A dog's life in Colombia

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

OK, I must make an important declaration first. I'm not a pet lover. This isn't to say I'm anti-pets. I've no problem with them as long as I've little-to-no involvement when it comes to their care and attention.

Scene of the crime: Not the culpable dog in the picture, though!

It's the same way I feel towards children, really. Sure, I can interact with both children and pets for a while, safe in the knowledge that they're not my responsibility.

Dirty, rotten mongrel

So it does bug me quite a bit when pet owners appear to force their love for their balls of fur on me. In the same way that I dislike public displays of affection between couples, I don't want to see apparently grown-up folk being all lovey-dovey with their "best friend" and practically insisting that I feel the same way towards the "adorable" mongrel.

Yes, I'm using terms associated with dogs because it's mostly those canine creatures that I'm referring to here.

Now I must say that, traditionally, I've never been much of a cat lover either. In fact, in the past, I'd always say I preferred dogs to cats. However, these days I appreciate the more independent and, largely, not-bothered, selfish nature of cats. Dogs, on the whole, tend to be so much more demanding, not to mention noisier.

Nonetheless, even if a particular dog owner thinks his/her mutt is the greatest on the planet — they all think this way, don't they? — as long as he/she is a responsible, respectful owner then I'm OK with that.

It's with those who are anything but responsible that I have, um, quite the bone to pick.

Similar to how they probably raise any children they might have, these self-proclaimed animal lovers allow their fleabag to roam the land unrestrained. Should said fleabag inflict damage on an innocent passerby, they either deny that it was their bundle of joy who did it or blame the victim for provoking the incident.

'Impunity reigns supreme here. When it comes to looking for support from the Colombian state, indifference is the default reaction.'

It was the latter stance that was taken with me after a dog bit my left calf muscle, drawing blood in the process. 'Why are you walking around here?' 'Eh, it's a public road, I have a right to be here as much as anyone. Why can't you control your dog or put a muzzle on it?'

'Only our dogs run free'

Cue the typical Colombian response when confronted by a foreigner. 'It's none of your business, it's how we do things here. If you don't like it, don't come around these parts.'

In mitigation, the man who responded thus had, it seemed, the same number of cells in his brain as the average person has on the nail of their little finger.

The children who were with the dog when it bit me were more understanding. Perhaps there is hope for the future, although this thoughtful side to them will most likely disappear. The dominant culture of taking no responsibility for one's actions is sure to shine through.

I would, of course, have been within my rights to report the incident to authorities, especially with the general lack of remorse shown. Experience has taught me, though, that this is an utter waste of time.

Impunity reigns supreme here. In the main, when it comes to looking for support from the Colombian state, indifference is the default reaction. Trust in officialdom to act as an impartial arbiter is practically non-existent.

In such an environment, little wonder a community spirit is generally lacking. It's self-interest first and foremost, sometimes followed by a strong loyalty to family. (For an academic discussion on Colombia's 'weak state, weak society' listen to this interview with the renowned British economist and political scientist, James Robinson.)

The net result is that nobody tends to feel safe. It's every man, woman and child for him/herself. Only the dogs seem to truly run free. And Álvaro Uribe Vélez, to a lesser extent albeit.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

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Carry on regardless, Colombia

[Click here for an audio version of this blog entry.]
Many reasons have been given as to why certain countries continuously perform worse than others.

Colombia: It moves to its own rhythm, be that good, bad or indifferent.

The most common of these are the legacy of colonialism, the system of government in place, corruption, clientelism and the associated problems they create, religion, climate and geographical location and, condescending and a wild generalisation as it is, the psyche of the nation in question. 

While different commentators put more emphasis on one factor over another, most agree that it's a mixture of all the above and more that dictates a country's performance.

Not in the mood to brood

Speaking specifically about Colombia, this interplay of the malignant aspects of these factors gives a decent understanding as to why the country's overall record is mediocre at best, appalling at worst. 

Many, however, would place corruption top of the list, yet there are other issues at work fomenting that.

One of those, at the risk of making a broad generalisation myself, is what I'd describe as, putting it mildly, a somewhat philosophical attitude many Colombians seem to have when confronted with problems.

This manifests itself positively in their ability to 'just get on with things', to carry on regardless. 

For example, as one fellow Irishman resident here put it, 'If there was a devastating earthquake one day, they'd still get up at 5 am to go to work the next.' There's a bit of exaggeration in that, but it's not completely off the mark.

To give a recent example, the 44-year-old brother of the landlady of my local, family-run panadería died unexpectedly. 

Not only did they not close the bakery-cum-café, with family members working pretty much as normal, but the landlady herself, the sister of the deceased, was back preparing meals for customers the day after the funeral. She also worked the morning she found out her sibling had died.

Another way this 'what about it?' mentality can be refreshing is when it comes to arguments. For while Colombians can shrug things off, this isn't to say that they don't let their rage be known when they feel the need arises (some do this more than others, of course).

'The salary for Colombian politicians is up to 35 times higher than the minimum wage. That's like members of parliament in Ireland getting upwards of 50,000 euros per month.'

So you can have this unholy disagreement, replete with the harshest of comments, even leading to physical aggression in some instances. Yet, with the passing of no more than an hour, it's like nothing at all happened. 

Basically, as we Irish would say, 'Tis all grand.' Brooding over slights, perceived or real, just doesn't seem part of the culture.

Nonetheless, one has to wonder, in reference to the development of the country as a whole, as to whether or not, in the long run, such behaviour is beneficial. The negative side to it is apparent in a multitude of areas.

Blessed are the weak

For one, there's customer service, nay the lack thereof, which I've addressed before. This acceptance of mediocrity is infuriating. Indeed, if you speak out against it, you're generally seen as being in the wrong.

There's the aforementioned corruption. Again, many seem rather blasé about it. 

The unwillingness of drivers to obey basic rules of the road, how about it?! 

The lack of action to address the exorbitant salaries paid to politicians, up to an incredulous 35 times higher than the minimum wage. (While in Ireland we moan, rightly, about the pay for our members of parliament [TDs], using the same ratio, it would be like a TD getting upwards of 50,000 euros per month.) The list goes on. And on.

It was Why Nations Fail author, James Robinson, who said in a podcast chat with me late last year that Colombia has a weak state and a weak society. 

While one can point to areas where the state does flex its muscles and arguably excessively so, there is no doubting an overall weakness of collective action to tackle issues that are, or at least should be, of general concern.

In the days of European imperial interference in the Far East, the retort from some locals was 'Asia for Asians'. 

As an outsider in Colombia and seeing the frustrating indifference of many locals towards their plight, at times it seems the best option is to leave Colombia to Colombians. Carry on regardless, lads.
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

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Location, location, location

In a recent episode of The Colombia Cast podcast, the eminent economist and political scientist James Robinson, co-author of the influential Why Nations Fail, restated his view that geography plays no part in the economic development of countries.

Location matters. (Image from Wikipedia.)

Looking at it from an Americas perspective from the time Europeans arrived on these shores, that Canada and the US are more advanced than their counterparts further south has a lot to do with pure chance initially, later followed by the systems of governance introduced.

Easy pickings

Basically, the Spanish found fairly advanced civilisations settled in areas rich in natural resources that could be relatively easily exploited for the homeland. The British, in contrast, had to deal with largely nomadic tribes inhabiting rather harsh conditions. 

One, oversimplified way to put it is that the Spanish found streets paved with gold to loot while the concept of a street didn't even exist where the British settlers landed.

'Climate certainly played a part.'

Had the roles been reversed would the state of what we now call Latin America be much better today? Would the US be the power it is? The answer to the latter question is probably not, based on how the Spanish Empire ran its affairs. 

As for the Brits in Latin America, well their own record in lands where a quick buck could be made is far from exemplary. Jamaica's not exactly a powerhouse now, is it?

In this regard, while geography per se wasn't the factor, one could say climate played an important part.

In terms of Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, it was their ability to produce an abundance of cheap sugar for the European market that made them ripe (pun intended) for exploitation. Thus, their location in the tropics was critical.

We must also consider the idea that the need to plan and prepare according to the seasons in regions where a harsh winter would see off those found wanting played some role in ingraining a more organised disposition in those living further north.

Speaking of those northern reaches, had Ireland not been located next to the greatest old-school empire the world has ever known (today's big boys, the US and China, are perhaps best measured in different terms) there's little doubt it would look much different today.

Nothing without EU

Of course, there are many interconnected factors that shape countries and regions. In Ireland's case, had it converted to Protestantism — or had Britain remained Catholic — the last few centuries would surely have been far less troublesome than they were.

'Ireland was a pedagogical powerhouse.'

While British interference in Irish affairs was a fact before the religious divide, it became fundamental for security for the emerging empire to control — at pretty much whatever cost — the untrustworthy neighbour to the west. (Do note that in the early days of Christianity in Europe, Ireland was known as the island of saints and scholars, a sort of godly, pedagogical powerhouse we could say. Subjugation by the British changed all that.)

Fast forward a few hundred years and, as I've written about before, a partially independent Ireland's proximity to mainland Europe, not to mention membership of the European Union, has been crucial in its economic development.

Imagine if Ireland, everything else being equal, had been an island just off Africa. How would it look economically and politically today? One just needs to take a glance at the countries in the Dark Continent post-colonisation to get an idea.

Weighing all this up, while there are many reasons why nations 'fail', your neighbours can play a significant part. Location does matter, at least in those vital formative years.
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Listen to The Colombia Cast podcast here.
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