Mario Moreno the conciliator
By: Luis Beltrán Guerra G. - 01/06/2025
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In the book Papers? Some Less Serious Than Others, published in Buenos Aires, we emphasize that for Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez, writing demands time, work, and dedication, which is inconsistent with immediate benefits. The Colombian, however, leaves aside "the purse strings" when he argues, "One is a writer, like one is Jewish or Black." "Success should be considered, rather, 'encouraging,' readership 'stimulating,' and supplementary earnings, because 'a good writer will continue writing regardless, even with broken shoes and no sales of his books.'"
The reader, in all rationality, must ask what the appreciation of "Gabo" has to do with Mario Moreno, Cantinflas. The answer is that much of "literary oratory" refers to an "expressive genre" that encompasses the different forms of public address, such as the harangue, the sermon, the dissertation, and the panegyric (the latter "a formal and elaborate speech or writing of praise that extols the virtues, merits, or relevant deeds of a person, place, event, or idea"). In all five types of "public address," as we read, the aim is to convince listeners to adopt a particular point of view. In politics, it is used, but it also falls out of use. Mario Moreno, it is worth emphasizing, was a master of "public address."
In our opinion, the way to interpret the Mexican comedian's considerations is to meditate on the ideas contained in his historic speech: 1. I know that despite the insignificance of my country, which has no military, political, economic, and much less atomic power, everyone is eagerly awaiting my words, since the triumph of the Greens or the Colorados (the two parties that were supposedly participating in the assembly) depends on my vote. 2. We are going through a crucial moment in which humanity is facing humanity itself. Scientifically and intellectually, man is a giant, but morally he is a pygmy. 3. World opinion is so deeply divided into two apparently irreconcilable camps, so that providence is at the mercy of only one, but with the atypicality of being a weak and small country, which I represent, which could make the scales tip one way or the other. 4. We are, so to speak, before a large scale: with one side occupied by the Greens and the other by the Colorados. 5. And now I arrive, I am a featherweight, so to speak, and depending on where I stand, the scales will fall on that side. Do me a favor! Don't you think that's a lot of responsibility for a single citizen? 6. I do not consider it fair that half of humanity, whatever it may be, should be condemned to live under a political and economic regime that is not to their liking, simply because a frivolous ambassador voted, or was made to vote, one way or another. 7. The person speaking to you, your friend... I... will not vote for either side for three reasons: a) Because, I repeat, it would not be fair for the single vote of one representative to decide the fate of one hundred nations. b) I am convinced that the procedures, I emphasize, of the Colorados are disastrous (voices of protest from the Colorados), and c) Because the procedures of the Greens are not the most kind, let's say. 8. We all believe that our way of being, our way of living, our way of thinking, even our way of walking are the best; and we try to impose the vest on others, and if they don't accept it, we say they are so-and-so, and in a little while we start to argue. Do you think that's right? Existence would be so easy if we only respected each other's way of life. 9. One hundred years ago, one of the most humble but greatest figures of our continent said: "Respect for the rights of others is peace." 10. I agree with everything the representative from Salchichonia (a reference to Germany) said. With humility, with the humility of non-unionized bricklayers, we must fight to tear down the wall that separates us: the wall of misunderstanding, the wall of mutual distrust, the wall of hatred. I'm sure that the day we achieve it, we can say we've blown up the wall. But not the wall of ideas, not that! Never!the day we think the same and act the same we will stop being men and become machines, automatons, 10. It is the grave error of the Colorados to want to impose by force their ideas and their political and economic system, they talk about human freedoms, but I ask them and I say: a) Do these freedoms exist in your own countries?, b) They say they defend the rights of the proletariat but their own workers do not even have the basic right to strike, c) They talk about universal culture within reach of the masses, but they imprison their writers because they dare to tell the truth, d) They propose the free determination of peoples and yet for years they have oppressed a series of nations without allowing them to give themselves the form of government that best suits them, 11. How can we vote for a system that speaks of dignity and then tramples on the most sacred thing of humanity which is freedom of conscience eliminating or pretending to eliminate God by decree?, 12. Wait a minute young people! But why do you so sensitive? But if you can't stand anything, no, but if I haven't finished, take a seat, don't be hasty... I still have something to say about the Greens, wouldn't you like to hear it? (Cantinflas, feigning thirst, approaches the Ambon where the members of the assembly's board are sitting, pushing a glass that turns out not to be of water but of Vodka, which highlights the allusion that politicians tend to gulp, especially when they hear diverse opinions), 13. I will not vote for you because you are also largely to blame for what is happening in the world, you are somewhat arrogant, as if humanity were only you and others with very relative importance, and although you talk about peace, democracy and very nice things, sometimes you also try to impose your will by force, particularly that of money. 14. I agree with you that we must fight for the collective and individual good, to combat poverty and solve the tremendous problems of housing, clothing and sustenance. But where I disagree is with the way you intend to solve these problems, 15. You too have succumbed to materialism, you have forgotten the most beautiful values of the spirit, thinking only of business, little by little you have become the creditors of humanity and that is why it does not stop looking at you with distrust, 16. It has been said that the remedy for all our ills is to have cars, refrigerators, television sets, and I ask myself: why do we want cars if we still walk barefoot?, why do we want refrigerators if we have no food to put in them?, why do we want tanks and weapons if we do not have enough schools for our children?, 17. We must strive for man to think about peace, but not only driven by his instinct for self-preservation,but fundamentally by the duty to improve ourselves and to make the world a dwelling place of peace and tranquility ever more worthy of the human species and its lofty destinies. 18. But this aspiration will not be possible if there is no abundance for all, common well-being, collective happiness, and social justice. It is true that it is in your hands, the powerful countries of the earth, to help us, the weak, but not with gifts or loans, or military alliances. 19. Help us by paying a fairer, more equitable price for our raw materials; help us by sharing with us your notable advances in science and technology... but not to make bombs, but to end hunger and misery. Help us by respecting our customs, our dignity as human beings and our personality as nations, however small and weak we may be. 20. Practice tolerance and true brotherhood, and we will know how to reciprocate, but stop treating us as mere pawns on the chessboard of international politics. 21. Recognize us for what we are, not only as clients or laboratory mice, but as human beings who feel, who suffer, who cry. 22. It has been twenty-four hours since I presented my resignation as ambassador of my country, and I hope it will be accepted. 23. Consequently, I have not spoken to you as “Your Excellency” but as a simple citizen, as a free man, as any man, 24. Who, however, believes he interprets the greatest desire of all men on earth, that of living in peace, that of being free, that of bequeathing to our children and our children’s children a better world where good will and harmony reign, 25. And how easy it would be, gentlemen, to achieve that better world in which all men, white, black, yellow and copper, rich and poor, could live as brothers, 26. If we were not so blind, so stubborn, so proud, if we only governed our lives by the sublime words that two thousand years ago were spoken by that humble carpenter from Galilee, simple, barefoot, without tails or decorations: “Love one another… love one another,” but unfortunately you understood wrong, you confused the terms, and what have you done? What do they do?: “Arm yourselves against one another.”Help us by respecting our customs, our dignity as human beings and our personality as nations, however small and weak we may be. 20. Practice tolerance and true brotherhood, and we will know how to reciprocate, but stop treating us as mere pawns on the chessboard of international politics. 21. Recognize us for what we are, not only as clients or laboratory mice, but as human beings who feel, who suffer, who cry. 22. It has been twenty-four hours since I presented my resignation as ambassador of my country, and I hope it will be accepted. 23. Consequently, I have not spoken to you as “Your Excellency” but as a simple citizen, as a free man, as any man, 24. Who, however, believes he interprets the greatest desire of all men on earth, that of living in peace, that of being free, that of bequeathing to our children and our children’s children a better world where good will and harmony reign, 25. And how easy it would be, gentlemen, to achieve that better world in which all men, white, black, yellow and copper, rich and poor, could live as brothers, 26. If we were not so blind, so stubborn, so proud, if we only governed our lives by the sublime words that two thousand years ago were spoken by that humble carpenter from Galilee, simple, barefoot, without tails or decorations: “Love one another… love one another,” but unfortunately you understood wrong, you confused the terms, and what have you done? What do they do?: “Arm yourselves against one another.”Help us by respecting our customs, our dignity as human beings and our personality as nations, however small and weak we may be. 20. Practice tolerance and true brotherhood, and we will know how to reciprocate, but stop treating us as mere pawns on the chessboard of international politics. 21. Recognize us for what we are, not only as clients or laboratory mice, but as human beings who feel, who suffer, who cry. 22. It has been twenty-four hours since I presented my resignation as ambassador of my country, and I hope it will be accepted. 23. Consequently, I have not spoken to you as “Your Excellency” but as a simple citizen, as a free man, as any man, 24. Who, however, believes he interprets the greatest desire of all men on earth, that of living in peace, that of being free, that of bequeathing to our children and our children’s children a better world where good will and harmony reign, 25. And how easy it would be, gentlemen, to achieve that better world in which all men, white, black, yellow and copper, rich and poor, could live as brothers, 26. If we were not so blind, so stubborn, so proud, if we only governed our lives by the sublime words that two thousand years ago were spoken by that humble carpenter from Galilee, simple, barefoot, without tails or decorations: “Love one another… love one another,” but unfortunately you understood wrong, you confused the terms, and what have you done? What do they do?: “Arm yourselves against one another.”Without tails or decorations: “Love one another… love one another,” but unfortunately you misunderstood, you confused the terms, and what have you done? What are you doing? “Arm yourselves against one another.”Without tails or decorations: “Love one another… love one another,” but unfortunately you misunderstood, you confused the terms, and what have you done? What are you doing? “Arm yourselves against one another.”
Mario Moreno, in respect for traditions, concludes his speech with the traditional phrase
“I said...”
We have no fear in stating that Mario Moreno's speech, confirmed by the film "His Excellency" (1967), has not lost its relevance. On the contrary, it remains absolutely relevant.
We might ask ourselves whether it's valid to observe that comedians, defined as those "who entertain and make people laugh," speak the truth. They certainly seem more objective than those who engage in "politicking," a word that falls somewhere between two fences, as it can be used as an adjective and a noun. In honor of Cantinflas, let's turn to the Dictionary of Mexican Spanish: "politicking" encompasses deceitful, truculent, and deceitful practices in politics or social relations that seek to harm another person to achieve one's own ends: "sunken in politicking, they have no interest in seeing the country sink." This is implicit in the discourse.
We think readers will agree that comedy is a way of determining whether or not politics is serious.
And returning to García Márquez, Mario Moreno would most likely have told him, "Gabo, you have to keep writing. I, at least, will keep on writing, but with something, and even better if it's enough for my pocket."
The conclusion? Mario Moreno: POPE, KING, OR PRESIDENT, OR ALL THREE AT THE SAME TIME!
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