I was born and raised in Puerto Rico.
I grew up with the illusion that my island was regarded as notable, important, and relevant in the world scene. I believed that, not only did everyone know about Puerto Rico--our governor’s name, our geographic location, our somewhat problematic relationship with the U.S.-- but also that everyone inherently cared.
Naturally, as a child, one is predisposed to believe one’s immediate surroundings are the center of the universe. It was absolutely ridiculous to me when my friends and peers from summer camps in the states would ask me questions along the lines of “Do you speak Puerto Rican? What part of Costa Rica is that? Do you guys have cable?”
However, while these questions were laughable when I was twelve or thirteen, the fact that they continued to be asked by my contemporaries throughout the years (and are still asked by many today) began to concern me greatly. Surely, I thought, I had just had bad luck, meeting the handful of Americans who hadn’t brushed up on Puerto Rican history. Nonetheless, after a year of studying in one of the top schools in the nation, I cannot help but notice (and this causes me immense frustration) that even some of the brightest, friendliest, most intelligent people I have ever met do not know even the simplest trivia. Of course, I am not angry or disappointed in them, not in the least. The theme of Puerto Rico, I realized, was simply never put on their radar. Instead, I was surprised at myself for not realizing sooner that Puerto Rico was not the center of the world. Nor was it the center of America. It was and is, at absolute best, merely the 51st priority of the United States. And Puerto Rico is not ever going to be given importance or relevance unless we actively demand it.
Interestingly enough, Puerto Rico has been receiving more news and media coverage in the last year than it had in the several previous years combined. While I certainly believe this is a positive change, the fame has come as the result of a failing economic system and a claimed humanitarian crisis. Around one year ago, our current governor, Alejandro García Padilla, uttered the infamous phrase every Puerto Rican knows by heart, “The debt is unpayable.” This marked the beginning of Puerto Rico's time in the limelight.
For months, Puerto Rico has been portrayed as a debt and disease ridden apocalyptic nightmare. Many news outlets today site staggering statistics, facts, and numbers about the current economic and political issues, such as our controversial inflated state tax, the mass exodus of citizens (approximately 80,000 a year) and the subsequent brain drain, and the increasing poverty rate, currently at roughly 44%. Additionally, the media has also noted the rising Zika epidemic, a vector-borne virus that is detrimental to the health of pregnant women and their unborn children. The constant bombardment of exclusively negative news about Puerto Rico could make any curious person realize how unfortunate and detrimental these recent events really are for the island.
Any attention is good attention, one might say. And in many ways this is true. Today Puerto Rico is receiving more aid and attention by the United States than it has in decades. It just might be that Puerto Rico really had to hit rock bottom before the U.S. felt the need to become involved and consider our ‘state of emergency’ a priority. However, there is one thing I, along with many Puerto Ricans, have on the back of our minds. One thing that I wish people would realize.
Things have been in a downward spiral in Puerto Rico for years. Only now is it that people seem to care. And frankly, it is demoralizing.
What the media fails to note is this: Puerto Rico has been suffering negative GDP growth and increasing debt for nearly a decade. The poverty rate has been decreasing for years, as well as the active labor force. The mass exodus of citizens and the brain drain has been a detrimental concern for years.
A state does not simply fall in world GDP growth rankings from a healthy standing to 203rd place (out of 225) in a year.
The fact that our GDP per capita is nearly half that of the U.S does not actualize itself without several years of warning.
Currently there are more Puerto Ricans living outside of Puerto Rico (with a population of 3.5 million citizens) than on the island. This does not happen in a span of months.
As a side note, it does not hurt to mention that Puerto Rico has suffered years of Dengue, Influenza, and Chikungunya epidemics; the Zika virus is only one of the many vector borne diseases that has plagued the island. The fact that this case is being so heavily exploited in the American media seems to conveniently entertain the notion that Puerto Rico is suffering an eerie and ominous apocalypse, with Zika zombies and all. As any Puerto Rican can tell you, this is nothing new.
In fact, none of this is new for Puerto Ricans.
My initial reaction when I heard our governor admit total economic failure was not one of shock. Surely, I thought we might have more time before reaching the point of no return, but I was raised in a Puerto Rico that was a ticking time bomb for collapse. For years, our friends and neighbors had nervously looked over their shoulders at our island’s worsening conditions. No Puerto Rican an say these recent events have come as a surprise.
And yet, the general consensus in the United States seems to be that this is a new and quickly worsening situation; however, I believe the only thing new about the situation of Puerto Rico is that the United States is finally beginning to care.
