vamos juntos<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Caminemos<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Nosotras las mujeres <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">and <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Por amor <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(1976-89), and lately <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Los hijos de nadie <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(1997). The first one, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Ven conmigo<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, mainly promoted adult education (together with family planning), and was well appreciated by a majoritarian audience (rating or percentage of \u201cTV homes\u201d it reached: 32 points as an average). <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Caminemos <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">and <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Vamos juntos <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">mainly promoted family-planning, and attained only 15 points (both below their time-slot audience averages); the rest reached an even smaller public. The instinctive, blatant and growing rejection the audience showed for them, made TV companies no longer advertise when one was being created to comply with the authorities \u2013the label: \u201csocial content <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas&#8221;<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">, was dropped; not the practice\u2013<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">In spite of this, it is generally accepted that these <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">became the key to decreasing the total fertility rate in Mexico from 6.37 to 3.8 children-per-couple in only 14 years (accompanied by extensive government campaigns and easier access to contraception, of course).<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote36sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">36<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">R.T.C. did not care very much about other types of contents people worried more about \u2500violence, sex and nudity, inappropriate language, and the lack of works that exalted the role played by families in our country. Through controlling offensive material, though, the authorities were offered a justification for other types of content control. It must be recognized, any way, that they made a better work about controlling them in TV, than they did in comic-books,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote37sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">37<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> until the progressive collapse of many of the Revolutionary myths, and the broadening of banning policies which started in 1984-85.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Feces and guts have always been considered distasteful by all sides, but <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">seems to be giving them a try, too.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote38sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">38<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> Death has been no problem, as long as it be contextualized according to our culture. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">As a general rule, the censors&#8217; goal was to avoid any material that instead of raising the audience from \u201cits former ignorance\u201d, could have potencially reverted it to a pre-revolutionary <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>statu-quo<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">. Tabloid news (until 1995), and soft and hard pornography were definitely banned out of TV, for example.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>A short history of religious elements in Mexican <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i><b>telenovelas<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">As banning decisions were discretionary \u2013R.T.C. representatives negotiated every single one, case by case (company by company, channel by channel, producer by producer, work by work, and even scene by scene&#8230;)\u2013, exceptions to any generalization abound. A rough profile can be drawn, though, where it regards the banning of religious elements \u2500the most sensitive ones in Mexico. Such profile can give us an idea of the many changes experienced during the long period covered by this analysis.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Until the birth of <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, the fierce competition for audience amongst the four private channels (2, 4, 5 and 8),<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote39sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">39<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> and the economic pressure of advertising agencies, clients and brokers (who expected channels to please the audience, and paid costly for it), did not permit a very strict content control. Before 1973, for example, many lives of saints became extremely successful <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, and even toured around Iberoamerica, Africa, and Southern Europe. The life of Saint Martin of Porres, for one, was firstly produced before video-tape was invented. When due to its success other nations wanted to have it, the main actor (Ren\u00e9 Mu\u00f1oz) was invited to enact it once and again for different TV-companies in various countries around the world.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">After the merge of all four channels, and the birth of <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">during Echeverr\u00eda&#8217;s period, a more strict control became possible. The only religious central-plot line allowed after 1973, was <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>San Mart\u00edn de Porres&#8217; &#8216;<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">last version: <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>El Cielo es para todos <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(1979), sponsored by Colgate and <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Caf\u00e9 Oro;<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote40sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">40<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> &#8230;again a commercial success. Sponsorships, by the way, dissapeared in those years, as far as I can remember, until <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">revived them around 1995.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Occassionally, religious elements were allowed, with a varying degree of success. <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Mundo de juguete <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(1974-19<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">77)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote41sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">41<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> showed the child protagonist attending a school run by Catholic nuns in a country where it was forbidden by law to do that openly, &#8230;and receiving her First Communion from the Pope in Rome. Not only this: It depicted positive and attractive religious characters. Children raved on it to the point that the company couldn&#8217;t end it as scheduled; chapters were added to it once and again, until it became the longest work in the history of Mexican <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">(children works are usually, and by far, the longest ones)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A story enacted by a very popular actress, Ang\u00e9lica Mar\u00eda, conversely, showed the Guadalupan apparitions as a dream, and was ignored by people.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote42sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">42<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Around 1977, holidays ceased to be celebrated on TV. Daily schedules were no longer cancelled on important dates, be them civic or religious. This was well received, and was generally considered as a step ahead towards modernity. It certainly became a step ahead towards the total omission of religious contents, too.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Under the leadership of V\u00edctor Hugo O&#8217;Farrill, the golden years of Mexican <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>&#8216;<\/em> arrived (1982-1986). Anthropo-centrism, Modernism and<\/span><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> progress<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> joined forces to create some of the most notable works <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">has produced. Greater technical and monetary resources, and an ever-improving industrialized production process, permitted to create memorable stories (like the above-mentioned <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Chispita <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">and <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>La traici\u00f3n<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, and <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Gabriel y Gabriela<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Bodas de odio<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> \u2500<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">2<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">nd<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">version, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>La fiera<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Vivir un poco<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>T\u00fa o nadie <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">and <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Cuna de lobos<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>)<\/em> where religious elements were either scarce or absent. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Great stories, great production teams, and the lack of competition (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>i.e.<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">: lack of works created under different rules), permitted these <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">to attain unparalleled success, with up to 71 points&#8217; maximum ratings (for example: closing chapters at the end of a <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovela<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>)<\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Such success invited producers and authorities to carry the revolutionary discourse even farther, and several works were then created either with a small number of negative religious elements, or braking with particular social \u2500not Revolutionary, boundaries.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>En carne propia<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> \u2013<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">1990, under the model of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Cuna de lobos <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(one of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">&#8216;s most notable successes)\u2013, depicted a priest (a merely secondary character), in a not-very-agreeable way, for example. The story failed to attract the audience. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>El rinc\u00f3n de los prodigios <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(1987) obtained similar results. It told the story of a peasant child who is thought to posses supernatural gifts, to the point that many are healed simply by placebo effect \u2013by suggestion, when he prays for them. He grows into a renown healer and prophet, outside the orthodoxy of the majoritarian faith. Doctors, teachers, priests, authorities&#8230;, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>none compared to Monchito<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">. People disliked it almost from the start. And this despite the fact that the author was an exceptionally agreeable, knowledgeable and generous person, with a notable sense of humour.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Then, and for a short period of time, Channel 5 imported a few Venezuelan <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, where blessings, medals, and churches abounded. The result: Ratings soared, but were quick to drop again when such stories were replaced by more \u201cModern\u201d Mexican works (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Modern\u201d in the sense of \u201cworks perceived as more sordid by the general audience\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Ratings, actually, started their non-stop decline in 1987&#8230; Well, non-stop, but with frequent exceptions: Seemingly unimportant stories attained significant success. Religious elements were present in many of them \u2500marginally, of course, but depicted from a respectful point of view (respectful in the sense that believers&#8217; creeds were not contended, but were actually justified). <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Cadenas de amargura <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(1990-91), for example, showed a happy and positive priest who suddenly found out, later in life, that during his long-past youth (long before realizing that he wanted to become a priest), he had conceived a daughter with his then-beloved fianc\u00e8e (the woman died shortly before he returned to town, many years later). He kept on being a priest after discovering he had an already-grown child, but his daughter never lacked guidance, help or love afterwards: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>He was loyal both to her and to his vows. <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">When his daughter asked what he would have done had her mother been still alive when he returned home and learnt about his fatherhood (would he have married her?), he softly answered: \u201cI loved her dearly and truly. Yet, it was <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>not <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">her dissappearance \u2013what wrongly looked like her rejection, that pushed me into priesthood, into the service of God and others; it rather gave me the opportunity to meditate about what I wanted to do with my life, what my life-mission was. If she had returned to me then, I still would not have married her because I had finally discovered my vocation to priesthood. Yet \u2013I assure you, I would never have ignored my duty to you, or my sincere respect towards her.\u201d (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>ad libitum<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">In 1993, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(Channels 13 and 7) was sold into private hands, after a short reorganization (1989-93) meant to prove that it could compete commercially against <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">. Brazilian <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, full of sexual, religious, and political elements (those we couldn&#8217;t use in Mexico), were clearly liked by a more selective audience. Their Realism and sense of humour trapped a more educated, urban audience \u2013the one that does not usually watch them, or accept that it does. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">&#8216;s ratings had already been falling for five years when <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">&#8216;s ratings started to raise little by little&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">R.T.C., on the one side, had gradually opened banning criteria, starting around 1984-85, mainly as a reaction to civilian boycotts against newscasts.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote43sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">43<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i> Televisa<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, on the other, started to try sexual and violent elements in its stories, first, and transgressive linguistic elements, later, with results deemed surprising (not positive) by its creative personnel \u2013whose view of life is habitually way more liberal than the general audience&#8217;s.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The greater freedom in the depiction of sexual, violent and linguistic contents has been accompanied by a consistent reduction of sales (even during economically more stable years like 1990-93). In the last seven years (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>i.e.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, since 1990) most <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">have not been able to exceed average historical ratings for their time-slots, while competition has increased tremendously. The end of 1994 and the beginning of 1995 brought such dramatic cut-backs on advertising expenditures that for several weeks few clients could afford TV-spots, and channel owners had to make use of them (to advertise other companies of their own).<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote44sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">44<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> Lack of consumption forced prices down, while operating costs rocketted, forcing programmers to schedule more spots than ever: On November, 3<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">rd<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1995 a sixty minute long <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">chapter \u2500<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Lazos de amor<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u2500 <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">contained 50 advertisements and only 38 scenes&#8230;; which also reduced its opportunities to attract viewers. Today, out of every 30 minutes of transmission by <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">or <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, a media of 11 minutes is dedicated to publicity. <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">is even showing on-screen advertising banners during entertainment and contest programs; something previously forbidden.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Since 1994, approximately, both <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">and <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">have increased their advertising budgets. Never before had <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">required <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>so much help <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">to attract people&#8217;s attention.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The TV-industry needed new resources to recover popularity, and after trying out many strategies, it rediscovered religion nearly three years after the oficial recognition of faith as a lawful activity. Religious elements, as we will see, remain marginal today (1997), even if their number grows steadily. The mixture of formerly forbidden linguistic, violent, sexual, &#8230;and religious contents in single works (as in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Alguna vez tendremos alas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote45sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">45<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> 1996-97, for example) has raised mixed reactions in the audience, with no clear positive effect on ratings on the long run. No wonder: These are esentially antithetical elements, that cannot work well when jumbled together thoughtlessly.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>Religious elements in two week-long samples, 1996-97.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">With all this information in mind, I asked myself: Can one infere a correlation between the abundance of religious elements and high ratings? I analyzed two full-week samples of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">&#8216;s <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, one from January 1996 and the other one from May 1997. The results are the following.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The use of religious elements is definitely growing (25 % more in the second year&#8217;s sample than in the first), but they remain marginal to the main story: No religious main-plot-lines, no religious motivations or limitations to characters&#8217; actions, scarce explicit attendance to rites (other than weddings), no supernatural participation in the development of the story, etcetera.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Religious elements employed, could be divided into five main groups: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">* <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Environment<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, like churches appearing as part of a city&#8217;s landscape,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">* <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Objects, <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">like crucifixes as house or office decorations,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">* <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Words<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> \u2013<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">from casual exclamations and invocations, to the brief mention of religious data or prayers,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">* <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Rites, <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">like talks about, or explicit attendance to, christenings, weddings, funerals, etcetera, and<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">* <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Persons<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> \u2013<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">for example: characters who are very pious, nuns, priests, missionaries, etc., which was the scarcest one, as could have been expected).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">85 % of all religious elements in the 1996 sample, and 68 % in the 1997 sample, belong to the &#8220;words&#8221; and &#8220;objects&#8221; classifications. The majority of them are casual exclamations (like, &#8220;my God!&#8221;), medals, images and crucifixes \u2013most of them clearly marginal (small, brief, irrelevant or unimportant).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Religions other than the majoritarian one, are seldom mentioned in the sample (only once in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Los hijos de nadie<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1996). Outside the sample, I keep records of only four cases: a Pre-hispanic native marriage-rite in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Entre la vida y la muerte <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(1992; the German audience loved it, whereas the Mexican one simply ignored it), a Japanese marriage-rite in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>El Pecado de Oyuki <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(a rating failure in Mexico, too, despite the fact that previous versions has attained great success), a Protestant preacher who was only interested in profitting from people in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Tieta <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(a great rating success when compared to the historical average for its channel and time-slot),<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote46sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">46<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> and <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Nada personal <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(where two positive and attractive secondary characters were Protestant, according to the original story&#8217;s very lengthy abstract).<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote47sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">47<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Some isolated examples permit us to suppose that religious elements, when shown in a respectful way, can raise ratings notably. One of them is the death of Rosario, a co-protagonist in <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>El premio mayor <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(7:05pm, Thursday, January 18<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">th<\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, 1996). The girl had suffered since birth: &#8216;Was abandoned by her parents, &#8216;raised by a compassionate neighbour whose family abused Rosario in more than a hundred ways; and finally married the man she loved, &#8230;only to lose him shortly later when he opposed publicly to some criminals. At that point, our character wanted to become a nun, but had to resign when she discovered she was pregnant. Then she fell ill and was asked to choose between her life and that of the baby, and she chose to give birth \u2500faithful to very strong cultural, economic, emotional and instinctive motivations <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>for <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">maternity in the large majority of Mexican women, but faithful also to the majoritarian faith&#8217;s teachings that the more vulnerable being has to be protected by the most powerful one. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i><b>have <\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">to reward positive behaviours according to cultural parameters, and so much suffering deserved an uncommonly good prize. The producer could think only of one: Our lady of Guadalupe (the Marian representation closer to Mexican believers&#8217; hearts) had to take Rosario into Heaven personally. The producer&#8217;s marksmanship proved extraordinary when congratulating calls poured into the TV-company until its telephone system collapsed. The audience had been touched to the point that they wanted to see Rosario&#8217;s death once and again. The chapter was aired again the following day, and people kept calling for repetitions; but the company could not broadcast it for a third time; the story had to go on.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">What the producer did not realize, is that he got it right by sheer chance. His lack of religious knowledge did not distinguish between actual death and <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>dormici\u00f3n<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0 \u2500<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">two different religious terms: The Virgin did not exactly die, and was taken by angels into Heaven \u2500<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>body and soul, <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">a few instants after she sort of fell asleep in a definite way; that is <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>dormici\u00f3n<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">. The rest of us usually die \u2013we abbandon our body, while our soul moves on to its eternal destination, until the day of the final resurrection, when body and soul will reunite for ever, according to the majoritarian faith&#8217;s teachings. The producer had planned to represent Rosario dying &#8220;just like the Virgin&#8221; \u2013like in a famous painting by Murillo: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>The Immaculate Conception<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201d<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">; but the actress&#8217; lack of cooperation forced him to enact the whole scene in a minimum time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>El premio mayor<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, in fact, was the single sampled <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovela<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"> ith the larger number of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>negative <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">religious elements.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">And hence, his near-failure \u2013actual success, reminds us of an important fact: Most people in the media do not believe in what the rest of society believes. It does not matter whether we talk about religion, folk-medicine or else, the audience decline is an actual indicator of how they have lost contact with the culture they feed on, and whose spokesmen &#038; spokeswomen they should be. According to Mims&#8217; &#038; Lerner\u2019s definition of Literature, narrations can hardly be majoritarianly, permanently, successful when their authors refuse to serve as vehicles for their society&#8217;s view of life, for their ideas, values, and culture.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Returning to my hypothesis, the analysis proved that the profusion of religious elements does not guarantee a high rating. As a matter of fact, the four <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">with the greater number of religious elements were <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>either the two most disliked <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">by the majoritarian audience (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Pueblo chico, infierno grande<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, and <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Los hijos de nadie, <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">1997), <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>or the two better liked <\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Esmeralda, <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">1997, and Lazos <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>de amor, <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">1996).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">This permits us to conclude that <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>marginal <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">religious elements <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>potentiate <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">a certain <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenov<\/i><em>ela<\/em><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>&#8216;<\/em> s performance \u2013good or bad, but alone by themselves cannot guarantee a large audience.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i><b>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">assured me that they have no content policies similar to the above-listed ones. They have two single worries: that the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">will sell, and that the R.T.C. representative will allow them to air it,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote48sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">48<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> which demonstrates by itself that they do have content policies! Do they have policies for choosing what <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">story to produce? \u2500I asked, knowing that this first filter usually tells what companies&#8217; main content policies are. Yes \u2500they said: Firstly, they must be interesting; then, they must be well structured, original, different and long enough. That is all&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A distinct content policy can be traced, though, in most recent <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8216;s <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. Gender, minority and political issues are their preferred content choice. According to <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Time<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> (the magazine), their creators think their works are &#8220;dissenting soaps&#8221;.<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote49sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">49<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> The producers&#8217; left-wing activism backgrounds, allow us to define their <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">as contemporaneous left-wing Realism.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">All things considered, it can be said that they chose to explore outside the previously narrow content-limits, in order to stop the rating decline, and that \u2500only maybe, they chose to alienate the majoritarian audience, instead of angering R.T.C. censors. The break with the past was apparent enough to draw people&#8217;s attention to their works, which helped them to increase their ratings at first; it was no surprise, therefore, that ratings dropped even more dramatically later on. However, it is still a surprise to notice how far they have been allowed to go, without raising more adverse reactions from either R.T.C. or the audience \u2013except for declining audience volumes. The fact that a non-feminist gender TV-program (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Ellos, nuestros hombres<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">) \u2500a misoginous comedy, actually,<\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote50sym\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">50<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> was produced and advertised by <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">but never broadcast, whereas <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Mirada de mujer <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(1997, a gender, yet openly feminist <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovela<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>)<\/em> encountered no obstacles, makes us think there might be new R.T.C. content policies.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Obviously, neither happy families with more than two or three children, nor a non official view of history, will be found in <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azte<\/i><em>ca<\/em><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>&#8216; <\/em>s transmissions. And neither will there be stories taking place outside Mexican, mainly-urban environments.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">The success of a politically-tinted work like <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Nada personal <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(1996), or that of <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Mirada de mujer <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">(1997), where polemic subjects like abortion, homosexuality, and divorce-and-remarriage, were depicted without taking into account or justifying local cultural parameters about them \u2013while long paragraphs were certainly dedicated to ridiculeor diqualify them, or to justify opposing points of view, tells us something <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>is <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">changing. The fact that they were a success mainly in urban Mexico City, and not in the rest of the country, tells us the audience has clearly split. Fourty years of content banning have finally created an audience for programs lacking in local cultural parameters.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">But, &#8230;a majoritarian audience?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><b>Conclusions<\/b><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Content control was the logic consequence of the historical processes of XX<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">th<\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Century Mexico, and one of its Government&#8217;s keys to stability and permanence. In exchange for postponed collective values, the Revolutionary discourse offered progress. This worked well until the economic crisis became permanent, and people lost all hope in the ruling party&#8217;s ability to make the myths of progress come true for most of us.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">TV-channels&#8217; survival was conditioned to their subjection, but a number of benefits was guaranteed to them in exchange for it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">As a result, two different TV-audiences coexist today in Mexico. Ironically it is the fabricated audience (the one who strongly believes in the Revolutionary myths, even if it no longer believes in the Revolutionary Government), who is coming out of control, pressing against banning, for democracy, and complaining the most because of the general sense of having been wronged. We are talking of a mainly urban audience, with more studies than their parents, but less faith (a Rationalist, Materialist, Anthropo-centrist audience) \u2013artificially crafted by the authorities, but who has now turned against them to a great extent.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Civilian pressure has changed the rules of the game, but not for popular cultural icons, as the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Luz Clarita <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">example (1996-97) we initially mentioned showed us.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Marginal religious elements, when respectfully employed, do not guarantee a certain <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenov<\/i><em>ela<\/em><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>&#8216; <\/em>s success, but potentiate its failure or success, thus helping the story reach larger audiences when it <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>is <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">liked.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Media personnel have lost contact with their people&#8217;s culture. This, the (until a decade ago) ever narrowing censorship limits, and the need to survive commercially, have forced producers to repeat the same formulas over and over again. Altogether, these problems have produced declining general ratings. A fiercer competition, rocketting costs, and the reduction of their clients&#8217; advertising budgets, have forced TV-companies to massively bomb the audience with publicity, which has further reduced their products opportunities&#8217; to be liked by people.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"border-top: none; border-bottom: 1.00pt solid #000000; border-left: none; border-right: none; padding-top: 0cm; padding-bottom: 0.07cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">A sociological interpretation of Literature, provides us with a useful key to understanding why certain popular works (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovelas<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, in this case) achieve success or failure, depending on whether they share their society&#8217;s view of the world, or not.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n1\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote1anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">1<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Aired Monday, February 2<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1981, through Thursday, February 4<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1982, on Channel 13; time: 7-7:30pm, firstly, then 6:45pm-7:15pm, and lastly 7-7:30pm (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Telegu\u00eda<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Government operated channels were allowed slightly more freedom in what they transmitted, partly because their reach was much narrower than their private counterparts, but also because they usually adhered to the official content agenda more strictly than anyone else.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n2\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote2anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">2<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Aired Monday, November 15<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1982, through Tuesday, December <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>27<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1983 (the latter is a probable end-date), on Channel 2; time: 6-6:30 pm, firstly, and lastly 6:30-7pm (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Telegu\u00eda<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n3\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote3anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Audience ratings previous to 1990, cannot be confirmed. Not even I.N.R.A., the only company measuring them at the time, keeps copies of such costly studies, &#8230;according to their representative. He assured us that their electromagnetic archives had been damaged by pollution, that the machines that could read them had been destroyed by the 1985 earthquake, and that they keep no paper copies of them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Whatever the truth, the storage facilities where they took us, certainly held no relevant material.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n4\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote4anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">4<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">According to the abstract published by <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Telegu\u00eda<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, Monday, January 15<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1982, Channel 2, 6-6:30 pm.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n5\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote5anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">5<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Aired Monday, September 30<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1996, through Friday, February 21<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">st<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1997, on Channel 2; time: 4:30-5pm, firstly, then 5-6pm (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Telegu\u00eda<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">), and lastly, 4-5pm (according to the producer&#8217;s office).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n6\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote6anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">6<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Mapat, cited interview.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n7\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote7anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">7<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Protele&#8217;s marketing posters, and S.E.C. (Spanish Entertainment Company)&#8217;s <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Video Romance, novelas en video <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8216;s launching video.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n8\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote8anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">8<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8220;\u00c9stos son los 100 programas m\u00e1s vistos de la televisi\u00f3n mexicana durante 1996&#8221;, published by Televisa on all main Mexican newspapers, on Friday, October 18<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1996. The chart was organized according to I.B.O.P.E.&#8217;s ratings.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I would like to point that ratings from the three companies can hardly be contrasted; that they frequently contradict one another, and that incongruities can be found in ratings measured by any one of them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Despite of this, main indexes held stably over time, because when one of the companies stopped operating (I.N.R.A.), its key personnel was hired by the newest one of them (I.B.O.P.E.).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n9\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote9anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">9<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Video Romance&#8230;<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, cited launching video.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n10\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote10anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">10<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8220;Hostage takers in Peru soften&#8221;; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Daily news<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, Monday, December 30<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1996, and &#8220;Al Tupac Amaru le gustan las telenovelas&#8221;; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>El Heraldo de M\u00e9xico<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, December 30<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1996.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n11\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote11anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">11<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8220;M\u00e1s que la paz, al E.Z.L.N. le interesa una novela de televisi\u00f3n&#8221;; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>El Heraldo de M\u00e9xico <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(front page), August 12<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1996.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n12\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote12anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">12<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Miguel Sabido; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Towards the social use of soap operas<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>;<\/em> Institute for Communication Research, paper presented at the Annual Conference of the International Institute of Communications, in Strasbourg, France; September, 1981, and &#8220;Un m\u00e9todo anticonceptivo &#8216;de telenovela'&#8221;; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Reforma<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, September 1<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">st<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1994.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n13\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote13anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">13<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Francisco Javier Torres Aguilera; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>An\u00e1lisis hist\u00f3rico de la exposici\u00f3n a las telenovelas en M\u00e9xico, estudio descriptivo<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, master degree dissertation; Universidad Iberoamericana, M\u00e9xico, 1991; page 37.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">It is worth mentioning how hard it was to get hold of this work. Be it by chance or for other reasons, not even the university library where he received his degree, had classified it properly, which made this dissertation virtually impossible to locate.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n14\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote14anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">14<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8220;Brokers&#8221; were free-lance producers who bought TV-time at a wholesale discount-rate, to air their programs, and who then re-sold part of that time for advertising, for a benefit. Chepina Peralta was a broker, for example, who produced a famous cooking program.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n15\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote15anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">15<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Jean Meyer; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>La Cristiada<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">; 8<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">ed.; M\u00e9xico, Siglo XXI, 1983.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n16\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote16anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">16<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A goal not-so-far from its people&#8217;s hearts, if we recall the history of Mexico during and after the War of Independence (1810-1821, and on), and during the Revolutionary process (1910-1921, 1926-1929, and on), as well as the large number of governments and revolts the country had to undergo in relatively short periods of time. This generated power vacuums during which the most vicious miscreants around, terrorized upstanding citizens and average people alike, rapaciously seizing anything of value from their legitimate owners, and rendering human life, honour and dignity defenseless. There were presidents who lasted but a few hours in office.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n17\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote17anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">17<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I am using the word &#8220;myth&#8221;, in the sense of a generally accepted truth, born in previous times, dealing with ideas or beliefs, tied to a particular country or culture, but which may be proven inexact or even considered untrue in other times or by other cultures.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Unlimited, permanent progress, is impossible to understand, for example, for many Eastern cultures with a cyclic view of time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n18\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote18anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">18<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8220;Literature&#8221;; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Encyclopaedia of the social science<\/i><em>s<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>;<\/em> MacMillan, New York, 1957; page 525.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n19\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote19anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">19<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Idem<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, page 524.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n20\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote20anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">20<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Ibidem<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n21\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote21anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">21<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Anne Rubenstein, &#8220;The uses of failure: <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>La Comisi\u00f3n Calificadora<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1944-1976&#8243;, in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Bad language, naked ladies, and other threats to the nation; a political history of comic-books in Mexico<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>;<\/em> unedited, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>circa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">1995; pages 128-157. Published eventually by Routledge Univ. Press in English, and by the Fondo de Cultura Econ\u00f3mica in Spanish.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n22\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote22anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">22<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I myself have asked for it in person and in writing, and evidently have received no answer, which further supports my interpretation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n23\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote23anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">23<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Genoveva Mart\u00ednez M., cited interview.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n24\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote24anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">24<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">As I have already mentioned, during the last two and a half <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>sexenios<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, public outcry has boycotted pro-Governmental newspapers and newscasters, particularly during electoral campaigns. R.T.C. reacted to it by gradually opening banning limits&#8230;, that is: by allowing to air what people would probably <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>reject<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">During the first quarter of 1997, a national campaign raised over four million signatures from an angry audience, offended by the notable increase in violence, sex and nudity, and offensive language. For the first time, left and right wing, different religions, non-religious and politicallyunaffiliated citizens, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>and even advertisers, <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">gathered in a joint effort &#8220;for entertainment but against antisocial behavioural models&#8221; (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Campa\u00f1a &#8220;A favor de lo mejor&#8221; en los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n25\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote25anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">25<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Starting in 1987 (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>El rinc\u00f3n de los prodigios<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>)<\/em>, several <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>telenovelas <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">have shown folk medicine and witch-craft as superior or more powerful than medicine. Until today, though, they have had no success.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n26\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote26anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">26<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Epidemiology of drug abuse in Mexico, a comparative overview <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(in regards to the United States of America); Centros de Integraci\u00f3n Juvenil, A.C., M\u00e9xico [Handbook collection, research profile, volume 3], August 1992.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n27\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote27anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">27<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">During the 1980&#8217;s, the collective image of the city suddenly changed, becoming ruthless and inhuman, probably to stop peasant migration to it when jobs and accommodations were no longer available for everybody.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n28\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote28anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">28<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Lineamientos t\u00e9cnicos de la telenovela <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(in-company manual); Departamento de Supervisi\u00f3n Literaria, Televisa, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>circa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">1988; pages 6-7.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n29\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote29anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">29<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">In 1986 a Mexican American wrote a letter to a very succesfull comic TV-program that denounced social malladies, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Qu\u00e9 nos pasa<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. He had finally returned to Mexico on vacations, after many years of having left it; and he had been robbed money, cards and passport by a policeman, near the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>\u00c1ngel de la independencia <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">monument, in Mexico City<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">His problem could not be enacted in the program, because law-enforcement agencies could never be depicted under a negative light.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n30\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote30anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">30<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Eugenia Revueltas, telephone conversation, October 11<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1997, regarding <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>huichol<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">communities, for example, where women are frequent subjects of incest, and badly beaten if they refuse to have sexual intercourse with the partner chosen for her by others (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Cfr. <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Lourdes C. Pacheco Ladr\u00f3n de Guevara, &#8220;Iolianaka: da tus frutos, Madre-tierra; las huicholas&#8221;, in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>La condici\u00f3n de la mujer ind\u00edgena y sus derechos fundamentales, seminario internacional<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><em>;<\/em> compiled by Patricia Galeana; Federaci\u00f3n Mexicana de Mujeres Universitarias, Comisi\u00f3n Nacional de Derechos Humanos, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de M\u00e9xico <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>and <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Secretar\u00eda de Gobernaci\u00f3n, M\u00e9xico, 1997; p\u00e1gs. 177-196).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">These troublesome facts, are better ignored by media (like in the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Mar\u00eda Isabel <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">telenovela,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">1997, where the protagonist is supposed to be <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>huichola<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">). Hardly surprising if we remember that both the Revolutionary Governement official stance in regards to the native communities in Mexico (<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Indigenism\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">) \u2013between 1921 and 1989, approximately; and Governmental agendas after 1995, all coincide in shedding only in a favourable light on them.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-variant: normal; font-style: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">We support the authorities&#8217; non-discriminatory aim; but is no-one going to break a sword for the vulnerable and the defenseless amongst them&#8230;?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n31\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote31anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">31<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Lineamientos t\u00e9cnicos&#8230;<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>op.cit.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, pages 6-7.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n32\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote32anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">32<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">A recent example of this, is <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Si Dios me quita la vida <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">(1995), where the protagonist married only <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>por lo civil <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">\u2013<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">by civil law, as oppossed to being married in a religious ceremony<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">. The story was disliked by people, as ratings showed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n33\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote33anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">33<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Lineamientos&#8230;<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>op.cit.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, pages 6-7.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n34\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote34anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">34<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">An example: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">The production of the movie <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Redes<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>by <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">the Ministry of Education \u2500first shown at the National Palace of Fine Arts (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Bellas Artes<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, in 1936), would not easily have been permitted to a private open-TV channel, for example. It was a &#8220;thesis&#8221; film, structured to put forward and justify the Marxist view of Capitalist exploitation and value-gain unfair expropriation (expropiaci\u00f3n no compensada de la <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>plusval\u00eda<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">), and could be considered an invitation to social revolt. Why then the Government produced it, but for the reason we have claimed?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p lang=\"en-GB\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">It was directed by Fred Zinnemann and Emilio G\u00f3mez Muriel, and the music was written by Silvestre Revueltas, the great Mexican composer.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n35\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote35anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">35<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Fernanda Villeli, lecture given at the A.M.M.P.E. (Asociaci\u00f3n Mundial de Mujeres Periodistas y Escritoras), on September 3<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">rd<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1992.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n36\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote36anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">36<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Francisco Javier Torres Aguilera, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>op.cit.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, pages 71-98 and 211-231, and previously cited works by Miguel Sabido.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n37\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote37anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">37<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Anne Rubenstein, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>op.cit.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n38\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote38anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">38<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">&#8220;Sonia Infante responde a los ataques que recibe ahora en programa de la misma empresa donde labora&#8221;; <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>El Heraldo de M\u00e9xico<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, July 2<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">nd<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1997.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n39\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote39anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">39<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Many years later (<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>circa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">1990), the Government restructured band-width and forced Channel 8 to become Channel 9, to make room for Channel 7 (firstly controlled by the Government, and later privatized as part of <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n40\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote40anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">40<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Ren\u00e9 Mu\u00f1oz, cited interview.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n41\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote41anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">41<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">End-date is approximate.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n42\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote42anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">42<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Luis Reyes de la Maza, cited interview.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Of course, such a violation of the official contents agenda, had to be compensated sufficiently: In exchange for the positive depiction of these religious elements, the producer included an exemplary and beloved character (\u201cT\u00edo Polo\u201d), who was divorced and remarried during the <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>telenovela<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">, and an equally exemplary and beloved nun, who renounces her vows to marry the affectionate and attractive father of the girl protagonist (&#8220;Sister Rosario&#8221;). The religious message, therefore, was mixed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n43\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote43anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">43<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">It is meaningful that the economic crisis started in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><b>1981<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, with massive devaluations, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>mex-d\u00f3lares <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-variant: normal;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">[a Mexican equivalent to the Argentinian <em>\u201ccorralito\u201d<\/em>; the Government expropriated all foreign currency accounts in national banks, and paid them at a much lower price]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, bank-expropriations and the like, because it means that only 4 years of economic crisis destroyed the ruling party&#8217;s overpowering image of social perfection, carefully built along <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>sixty <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">years in the Government. How well the new myths were sown, though, is apparent in that the people has stuck to them, even if they have turned their back against the Government&#8217;s party.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n44\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote44anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">44<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"> \u201c<\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">December&#8217;s mistake\u201d \u2500as it was then called, forced banks to close for a couple of days, to prevent money from leaving the country, creating a very difficult situation for both the Government and the financial establishment.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n45\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote45anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">45<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">In this story, an evil, cruel, ugly and rich-less villain, violently beats a quite-good-looking, intelligent, independent, rich, <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>and pregnant <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">female-coprotagonist \u2500his love partner, and sends her to hospital. But yet achieves to retain her by his side, by using soft-words only! I do not think R.T.C. would have permitted to air such a reaction formerly, when women \u201chad to be emancipated from inhuman or unfair duties, imposed on them by religion\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">[Please take note that the majoritarian religion does not force a spouse to remain by the side of the other, if the first one&#8217;s life or \u201ceternal salvation\u201d, or those of his\/her children&#8217;s, are endangered by the other spouse. We are therefore not making a case for or against religion, for or against the Government&#8217;s agenda. <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>We are only pointing at important changes in agenda contents, that responded more to ideology than they did to reality<\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">.]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n46\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote46anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">46<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Brazilian made, transmitted <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>circa <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">1990 by the then Government-owned Channel 13.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n47\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote47anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">47<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Aired by <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Televisi\u00f3n Azteca <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">in 1996. It notably increased the TV-company&#8217;s audience market share, but mainly because it was the very first politically tinted main-plot authorized for transmission in Mexico.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">In October 1997, right before the conference in which this paper will be presented, <\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><i>Nada personal <\/i><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">&#8216;s sequel <em>(<\/em><\/span><\/span><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">Demasiado coraz\u00f3n<\/span><\/span><\/em><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><em>)<\/em> is starting transmissions. As of today, it is difficult to forsee whether it will be a success or not.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n48\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote48anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">48<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Genoveva Mart\u00ednez M., cited interview.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n49\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote49anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">49<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">June 2<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">nd<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1997; pages 36-40.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"Secci\u00f3n50\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediosmejoresqueganenmas.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=2951&#038;action=edit#sdfootnote50anc\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"zxx\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">50<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><i>Telegu\u00eda<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, year 45, number 2344 [July 12<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">-18<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><sup><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">th<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">, 1997]; pages 14-17.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom: 0cm; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; page-break-before: always;\" align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: Loma;\">SOURCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:<\/span><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }\n--><\/style>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">I remain thankful to the experts I interviewed: V\u00edctor Hugo O&#8217;Farrill (July, 2<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">nd<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">, 1997), Luis Reyes de la Maza (July, 29<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">th<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">, 1997), Ren\u00e9 Mu\u00f1oz (August, 20<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">th<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">, 1997), Mapat (August, 20<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">th<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">, 1997), Ignacio Lebrija and Emilio Larrosa (August, 14<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">th<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">and 21<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">th<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">, 1997, respectively), Gloria L\u00f3pez de Cruz, and Genoveva Mart\u00ednez M. (who represented Ignacio Dur\u00e1n, September, 24<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">th<\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">, 1997), for sharing their valuable insights and knowledge about telenovela production in Mexico, with me. <\/span><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\"><i>The following pages reflect my conclusions, and not necessarily their personal stances on the subject.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">I want to thank Emilio Larrosa, Claudia Padilla, Gloria L\u00f3pez de Cruz, Ana Lilia Villarreal C\u00e1ceres, and Gerardo Antonio Maga\u00f1a, for their kind help locating recorded material.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Special thanks to the three audience-measuring companies currently operating in Mexico [1997], for sharing data with me: I.N.R.A. (Jorge and Luis Mercader, Gustavo Salas), I.B.O.P.E. (Ana Mar\u00eda Ortega, M\u00f3nica Pellicer, and Aar\u00f3n Silva), and Nielsen (Arturo Fern\u00e1ndez).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\"><i>Telegu\u00eda&#8217;<\/i><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">s (the first <\/span><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\"><i>TV Guide <\/i><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">magazine published in the world) help proved priceless in locating specific data about particular works. Thank you to Roc\u00edo Maldonado and Y\u00e9sica Contreras for allowing me to skim through their archives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">The National Periodicals and Newspapers Library of Mexico (Hemeroteca Nacional de M\u00e9xico) has fought a hard battle to preserve part of our national popular culture. It is only too sad, however, that this effort has not been pursued steadily. Copies of <\/span><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\"><i>Telegu\u00eda, <\/i><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">for example, stopped being catalogued in 1989, and many volumes are missing \u2013have disappeared altogether from the shelves. This worries me, because it is not unfrequent for media companies to keep poor records of their own work. And even when they do, it is not easy for researchers to gain access to their archives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"LEFT\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">And<em> l<\/em><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\"><i>ast but not least <\/i><\/span>\u2013<span style=\"font-family: Liberation Sans,Arial,sans-serif;\">as the saying goes: My warmest thanks to Anne Rubenstein, Heather Levi, Eric Zolov, Gil Joseph, Eugenia Revueltas, Aurelio Gonz\u00e1lez, Jaime Litvak, Manuel Ignacio P\u00e9rez Alonso, Jos\u00e9 Antonio Pons Valenzuela, V\u00edctor Hugo O&#8217;Farrill Toscano, Mar\u00eda Elena P\u00e9rez, Enrica Schettini-Piazza and V. Vaccari, without whose help this work would have hardly made it to the end.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div dir=\"LTR\" id=\"sdfootnote50\">\n<p align=\"RIGHT\">Image source: Dreamstime.com (\u00a9 Fever)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>17 years ago, an international conference analyzed how the Government arisen from the Mexican Revolution, remodelled its people&#8217;s culture to secure its permanence in the power. That&#8217;s where I presented this paper.<\/p>\n<p>The Mexican authorities&#8217;s success was such, that they still preside over the country, and manage to keep a democratical image, despite the close-to-war-like period the country is navigating through.<\/p>\n<p>Back home after presenting this paper, a woman &#8211;with a stocking distorting her face, followed me during several days, and threatened me. And because of what she said (amongst other things: she knew that my parents were from Spain), I could tell they had investigated me.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been living in Spain for 14 years, during which my country has broken into pieces. As I go over this text, I wonder where I got the courage to read it back then, considering the reprisals I have had to deal with.<\/p>\n<p>I now publish it in my web, because Spain&#8217;s historical evolution faces a critical dilemma, that this text can help understand and solve:<\/p>\n<p>The current economic crisis forces authorities to eliminate or reduce subsidies, sponsorships, official appointments and employment, and other State-granted privileges to cultural agents and industries.  If you take them away, however, you can no longer expect to receive the ideological privileges that you received in exchange for them.<\/p>\n<p>If you pay the musicians, then you can make them play the tunes you like, the way you like them, even if this makes them betray their social function or their personal aspirations.  What doesn&#8217;t make sense, is to expect them to play it your way \u2013precisely the way the general audience dislikes and won&#8217;t pay for\u2013, in exchange for nothing.<\/p>\n<p>It is not that they lack loyalty towards the Governmental agenda. In our modern society \u2013in which only money can be used to exchange goods and pay taxes, everything&#8217;s got a price. Even mere survival, happens to be too expensive for anyone with no currency in his\/her pocket; and sadly enough, musicians \u2013like every other cultural agent and live citizen, need to eat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[258,7,692],"tags":[177,427,428,429,430,398,431,432,58,433,434,435,436,437,438,439,440,441,442,443,444,445,446,174,447,448,449,450,451,452,453,454,455,456,457,458,459,460,461,475,462,463,464,465,19,466,467,468,469,470,471,472,473,474,476,477,478,479,480,481,482,483,484,485,486,487,488,489,490,491,492,493,494,495,496,497,498,499,500,501,502,503,504,505,506,507,168,508,509,510,511,512,513,514,515,181,516,517,518,519,520,521,522,523,524,525,526,527,528,529,530,531,532,193,533,534,535,536,537,538,539,540,541,542,189,543,544,545,546,547,548,549,550,551,552,188,553,554,555,556,557,558,559,560,561,562,563,564,565,566,567,568,132,569,570,571,572,573,574,575,576,577,578,183,579,195,580,581,582,583,108,584,585,586,268,587,588,589,590,591,592,593,594,595,596,597,598,599,600,190,601,602,603,604,605,606,607,608,609,610,611,612,613,614,615,616,617,618,619,620,621,622,623,624,625,626,627,628,629,630,631,632,633,634,635,636,637,638,639,640,641,642,643,644,645,646,647,648,293,650,649,651,652,653,654,655,656,657,658,659,32,660,661,54,662,663,30,664,55,665,666,667,668,669,670,176,671,672,673,674,675,676,677,678,679,680,681,682,683,684,685,686,687,187],"class_list":["post-2951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-especializados","category-utiles-para-creadores","category-utiles-para","tag-a-favor-de-lo-mejor","tag-aaron-silva","tag-acompaname","tag-actividad-legal","tag-agencia-de-publicidad","tag-agenda-de-contenidos","tag-albert-bandura","tag-alcoholicos-anonimos","tag-alfabetizacion","tag-alguna-vez-tendremos-alas","tag-ana-lilia-villarreal-caceres","tag-ana-maria-ortega","tag-andrea-celeste","tag-angel","tag-angelica-maria","tag-anne-rubenstein","tag-anticoncepcion","tag-antropocentrismo","tag-anunciante","tag-apoyo-popular","tag-arturo-fernandez","tag-asociacion-mundial-de-mujeres-periodistas-y-escritoras","tag-audiencia","tag-aurelio-gonzalez","tag-benito-juarez","tag-bienestar-economico","tag-boicot-civil","tag-broker","tag-cadenas-de-amargura","tag-cafe-oro","tag-caminemos","tag-canal-13","tag-canal-2","tag-canal-4","tag-canal-5","tag-canal-7","tag-canal-8","tag-canal-9","tag-capitalismo","tag-censor","tag-censura","tag-centro","tag-cerro-de-las-campanas","tag-chispita","tag-cine","tag-ciudad-de-mexico","tag-claudia-padilla","tag-colgate","tag-colgate-palmolive","tag-comision-calificadora-de-revistas-ilustradas","tag-comision-nacional-de-derechos-humanos","tag-comunidades-indigenas","tag-conformismo","tag-conservador","tag-contenidos-amarillistas","tag-contenidos-sensacionalistas","tag-contrarevolucion","tag-control-del-contenido","tag-corralito-argentino","tag-crisis","tag-cristina","tag-cuna-de-lobos","tag-de-la-madrid","tag-demasiado-corazon","tag-democracia","tag-departamento-de-supervision-literaria","tag-deporte","tag-derecha","tag-desnudez","tag-discrecionalidad","tag-discurso-de-genero","tag-discurso-moral","tag-discurso-publico","tag-discurso-religioso","tag-divorcio-entre-los-medios-y-la-sociedad","tag-echeverria","tag-economia-de-mercado","tag-el-cielo-es-para-todos","tag-el-heraldo-de-mexico","tag-el-pecado-de-oyuki","tag-el-premio-mayor","tag-el-rincon-de-los-prodigios","tag-ellos-nuestros-hombres","tag-emilio-gomez-muriel","tag-emilio-larrosa","tag-en-carne-propia","tag-enrica-schettini-piazza","tag-entre-la-vida-y-la-muerte","tag-eric-zolov","tag-error-de-diciembre-de-1994","tag-escision-de-la-audiencia-mayoritaria","tag-escolarizacion","tag-escuela-religiosa","tag-esmeralda","tag-espanol","tag-eugenia-revueltas","tag-evolucion-historica","tag-exito","tag-extraterrestre","tag-ezln","tag-federacion-mexicana-de-mujeres-universitarias","tag-feminismo","tag-fernanda-villeli","tag-final-feliz","tag-fracaso","tag-francisco-javier-torres-aguilera","tag-fray-escoba","tag-fred-zinneman","tag-funcion-social-de-la-literatura","tag-futbol-soquer","tag-genoveva-martinez-m","tag-gerardo-antonio-magana","tag-gil-joseph","tag-gloria-lopez-de-cruz","tag-gobierno-revolucionario","tag-gustavo-salas","tag-hada-madrina","tag-heather-levi","tag-hemeroteca-nacional-de-mexico","tag-hermana-rosario","tag-historia-oficial","tag-historieta-seriada-en-sepia","tag-huichol","tag-humor","tag-ibope","tag-ideas-valores-y-creencias","tag-ideas-valores-y-cultura","tag-ideologia","tag-ignacio-duran","tag-ignacio-lebrija","tag-indice-de-fertilidad","tag-indice-de-natalidad","tag-industrializacion","tag-influencia-de-los-medios","tag-inmaculada","tag-inra","tag-interes-social","tag-international-institute-of-communications","tag-izquierda","tag-jaime-litvak","tag-jean-meyer","tag-jorge-mercader","tag-jose-antonio-pons-valenzuela","tag-juegos-olimpicos","tag-la-cristiada","tag-la-fiera","tag-lazos-de-amor","tag-lengua-nacional","tag-lenguaje-inapropiado","tag-liberal","tag-libertad","tag-libertad-de-culto","tag-libertad-de-expresion","tag-libertad-religiosa","tag-lineamiento-oficial","tag-lista-negra","tag-lo-mexicano","tag-lopez-portillo","tag-los-hijos-de-nadie","tag-lourdes-c-pacheco-ladron-de-guevara","tag-luis-mercader","tag-luis-reyes-de-la-maza","tag-luz-clarita","tag-manuel-ignacio-perez-alonso","tag-mapat","tag-maria-elena-perez","tag-maria-isabel","tag-marxismo","tag-materialismo","tag-maximiliano-y-carlota","tag-medicina","tag-medicion-de-audiencia","tag-migracion-del-campo-a-la-ciudad","tag-miguel-sabido","tag-mims-lerner","tag-mirada-de-mujer","tag-misoginia","tag-mitos-oficiales","tag-mitos-revolucionarios","tag-modelo-ideal-de-familia","tag-modernidad","tag-modernismo","tag-monetarismo","tag-monica-pellicer","tag-monopolio","tag-mundo-de-juguete","tag-murillo","tag-nacionalismo-revolucionario","tag-nada-personal","tag-nielsen","tag-nosotras-las-mujeres","tag-nueva-sociedad","tag-nuevos-mitos","tag-palacio-de-bellas-artes","tag-papa","tag-patricia-galeana","tag-paz","tag-pelicula","tag-planificacion-familiar","tag-polemico","tag-politica-cultural","tag-politica-del-contenido","tag-por-amor","tag-pornografia","tag-potenciacion-del-atractivo-de-una-obra","tag-programas-mas-vistos-de-la-television","tag-progreso","tag-progreso-moderno","tag-prohibicion-de-educacion-religiosa","tag-propaganda-electoral","tag-propaganda-politica","tag-proselitismo-religioso","tag-prosocial","tag-psicologia-social","tag-publicidad","tag-publicitario","tag-publico","tag-pueblo-chico-infierno-grande","tag-racionalismo","tag-radio-television-y-cinematografia","tag-radionovela","tag-ratings","tag-realismo-contemporaneo-de-izquierda","tag-redes","tag-reforma","tag-religion","tag-rene-munoz","tag-revolucion-mexicana","tag-rocio-maldonado","tag-roma","tag-rtc","tag-sacerdote","tag-salinas-de-gortari","tag-salud","tag-san-martin-de-porres","tag-sec","tag-secretaria-de-gobernacion","tag-secretaria-de-salud","tag-seduccion","tag-senas-de-identidad-nacional","tag-senda-prohibida","tag-sexenio","tag-sexo","tag-si-dios-me-quita-la-vida","tag-silvestre-revueltas","tag-smithsonian","tag-sociologia-de-la-literatura","tag-sonia-infante","tag-spanish-entertainment-company","tag-stanford-university","tag-superacion-personal","tag-tabloides","tag-teleguia","tag-telenovela","tag-telenovela-brasilena","tag-telenovela-en-mexico","tag-telenovela-mexicana","tag-telenovelas-disidentes","tag-televisa","tag-television-azteca","tag-tieta","tag-time","tag-tio-polo","tag-tu-o-nadie","tag-tupac-amaru","tag-unam","tag-universidad-iberoamericana","tag-universidad-nacional-autonoma-de-mexico","tag-urbanizacion","tag-vamos-juntos","tag-ven-conmigo","tag-victor-hugo-ofarrill","tag-victor-hugo-ofarrill-toscano","tag-vidas-de-santos","tag-videoromance","tag-videotape","tag-violencia","tag-virgen-de-guadalupe","tag-vivir-un-poco","tag-vocacion","tag-woodrow-wilson-center","tag-yale","tag-yesica-contreras","tag-yolanda-vargas-dulche"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2951"}],"version-history":[{"count":60,"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3162,"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2951\/revisions\/3162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediosmejoresqueganenmas.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}