(From Atlas of Prejudice, by Yanko Tsvetkov)
"Europeans (and their white descendants in the prosperous USA) often point to immigration from their poorer neighbors as the root of all economic stagnation. Respectively, whenever Latin American leaders want to deflect attention from their own incompetence, their political narrative turns towards outside imperialist forces, whose supposed goal is to reestablish colonial influence in Latin America. Who cares about insignificant things like corruption when the sheep on the Falkland Islands are still under blatant British oppression? Who would hold you responsible for starving your own people with outdated economic policies if you tell them that it’s the fault of the United States? The tricks work like magic because they automatically turn a switch into the collective psyche that is conditioned to disregard the inconsistencies of any argument, as long as the specter of the external threat looms in the background...."
The Latin America section is a good short read on Tsvetkov's site, that will lure you in to reading more of his jaded but fascinating worldview.
