Comments on: The Third World http://mossyskull.com/beer/the-third-world/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-third-world Ramblings of Michael J. DeLuca Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:32:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Liz Smith http://mossyskull.com/beer/the-third-world/comment-page-1/#comment-650 Liz Smith Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:39:26 +0000 http://mjd.joskinandlob.com/wordpress/?p=497#comment-650 It does sound wonderful. I haven't traveled in so long--have missed it so much. And Julie's description of things back when she lived there sounded exactly like the kind of place I'd have loved to be. Ah well. It does sound wonderful. I haven’t traveled in so long–have missed it so much. And Julie’s description of things back when she lived there sounded exactly like the kind of place I’d have loved to be. Ah well.

]]> By: mjd http://mossyskull.com/beer/the-third-world/comment-page-1/#comment-649 mjd Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:29:22 +0000 http://mjd.joskinandlob.com/wordpress/?p=497#comment-649 The city was by far my least favorite part--it was where the divide between rich and poor was most obvious, and likewise the negative influence of the first world. McDonalds--not that I went into one, but apparently a McDonald's hamburger in Guate costs three times as much as it does here, despite the fact that everything else in Guate costs half as much. A fast food hamburger from an American chain is somehow a luxury item. Gah. But yeah--everywhere else I went in the country was completely different, and wonderful. The city was by far my least favorite part–it was where the divide between rich and poor was most obvious, and likewise the negative influence of the first world. McDonalds–not that I went into one, but apparently a McDonald’s hamburger in Guate costs three times as much as it does here, despite the fact that everything else in Guate costs half as much. A fast food hamburger from an American chain is somehow a luxury item. Gah.

But yeah–everywhere else I went in the country was completely different, and wonderful.

]]> By: Liz Smith http://mossyskull.com/beer/the-third-world/comment-page-1/#comment-648 Liz Smith Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:15:59 +0000 http://mjd.joskinandlob.com/wordpress/?p=497#comment-648 My friend Julie, who is an artist who lives here in Heath, lived in Guatemala for, I think, fifteen years in the 60s and 70s. She just came back from a trip there, and she told me some stories about changes that have happened in Guatemala since those days. They were incredible and somewhat difficult to hear, particularly about the gangs that have moved in more recently, boys who are attracted to selling drugs and some of the desperation of the poor--and how the quality of life has gone down in that particular city in the last 15 years or so. Much of it has to do with the way first-world culture has influenced people all over the world, in ways we've seen before. Anyway, it was all fascinating and a bit heart-wrenching, I wish you could hear those stories. She said that in the years she lived there, it was close to paradise...all the things you say here, and more. My friend Julie, who is an artist who lives here in Heath, lived in Guatemala for, I think, fifteen years in the 60s and 70s. She just came back from a trip there, and she told me some stories about changes that have happened in Guatemala since those days. They were incredible and somewhat difficult to hear, particularly about the gangs that have moved in more recently, boys who are attracted to selling drugs and some of the desperation of the poor–and how the quality of life has gone down in that particular city in the last 15 years or so. Much of it has to do with the way first-world culture has influenced people all over the world, in ways we’ve seen before. Anyway, it was all fascinating and a bit heart-wrenching, I wish you could hear those stories. She said that in the years she lived there, it was close to paradise…all the things you say here, and more.

]]> By: mjd http://mossyskull.com/beer/the-third-world/comment-page-1/#comment-647 mjd Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:18:46 +0000 http://mjd.joskinandlob.com/wordpress/?p=497#comment-647 I totally agree--the only time we ever hear about what life is like in a place like Haiti is when the horribleness has already gone down and the 24-hour news folks are down there blubbering into their microphones--which makes it really hard not to just turn away. And then, later on, mail them a little money. But that kind of attention doesn't give us the slightest idea what it's really like to be those people. One time I crossed the Mexican border from Texas for like 3 hours with my parents. We drove around in some border town freaking out about how there weren't any sidewalks, and then we went to a grocery store and I practiced my high school Spanish buying yogurt. That was an interesting time, for sure, but it wasn't nearly enough to have the effect I'm talking about here. I wish I'd stayed longer. I totally agree–the only time we ever hear about what life is like in a place like Haiti is when the horribleness has already gone down and the 24-hour news folks are down there blubbering into their microphones–which makes it really hard not to just turn away. And then, later on, mail them a little money. But that kind of attention doesn’t give us the slightest idea what it’s really like to be those people.

One time I crossed the Mexican border from Texas for like 3 hours with my parents. We drove around in some border town freaking out about how there weren’t any sidewalks, and then we went to a grocery store and I practiced my high school Spanish buying yogurt. That was an interesting time, for sure, but it wasn’t nearly enough to have the effect I’m talking about here.

I wish I’d stayed longer.

]]> By: MaggieDR http://mossyskull.com/beer/the-third-world/comment-page-1/#comment-646 MaggieDR Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:53:55 +0000 http://mjd.joskinandlob.com/wordpress/?p=497#comment-646 This is a beautifully articulated piece, Mike. My only pretense to seeing a third world country would be a day trip to Tijuana when I was twelve. Seeing this country through your eyes gives me a keener perspective of Guatemala.Of course, nothing is the same as actually having that experience for myself. As you say, issues of American life-style/culture are complicated, but I wish more of us comprehended how detrimental our (Americans)privileges are to ourselves. Generally, we see images like the disaster in Haiti or starving babies in ghastly conditions that cause guilt, and then we turn away. We need to read/see more experiences like yours, where we see the beauty of these countries instead. This is a beautifully articulated piece, Mike. My only pretense to seeing a third world country would be a day trip to Tijuana when I was twelve. Seeing this country through your eyes gives me a keener perspective of Guatemala.Of course, nothing is the same as actually having that experience for myself.

As you say, issues of American life-style/culture are complicated, but I wish more of us comprehended how detrimental our (Americans)privileges are to ourselves. Generally, we see images like the disaster in Haiti or starving babies in ghastly conditions that cause guilt, and then we turn away. We need to read/see more experiences like yours, where we see the beauty of these countries instead.

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