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.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".

Growing up and taking responsibility

@wwaycorrigan

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

'Until 30 or 40 years ago what I did was totally normal. People are radical in their youth and then they stop. That was the pattern of life until the 1960s. Then it changed. In the 1960s people stopped growing up when they reached their 20s and continued to be teenagers all their lives ... Why should they grow up? ... The world was revolutionised in the 1960s to suit them ... Everything was made fantastically easy ... I preferred to grow up ... I felt it was time.'

The abridged version of words from the at times divisive English journalist, Peter Hitchens, expressed in an interview with me in January this year.

With rights come responsibilities. (Photo by Nicole Shelby.)

Forever young?

At the time of recording, those exact comments didn't really resonate with me. Erroneously, perhaps, I was more focused on moving the conversation to our common position of being coronavirus-lockdown sceptics. Things that go viral do tend to dominate the discourse after all, for better or for worse.

Shortly afterwards, however, I began to reflect more deeply on that particular Hitchens observation.

In some respects, as a 36-year-old single, childless, relatively free man who reaped some benefits from Celtic Tiger Ireland, it could be argued that, on the surface anyway, I'm ripe to be in that not-growing-up brigade.

Compared to my parents and with a lot of thanks owed to them — although I didn't think it at the time — everything was made fairly 'fantastically easy', at least until my mid-20s.

I went from secondary school straight to university. While not exactly stress-free, it was far from a chastening experience either.

After obtaining a BA degree followed by a higher diploma, I only had a few months' wait before landing a full-time broadcast journalist job. For sure, working in a busy newsroom comes with many pressures, but I couldn't say that I was learning life the hard way. It is, of course, all relative, that much is true.

Whatever the case, my decision to go travelling solo around the world after a switch of radio stations didn't go the way I thought it would, led to, arguably, the first time I really had to be fully responsible for myself. I was 23.

'People have become comfortable with Big Nanny State controlling practically every aspect of their lives.'

Brendan versus the big bad world. And first up it was the big bad world of South America. A baptism of fire you might say.

I certainly learnt much from that experience. It's open to debate whether I became more responsible but I think it's fair to say I became more streetwise. Either that or I was downright lucky on umpteen occasions.

An 18-month working interlude back in the relative comfort of Ireland followed that nine-month global adventure. After that, in 2011, came the return to South America.

Adolescents in adults' bodies

Fast forward ten years later and with Hitchens' opening salvo in mind, can I define myself as responsible and grown-up?

It depends on how one views it, really.

Money-wise, I'm independent, living within rather restricted means as I must. There's no Nanny State to speak of in Colombia to help those in need, in any case.

Even if there was, it would be rather impertinent of me to be looking for help considering I come from a higher-income country. Any foreigner from a First World economy based here who's looking for government handouts, well that surely is a sign that one lacks responsibility.

In some ways, Colombia is a capitalist country in its rawest form. It's every man, woman and child for him/herself. OK, there are those few in the upper classes who have had everything pretty much handed to them. You'll find such types the world over.

I like to think I have a fair appreciation of the balance between my rights and responsibilities. As a traditional conservative, I believe this is what Hitchens was getting at in terms of people not growing up, although he didn't explicitly say this in our interview.

In a UK and Republic of Ireland context, it comes back to the Nanny State. People have become comfortable with it controlling practically every aspect of their lives. As needy and selfish "grandchildren", they cry and throw the toys out of the pram each time they feel wronged. Rather than becoming more independent, more responsible, they confer upon Big Nanny State ever-greater powers of control.

For some, this is blissful. It means virtually nothing is ever their fault anymore. Everything is in the hands of Big Nanny State. And as long as she hands out the occasional sweet treat, all is fine.

For others, the realisation that their own lives have practically been outsourced to 'those who know best' in return for an 'easy existence' is slowly dawning. However, what was easily surrendered is proving much more difficult to take back.

What it requires is the radical spirit of the immature, irresponsible youth, but one not anchored to the extremes. The centre ground must find its bite before it's too late.

The responsible, grown-up adults in the room need to start behaving as such. The question is, have we enough of such types around to do this?
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Listen to Wrong Way's Colombia Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".