You Know You're Living In A 3Rd World Country When...

[Ceviche]

I fail to understand , what is wrong in having a hired help for exchange of money and all parties ultimately happy with the transaction?

 

[steveinbsas]

Ok...
equally as superficial Americans who are living in a country they hate because they can take advantage of it and live as though they were filthy rich...

I see that you have modified your original claim that "filthy rich" Americans who hate Argentina are living in a country they hate because "it's cheap for them" and they can "exploit" the locals.

Now you assert that "superficial" Americans are living here "because they can take advantage of it and live as though they were filthy rich." That's a huge difference from what you claimed in your first post in this thread.

I live in Argentina because I like the people, the climate, and the culture, as well as the cost of living. I also like the lack of government interference in my daily life (I do not own or run a business). Most of my Argentine friends own their own businesses and all of them have a higher monthly disposable income than I do. None of them have domestic help. If I suddenly had a great deal of wealth (sold my screenplay about foreigners living in Argentina for a million dollars) I doubt that I would live anywhere else. I might hire someone to clean my house at that point but it would be a mutually beneficial situation. While it's true that if I don't hire and pay someone to clean my house I am not exploiting them, I am not helping them improve their lives in any way by not hiring them to work.

I wonder if you would agree that a local receiving the prevailing wage for cleaning someone's house four hours a week would be better off than receiving nothing for staying at their own home with no "extra" money to spend for things that they might want or need. Anyone who feels (or actually believes) that they are living like the "filthy rich" for having someone clean their house would have to have a very poor idea of how the "filthy rich" really live.

 

[Rich One]

Why The filthy rich Russians , are not coming to Argentina ??? Me lo dijo un Pajarito!

You are in a 3rd world country when you can't get a good Pizza

http://www.infobae.com/2014/11/02/1605922-las-10-comidas-que-dan-hambre

 

[fifs2]

Ceviche
It think an issue maybe that there is little respect involved and borderline abuse in many cases so it's not simply a balance transactional agreement as it would be in most places.
I personally have and always will treat anyone helping me with household chores as a blessing. No matter how much I pay for their help the reality is that someone is washing our dirty underwear and scrubbing our toilets so I think it’s super important to be grateful and respectful for an honest, hardworking person who comes into your home and is essentially part of your family. Calling them by their first name and buying them gifts on special occasions is just normal human kindness but I personally witnessed « friends » in Bsas whom I considered as educated and decent people treating their domestic help like victorian servants. Calling them peruano instead of their name, making them sleep outside in a corregated « hut » and working 6 days a week from 7amish to whatever time they liked (typically 3am) 6 days a week. When we met as social events they wouldn’t dream of presenting their help ..they were simply meant to be omni-present and invisible at the same time.

Here in Spain the treatment is more transactional and there are still the usual assholes. My own lady previously worked in a large house as part of a 5 member staff, uniform and all. She left because the master of the house treated her badly. We have a great relationship. It’s not rocket science. Shame that someone people need to treat people working for them badly to feel better about themselves.

 

[Ceviche]

I personally have and always will treat anyone helping me with household chores as a blessing.

Yes, I agree.

I also agree with what "Steve in Bsas" said as above :-

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)] I might hire someone to clean my house at that point but it would be a mutually beneficial situation. While it's true that if I don't hire and pay someone to clean my house I am not exploiting them, I am not helping them improve their lives in any way by [/background]not[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)] hiring them to work.[/background]

 

[Jenny21]

I've been working as a development consultant for international cooperation and freelance journalist in many 3 world countries but never been so alert as in Argentina for so many people trying to screw others. It has nothing to do with poverty, social exclusion or whatever. It's the mentality down there. And I'm from BsArs originally!
Other 3 world countries are awful in other things. Cubans par exemple are the best in constantly asking for presents, constantly holding their hands up in order to receive everything for free from foreigners. This culture of do nothing and expect everything from others is anywhere where are too many ngo's like Central America and Haiti.

Apologize for my ignorance but could you please tell me if you've ever been to Central America? Do you know how many ngo's live there?

 

[Pensador]

I've finally figured out why I don't like the general atmosphere of this site. It's because it's filled with filthy rich libertarian yankees who are just living in a country that they seem to hate because it's cheap for them. Meanwhile the actual Argentinians are seeing the peso devaluing and it is getting harder and harder to survive in their own country. Argentina is not the United States. People are in poverty because the government and economy are in shambles. Don't blame the people -whose country you are exploiting for your own personal luxury- for not "working hard enough" for success...I'm pretty sure that no matter how hard you work in this country, you still don't get paid according to inflation..
You guys are why everyone hates North Americans, because of your selfish, small-minded, anti-socialist, miserable, hateful and lonely opinions of the world around you. I for one am making it a goal upon moving to Argentina to not talk with any Americans if I can help it and not speak English. I speak castellano, I'm friends with locals, why in the hell would I ever want to associate myself with such a miserable group of people. Sure, I like things about my American culture, because it's my own. But that doesn't mean I'm going to move here and start getting all bitter and imperialist about it.

Wait till you get to pay the choro tax at gun point or have a purse or back pack ripped off by a moto chorro.

As for the anti-socialist filthy rich remarks. You should look at and evaluate socialism very closely. Just about every socialist I know blames the rich for the plight of the poor. My retort usually goes something like this.

Me and you (the socialist) both get 4 hectors of land at the age of 20.

You the socialist quickly build an adobe hut and spend the next twenty years watching soccer on your free government television network. You the socialist are granted free food programs, free housing programs and other tax free benefits. With all these freebies you manage to raise your family and eventually convert your adobe house into a small brick shack. Your property and life is a disaster but a least it is better than living under a tree in a plaza.

While you (the socialist ) spent the last 20 years watching free soccer nights and weekends and gladly consuming any tax free social benefit or hand out that was sent your way. I was busy building my own large luxury house with my own hands and mind. I built my big luxury house working bit by bit, a little here and a little there for around 8 years. After I completed my house I decided to build a few apartments on my property working nights and weekends in my free time. At one point I sold one of my apartments and bought a BMW and boat with the money I earned selling that apartment.

Then one day wife got sick and I sold another one of my apartments to pay the medical bills, thank God she recovered. But that’s OK I still have 3 apartments that I make rental income from plus my job. During this 20 years I was taxed on every dime I made. Some of the proceeds from my taxation where donated to you (the socialist) so you could enjoy free soccer along with free food and housing benefits.

After this twenty years, you (the socialist) one day look across the street and see my mansion, BMW, boat and apartments and say to yourself, look at that, that is not fair! That guy across the street is rich he has a huge house, a new BMW, a boat and apartment buildings. As for me I am poor this is just not fair. My wife is sick and I have nothing to pay the medical bills with, my house is a disaster and I have nothing. You the rich did this to me! It’s the only possible explination! I deserve more and better! We are all equal we all deserve the same things.

You then hear politicians and social activists blaming the rich for yours and other poor people’s conditions. You believe it completely and start to get an attitude about people that are rich. Because surely it’s not your fault that you or those other people are poor and have nothing.

In the end it is actually me that is the victim of your ignorance which has led you (the socialist) to poverty.

Pajarito there is nothing cheap down here. Unless you want to live in one of the villas. If you plan on living in anything close to first world conditions down here it is probably going to cost you more than it would up there in the North.

The majority not all of Argentinians have voted for and supported these governments and policies that have put them in the position they are in now. Do some research concerning Argentina and its financial/economic problems try doing your research with critical thinking and try not to make any assumptions. The problems in Argentina are just as much the fault of the Argentinian people as they are any government. For example the 100 billion default. How is that possible? Well when you have a population of 30 million and only 30 thousand of them are paying income taxes it all starts to make sense. Yes of course there is more to it than just the income taxes issue but by all means look into it. Also I would suggest in the future that you do your homework before you just blast away about things you think you understand on public forums.

 

[Tilda]

Pensador, even though I agree with your argument that the soccer watching slacker can't blame the hardworking mansion owner for his lack of riches I take SERIOUS ISSUE with you labeling him as socialist.

Socialist, feminist and other ists are not ugly words that you should call other people to belittle them.

 

[Pensador]

Pensador, even though I agree with your argument that the soccer watching slacker can't blame the hardworking mansion owner for his lack of riches I take SERIOUS ISSUE with you labeling him as socialist.

Socialist, feminist and other ists are not ugly words that you should call other people to belittle them.

Per my post...

"You should look at and evaluate socialism very closely. Just about every socialist I know blames the rich for the plight of the poor. My retort usually goes something like this."

I was refering to the socialist I would have been retorting not Pajarito. However I was refering to or replying to Pajarito remarks about filthy rich anti-socialists. For the record I am not filthy rich but I am completely and utterly anti-socialist.

At the bottom of my post I did write too Pajarito and wrote his/hers user name accordingly.

 

[Tilda]

I'm not going to try to turn you away from your anti-socialist standpoint.

I have rewritten this sentence so many time trying to arrive to a sentence that sound balanced and open minded, but really is boils down to me being offended that you think that all socialists are poor people that blame the rich for their problems. I took that personally as a self proclaimed socialist. Obviously my problem not yours, and you are not in my class so I can't guide you in your critical thinking process either. Nor can you guide me in mine.

Peace and out.