Mexico's Spoiled Rich Kids

David Luhnow:

You can spot them prowling the streets of Mexico City's wealthy enclaves in sports cars. The guys wear their hair slicked back and designer shirts with the top three buttons open. The women have expensive bags and sunglasses. They are nearly always followed by a black SUV packed with armed bodyguards.

They are known in Mexico as "Juniors"--the sons and daughters of the country's elite, young people whose love of brand names is surpassed only by their sense of entitlement. Juniors grow up to dominate the upper echelons of business and politics. They live behind high walls, travel in private jets and seem utterly untouchable--and out of touch in a country that struggles with poverty and violence.

For the first time, though, Mexico's Juniors are coming under fire. In April, Andrea Benitez, the daughter of a well-connected politician, turned up at a trendy restaurant in Mexico City without a reservation and threw a fit when she was not given the table she wanted. So she called inspectors at Profeco, the government's consumer protection agency--which happened to be run by her father. Inspectors promptly shut down the restaurant.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 17, 2013 12:35 AM
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