A generation of spoiled, entitled children of the ruling elite is running wild. Meet Mexico’s future leaders.
Mexican soccer fan Jorge Alberto López Amores was celebrating on a cruise ship off the coast of Brazil during the 2014 World Cup. After reportedly drinking mezcal for days, he told his fellow fans: “I’m going to make history! I’m going to stop the ship!” And he did. López told his friends to film him with their phones, then, using a deck chair as a springboard, he launched himself from the ship’s 15th floor into the Atlantic Ocean. He was never seen again.
López, the son of the then-Chiapas state attorney general, is an extreme example of what Mexicans call mirreyes, the indiscreet offspring of an entitled elite and an urban tribe of spoiled brats. Mirreyes are making themselves ever more visible in Mexico. Their conspicuous consumption stands out in a country where nearly half the population is poor, opportunities for social advancement are limited and social connections often carry more currency than talent in the job market.
The mirreyes—from “mi rey,” or, “my king,” which started as a greeting among men in the Lebanese community—wear designer clothes with large logos (the bigger the better), drive BMWs and travel frequently to foreign destinations. Their tans show they’ve spent time at the beach or on yachts—mirrey habitat. They pose for selfies with one arm around a girl and a bottle of champagne in the other. Their exploits are documented and sent to social media sites or society publications.
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