from L. mordere (to bite), whence E. morsel (a bite-sized portion of food) and mordant (an adjective meaning 'biting,' as in mordant humor.
Think of this policeman as a (high-end) waiter with a gun. As with the waiter, his formal wages are not sufficient to marry and raise a family. The waiter makes up the difference with tips, the policeman with mordidas. Viewed in that light, the mordida system can be considered a user tax whereby the cost of policing is passed directly to the consumer. The system thrives because it is accepted, and it is accepted because the mordida is a nibble, not a ferocious bite. Ferocious bites are reserved for those officials higher up the food chain.The mordida almost invariably is connected to an actual infraction of the law. That's a point of honor, heh heh. The apprehended malefactor (a jaywalker, for example, or a speeder), is expected to know that an informal, semi-friendly nibble is hugely preferable to the formal alternative, because that way leads to an area where mordidas are no longer nibbles and the concept of time loses all meaning. Many an American tourist has learned the mordida system at huge personal and financial cost.
As the Western Hemisphere becomes engulfed in the drug culture and the drug wars, it's not necessarily wise to view a Mexican policeman as a waiter with a gun. He could very well be a gangster with a gun. In any event, it is (and always has been) extremely counterproductive to get chesty with one. For a closer look at Mexican law enforcement as it exists in many areas today, go to Inside the Mexican Police. Fasten your seatbelt. And keep in mind that the police described here are are a kinder and gentler group than those involved in the drug wars at la frontera.
Copyright © 2007 - Jerry Schnell - All rights reserved
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