Reasons why DR is richer in social life

indiana16 said:

There are several reasons why DR is richer in social life;

1) Your neighbor actually worries about your well being. Some neighbors will help you out if you're sick.

2) There is more hospitality.You are invited over for food or coffee with ease.

3) When you visit friends or family they often encourage you to stay longer to continue chatting.

4) Dominicans will readily give you good leads. You can find great stuff by asking people where things are.

5) You can benefit from who you know. Who you know is important.

6) Many Dominicans take time out to talk to you even if they are busy.

8) Strangers readily talk to each other as if they knew each other a long time.

9) Dominicans are more approachable and have less hang ups than people from first world nations.

10) Dominicans have the warmth that the majority of people lack in the USA.

11) When you have a problem or need help people take initiative to help you.

11) Marriage and family life is more important than material gain.

12) You can sit down with friends or family and chat the night away with presidente beers in your front porch or in a bar.

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Maybe your American dollars and passport have something to do with the way you are treated?:glasses:

Oh my!!

HOWMAR said:

Maybe your American dollars and passport have something to do with the way you are treated?:glasses:

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BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The best quote I have seen on this site in ALL my years here!.

PS: OP, what you "find" in the DR, you can also find it all over the globe. I found the same people you wrote about right here in the Good Old US Of A.

indiana16 said:

There are several reasons why DR is richer in social life;
5) You can benefit from who you know. Who you know is important.
8) Strangers readily talk to each other as if they knew each other a long time.
.

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I have experienced number 8 walking in front of all the open market shops on Sosua beach!!!!!!!!!!......."My friend" was a commonly heard term

I really think number 5 is a stretch...especially in the DR

ha ha ha ha

bob

I would say that these are pretty accurate, whether or not you have that passport...no kidding.
If you were to live in Mao or Moca or SAJOMA, you would find that everyone wants to know everything about you and they would soon be your best buds...

A lot depends on how a person acts, too.

HB

Hillbilly said:

I would say that these are pretty accurate, whether or not you have that passport...no kidding.
If you were to live in Mao or Moca or SAJOMA, you would find that everyone wants to know everything about you and they would soon be your best buds...

A lot depends on how a person acts, too.

HB

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Actually one of the things that my wife apprieciates about Canada, is that "your business is your business" All the other observations I could say about my neighbours here in Belleville Ontario.
I think the warm weather has a great deal to do with everyone out on the streets or porches talking to each other.

bob saunders said:

Actually one of the things that my wife apprieciates about Canada, is that "your business is your business" All the other observations I could say about my neighbours here in Belleville Ontario.
I think the warm weather has a great deal to do with everyone out on the streets or porches talking to each other.

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Actually, I would have to think otherwise.

The reason why people live "in the streets" in DR is because most people don't have air conditioning.

Plain and simple.

Look at nearby Puerto Rico, the towns seem deserted compared to Dominican towns. I think air conditioning has something to do with this.

Ever been to Florida? You are lucky if you see a person walking in many residential areas, in fact, developers don't even bother building sidewalks! I think air conditioning has something to do with this as well.

And then, there are the wealthier areas of Dominican towns, which happen to have less people than otherwise in the streets. Do I need to say air conditioning?

-NALs

HOWMAR said:

Maybe your American dollars and passport have something to do with the way you are treated?:glasses:

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A genius has spoken!

A genius has spoken! Or should that be typed? :ermm:

-NALs

I don't think I know a half dozen people from ANY culture that fit the rosy description presented above by indiana 16. This reminds me of the 60's when we were naive enough to believe that we could actually make a difference.

I happen to agree with Indiana wholeheartedly . Dominicans iun short are a sociable creature. I believe, partially due to nature and upbringing and partially due to the need to share information with EACH OTHER to survive and that this "trickles down" to us Expats . Simply put , how do you explain the fact that they greet and meet EACH OTHER with the same smiles and how they all seem to know each other. Is it just some big conspiracy to rid Americans of their greenbacks ? It is really sad how expats criticize these Dominican people for trying to offer a service in exchange for payment. Isnt that what America is built on ?

And in the 60's Americans and Canadians were more like people here. They helped each other and came tiogether ....... Today western society is paranoid and obessessed with bigger and better and more . Or knowledge of what is happening in the world has ruined our interaction with others . Maybe ignorance IS bliss......

My 2 pesos worth

NALs said:

Actually, I would have to think otherwise.

The reason why people live "in the streets" in DR is because most people don't have air conditioning.

Plain and simple.

Look at nearby Puerto Rico, the towns seem deserted compared to Dominican towns. I think air conditioning has something to do with this.

Ever been to Florida? You are lucky if you see a person walking in many residential areas, in fact, developers don't even bother building sidewalks! I think air conditioning has something to do with this as well.

And then, there are the wealthier areas of Dominican towns, which happen to have less people than otherwise in the streets. Do I need to say air conditioning?

-NALs

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I think we were saying the same thing.

indiana16 said:

It's not right to jump to the conclusion that when a dominican is nice to you that means he wants your money or a visa. Dominicans can be friendly to EACH OTHER and in this case there is no dollars or passport involved. It's a cultural thing for dominicans to be more sociable,approachable and have less hang ups than their north american counterparts.

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I can agree with you on the less hangups, but as far as` being approachable and friendlly, you obviously haven't been in my area of Canada. People are extremely friendly and sociable, and my Dominican wife agrees with me.

What?

indiana16 said:

Yes but not as abundant as in DR

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Are you sure?. Well, let's compare both:

The DR = about 9 million people

The US = About 300 million people!

I guess that I am wrong and you are right!.

Yes Dominicans are more SOCIAL!

The lack of having an air conditioner is not the entire issue why some Dominicans are hanging out on the street. Dominicans are highly social. They are constantly saying "Saludos" or "Buenas". Everyone in the community knows eachother. It is a norm for Dominicans to hang out on the porch as well as the rich Dominicans whom have certain areas where they hang out (just not in front of their home).

indiana16 said:

Yes but not as abundant as in DR

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When you are saying this, have you been to any other countries besides the DR, and are you Dominican?

Looking at the socialization of the people in different parts of the world requires looking at the changes that have taken place in each area.

Using the USA as an example I can say that back in the 50's a lot of its citizens would retire for the night with their doors unlocked and their windows open. There were also a number of people that would leave their keys in their car. During this time frame most people knew,by name, their neighbors and people would greet each other. Every neighborhood I had experience in had at least one person that knew everything and everyone around and they were classified as the neighborhood busy body. You know, that person that would tell your mother or father that they saw your son playing with that no good (insert the name of whomever) or that you were seen playing doctor with the bad girl down the street. My parents have confirmed the fact that this is the way it was when they were growing up.

In the 60's things began to change with the flower power trend. Drugs began to be a big problem and crime quickly followed. Since that time things have escalated. There was a period of time when some people, on witnessing a crime of some nature, would take appropriate action against same. It was after a number of these good samaritans got shot or stabbed by the assailant that people began to decide not to get involved. Because of the crime and the perpetrators people started locking their doors and windows, retrieving their car keys and failing to go out in the streets at night. With the great mobility that is in the USA there are always cases of new neighbors. When a new neighbor moves in a lot of the other neighbors decide to not socialize with them because they don't know them and the possibility that they might of the (criminal) persuasion. It is a lack of trust in mankind that has caused this change but it is the actions of mankind that have instilled this distrust.

Here in the DR the crime and drugs are increasing. With time along with the inability of the police or judicial system to do their parts I think you will see a change in the habits of the Dominican people. With time I think you will see the DR turning into the way the USA is.

Rick

Rick Snyder said:

... Using the USA as an example I can say that back in the 50's a lot of its citizens would retire for the night with their doors unlocked and their windows open. ... My parents have confirmed the fact that this is the way it was when they were growing up. ...Rick

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I can attest to that, I lived in small town USA in the fifties, and crime was practically unheard off, much less violent crime. I remember as a teenager in the early sixties when drug use became a problem, and a child was the victim of crime, and there was a campaign in town for homes to paste the facsmile of an open hand on the front window, to indicate that that home was available for help in any crime circumstance.

Now, regarding the DR, being sociable and social are conceptually different things. Dominicans are both sociable and social, maybe too much social. Have you noticed how Dominicans tend to 'solve' problems by summoning a meeting, convening a media event? Every solutions seems to just stop at being a public relations device, to the extent that 'talking' about problems would make them go away?

Dominicans are sociable, because many think that in some form or way we might be related. Many Dominicans feel very comfortable with they're own kind. When they meet and they find out that your Dominican as well then they start to call you primo (cousin). They act like if they been talking for years and they only met a couple of mins ago. Dominicans are very easy going people. We love our beautiful country + our food +poeple= happiness=sociable.