Expat Community > Ecuador

wontansoup
Joined 2009
Posts: 29

Gringorized solution for Latin problem

15 years ago

Helping the poor is a very simple matter but when it comes to the issue of how one nation to eliminate the poverty, it is very complicated and every region may need different approach. This forum is not a place to discuss this subject but I as a future expat am having a little concern after I read a Nicaragua expat blog.

Living over three years in Nicaragua, he started a project to build local economy to help poor local people at his pocket expense. He dreams about bringing five star hotels to the beautiful little town of Nicaragua and establishing as a tourist attraction. His view is it will provide employment opportunity for locals. He even had a booth in this year’s AARP convention to promote the town and find developers. The way he sounds seems to be genuine, not for his personal gain. This is the prime example of fallacy of looking at ones problem with others view. I bet everything I have plus my future mega jack pot to the failure side of his dream. It is not going to solve the poverty problem.

I am not going to argue in detail any further but I must say he has no clue about the nature of poverty. Of course it is impossible for American to understand the backbone of the poverty just by watching TV donation campaign or backpacking through the poor nation. My concern is the adverse effects of his kind of dream or projects. Look at Mexico which has a lot of tourist destinations with diamond class hotels for decades. Still millions of Mexicans risk their lives to cross the Rio Grande, don’t they? Not only that the beauty he appreciates now will diminish once his dream come true. The sleepy beautiful little town will have Americanized sector of busy streets mixed with slums and full of hookers targeting gringos’ money.
And most of locals will be employed as maids, janitors, etc. instead of being customers or clients of the diamonds class hotels and restaurants. A little help to the absolute poverty will intensify the relative poverty which may results in possible bloody civil war or Chavez style revolution.

When it comes to feeding the hunger we have to put aside our ideology, belief or whatsoever. But how one will learn to feed himself needs more than just feeding hands. Nicaragua or Ecuador is not Monaco. And every Latin American countries has fertile land and abundant natural resources with sparse population.
Why are US Indians still suffering poverty and alcoholism even though they are living in the middle of US?
Another member explained the vicious cycle of the poverty in very detail a few days ago.
Think before you act. Don’t spoil my future future home town. If Shakespeare heard about this he would say “kill the land speculators and realtors first”.

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Expat Community > Ecuador

Gringorized solution for Latin problem

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