Greetings all. I keep hearing this phrase tossed around lot whenever I'm accused of pre planning too much I.E. Installing smoke detectors, security camera, window locks,....etc. I always hear " Como buen Dominicano, pone el candado despues del robo" I can pretty much after translating get the gist of the phrase, but it would seem logical to me that if you are aware of the real state of things which surround everyone on the island, why would you not take the necessary precautions to insure safety or tragedies from happening? A 2 year old boy just died this week because he fell inside a manhole which had no cover and drowned......you mean to tell me no one was capable of placing a plank or something to avoid this tragedy? There is a plank covering the hole now, but I would think it is a bit too late. Instead of criticizing me for taking the necessary steps to avoid mishaps, why not adapt and make an effort to deal with preventable tragedies instead of having to go to a funeral lamenting a tragedy which could have been prevented by a $10 dollar smoke detector? Can someone pleaseeeee explain this mode of thinking to me? Gracias.
- Thread starter Superpana
- Start date
El Dominicano pone el candado despues que le roban???
Anthropologists from all over the world having been trying to figure that out for years
Why do they not want to wear helmets while on Motorcycles, drive the wrong way down one way streets, drive at night without headlights on, the list goes on and on...
I lived all my life in DR, never had a smoke detector until moved to the US.
DR is a very different animal...
JJ
On the beach road past Punta Popi in Las Terrenas, there are a couple of manhole covers gone that someone has stolen for the scrap metal. The town officials have made no attempt to cover these. Pershaps a hard plastic cover would work better than iron. This would be less of an incentive to steal it but the point is if something happens DR citizens are very slow to react, unless it directly affects them. I think their feeling is if someone took it than, oh well, the majority will pay for it but we are not going to hurry to solve the problem. I guess there is no real sense of urgency is just about anything that effects public safety.
It may be a perception problem. Most of the residences are concrete structures, so complacency sets in. Also many fire trucks in the small communities arrive with no water in their tanks. Strange but true. The community of Luperon had a donated truck in decent shape. Didn't take long for it to be neglected or abused. One of my friends was solicited for money to repair the truck. He flatly refused. Same thing with the police. He and his neighbours got together and payed extra money to the police for more patrols in their community. The money was supposed to cover the cost of the extra fuel. The deal went south in no time. There seems to be an inevitability engrained in the DR psyche. A willingness to accept their fate and not question why. This kind of mentality is not limited to the DR. It exists in many of the islands. And in some ways, they may have a better approach to life then we do. They don't stress about mortgage payments, the cost of University education for their kids, pensions and investments, etc.
I would not consider not stressing my daughters education a better approach in life. My daughter is not even born yet and her education fund is started.
I think life in DR would be much more enjoyable after you have stressed all those things and have the financial security to enjoy the DR.
Not the same...Apples and Oranges
The measures are already in place, they are just beefing up security.....That is very different to having very little to no security.
The measures are already in place, they are just beefing up security.....That is very different to having very little to no security.
So......Now that you do have one and have seen that it can save lives, would you still suggest that folks who can spend $100 to $200 on a cell phone, not install a $10 safety device????? How do you feel about Helmets? It seems that no one enforces the laws in D.R. Only when the cops need some$$$ they selectively apply the law, even when they themselves break it time and time again. This only leads to folks being so accustomed to breaking the law that when it is enforced, they staunchly resist compliance. Did anyone see the video this week who tussled with a motorist couple for not wearing their helmets? The husband was placed in a chokehold and the woman was knocked around a bit......All for simply not wearing a helmet! Now there is an incident which could have gone bad fast. It seems simple to me, comply with the law, and avoid issues with the cops.👍👍👍
It is a requirement depending on the type of construction
Agreed with you 100% in helmets mandatory use for safety not by low enforcement.
Every thing in life is going to depend on the environment, weather and the people.
JJ
Change this to, "avoid interactions with the cops." Rarely does anything good result from such an interaction.
There is no doubt about the benefits of education and investments. We have those because we think long term. We're talking about the island mentality here. Islands where a large percentage of the population are poor and live day to day. When you struggle all your life for the basics, (food, clean water, a roof over your head, etc.), it's hard to hard to focus on the the better things that may life more worthwhile. I've observed that poor people tend to follow two paths. Their poverty motivates them to do better and they rise above it or they accept it and struggle for the rest of their lives. There is no in between in the DR because there are very few government support programs similar to the ones we have to help them escape their poverty. There is a third path some go down by resorting to crime to supplement their income. Of course, that path is not limited to the poor. Crime and corruption exist in all levels of society.