Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the real-life experiences of expats living in Latin America, contrasting them with the idealized versions often seen in travel media. He discusses the differences in social safety nets, the dynamics of street begging, and the unique challenges of living in a region with a different approach to poverty and homelessness.
Johnny begins by highlighting the stark differences between the first world and Latin America, particularly in terms of street beggars and panhandlers. He notes that while both regions have issues with panhandling, the first world has a more systemic approach, with some individuals turning it into a job, often living comfortably with the aid of technology and social systems. In contrast, Latin America has a different system for dealing with street people, with big cities being more visible for such phenomena, while smaller towns are more similar to small first world towns.
He then delves into the differences in social safety nets and homelessness between Latin America and the first world. Johnny explains that Latin America lacks a robust welfare system, with minimal social security payouts and rampant corruption. In contrast, the first world has more robust social safety nets, including social security, Medicaid, and Medicare. He emphasizes that the lack of a safety net in Latin America leads to a significant number of homeless individuals, but the presence of tourism and the expectation of charity from tourists means that beggars are often found in tourist areas.
Johnny also discusses the dynamics of begging and street life in Latin America, contrasting the experiences of tourists and locals. He argues that beggars in tourist areas often exploit the presence of visitors for financial gain, while those in non-tourist regions are more likely to be genuinely in need. He emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between genuine beggars and small-scale street vendors who are trying to make a living.
In another segment, Johnny talks about the economic conditions and street vendors in Latin America, focusing on the sale of nuts and the challenges of hygiene. He recommends buying nuts from street vendors due to their lower prices and the fact that they support families, but also cautions about the lack of hygiene and the need for washing the nuts before consumption. He also touches on the issue of beggars, particularly young indigenous women with multiple children, and suggests that giving money to them may not be helpful, as they often face difficult social and domestic situations.
Johnny then discusses the phenomenon of begging by people with disabilities in Latin America, contrasting it with the first world. He highlights that people with disabilities often display their conditions to solicit money, and he criticizes giving money to those who have full use of their arms and hands. He also mentions the existence of sweatshops where people with disabilities are employed and the dynamics of street begging, including the role of accomplices.
In a later segment, Johnny reflects on his views on street begging and how he chooses to respond to it. He criticizes certain types of beggars, such as those who use children to solicit money, and prefers giving food to those in need rather than money. He also mentions his practice of giving leftover food to children on the street and his observations on the behavior of beggars in different contexts.
Finally, Johnny speculates on the potential effectiveness of using first-world begging techniques, such as holding signs, in Latin America, and suggests that such innovations may take time to trickle down.
Topics
Expat experiences in Latin America, Street beggars and panhandlers in the first world, Contrast between first world and Latin America, Systemic issues with panhandling, Social safety nets, Homelessness, Welfare systems, Social security, Corruption, Tourism and begging, Beggars in Latin America, Tourist areas and street vendors
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:24 What's it really like for expats living in Latin America? 00:00:27 Time to take off those rose-colored glasses and find out. 00:04:22 Observations on Homelessness in Latin America's Downtown Areas 00:04:57 The Absence of a Safety Net in Latin America 00:05:50 Minimal Social Security Payouts in Latin America 00:06:32 Corruption and Mismanagement in Social Security Systems 00:06:57 The Revolving Door of Social Security Leadership 00:08:11 Expectations of Charity in Tourist Areas 00:08:48 The Role of Tourists in Begging Dynamics 00:09:45 Beggars as Exploiters of Tourist Areas 00:11:46 Johnny's Approach to Giving to Beggars 00:13:11 Observations on Street Vendors and Poverty in Latin America 00:13:39 Street Vendors and Their Role in the Economy 00:13:47 Recommendations for Buying Nuts from Street Vendors 00:14:00 Hygiene and Food Safety Concerns with Street Vendors 00:15:06 Decisions on Giving Money to Beggars 00:15:29 The Stereotype of Indigenous Women Begging on the Streets 00:15:56 The Impact of Giving Money to Beggars 00:16:41 Social and Domestic Challenges for Women in Poverty 00:17:18 Introduction to Begging by People with Disabilities in Latin America 00:17:25 Description of Begging by People with Disabilities 00:17:46 Johnny's Opinion on Giving Money to People with Disabilities 00:18:05 Employment of People with Disabilities in Sweatshops 00:18:24 Why People with Disabilities Beg on the Street 00:18:49 Accomplices in Street Begging 00:19:05 Cultural Differences in Giving Money to Beggars 00:19:33 Workplace Dynamics in Sweatshops 00:21:19 Johnny's Observations on Street Beggars 00:21:33 Johnny's Preference for Giving Food Over Money 00:22:35 Johnny's Practice of Giving Leftover Food to Children 00:25:28 The Dignity of the Poor and the Mystery of Begging 00:26:05 The Hierarchy of Beggars and Unwritten Rules 00:26:55 The First World Idea and Its Potential in the Third World
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:03] Hi everybody, I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to The Expat Files, living in Latin America. The show that tells you what it's really like to live, work, play and or retire in Latin America. I tell it just like it is, not the version they give you in those glossy travel magazines, or the picture they paint for you in those international traveler websites, where they're only trying to sell you something. What's it really like for expats living in Latin America? Well, it's time to take off those rose colored glasses and find out. So let's get started. Now as most of you have probably figured out already, Latin America is the whole of the haves and the have-nots. And I hear it's getting more and more that way up in the first world too. And in reference to that, when driving through any big city up in the first world, you'll often come across people on street corners begging for money, the so called bombs, vagrants
[00:49] and vagabonds. And it seems that even years ago when the economy was really rolling along, it didn't matter. There was always a certain segment of the population begging for some money or food or whatever on the street. Even small town first world cities had their regular panhandlers, bombs and drunks. And I'm talking about the first world now, not Latin America. I'll get to that in a minute. I'm sure all you people out there over 40 remember Otis on the Andy Griffiths show. He was the town drunk and vagabond that hit his own set of keys and let himself into the jail, the drunk tank actually, every time he was on a bender in Mayberry. Even Mayberry had its social outcasts. Now, I know when you're driving through Cleveland or New York or Los Angeles or Atlanta, when you're out of the high rent areas and even when you're not, there are any number of people just holding their hands out, begging for money, knocking on your windows and some even
[01:35] offer to do something for the money like squeegee your windows down with dirty water, of course. And they creep up on you so fast sometimes they barely give you enough time to wave them off because once they start their job, no matter how bad they are at it or how dirty the water, they'll expect something in return and if you don't give it to them, you'll get a whack on the side of your car or bang on the windshield. Now, I don't know what the going rate for beggars up in the first world is, but I guess if you give them less than a buck, you'll be in trouble, it'll be more like an insult. Now, in the old days when I was back in Chicago, especially during the winter, often when I'd stop my car at an intersection or a stop sign, some guy would tap on my window and ask me for a quarter or 50 cents or a buck for a cup of coffee, which they almost never used for coffee, they'd use for booze or junk food. And I know that for a fact because once I was in front of Neiman Marcus, walking along in the winter on the sidewalk, downtown Chicago, in the loop, and some guy asked me for 50
[02:24] cents for a cup of coffee and just to test him I said, hey look, there's a coffee shop right on the corner, let's go over there, I could use a cup of coffee too, so come on, let's go, I'll buy you one. And guess what? He took about three steps alongside of me and when I turned around he was gone, he never did follow me into the place at all, in fact I saw the same guy a few hours later asking other people for money for a cup of coffee, which he never really intended to buy actually. In fact a while ago I saw in 60 minutes an expose on bums and panhandlers in the big city and I couldn't believe it, some of these guys in the first world make a thousand bucks a week and they live in small walk up apartments close to the places they panhandle at. Now a thousand bucks a week seems unbelievable, but it's not a hell of a lot in New York City. I mean these guys aren't living the high life by no means, but they've got it down to an art and it's turned into a kind of a job for them, believe it or not.
[03:12] They actually dress down when they go on the street to work, so they appear more needy. And these guys make enough on the street so that they have all the conveniences, laptops and cell phones and all of that. Of course they don't bring it with them on the job, but they have them back up in their apartments. Though it's kind of funny when you see a greasy, roster-haired bum pushing a shopping cart down the street and he's talking on a cell phone. Go figure. And I'm not at all saying that's true for every bum and panhandler up in the first world. I'm talking about the ones that have been on the street for a long time, sometimes years, and they've figured out a way to manipulate the system. After a while you really learn the ropes. Now of course we have a new breed of bum and panhandler up in the first world. People have been recently thrown out of their houses and have lost their jobs, due to the financial and housing crisis of course. Not to mention a lot of these gulf war and Vietnam vets, that's a sad case in itself.
[03:59] And when these down and out people hit the streets, they have none of the survival skills these long time street people have. So they never make out as well. So much for that first world safety net everybody talks about, huh? But down here in Latin America, there's a whole different kind of system to the bums and panhandlers and street urchins. And it's in the big cities down here where you really see that play out. But the small Latin American towns are much like small first world towns. When you drive through the downtown area, there are almost no panhandlers and people wiping your windshields. Though you might see a few people walking around who look a little tattered around the edges, they're not begging for money. There are always a few people down and out in any small city, and generally they hang around the downtown area, cause I guess that's where the action is and the cheap hotels. And down here in Latin America, that would be in and around the Central Park, which is
[04:45] considered the downtown area. And in the first world, most homeless people hang around downtown too. And of course that's where the Salvation Army is and the soup kitchens and where charitable organizations hand out stuff and where the welfare offices are. But you see down in Latin America, there is no welfare, there's no food stamps, in fact there really is no safety net at all. Down here in Latin America, there is a so called retirement or social security system, which is nothing but a bad copy of social security in the first world. And the payouts down here, well, they're just a big joke. The thing is, old people up north in the first world aren't completely destitute, even the ones just living on social security, not yet at least. Up north the social security payout is usually $700 to $1500 a month, depending how many quarters you paid into social security and all that, and the old and disabled get their
[05:30] Medicaid and Medicare paid for, though they've been chipping away at that and there's plans to gut it, which is really unfortunate. Anyway, down here in Latin America, that kind of stuff really doesn't exist. They do have those social security systems that people pay into all their lives too, but the average guy who's 62 or 65 years old down here only receives between $25 and $100 a month. That's it. And in almost every single Latin American country I've checked this out in, a lot of those ridiculously small social security checks are 4, 5, even 6 months in arrears. And it seems like every month or so, you see in the newspaper that one of the big shots in the social security system, one of the government heads, has either been indicted for mismanagement of funds or outright theft. And believe it or not, sometimes transferring some funds directly to a private Caribbean
[06:16] bank account, usually in a family member or a mistress' name. And sometimes a top social security guy, after only a few months on the job, suddenly up and resigns and disappears from the country. Corruption is the name of the game and their social security is more screwed up than ours by a factor of 10. It has almost no accountability and it's nothing but a big chaotic slush fund. Which comes to think of it, it's kind of like our system now, isn't it? In fact, in all these Latin countries there's a virtual revolving door of upper management types running the social security fund. It turns out it's not unusual that during a president's term down here, it's not unusual for him to appoint 5 or 6 different heads of the social security in that time. Now you gotta think something's really terribly wrong with this system. When the head of the entire social security department doesn't even stick around to finish
[07:04] off a whole year on the job. And after that, they usually disappear from the country. And there never seems to be an investigation. Instead, the new guy gets appointed, there's a hand-shaking ceremony, there's a picture in the paper with the president, and at his first press conference, he talks about how he's going to do the best job possible given that the department is completely broke and has been running in the red for years. That's the basic line they always give. Now you might ask, if all these heads of the social security departments throughout Latin America resign or get replaced after putting in not even a full year on the job, how does the public react to that? Well it turns out there's absolutely no public opinion on it at all. No one says a thing. It's business as usual and people don't even waste their time talking about it. And you might be wondering what kind of excuses these guys give when they hand in their resignations
[07:50] to the president. Well, it's almost always one of two things. They're leaving for personal reasons, or they're leaving for health reasons. And the health reason excuse is a pretty good out. Maybe that's why so many of them end up living in wealthy Caribbean beach resorts, like Aruba or the Cayman Islands, for health reasons of course. Anyway since down here in Latin America, it is the land of haves and have-nots. You'd expect to see so many more dirt-poor beggars and vagabonds in the streets than you ever would see up in the first world. Considering up in the first world, you have all those federal support programs. That social safety net that everyone talks about. That really doesn't exist at all down here. Well, I have to say down here in Latin America, if you go to one of the high-volume tourist areas and land at the airport, well no doubt, on your trip from the airport to the tourist
[08:35] area, you certainly will be mobbed by throngs of people trying to sell you stuff, tourist trinkets and all that, because after all it is a tourist area, but you're also likely to be hit up for money by the local beggars. And on the tourist trail, there's a lot of them. Because beggars and street people know that first world people coming down to see the sites in their country contribute to the cause of the poor and disenfranchised like none of the people in their country ever would or ever dream of doing even if they had the money. First world people on vacation are soft touches for down and out people on the street and lost causes. And the truth is down here in Latin America, the people on the street begging are truly lost causes. And when they ask for some change to buy food for their kids, the chances are pretty good. They actually use it to buy food for their kids. And down here, when you see an old washed up alcoholic on the street asking you for
[09:22] money, he's just happy as hell if you give him a quarter. Now I ask you, if you give a quarter to a down and out guy on the street up in the first world, he'll probably throw it right back in your face and spit on you. Not to mention he'll probably hurl some choice insults at you. Because the thing is, down here in Latin America, people who have hit the streets and are begging have generally not hit the bottom because they've had a bad turn of fortune, or they're mentally ill or have a drinking or drug problem. It turns out, the majority of beggars down here are taking advantage of supply and demand. Specifically in the tourist areas, beggars and vagabonds are on the street because they can always count on the next plane load, bus load, or carnival cruise load of fresh tourists willing to hand a buck or even 5 bucks to a guy on the street. And half the time, you just give him something, just hoping he'll go away. Now remember what I said in a past show, 5 to 10 bucks a day is the minimum wage in almost
[10:10] every single Latin American country. So if you give a guy on the street 5 bucks, well that's equal to a half day's work or more for a guy in the fields or in the sweatshops. And by the way, I've heard first hand from some of the bums down here in the tourist areas that Europeans, especially the Germans and the French, are notorious tightwads. So street wise beggars always make a beeline for the gringos first, and they're easy to spot. So you can see why it pays to be a beggar down here in the high volume tourist areas. But in the 98% of the rest of Latin America that's off the tourist track, when you see beggars and vagabonds on the street, and you will, though mostly in the big cities like I said, you'll find that they're about 100% more pathetic and ragged looking than any of the first world street urchins that are trying to wipe down your windshield for a buck. And though there's a lot fewer beggars and vagabonds in the small towns in Latin America
[10:58] and in cities off the tourist track, there are certain areas especially in big cities where the traffic moves very slowly, where the very lowest classes of people, the real down and outers tend to gather and ask for money. And you know, there's the usual suspects, the acrobats, the jugglers, a mom with a baby and a backpack with a couple of kids in tow, a raggedy old guy with a beard and no teeth, and of course an assorted group of crippled and deformed people too, which can be kind of hard to stomach for a tourist the first time he's down here, believe me. And mixed in with the real tough luck cases are the real scammers that could be doing a day's work, but they figure it's easier to beg, and they really have a knack for it. So what do you do when you run across people like that, and you really feel like helping some of these people out? Well here's some guidelines in dealing with them if you feel generous. Now as far as I'm concerned, when a beggar just stops and puts his hand out and asks
[11:46] for money, I never give it to him. Even down here in Latin America, as long as a guy's got two hands and two legs, he can always find some kind of work, even if it's at the minimum wage. But I do give coins to some people on the street who are actually taking a little bit of initiative and selling something, whether it's peanuts, penny, candies or fruit, or the ever popular chewing gum that they call Chick-lay, which are actually little boxes of chiclets. Why not contribute to someone who's actually trying to make an effort and running a tiny little business, even if it's just selling a bit of bubble gum? The guy that's just sticking his hand out and asking for money, I don't have much sympathy for it, I'm sorry. But when I forgot to tell you, there's always people walking around in these street corners who've made a kind of a rack for themselves, had a wire, wood, plastic and velcro that they strapped to themselves, and they're just loaded up with cheap products including pirated
[12:32] stuff. The things these guys wear with all their products loaded down on them, reminds me of the trays that the cigarette girls carried around in those Hollywood movies in the nightclubs. Except those little display racks that these guys make for themselves down here are custom made to fit each guy's stature. And no two of these racks are exactly alike. And sometimes it's a hell of a balancing act, especially in the hot sun all day. Anyway, you'll see these people walking around trying to sell you all kind of stuff. And of course they're not really beggars, they're small businessmen. Actually, very, very small businessmen. But at least they're trying. So if you can, try to buy a pack of gum, some peanuts or some cashews or some pencils from these people on the street selling that stuff. Because you can see just by the way they look and the way they're dressed, that they're just a step or two away from absolute destitution. And just as an aside here, you'll find that all through Latin America, there are nut fenders,
[13:21] and I'm talking about peanuts and cashews and almonds and Brazil nuts and pistachios. And depending where you are, a dozen or so other variety of nuts that never quite made it up to the first world in a big way. Now these guys might have a rack around their neck holding bags of different kinds of nuts. Like the cigarette girl tray, only much more crude of course. Or they might have a two wheel cart that they push around with them. But you'll see them on these street corners, mixed in with the bottom end beggars and street performers and all that. And I do recommend that you buy your nuts from these guys instead of at the grocery stores. Because for one thing, they're always cheaper than the grocery store. And you can bet that these guys are supporting a whole family in some dirt floor tin shack somewhere. So they need all the help they can get, really. And by the way, when you buy edible products on the street, make sure they're machine wrapped, not obviously wrapped by hand by someone.
[14:08] And make sure you buy whole fruits and vegetables so you can wash them and peel them yourself. And as far as the nuts go, here's how they sell them to you. They have a big bag or sack of nuts that the guy dips into with a cup and then pours it into a little plastic bag for you. Now however clean or sanitary that might seem to you, or not, you have no way of telling if those nuts are really clean. And once in a while you'll see the guy himself dip into the big bag and hand out a free sample, which is not a very sanitary thing to do. And when you consider that latins aren't big on hygiene, because there's as short as your water down here, you might not want to eat any of those nuts right out of the bag, no matter how good they look to you. So I suggest you take them home and wash them yourself, because if you don't, you're taking a chance. And regarding buying nuts on the streets like that, some tree hugger expats I know say you could just take them and wash them and then put them in the microwave for like a minute,
[14:55] and that'll burn off all the humidity. And they'll be nice and toasty. Or you can put them on a tray in the window and let the sun dry them. That is if you think using a microwave oven for anything is a mortal sin. It's your call on that one. So back to my main point, if someone just walks up to my car at a busy corner, knocks on my window, sticks out his hand, and asks for money, I almost never give it to him. However if the person really looks ragged around the edges and in real need, and they're selling even the smallest thing like a pack of gum, I'll usually buy it and just give it away to some kids. Or sometimes just give a little change and not take any product in return. And of course inevitably, you'll see that common stereotype, which is often good for a photo op, of a very young indigenous lady with a little kid on her back, like a papoose, and one or two more kids in tow, on that same busy street corner asking for money. Now I don't know about you, but this is a personal call whether you want to help them
[15:42] out or not. I know we practically have no say in how the people down here run their lives, but it seems to me a 17, 18, 19, or 20 year old girl, with three kids already and no man around, stuck on a corner begging for money, well I don't really think you're doing any of them a favor if you give them money. It's always better to just hand them some food, a piece of fruit or a half a sandwich, whatever you got in your car. It's obvious she has no concept of birth control, or what it takes to raise kids, and you can bet she or her husband or boyfriend or whoever never thought for a second of the consequences of raising kids on the streets. And I know it might sound cruel to say something like this, but you're not helping them a bit by handing them money. But I'm just speculating here and you really can't make a judgment call on what's happening in these people's lives, or in their minds, except for the fact that they're living from minute to minute, and really can't plan for anything more than where the next meal is
[16:28] coming from. You can be sure that they're in a rut that they and their kids will never get out of. And the fact that it's a very macho society down here, just might mean that no matter what she does and how hard she tries to break the cycle of poverty, she just might have an old man that comes home every night drunk, takes her money, and if she won't have sex with him, he beats her up a little bit. And if that's the case, she has absolutely no way out of her situation. And if she has any money on her, he'll just take it. But in a macho society, especially with the lower classes, that kind of scenario is all too common. And when it comes to individual cases, you really don't want to know. It's just too depressing. So it's your call if you want to give a few coins to people like that. But if the lady with all those kids is selling chiclets or mints, or those chintzy car air fresheners that hang on your mirror, or whatever, well in that case, at least she's selling something and not really begging.
[17:15] So give her a few coins out of your ashtray, it won't hurt. But now we come to a few cases of begging, which really get to me. And not in a good way. And it's something you almost never see up in the first world. That is people down here who display their disabilities openly just so you'll give money to them. Now on a lot of the big street corners in the big cities down here in Latin America, you'll see a person missing a leg or two in a wheelchair, or a person missing his legs completely and gliding around on a modified skateboard. Now most of the time, these people aren't selling anything, they're just asking for a handout. Pure and simple. And again it's your call, but here's what I think. I think that a person in a wheelchair or on one of those modified skateboards, if he has full use of his arms and hands, you shouldn't give him any money. Because all over Latin America there are people who are disabled, missing limbs, and with
[18:00] other various deformities I can't even begin to name, well these people can and do get jobs. One of my New York friends, who owns a couple of these sweat shops down here, called Makilas, well he actually prefers to hire people in wheelchairs because he says they're so happy to be given a chance and so glad to have a job that they generally work their butts off. And he says he gets much better performance out of them than a so-called non-handicapped person. And my friend says he thinks one of the reasons a lot of these people in wheelchairs end up on street corners is because they make a lot more begging than they would on a regular job. Like at one of these Makilas sweat shops that my friend owns, where they make just a little bit more than minimum wage, something like 10 or 15 bucks a day. So if street corner begging pays more it's not surprising that a person in a wheelchair would end up there. Now another surprising thing about people on street corners in wheelchairs is that often
[18:49] they'll have an accomplice. Someone who pushes them around from car to car asking for the money. And I've always been a bit suspicious of that. Because if the guy in the wheelchair has complete use of his hands and arms and shoulders, what's that other guy tagging along for? To share the wealth? Anyway, I usually don't give money to them either. And by the way, when I talk about giving them money, almost no one gives them bills. They always get coins. And like I said, they're happy with their own monetary equivalent of a quarter or even a dime. And the funny thing is, the only people I ever see giving paper money to beggars on the street are gringos and Europeans at high volume tourist sites. And of course at big international airports, where there's always a nice healthy flow of foreigners. And some of us have pretty soft touches. And by the way, a moment ago I was speaking about my friend who owns those Makilas down here in Latin America. Those so-called sweat shops where they make clothes for first world brand name companies.
[19:37] Well he told me as a rule, they don't hire men in those places. They hire men only for security and for maintenance usually. Because he said in his experience, in the past when he'd hired latin guys as straight workers or low level bosses, they always seemed to end up using their machismo to pressure women for dates and sexual favors. And they'd use that little position of power to pressure girls who didn't play along. And my ex-pat friend said, when you have a big room filled with 100 women and only 2 or 3 men, all kinds of backbiting and infighting takes place. And it's just a load of trouble. So he's learned just to hire women. But back to those street urchins. Now I was talking about handicapped people on street corners that are begging for money. And in that subgroup, there are people with certain kinds of disabilities that absolutely love to show them off to get some money out of you.
[20:23] And the most popular of these kind of guys you see on street corners are people who have one deformed or stunted leg and one normal one. And what they do is they roll up their pants cuff on that deformed leg and they display it like a trophy and they walk up to your car and stick out their hand for a handout. Now here's what I've noticed. If you're stuck in traffic for a long time and you keep your eye on the guy with a deformed leg, which for some strange reason is usually long and bony and doesn't have much meat on it at all. And who knows what that was caused from. Maybe polio, maybe malnutrition, who knows. Anyway if you keep your eye on one of these guys, he usually has a cane or a crutch and he hobbles from car to car, kind of pathetically, with the obvious intent of getting your sympathy of course. And thus a few coins. However, what you might notice if you pass that corner on the off hours. Late at night and early mornings when there's hardly any traffic, suddenly the guy with
[21:09] the withered leg isn't using his cane or his crutch anymore. Sure he's got a withered leg alright, and obviously terrible deformity. You can't miss it because he's got his pant leg rolled up. But you'll also notice that he can weave in and out of those cars better than most people with two good legs. But he doesn't show off that particular talent when there's a lot of cars around and he needs to do his pathetic act. I've seen so many of these guys and their tricks that I don't give money to them either. But, the ones I do give money to are people who don't have any hands or fingers or arms. Since those people really have a tough life. I mean even in the first world it would be a terrible existence. Those guys always deserve your coins. And the other kind of street beggars that really bother me are the tiny little 3 and 4 and 5 year olds that come up to your car barefoot and snotty nosed, knock on your window,
[21:55] stick out their hand and ask for money. Now the problem I have with this, besides the obvious fact that there's a kid on the gutter and the fact that the kid will probably never get a chance in his whole life to go to school. I mean a kid like that doesn't even have a street address. Or I should say his address is the street. Anyway, in almost every one of these cases there's a parent or an adult on the sideline somewhere that he's bringing that money back to. Which I think is one of the worst of all beggar scams because these kids are just being used like little slaves to support the bad habit of a pretty worthless adult. At least that's my opinion. Anyway, no matter how small and cute they are, I don't give money to those kids either. However if I've got a half a sandwich in a car or a piece of fruit or something to eat, I'll often give it to the kid because I know at least he's going to get something out of
[22:42] it. And by the way, another thing I like to do is when I'm at a food court or a restaurant. And I have a doggy bag left over. When I get outside the parking lot I'll give it to the first shabby looking kid I see who's walking by. And by the way, down here in the big cities at least, a lot of restaurants have what they call executive lunches from 11 o'clock to 2 in the afternoon. And the cheaper restaurants are just called full menu lunches. And you get a little of everything. You get the vegetables, the rice, the potato, the meat or the fish or the chicken, along with a piece of cake and a pastry and an ice cream, a soft drink and tea or coffee. And sometimes it's just a lot more than you can eat. Not to mention there are often things on your plate that you don't want to eat. And this can cost you anywhere from 4 to 6 bucks. And in my case, I almost never end up eating the pastry or the ice cream. So instead of letting the waiter take away my unfinished food when I've gone, I hand
[23:29] the ice cream and the pastry and sometimes the bread or rolls and whatever extras I have to the first scruffy looking kid I see walking by. Better that than the garbage dumpster, right? And I know that's not the greatest nutrition in the world, pastry, ice cream and bread. But I've given away chicken legs and chicken wings and stuff like that too. And I think that if every expat, visitor and tourist did that when they came down here, it's a much better idea than giving your money to one of these street corner beggars. Where for all you know, the money's being used for drugs or booze or being turned over to an adult who basically steals it. Because in almost every case of begging I've ever seen, the people begging are always asking for money for food. And how they do that is they use a universal Latin sign that depicts eating. And how they do that is they put their right hand up to their mouth and make a kind of a scooping motion with their hand towards their lips.
[24:15] And everybody down here knows exactly what that means. Though I've noticed that only the lower classes seem to use that gesture. Anyway, why not give them food instead of money? That's what they're asking for, right? And let's not forget the street entertainers we see on the corners down here. You know, clowns, jugglers, fire breathers and all that. Now it's your call on that one too if you want to give money to these guys or not. Sometimes when I see something odd, spectacular, or different in the way of a street act, I'll give them a few coins. Like for example, the other day there was an indigenous lady with a papoose on her back with like a one year old kid in it, and at the same time she was holding a two or three year old kid in her arms, and she was juggling three oranges with that free hand. Can you imagine that? Holding two kids and juggling three oranges with one hand? Well, I couldn't help giving her a couple of coins for that. Even though it kind of goes against my rule of giving coins out to women who have multiple
[25:02] kids. Because in a case like that, you're better off giving them a little food. Because again, most of the money she does get probably goes to a bad rough macho guy waiting for her at home. And just one last thing about people begging on street corners. Now I've been down here a long time and I've seen thousands of beggars on thousands of street corners, but I've yet to see a woman in a wheelchair begging and I've yet to see a woman with some kind of a deformity begging. You just don't see women with rolled up pants legs showing their symptoms. Could be even the poorest of the poor have some modesty and self respect. There has to be some kind of explanation for that, they have to be out there. But women with deformities are rarely out on the streets begging. But you do see old women beggars, women past 60 and 70 years old, always haggard looking and with no teeth. Now I'm kind of neutral on whether you should give money to them or not. That's your call too, and of course there's always the haggard toothless old guy out there
[25:51] begging too. And down here in Latin America, every one of these guys is an alcoholic, that you can bet on. So if you give him money he's just going to go buy more booze. So you'd be doing that guy a favor if you handed him an apple or an orange. Though he might just sell that off for a half a pint of hooch. And here's another observation I've made about big city street corners. There always seems to be only one of each kind of beggar. A guy in a wheelchair, a guy with a bad leg, an old lady, an old guy, a lady with little kids and some jugglers and street performers. All I can say is these people must have a hierarchy and a system. The way they allot or claim street corners for themselves. I'm sure there must be a pecking order and some unwritten rules that us guys driving the cars just don't know about. And maybe we don't want to know. All we see is some poor beggars and some street performers. But each one has exclusivity on that corner. Which brings me to another relevant point.
[26:37] Up in the first world, sometimes you'll see on a busy corner a guy holding a sign asking for food or saying, repent you sinners, the end of the world is coming. And then he'll have a collection cup there of course. Or could be he's holding a sign saying, will work for food. We've all seen that at one time or another in a big city, right? Well you know what? In all the years I've been down here, I've never seen a street corner beggar holding a sign of any kind. Now there's a first world idea whose time has come. I imagine the first beggar that starts doing this is going to get a lot of business. As long as he's got a spiffy message. And I don't see why no one's ever tried it yet. Maybe I should put on a marketing seminar for beggars. What do you think? How to double your panhandling dough using first world techniques. How's that for a title? And I guess this just reinforces the fact that innovations and things trickle down very
[27:23] slowly from the first world to the third world. Whether you're talking about the rich upper wealthy classes with their bodyguards and hummers or down and out people begging on street corners. You've been listening to The Expat Files, living in Latin America. Coming to you each week from somewhere south of the border. And don't forget you can email me on anything at all about Latin America. The Expat Files at gmail.com. Once again, The Expat Files at gmail.com. See you next time on Spamos.