Yes.
The other problem with NAFTA, if you read the article carefully, is that it raised the income levels of rural Mexicans. Before, they were mostly vegetarians, and could afford meat seldom and processed foods even less often. Now, with higher incomes, they are indulging themselves.
Yes again. I think it's the lack of education, or if you prefer the slowness in adapting to a more "modern" environment, that is primarily responsible, much more so than NAFTA.The last sentence in the article says it all:
“Look at us,” the elder Mr. Ruiz said, as he sheepishly polished off the remains of a chocolate sundae. “We’re all educated people but we’re hooked.”
But it's much more satisfying, and consistent with one's ideology, to blame free trade, whether one is on the left or on the right.
Just another straw in the wind, but I think that vast swaths of the population have become protectionist, especially in North America. We will see no new trade deals for a long time, and indeed the existing agreements will come under increasing pressure.
I think of this as Maud Barlow's revenge.
George