Episode Summary
In this episode, Johnny Mueller explores a range of topics that highlight the unique cultural and business dynamics of Latin America for expats. He begins by discussing the growing trend of timeshares in Mexico, where they have become a status symbol for both expats and some locals. He contrasts this with the first-world perspective, where timeshares are often seen as a poor investment. Johnny notes the cultural differences between the U.S. and Mexico, emphasizing that trends in the U.S. often take time to influence Latin America, with Mexico being the first to adopt them. He also suggests that there is a business opportunity for expats to sell products like those seen on TV, which are now being repackaged and sold in Latin America.
Next, Johnny discusses how even obscure American celebrities like Patch Adams and Jordan Belfort have found success in Latin America. He highlights the 'gringo advantage'—the idea that first-world skills, even outdated ones, can be valuable to Latin audiences. He also mentions the cultural disconnect between Latin and American audiences, such as the confusion over terms like 'VIP' and the popularity of movies like 'The Wolf of Wall Street' in the region.
Johnny then turns his attention to Rudy Giuliani's lecture tour in Latin America, highlighting the absurdity of his speaking engagements and the irony of his presence in the region. He critiques the high ticket prices, the audience composed of government officials and media, and Giuliani's lack of substantive content. Johnny also touches on Giuliani's role as a security consultant for the Colombian government and the ease with which foreign speakers can secure free media coverage in the region.
The segment then shifts to discussing the advantages gringos (expats from North America) have in gaining free publicity in local media and television stations in Latin America. Johnny highlights how the gringo advantage, such as being well-dressed, organized, and bringing a press kit, can lead to significant media attention. He also mentions the lack of organization among locals and how gringos often jump to the front of the line. Johnny provides examples, such as the case of Expatriate Eddie, who gained media attention without seeking it. He then shifts to discussing the growing influence of Chinese businesses in Latin America, including their secretive land and mineral acquisitions and the establishment of a large international trade convention tour. The segment ends with a humorous note about the Chinese trade show being free and the implication that the Chinese are serious about expanding their business presence globally.
Finally, Johnny humorously discusses the celebration of 'Lawyer Day' in Latin America on September 24th, contrasting it with the lack of such celebrations in the United States. He highlights the cultural reverence for lawyers in Latin America, despite the presence of corrupt individuals, and criticizes the legal profession in the first world. The segment also touches on the prevalence of scam lawyers targeting tourists in Latin America and the general disdain for lawyers in the U.S.
Topics
Timeshares in Mexico, Cultural differences between the U.S. and Mexico, Business opportunities for expats in Latin America, Patch Adams, Jordan Belfort, Gringo Advantage, Cultural Disconnection, Latin America's Interest in Hollywood, Rudy Giuliani's lecture tour in Latin America, High ticket prices and audience composition, Giuliani's role as a security consultant, Media coverage in Latin America for foreign speakers
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:34 Timeshares as a Business Opportunity for Expats 00:01:12 Timeshares as a Status Symbol in Mexico 00:03:01 Cultural Differences Between the U.S. and Mexico 00:06:10 The Robin Williams Connection in Latin America 00:12:08 The 9/11 Connection and the Lecture Tour 00:12:20 Giuliani's Presence in Latin America and the Gringo Advantage 00:13:31 Audience Composition and the Scandal of High Ticket Prices 00:14:04 Giuliani's Role as a Media Darling and His Impact on Crime Statistics 00:16:10 Giuliani's Contract with the Colombian Government and the Lecture Tour 00:18:20 The Ease of Securing Free Media Coverage in Latin America 00:20:58 Chinese Business Expansion in Latin America 00:24:29 Introduction to Lawyer Day in Latin America 00:24:38 Celebration of Lawyer Day and Cultural Contrast 00:25:04 Critique of the Legal Profession in the First World 00:26:08 Johnny's Personal Experience with Lawyer Jokes 00:26:28 Scam Lawyers and Tourist Targeting 00:27:04 Contrast Between U.S. and Latin American National Holidays 00:27:36 Closing Remarks and Call to Action
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wander Hello there all you expat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started Now if you remember many shows ago I mentioned that there's a golden opportunity for expats to come down here and do lectures seminars and conventions I'm talking about the usual first world hotel style salon lecture circuit
[00:46] The fact is since I started talking about it a couple years ago I've seen a few astute gringos come down here and make a killing at it The majority of them not even knowing a lick of Spanish You remember that I mentioned that especially in Mexico these days Timesharing is big if you can believe that and you know, even when I was back up in Chicago over 25 years ago Timesharing was getting such a bad name that you were embarrassed to tell anyone you got sucked in Remember that but get this down in Mexico. It's a status symbol to say you have a timeshare How about that and you gotta ask how could that be? Well, that's because first of all It's a gringo thing and second of all, even though you could get timeshares dirt cheap on a monthly payment plan They're just slightly out of reach for the average middle-class Mexican or any other middle-class Latin American for that matter
[01:36] However, I'm talking about Mexico because timeshares are proliferating like crazy up there or I should say down there for you Because it's up there for me. Anyway, so if you qualify credit wise and can get one You're automatically considered upper middle class and thus you have bragging rights with all your neighbors and friends and family How do you like that? What a difference in cultures because as you know up in the first world an upper middle class person would never dream of buying a timeshare People up in the states who are upper middle class first world style are thinking Why buy two weeks a year in an upscale budget tell when I can afford my own condo The fact is upper middle class people in the states do not want to share space Now I don't want to sound like a snob here, but that's just the way it is
[02:24] So the fact is in mexico Anyway, some first world folks from up in the states have dusted off their old 1990s timeshare presentations and are making a killing on the hotel convention circuit in mexico But you know like wc fields always said there's a sucker born every minute Then he also said never give a sucker an even break and that folks is what's happening down in mexico right this minute Now you've heard the saying how california goes goes the rest of the country Meaning that the buying and social habits of californians are ahead of the rest of the country Well know this that very same thing applies to mexico It's always been the bellwether for the rest of latin america because you see
[03:10] Trends from the us have a lag time when they hit mexico And then the rest of latin america looks at mexico and then copies them and of course, you know what happens when latin's copy It's often a bad copy Which is again part of our gringo advantage So that's why it's going to take a little time for that timeshare thing to hit the rest of latin america And you can prove that to yourself by coming down to latin america with some boots on the ground and ask Anyone in mexico on the street if they heard of a timeshare If you speak spanish, that is and probably 20 to 25 percent of the people in a big city will know what you're talking about But try asking that question in san pedro Sula honduras or managua nicaragua or in guatemala not to mention perigue or bolivia
[03:56] You'll find probably not one or two and a hundred people know what you're talking about. I'm talking about locals, of course And believe me even though incomes have picked up in latin america And there are people in the so-called upper middle classes that is people making over maybe 10 or 15 thousand bucks a year Yep, that's what they call upper middle class here They're looking for ways to invest and spend their excess money And naturally since they get all our cable tv now, they follow the gringos lead Anything the gringos do is golden to them, which is why now at least in mexico I'm seeing timeshare and real estate flipping seminars and ads for them in the papers almost every week So like I said if you have something first world to sell And the market up there is saturated or long been over with even if it's something old and moldy to offer
[04:45] There's a good chance there'll still be a big market for it down here I mean take any one of the hundreds of as seen on tv items that are kind of a joke to us now There must be dusty warehouses chock full of that junk that somebody in mexico got for a song and relabeled in spanish I mean take some of these oldie moldies that just arrived down here that are surely making a fortune the ab cruncher Jack lelaine's power juicer that fantastic whatchamacallit squeegee mop I'm talking as seen on tv hair curlers steam cleaners wrenches spray painters and power drills Oh, and let's not leave off those miracle boob enhancers and butt lifters In fact i've noticed when those commercials come on
[05:30] Every woman in the room sneaks a look and those butt lifters I could use one myself all that junk that you and I saw 20 or 30 years ago up in the states Well, it's just come down here now as seen on tv, of course. So why am I bringing this up again? Well, for one thing because it's such a no-brainer business opportunity for gringos And because it directly relates to that hotel salon seminar and convention business i've been talking about Now get this I don't know if it's because robin williams just hung himself And suddenly there's a new interest in everything that he's done or had done in the past Well, get this the robin williams connection has come down here to latin america Bet you didn't even know latin's knew who he was
[06:17] Well, I got news for you latin's are tuned in to all popular hollywood movies and movie stars In fact, it seems like every latin woman knows and loves señora doubt fire Yep, mrs. Doubt fire is famous down here. Okay, then how about this robin williams flick? And believe me this one wasn't even a good movie Patch adams you might have seen it You know the odd case of the good-hearted doctor who didn't care for money just his patience And I believe the story started with him committing himself to an insane asylum and then becoming a clown in that asylum And as a result having a great positive effect on the patients and from there He became a trend-setting unorthodox doctor blah blah blah And note that 15 years ago after that movie came out and faded away
[07:05] One would have assumed that old patch adams himself His 15 minutes of fame gone would have blended into the woodwork aged gracefully and faded into the sunset Well sorta until now and now he's on tour doing the hotel salon circuit through latin america Now don't ask me who's gonna go see him, but he's an american And in the promotional posters you see out on the highway and on tv and in the papers show the robin williams connection, etc, etc I mean who'd have thought this guy would have any fame at all even up in the states anymore? I mean the movie was a minor hit back in 1998 But even if you asked most americans up north who patch adams was or is they couldn't tell you
[07:50] So 16 years later He's on a foreign tour Which just goes to prove the point that if you have any first world skills to offer at all even 16 year old dusty outdated ones It doesn't even matter if you speak spanish You can use your gringo skills and your gringo advantage to connect with audiences down here Because like I said old retread stuff up in the states is brand new material to most folks down here And in checking this a little further I found out he's selling out No, no, I don't mean selling out in a social or moral sense I mean selling out venues like auditoriums and hotel salons Then again by coming down here to latin america on tour right after robin williams offs himself Well, you could call that selling out or worse. Oh, well, who am I to judge, right?
[08:40] So then how does a flash in the pan up in the states 15 or 16 years ago? Surely a total unknown down here in latin america do a successful Multi-city tour don't ask me how or why I couldn't have predicted it myself because hell he's got no drawing power down here But it's that gringo advantage again So what kind of dough is he getting well, I can tell you I went down to the ticket tron Yes, they have a latin version called todo ticket Which means all tickets or total tickets for big concerts and events like that and get this 20 bucks for the bleacher seats 30 bucks for the stands and 50 bucks for the vip seats and like I told you in a past show Latins, of course have no idea what the letters vip stand for
[09:28] In fact, they don't even know that they're letters. They think it's a whole word vip Yep, you heard me vip Which is why one day about a half year ago Expat eddie and I just cracked up when we heard one of his employees Bragging that he had veep tickets for a motocross event And you know in the moment the word veep went right over our heads until about three minutes later after the guy walked away And I looked at eddie and we both started cracking up Vip veep Now that would make a good t-shirt or even the makings of a stand-up comedy bit All latins know is that they're the expensive seats the important seats and that gringles use that word vip. Yeah, right So anyway, I don't want to disparage old patch here
[10:14] But he's bringing down a lot of bucks and you know, he does have a foundation or two So who knows maybe he's donating all that dough for a good cause you gotta hope so some of it Anyway, and I don't want you to think i'm picking on him I'm just bringing him up as the perfect example of what you can do If you've got a lecture project in mind and you've got some big cajones, but that's not all Guess who else is touring down here in all big cities in latin america? You won't believe this none other than the infamous jordan belfort Say what jordan who? Michael jordan maybe nope jordan belfort now You don't know who that is But you will when I tell you that leonard decaprio played him in a very successful
[11:00] Autobiographical movie called the wolf of wall street came out last year. Remember by martin scorsese, of course You got five academy award nominations, etc, etc And you might even have heard that the guy this story is based on this jordan belfort He has been making his money since the jail term and all that on the financial and investment lecture circuit up in the first world And you know after a movie fades away like that and they do rather quickly like within a day or so, right? Naturally this belfort guy tried to squeeze every little bit of juice out of a get rich quick financial lecture circuit in the u.s But as fame is fleeting comes a time when well that 15 minutes runs its course, too So then what to do surprise surprise he shows up down here in every big latin american city
[11:51] In fact, I saw big ads for his gig in columbia Panama and costa rica So let me repeat once again The lecture circuit for has been first world people and their ideas is golden down here But that ain't all you want more proof and this is the real kicker Now y'all remember 9 11 don't you who can forget it? That was what 13 years ago now 2001 Well, you're gonna love this guess who's out on the lecture tour milk in the 9 11 connection Yet another good example of the first world has been lecture tour club. Yep. None other than rudy juliani Now about a month ago I happen to be with a few long-term gringos and I wish you could have seen our faces when we looked up and saw a 50 foot high poster with smiling rudy's bald aging mug on it
[12:40] In fact, I saw that same big poster in central america and south america too specifically columbia Not to mention I saw him pop up on tv in honduras panama and costa rica, too And then I started seeing his mug on tv and on street posters in guadamala and salvador too So now you might wonder who's actually gonna pay good money to see this guy Now look the tickets are a hundred bucks apiece. That's if you buy him in advance and on the day of the show 125 hell I wouldn't pay 125 bucks to see elvis if he was reincarnated And man, this is the third world who can afford those prices? Well, I can tell you who everyone in that audience is going to be a scumbag politician
[13:26] Some lick-ass government official and media guys and journalists, of course And a host of worthless government security contractors. Oh, and of course every embassy jerk-off bigwig too. That's it There won't be a normal non-governmental working-class person there. You can bet your life on that Talk about the gringo advantage, huh? So what do you get out of a conference like that? Well, i'll tell you what every jerk that goes to that event wants a photo op or a selfie with juliani It's all about the show. I mean, come on. What's he got to say? That's worth a hundred or 120 bucks and honestly, I don't know much about this guy I only know that he was the mayor during 9 11 and that's what rocketed him into being a media darling At least his 15 minutes of fame stretched out to about six months
[14:14] So then what's old rudy talking about down here in latin america and who really cares? Well, his theme is crime in the big city and according to the big posters i've seen They're citing those old statistics when he was mayor back in new york When you might remember homicides and violent crimes during his administration somehow dropped dramatically Now I don't know if it's true or not. I remember reading about it myself So how much did he have to do with that? Or was it just fate or luck of the draw that he happened to be in office at the time? Who knows? It doesn't matter. He's rudy juliani Mayor during 9 11 and he's cashing in So do I like or dislike the guy? Well, I can tell you this every single politician i've ever met in my whole life
[15:01] And i've met hundreds president sundown in both the first and the third world And everyone without exception has been a dirty rotten lying scumbag sociopath And I mean that in the kindest way, but I digress as usual Anyway, who'd have thunk anyone could get a hundred bucks a ticket in latin america. I mean, this is the third world Well, I take that back. Maybe jesus and the pope would on a double bill Imagine what they'd charge for the vip seats But come on rudy juliani Just remember that 50 to 70 percent of the half a billion people in latin america live on two dollars a day or less Now according to the press release he's traveling with get this
[15:46] a top security expert from the world bank And the former director of the national police of columbia No, not a high level cop from new york, but from columbia And why would that be? I wonder well guess what that's because rudy's under contract with the columbian government Hmm. Did you know that? In one of the press releases it says he's an assessor to the columbian security forces In other words because of the luck of the draw and the gringo advantage this guy's got one big never-ending payday And i'm sure that 99 percent of all you guys and gals up there Never even knew rudy was taking advantage of the big bucks on the latin american has been lecture tour
[16:32] So now you might be asking how do these guys even get their point across when obviously they don't speak spanish or at least Not well enough to do a lecture Well, of course what you do is you have your presentation your powerpoint in both english and spanish side by side and You have a side by side spanish translator Translating real time on the fly and for all you guys and gals who are thinking to yourself right now. Hey, I could do that I know of an old first world product. I can dust off and repackage in spanish All i've got to do is juice up my resume Bone up on some spanish and maybe get a wiki page So then how do you get started on something like that? Well first you want to start out in a big city So you come down with your plan dust off your powerpoint spiff it up hire an it guy and a translator
[17:21] And convert those old cassette tapes to cds or flash drives Okay. Now about selecting that it guy and translator Just put an ad in one of the biggest papers in english And make sure you get a po box at the newspaper Because believe me within a week or two you'll have more cvs than you can handle and note you'll be able to hire a well Trained it guy and translator for about 500 bucks a month Yep, full time 500 bucks a month each and your it guy will be responsible for promoting the hell out of it Via the internet and emails and broadcasts to corporations as well as setting up a web page for you And of course, there'll be newspaper interviews, maybe tv ads and maybe billboards, too
[18:08] Speaking of tv and radio publicity You'll want as much of that as you can get hopefully a lot of it for free, too Which brings me to a topic i've never hit on before Which is just how ridiculously easy it is to get free publicity in the local media The papers on tv, etc That's when your gringo advantage is really like a small a-bomb You walk into a newspaper office in a nice three-piece suit and a well organized plan Including a press packet a nicely embellished cv and some free tickets for the event And maybe even a little box of chocolates for the secretary. It'll be the first time in her life She's ever had that happen. Now. Let me explain one thing
[18:53] Most newspapers and television stations down here are not used to having someone standing in their waiting room A real-life gringo that is in a three-piece suit holding an actual first world style press packet Aka press kit and if you don't know what that is, just look it up with that You'll automatically have a huge advantage because latins in general even professionals are not that well organized details details it's all about the details especially with a first impression and with latins you'll find out eventually when you get down here With them. There's a noticeable lack of details Plus when you walk in being a gringo You always jump to the front of the line that said
[19:39] I bet that more than half the time you'll get a quarter or a half page interview with photos I know i've seen it happen and you'll also get free publicity at tv stations when they invite you on talk shows and forums Now note that most local latin television stations cable or otherwise Have various nightly panels and forums and chances are depending on your topic You'll get invited as a guest and how do I know that? Well because i've seen it happen even with green gringos coming down and starting a business for the first time Especially when a gringo starts a business or starts lecturing off the gringo tourist trail Take expat eddie for example when he opened up his first sushi restaurant within a week or two
[20:24] He was interviewed in all the local papers and even had a tiny spot on a what to do around town television program Coming out of san salvador and a month or so later. He even ended up on a weekly local tourism Travelogue program just a two or three minute spot But it really got his name out there and the odd thing is he didn't even look for that kind of publicity It came to him again with the gringo advantage, you know But remember you can only expect that kind of favoritism when you're well off the gringo tourist trail Where gringo expats are kind of a rare oddity Again, speaking of the business of hotel seminar tours Listen to this one Like i've mentioned in past shows the chinese are down here in latin america in a big way
[21:09] Not in big physical numbers personally You really don't see many of them around with the exception of panama since panama city is the banking center of latin america It's the manhattan of latin america All the big money boys end up going there to make their deals and the big money boys Well, most of them these days are chinese Now when I say boys, I mean it It seems to be an all-male club except maybe for a few secretaries You just don't see chinese women power brokers not down here. Anyway So the chinese are down here in a big way buying up land buildings and mineral rights often with ultra secrecy More than you and I will ever know Now if that's not enough for you to think about get this
[21:55] I was sitting at the airport last week and I picked up a honduran newspaper And I couldn't help but notice a full page ad by guess who? The chinese council for the promotion of international trade and the china chamber of international commerce I didn't even know there was such a thing anyway with huge money behind them this International chinese chamber of commerce has set up a huge traveling trade convention show Basically a giant chinese product publicity tour according to reports this traveling convention is going to hit every latin american city That's got a population of over a million. So we're talking over 50 cities on the tour Let me translate part of what this big ad says it says
[22:43] At our exposition we will have present more than 44 chinese companies Representing the talents and abilities of nine different cities from nine different provinces We will have on display articles of construction automobiles motorcycles heavy and light machinery Technical and electronic equipment assembly processes and much much more Now, you know in every big latin city They have convention centers and industrial parks as big if not bigger than some of the ones you see up in the states They host food and restaurant car furniture Textiles and agricultural product shows too You name it and the common denominator is that you always have to pay to get in keeps out the riffraff, you know
[23:28] A couple of bucks usually never more than 10 But what's unusual about this chinese trade show is that it's absolutely free and they provide drinks and snacks and gifts And a lot of other things they really want to have a good turnout and they do now you have to understand There's 44 different companies putting their goods and wares on display here And from what I understand there's over 200 people coming in from china on this gig and doing this tour So think about it 50 cities 200 people and all those tons and tons of machinery and equipment Just looking at the organization and the setup You can only conclude that the chinese are dead serious about taking over the world At least in a business and manufacturing sense. Okay change in gears a bit now
[24:17] Here's something if it happened up in cleveland or austin. I'm sure it would really set you off Okay, then first i'll ask you this question which I know you can't answer Okay, here goes. Guess what they celebrate all through latin america on september 24th You'll never guess it Time's up Lawyer day. Yes, it's lawyer day. All right, Juanito. Let's get some tequila and some chicharrones and party Yes Yep latin americans are happy no matter what any excuse for a party even lawyer day So they party down here, but would you be partying up north? I don't think so Think of it lawyer day in boston or cleveland
[25:04] I don't think the first world is ready for something like that. Do you? So down here in latin america on september 24th in every latin american newspaper There's a big public service announcement stating the glorious fact that it indeed is lawyer day Now because of the long lag time period we talk about so much on this show down here in latin america Lawyers still have a lot of prestige and in fact, it's considered a very honorable profession Why because like I said there's a big lag time and thus they haven't figured out scams yet like ambulance chasing And you won't see him handing out business cards at funeral parlors either And you'll rarely see him driving around in big luxury suvs And when you do they're almost always lawyers that went into politics
[25:50] Which means they have converted 100 into scumbag weasels But you see down here just your plain old lawyer Has none of that disreputable status that lawyers in the states so richly deserve And I can prove that because after being down here more than 20 years I've yet to hear a single lawyer joke. I mean come on not a single lawyer joke now of course latin america has its share of scumbag lawyers and the vast majority of those parasites can be found guess where On the gringo tourist trail costa rica panama cancun in fact most of mexico Et cetera, et cetera You see with all those thousands and thousands of clueless gringo tourists to scam Local lawyers have learned all those first world lawyer tricks
[26:39] And again 99.9 percent of all lawyers that go into politics whether in the first world or third world Deserve to be shot at least in the leg But you knew that already and I digress and for all you first world lawyers out there listening to me Don't send me emails defending your so-called noble profession because it ain't So does anyone seriously celebrate national lawyer day up north? I know I know up north They've got a day for everything. In fact when I mentioned to latins, we've got a groundhog day National mailman day april fool's day even alternative lifestyle day not to mention peanut day They think we're nuts pun intended. Oops. We're at the end of the show again But before you leave i'd like to mention my january 2015 expat wisdom seminar in central america
[27:27] Just go to expat wisdom.com click on the seminar link and get all the details You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america coming to you twice a week from somewhere south of the border Email me the expat files at gmail.com And don't forget to check out expat wisdom.com to sign up for your free reports on latin america See you next time nos vemos Ah