7 Years In Buenos Aires, C.f. Here Now 45 Years Please Read!

[RodalfoWalsh]

Amen. Where my family lives, they don't have paved roads, running water or toilets. In Buenos Aires province.

Also, I Googled these people and they seem to be big into "The Secret" and the law of attraction etc (just post a sob story on BA Expats and watch the money roll in! OK, I am being cynical). Good for them, but I'll continue to give my money to people who actually need it.

Shocked at people who come here from developed countries and try to pull this stuff (even if the fire is real). They have to know what people earn here.

I hadden't heard of "The Secret" before this. Pretty hilarious stuff.

 

[sesamosinsal]

Michael, I sent you a private message. Did you get it?

 

[homeinbuenosaires]

Gringoboy

The ranting and raving in all caps I can understand, given that he and his wife had just been accused of being scammers - it's a typical response for both the guilty and the innocent. It's this part that gives me the terrible, skin-crawling sensation of déjà vu:

"[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]The Loco HOMBRE EX GUARD CIA? FOR EX President MENEM SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR A ARSONIST WITH CHRISTINA AS PRESIDENT HE IS IN A MENTAL UNIT SOMEWHERE!!!"

Also, agree on what you say about the apartment*.

Additionally, I know plenty of people who commute by bus 3-4 hours a day and work 6 days a week, have no water / roads/ toilets and get by on a hell of a lot less. It's kind of the norm here. If they had offered anything, anything at all in exchange for the money they are asking for, that would be another matter. There are certainly times when I could use some help, and I sometimes pay friends pretty well to help me out. If they had offered, I might even have taken them up on it!

Between that and the 'law of attraction'/ The Secret stuff that I found when I Googled their names ('visualize the money you want and it will just come to you like magic'... while other boludos work for it) I just thought it was a bit much. Also, most of us know that inflation, which he claims is eating up the money in USD that they get for free, mostly tracked the blue dollar - which I assume he was using - until recently. His rent would have been going down in real terms the whole time, in fact.

I do sympathize with those in shitty situations here, having been in one myself for a while. I'm actually kind of surprised that people are volunteering for this - nobody volunteered to come and help me when I had my own problem on this forum with the Alabaman (I wasn't really expecting it, though), so maybe I should get myself a copy of The Secret and take some notes!

*Edited to add that they could try Defensa al Consumidor, I have friends who have done so for similar matters.[/background]

 

[Gringoboy]

Whilst I also sympathise with people worse off than ourselves and have in fact given what little money I had in my pocket to a couple of different people who came to me in tears, it's not that easy making ends meet for us as it is.
Ranting online whilst begging, which let's face it, is just what this is, turns people off. I'm tempted to write a manual entitled "How to write the perfect online begging letter" just to see how effective it could be when presented correctly, like they do at Kickstarter.
I too have been delving and it doesn't smell right.

 

[sesamosinsal]

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]I do sympathize with those in shitty situations here, having been in one myself for a while. I'm actually kind of surprised that people are volunteering for this - nobody volunteered to come and help me when I had my own problem on this forum with the Alabaman (I wasn't really expecting it, though), so maybe I should get myself a copy of The Secret and take some notes![/background]

Sorry, but you seem to have forgotten a private message I sent you in July 2014. Here's a copy of it:

If she leaves your apartment in shambles and you need help cleaning it up, let me know. I am not a handyman of any kind, but I do know how to clean things -- just don't ask me to clean my own place!

I hope it works out!

You might be able to find a copy of it in your Gmail inbox.

I've helped a couple of people on this forum, and do my best to help people when I can. What's being proposed on this forum isn't handing over money, but helping Michael and his wife have food to eat.

 

[sesamosinsal]

My other post (similar to the one that follows) was flagged for moderation.

Homeinbuenosaires, you seem to have forgotten a message I sent you in July 2014 explicitly offering you help. Here's a snippet of it:

If she leaves your apartment in shambles and you need help cleaning it up, let me know. I am not a handyman of any kind, but I do know how to clean things -- just don't ask me to clean my own place!

You might be able to find a copy in your Gmail account.

I always try to help people who need it, and when I can do it. What's being proposed here is to buy Michael and his wife some food and other necessary items, and, at the end of the day, help them make ends meet.

 

[sesamosinsal]

I too have been delving and it doesn't smell right.

I looked up the address he provided on Google Streetview, and it's the same building on fire in the video. Evidently, he's having to pay for things to get fixed (like a sink) because the owner refuses to take responsibility for them. If we were in the U.S. (or another country where stuff works), it would be hard to believe. Pero estamos en Argentina.

I understand the suspicions and the forum's reactions to the way his message has been conveyed, but some of the responses from other members have really been quite cruel. A lot of us come from rather privileged backgrounds -- at least I will admit I do -- and to see the lack of empathy, especially after it's been made quite apparent that his calls for help are probably legitimate, is rather sad.

 

[homeinbuenosaires]

My other post (similar to the one that follows) was flagged for moderation.

Homeinbuenosaires, you seem to have forgotten a message I sent you in July 2014 explicitly offering you help. Here's a snippet of it:



You might be able to find a copy in your Gmail account.

I always try to help people who need it, and when I can do it. What's being proposed here is to buy Michael and his wife some food and other necessary items, and, at the end of the day, help them make ends meet.

Bradly -

Thanks very much.

In the stress of the incident (probably the most stressful) I forgot that you had written via Gmail and not via the messaging system. Sincere apologies and heartfelt thanks for the offer! Once I saw I was blocked I guess my brain just decided I wasn't able to respond to anyone.

I was more concerned about the actual getting her out than the cleanup (I paid a friend to help me with that as we were super tight for time, I had to show the place 3-4 hours after she left). Cleanup is what I am used to, unfortunately!

Maybe we will meet someday. I know you have a good heart.

 

[Gringoboy]

Bradly, my intention is not to be cruel but honest.
Most of Mr Smith's posts read like the ravings of lunatic from some weird cult; that includes BOTH of the accounts he uses here.

 

[Redbeanz]

After reading many of Mr. Smith's posts on his social media page, I have to commend him on his unselfishness. Despite the tragic fire in June, right up until yesterday, his many fundraising appeals have been for the poor and starving people in Buenos Aires, with no word or thought about his own plight. Almost unbelievably selfless.