Episode Summary
In this episode, Johnny Mueller dives into the cultural differences in personal space between expats and locals in Latin America, the social dynamics of spontaneous dinner invitations, the historical legacy of Fidel Castro, and the changing perceptions of political figures. He also touches on the impact of the U.S. drug war, the economic struggles of Latin American families, and the role of media in shaping local perspectives.
Johnny begins by discussing the cultural differences in personal space, noting that in Latin America, personal space ranges from about 8 inches down to nothing, which is much smaller than the typical 1.5 feet in the first world. Psychologists are cited as saying that personal space also extends to one's property, cars, and living spaces in Latin America. He contrasts this with the experience in the United States, where such invitations might be seen with suspicion.
He then moves on to discuss how gringo men often meet their girlfriends and wives through spontaneous dinner invitations from older locals in Latin countries. He explains that the Spanish word for 'line' is not 'linea' but rather 'cola,' which translates to 'tail' in English. This leads to a discussion about the origin of the name 'Coca-Cola,' noting that the word 'coca' refers to the plant from which cocaine is derived. Johnny mentions that the original Coca-Cola formula did contain cocaine, which confused many Latin Americans. He also touches on the irony of the U.S. drug war and how it has led to corruption in Latin countries, with military and politicians profiting from it.
The segment then shifts to discussing the cultural phenomenon of quinceañeros in Latin America, highlighting the significant financial burden and social pressure on families to host these events. Johnny mentions the use of informal loans, including from neighborhood loan sharks, and the prevalence of unregulated lending practices. He also shares personal anecdotes about the experience of attending these events, noting that they can be extremely boring for gringos and suggests ways to blend in discreetly.
He then discusses the social dynamics of being invited to parties by older Latin Americans, often with ulterior motives, especially from women seeking to introduce gringos to their family members. The segment concludes with a humorous anecdote about the strong opinions of older Latin Americans regarding the Kennedy assassination, particularly their belief that Fidel Castro was involved.
Johnny then delves into the legacy of Fidel Castro in Latin America, focusing on the historical and political context of his influence. He notes that many Cuban-Americans and older Latin Americans still hold onto the belief that Castro was responsible for the Kennedy assassination, even though this theory is largely dismissed by non-Cuban and non-Latin populations. He highlights that while Castro had supporters in Latin America during the 60s and 70s, today most people recognize his regime as a failure. He argues that the majority of Latin Americans are more concerned with basic needs like food and shelter than with political ideologies, and that this mindset has led to a culture of political apathy and voting for leaders who make the biggest promises, regardless of their truthfulness.
Johnny also critiques the United States' involvement in Latin American affairs, suggesting that the U.S. acts as a 'junkyard dog' that interferes in the region's internal matters. He contrasts Castro's influence with the current situation in Venezuela under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, noting that Venezuela's economic policies have led to significant decline, despite its oil wealth. He concludes by emphasizing the widespread corruption in Latin American governments, particularly in Venezuela, where oil wealth has led to extreme levels of corruption and debt.
The episode continues with a discussion on the changing perception of Fidel Castro in Latin America over time. Initially, Castro was admired for his defiance against the United States, but by the 1990s, his reputation had deteriorated. This shift was due to the direct experiences of Latin Americans with Cuban citizens, particularly Cuban doctors who had fled Cuba and were living in other Latin American countries. These doctors, including Castro's favorite emissaries, shared stories of the hardships and failures in Cuba, which gradually changed public opinion. Johnny highlights the economic benefits Cuba gained from the 'Oil for Doctors' program with Venezuela, but also notes the growing discontent among Venezuelans and the increasing number of Cuban doctors defecting abroad.
He concludes the episode by acknowledging that while Castro is still admired for his defiance, his legacy is now viewed with more critical eyes. The segment ends with a discussion on the historical awareness of Latin Americans, particularly their lack of knowledge about key events like the assassination of JFK. Johnny uses a metaphor of a pacifist father who feels pride when his child beats up a bully to illustrate how some Latin Americans might feel about Kennedy's assassination. He also critiques the quality of Latin American media, comparing it to amateur high school level in the first world, while acknowledging its significance to local audiences.
Topics
Cultural differences in personal space, Expat experiences in Latin America, Social interactions in Latin America, Cultural differences in language and social interactions, The origin and history of Coca-Cola, The impact of the U.S. drug war on Latin America, Relationship formation between expats and locals, Quinceañeros in Latin America, Social dynamics and invitations, Cultural beliefs and opinions, Legacy of Fidel Castro in Latin America, Belief in Castro's involvement in the Kennedy assassination
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:34 The Kennedy Assassination and Historical Context 00:01:24 How Latins View First World History 00:03:58 Waiting in Lines and Social Interaction 00:05:03 Meeting Partners Through Spontaneous Invitations 00:05:36 The Meaning of 'Cola' and Its Connection to Coca-Cola 00:06:14 The Origin of the Name Coca-Cola and Its Controversial History 00:07:16 The Irony of the U.S. Drug War and Its Impact on Latin America 00:10:13 Borrowing from Relatives and Loan Sharks 00:10:42 The Financial Burden of Quinceañeros 00:11:25 Gringo Etiquette at Quinceañeros 00:11:54 Social Motives Behind Invitations 00:13:56 Belief in Fidel's Involvement in the Kennedy Assassination 00:14:55 Belief in Castro's Involvement in the Kennedy Assassination 00:15:45 Critique of Castro's Regime and Its Legacy 00:16:35 Political Apathy and Voting Behavior in Latin America 00:18:17 U.S. Involvement in Latin American Affairs 00:18:51 Corruption and Oil Wealth in Venezuela 00:20:39 The Shift in Latin American Perception of Castro 00:21:45 The 'Oil for Doctors' Program and Its Implications 00:24:36 Cuban Doctors' Experiences and Defection 00:25:32 Disguised Pride and Historical Awareness 00:26:04 Media Quality and Local Significance 00:27:12 The Weather Lady from El Salvador
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 out 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 here's something that's going to blow your mind You know it's been about 50 years now since the Kennedy assassination, right? And I know half of you out there weren't even born yet But those of us who were, remember it like we remember the first moon landing And the night the Beatles were first on Ed Sullivan
[00:48] And the day that George Reeves blew his brains out You know, the real Superman I guess we really are getting old now aren't we? So anyway the media's been busy reminding us about that sad event Meaning people that weren't even born yet Can see that famous Zapruder film once again And by the way for all of you who've been getting his name wrong for the last 50 years It's Zapruder with a P, not a B So maybe bringing all that back is good, maybe it's not Who knows, one thing I do know is they don't teach history in school anymore Not up in the first world and not down here in Latin America either And since this show is about living in Latin America etc Let me tell you a little bit how Latins view first world history from their viewpoint down here And believe me, in some ways it seems we're living on a completely different planet altogether
[01:35] And in more ways than one, that's for sure Now every once in a while I'm stuck Like you certainly will be too What I mean is you'll be sitting around and waiting it out with an old timer or two Who've been rubbing up against you, leaning on you, or even catching a few Z's while wedged up against you And here I'm using old timers as an example and you'll see why But it could be adults, kids, or anyone So the question is, what do you talk to them about if anything While you're stuck there for all that time With your personal space violation alarm going off at full blast in your head Bet you didn't even know you had one of those, huh? Well let me tell you, if up in Cleveland you don't have one now Get ready cause you're in for an experience Hey now, wouldn't that be a good saying on a t-shirt
[02:22] It could go something like this Had your rights violated lately? Come on down to Latin America They'll only violate your personal space Nah, people probably wouldn't get it Well, you would But anyway Now remember in a past show I said our normal gringo personal space alarm goes off When someone we don't know violates that foot and a half space that radiates around us When that happens we get kinda uptight inside You know what I mean That's our invisible buffer zone, you know Now for Latins, that personal space zone ranges from about 8 inches down to nothing Believe it or not, psychologists say Our own personal spaces also extend to our cars, our properties and our living spaces too Which goes a long way to explain why our brains seem to go on yellow alert
[03:11] When someone we don't know gets within a foot and a half of our cars, our properties Or even the walls and fences around our property And a lot of us go on alert even if it's someone we do know that's in that space Like for example your sister's kid with the ever greasy hands Or klutzy Uncle Harry who constantly breaks things and crashes a car or two every year We all have a few of those in the family now, don't we? So anyway, just get used to the fact that when you're down here in Latin America You'll be playing the waiting game a lot You'll be sitting around with a bunch of other people and they'll be invading your personal space So when you're at the bank or the electric company or telephone company Or any one of the dozens of lines you'll have to stand in to get some kind of government work stamped
[03:56] Or signed or authorized You will be sitting on your dead ass so why not make conversation? What I mean is go ahead and practice your bad Spanish, why not? What have you got to lose? The people around you will be ever so nice about it and help you along, for sure And who knows, the old guy or old lady next to you just might invite you home for dinner that night Yep, an invitation like that from someone you've never even met before Now that's the gringo advantage, huh? Believe me, that kind of stuff really does happen It's happened to me a number of times too And now let me ask you how many times something like that's ever happened to you up in the States I'd have to bet probably never Now, something like that might have happened once in a while back in the 1940s, 50s and 60s in the good old USA
[04:44] Back when it really was the good old US of A But these days if you got an invite like that you'd probably suspect the guy or gal of being a pervert A serial killer or perhaps a Scientologist Anyway, up in the States, fat chance, right? But down here in Latin America, especially off the gringo tourist trail I know quite a few gringo men who met their girlfriends and wives that way Simply by politely accepting one of those spur-of-the-moment dinner invitations from some old guy or gal standing or sitting in one of those long lines Now, Latins don't use the term line or linea in Spanish That's not what a line is Not one you stand in anyway A linea is a line you draw on a piece of paper Or a line in the road
[05:31] So, for example, if you ask someone at the government office Where's the line start? You don't say line, you say cola, C-O-L-A Which actually translates into tail like the tail of a monkey Or in fact the tail of any animal So, the word cola, C-O-L-A, actually does make a lot of sense Now, I know I'm getting off the track here a bit What else is new, huh? But since I mentioned that word cola, C-O-L-A, as in tail I have to mention that when Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola first came around down here some 50 or so years ago Back then, Latins actually did wonder why a soft drink was named after an animal's tail To them it didn't make much sense And nuttier yet The word coca, as in coca-cola, also means coca as in the plant where cocaine is derived from
[06:21] Which made the product coca-cola even more confusing when it came down here some years ago Since its translation means the tail of a coca plant Now, I probably don't have to tell you that in the early years of the coca-cola product The original formulation actually did have some cocaine in it Thus the word coca-cola And the word cola coming from the cola nut And funny enough, over the years a few introspective, sort of educated Latins have asked me Why it's named coca-cola Being that it's named after the coca plant And when I tell them that story that the original formula had cocaine in it They just don't want to believe it In fact, they think I'm screwing with them Until I pull it up on the internet and show them
[07:06] And still, they just look at it in disbelief I mean, think of the poor Latin guy pondering this question The US spending billions and billions a year on the drug war That's been totally lost since day one and everyone knows it With US troops on the ground and in the air all throughout Latin America Trying to get some kind of handle on the problem, or so they say Meanwhile, corrupt military and politicians Are there any other kind? They and their friends and family and cronies Become fantastically wealthy off the profits of the drug war Living like kings and queens off the skim from both ends From the narcos and US government handouts You know the story Anyway, Latins, they just don't get it Do you blame them? We don't get it either, do we?
[07:54] So, after you explain the Coca Cola story To any inquisitive Latin who wants to know about that name After all is said and done and you laid it all out for them and showed them the internet proof They still look at you funny and say You mean there was cocaine in Coca Cola And it was totally legal For the first 46 years it was on the market? Then that Latin person you're talking to will usually say That explains why North Americans are so addicted to the stuff Cocaine that is, not to mention Coca Cola too Your parents and grandparents all had 46 years of practice So there you have it, that's what intelligent Latins are thinking And of course we know it's not as simple as that Nothing's as simple as that, but It is a great point, isn't it?
[08:40] Sounds like another one of those great masters thesis topics now, doesn't it? So for all you grad school sociology majors out there listening All two or three of you need a thesis topic? Go ahead, you can have it Oh, and what do you make of this? According to the New York Times The Coca Cola Company only stopped importing Coca leaves from Peru and Bolivia in 1989 Hmm Yet they claim that all Coca extract was taken out of the Coca Cola recipe in 1929 So why were they continuously importing Coca leaves for another 60 years? Well, that should be the bombshell in the masters thesis, of course Hmm, doesn't that make you wonder just a little bit about That old secret Coca Cola formula they're always talking about?
[09:29] But where was I? Oh yeah I was talking about being stuck in all those lines Cola's the call down here With people on both sides of you invading your personal space And I mentioned that if you open up and practice your Spanish You'll have plenty of time for it, believe me It's not unlikely that the older guy or gal next to you Will actually invite you over for dinner, maybe that night or that weekend Or you might get invited to a birthday party or a quinceaños party You know what that is, remember that? All Latin girls get a 15 year old coming out party Even the very poor ones, by the way And get this, their moms and dads will save for it Like they're saving for their daughter's wedding And they'll go into big debt for it too Borrowing dough from the relatives and stuff
[10:16] Including the local neighborhood loan sharks Who, by the way, are everywhere and absolutely legal down here too Or at least unregulated Yes, they even advertise in the local papers Now keep this in mind For this quinceaños business, the coming out party It's such a big deal for the parents and family and kid And there's such one upmanship involved You'll find that parents that are broke and desperate Which is like 70% of Latin America, by the way They'll even try to hit up any gringo that might happen to be close to the family But that's another story And how do I know that? Because it's happened to me I'm not kidding you, it's a very huge and special event Also, for gringos I might add, extremely boring So do bring your iPod and wear a turtleneck of some sort
[11:04] So you can slip the earbud through your shirt And to your ear and appear somewhat inconspicuous That way you can feign interest While you're listening to Richard Martin or the Expat files Or Ozzy or Zeppelin or Justin Bieber Pick your poison As long as you don't appear, as Expat Eddie says Like the insensitive gringo jerk that you really are And I think Eddie's referring to me there, not you So anyway, and I'm getting back to the point here The more older Latin folks you meet The more parties and get-togethers you're gonna get invited to Even invitations out of the blue from nice people you just happen to meet While standing or sitting in line And as you might have guessed there sometimes is an ulterior motive on the part of the older lady Especially if it's coming from a Latin woman and not a Latin man
[11:52] Yup, you guessed it She'd like one of her daughters to marry a nice gringo Or if it's a gringo that she's standing in line talking to She'd like to not so clandestinely introduce her to some of the eligible men in the family Maybe her son or nephew or whatever And remember I'm talking most exclusively off the tourist trail here Because it's a whole different world in places like Panama and Costa Rica Where gringos don't fear to tread Yes folks, when you first get down here to Latin America All the endless waiting you'll do Because of the bad organization and poor customer service, etc At first it'll certainly test your patience if not drive you nuts Well, after six months or so I guarantee you'll learn to live with it And you know what? While you're standing around doing nothing and observing all the people around you
[12:40] In the very same boat playing the waiting game It's inevitable that you're bound to have some really great business ideas Ideas, by the way, that often blossom As a side effect of that slow boil you're doing over that bad or non-existent customer service Okay, now you're thinking Why did Johnny bring up that business about the 50-year anniversary of the Kennedy assassination? What's that got to do with anything? Well, actually this conversation is coming full circle now Because, believe it or not, just lately I've had a few Kennedy conversations while standing in line Waiting to get a problem resolved at a central customer service office With the electric utility company Because, you see, while we were all standing there
[13:25] On the big screen TV above They were showing that Kennedy subruder film again And talking about how it's been 50 years since the Kennedy assassination Blah blah blah, etc, etc And that's when I noticed Just like old timers in the first world Latin old timers have a very strong opinion on who killed Kennedy And guess who they think did it Get this They really think and they're firmly convinced At least the ones that I polled that were in that line at the electric company office That Good old Uncle Fidel actually did it No, of course, he didn't do it personally But he put the hit out And that's what old-time Latins believe Or they prefer to believe anyway Now, of course, any of you guys and gals out there who are assassination buffs
[14:11] You know that nearly everyone's got a different opinion We know that lots of individuals and groups and organization Had a motive all right And we also know that the Castro motive Which was high on the list a long time ago Since the FBI and the CIA tried to bump him off so many times That theory has fallen away out of favor now And almost no one up in the first world believes that anymore Except All those old-time Cuban exiles that are living in Miami and New York now You know the ones that absolutely hate Castro Because he confiscated their land and their property You know the ones that left right during and before the revolution As you well know they absolutely hate the Castro brothers And fully plan on going back to repatriate their land and property someday soon
[15:00] They're thinking when old man Fidel croaks And you know those Cuban-American old-timers A very high percentage of them blame Castro for the Kennedy assassination Because, well, it serves their cause, you know Even though people up in the first world who are non-Cuban and non-Latin Don't even consider that theory anymore And I've found that it's pretty much the same down here throughout Latin America When you talk to an old-timer about the Kennedy assassination And you'd be surprised how much the topic does come up down here Since you've got HBO specials and a lot of press about the 50-year anniversary thing So for the old-time Latins down here it resurrects memories Now the thing is the vast majority of Latins don't like Castro They don't like communism and they don't like what he did to Cuba
[15:48] Although it did take some years for them to realize that All through the 60s and 70s Castro really did have a lot of supporters in the rest of Latin America But today nearly everyone realizes his experiment was a big failure Nearly everyone that is who understands politics and economics Which really is a very small percentage of Latin Americans Maybe 5% if that However the rest of Latin America just doesn't give a damn They want to just get on with their lives not be bothered And have a roof over their heads and a couple of decent meals a day So what's wrong with that? The fact is it seems that 3 quarters of Latin Americans Don't care a bit what kind of regime their country has As long as they've got a job, a house, and food
[16:35] Which unfortunately means that the vast majority of Latin Americans are sheep Who will vote for the guy or gal who makes the biggest promises And therefore tells the biggest lies Sound familiar? Go ahead, have a look around your neighborhood and tell me it isn't much the same And really the only Latin country that didn't perceive Castro as a grand failure Was Venezuela under Hugo Chavez And by the way under Maduro since Chavez has died The bloom is long gone from the Castro Rose if you know what I mean Venezuela's adopted a lot of Cuba's economic policies And well it's falling apart economically at the seams But we knew that already, right? Now if you've been paying attention to that scene It's in the paper and the media every day
[17:20] You'll notice that it seems the US is neck deep in that squabble I mean we all know that the US would love to bring down that regime So don't think that they haven't been dumping in millions for years To organize boycotts and strikes and gigantic street protests that you see on the TV every night Yep Venezuela has tremendous human rights abuses and no freedom of press And the government confiscates private property and there's terrible corruption All those nasty things but it's a sovereign country and the idiot population voted in those corrupt jerks And it's no crime to be a moron or an imbecile I mean take all the people that voted for Bush and Obama Anyway why in the hell does the US have to get involved in those things?
[18:07] And we all know they're there and they're spending your money Yet they lie about it Well the answer to that is easy because the US is the world's self appointed watch dog Or more precisely a giant brain dead junkyard dog That just loves to mark its territory and everyone else's by pissing on it And then they spin it by saying it's rainwater and it's good for you Anyway I've heard all the arguments about Venezuela and what's happening over there And who's in charge and who's not and who's corrupting the place And who's screwing up the economy and what's happening with the oil And the refineries and the foreigners and whatever But the thing is it differs from all Latin American countries because it's so oil rich Everyone I mean everyone who gets to the top is completely and utterly corrupted by it
[18:56] Now it's true all Latin governments are totally corrupt So you might say what else is new But in Venezuela it's corruption on steroids Why? Because it is the only country in Latin America That other first world countries and international banks and such Will gladly give unlimited loans and credits to And of course Venezuelan government officials are more than happy to do that Signing away their future oil production as collateral In fact I understand that some countries that Venezuela is indebted to Have a claim of up to 20 years on Venezuelan oil production Talking about kicking the can down the road and putting a debt on the backs of future generations Look at Venezuela
[19:42] In fact there might be only one country that's better at the kicking the can down the road game And you know who that is Anyway in the 60s, 70s, even the 80s Castro was kind of the big man on campus in Latin America Even Latins who didn't like him much were kind of rooting for him He was that little pain in the ass sliver stuck in Uncle Sam's foot that he just couldn't get rid of Like expat Eddie said Castro was the squeaky wheel that got all the grease But kept on squeaking And though these days you won't hear Latins say this But pretty much all of them admired Castro for that But when the 90s and the millennium rolled around Local Latin opinion about Castro changed dramatically By then no longer were the Castro brothers or Che Guevara
[20:29] The iconic Latin Robin Hoods that their propaganda machine claimed them to be And now nearly all classes of Latin American people realize Just how much the Castro brothers really screwed up Cuba And that happened Not because of all that massive US propaganda Villainizing Castro every which way they could That propaganda coming from the US didn't seem to work at all on the rest of Latin America So then how did that Latin American public in those other Latin countries Who always held up Castro as kind of an iconic figure How did they finally come to see the truth about what was really happening in Cuba Well that happened slowly but surely over time Because the rest of Latin America has had direct contact with Cuban people
[21:18] You see, tens of thousands of Cubans have escaped somehow And are living in various Latin countries And they're telling the story from the horse's mouth And I'm not talking about pre-revolution Cubans We're talking about all the Cubans that have trickled out of the country since then Including Castro's favorite emissaries Cuban doctors So called Castro Care In fact, you're going to love this The country that's got the most Cuban doctors right now is You guessed it, Venezuela There are 31,000 Cuban doctors and dentists in Venezuela right now And it's actually called the Oil for Doctors program So apparently someone doesn't consider that to be bad PR So then for Cuba what's the deal like
[22:03] Well in exchange for those 31,000 medical professionals They get 100,000 free barrels of oil a day Which, get this, works out to $3.5 billion a year Such a deal for Cuba, huh? Since Venezuela also pays expenses and gives those doctors a stipend to live on And here's where it gets really interesting Now according to the world famous British medical journal The Lancet They're saying that the number of Cuban doctors defecting from overseas jobs Is greatly increasing year over year With most trying to defect to the United States or Canada And others trying to defect to Latin America via Columbia The article goes on to say that it's well known that Cuban doctors working abroad
[22:51] Are monitored by minders and are subject to curfew And it goes on to say that Cuban doctors who've defected from Venezuela while working there Have asserted they were told their job was to keep Chavez in power And that they were given instructions to ask all patients to vote for Chavez Now recently in these last few months with Venezuela under siege A growing number of Venezuelans in the middle and upper classes Including a solid number of university students Have been protesting against the Castro-Cuban influence in their country By refusing to go to hospitals and clinics staffed by Cuban doctors Refusing treatment from those they call Fidel's Ambassadors Now the fact is all Cuban doctors will admit that the Cuban government exports them as merchandise
[23:41] And they are a huge source of Cuban dollar revenue And in fact they're Cuba's largest dollar export commodity And it is interesting to note that most Cuban doctors make about 7 times as much money Than their Cuban doctor counterpart does at home in Cuba They make an average of $185 a month while abroad And their housing and room and board are taken care of by the host country Such a deal, huh? $185 a month No wonder so many of them are trying to defect And you know with all these Cuban emissaries out there worldwide And with so many of them in Latin America It seems every Latin you talk to has a story about a Cuban doctor Or another Cuban or two that they've met in their country who tells it like it is
[24:29] All of them and I mean all of them have stories of woe to tell And they don't want to go back except to see their relatives Most would rather live any place else but Cuba As it exists now under the Castro's But they do love their country and they want to go back after it collapses In that respect they have the same mind as the Cubans up in the States Anyway, like I was saying Old time Latins down here in Latin America Still admire Castro for the way he gave the finger to the US For so many years and never got taken out In fact he's the only big mover and shaker left over from the turbulent 50s and 60s He got the last laugh alright He's the only cold warrior still standing And the only one that's going to die of old age So anyway since his 50 year anniversary of the Kennedy assassination thing
[25:17] I have talked to quite a few old time Latin guys And when I asked them who did it Not necessarily who pulled the trigger but who orchestrated the thing Almost all of them who were alive during that decade will say Fidel, Uncle Fidel And some of them will say it with a tiny twisted smile I'd say it was a kind of disguised pride Sort of like a pacifist father who finds his kid is beating up the bully in the class He scolds him alright but inside he feels a twinge of pride And it's not to say that the Latins I talked to had anything against Kennedy or didn't like the guy The fact is they were really saddened by the whole thing like everyone else who lived back then So that pretty much shows you how much Latins know about first world history
[26:04] Just poll anyone walking down the street the average Latin guy and ask him who Lee Harvey Oswald was And chances are you'll just get a blank look and a shrug Or he might take a stab at it and say he's a goalie on Manchester United So that begs the question what about Latins and current first world news? Are they connected? Are they listening? Are they paying attention? Do they even give a rat's ass? Well it's like this when it comes to news and current events They've got their local channels alright which they really seem to be devoted to And the newscasters are absolute crap To first world people in the know Latin American media talent is like amateur high school quality to us Though to Latins in the local viewing area they're virtual superstars
[26:53] Even though to us they'd be lucky to make their tryout in a high school play Get this I was in a Walmart not so long ago And there was a kind of a buzz all through the store There was gossip going around and guess what? The weather lady from channel 6 El Salvador was buying chicken off the meat rack And all I can think was oh my god we're in the presence of greatness And I have to admit many TV stations down here have first world equipment And the folks behind the camera? Well the men are worthless and the girls are sexy But that's it Oops out of time more on that next week so stay tuned You've been listening to the expat files
[27:38] 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 expatwisdom.com to sign up for your free reports on Latin America See you next time, nos vemos!