Dr. Jack Wheeler
May 5, 2020
“You’ve got to be careful drinking tequila, son.
You drink too much tequila, you can fall down and hurt your back.”
John Wayne’s advice to a young Jack Wheeler in 1966
Today millions of us gringos will celebrate May 5
th. Yet
Cinco de Mayo is a phony tradition, a joke on
los Norteamericanos, then exploited as a marketing gimmick by Mexican restaurant chains as an excuse for us to get wasted on Jose Cuervo.
We’ll have to have our own parties this evening however, as most restaurants won’t let you have one with the added farce of current lockdowns. Yet before you get lost in Margaritaville, welcome to TTP’s May 5th tradition.
That is to explain la verdad, the truth, so you’ll understand why it should be called Cinco de Farsa, The Fifth of Farce. This is history that you should have been taught in school but never were.
Which is, to begin with: Nobody in Mexico cares about May 5th. Only we, us gringos, pretend to. For if you ask just about any reveler at the nearest Pancho Villa’s Cantina or some such Mexican-themed bar anywhere in the US -- if you can find one open – just what is being celebrated on May 5th, you’ll get either a blank stare or "It’s their July 4th " ignorance.
So here’s the true history of Mexico. You’ll learn more about Mexico’s history in ten minutes than you ever did in school or anywhere else.
Read more...