Oh oh, Norberis is not happy about this...

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,485
3,189
113
People are people. Different cultures have different habits.

It's well known that Dominican culture functions as Big and Auryn have stated.

There are physical signs and symptoms/indicators of this behavior. The very existence of the cabaña is one. Prostitution is legal on this island. It's well known that many guys, whatever their social class have a partner, a mistress and also other "romantic relationships" with random women.

It's the culture. Not exactly sure why you're trying to pretend like this doesn't exist and isn't well known about.
You're talking about Spain? Peru? Mexico? Honduras? Chile? Nicaragua? Poland? Germany? Denmark? Italy? Namibia? Canada? France? Great Britain? Ireland? Australia?

Or are you basing this on the perspective that comes out of the USA?

0D4E74C6-199B-47CD-A70C-77165300921F.gif


Just in general, there is the stereotype and then there is reality. Applies to everything.
 

Facepalm Supreme

Active member
Dec 29, 2022
190
174
43
Santo Domingo
DAAAMN KILLA! Is that a brag or a challenge? :ROFLMAO:
It's just the nature of the beast. To a degree I enjoy it, to a degree it's a waste of time. I advocate repetition to assist in building a new skill or develop fluency in any activity.

Anything you do long enough you gon' get good at it quick, whether it's pimpin' broads or slangin' hotdogs on a stick.
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
32,562
5,973
113
dr1.com
Coincidentally there is a "Dominican Republic Economy 2022" thread that was recently posted. I'll post the stats from that -

The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic on January 31, 2023 published a resumed report of the Dominican economy in 2022.

In essence:

  • 2022 Economic Growth: 4.9%
  • Nominal GDP: US$114 billion
  • Formal and Informal Employees: 4.77 million
  • Open Unemployment: 4.8%
  • Inflation: 7.83%
  • International Reserves: US$14.4 billion or 12.8% of GDP
  • Foreign Hard Currency: US$39 billion
  • Export Growth: 10.5%
  • Tourism: US$8.4 billion
  • Remittances: US$9.9 billion
  • Direct Foreign Investments: US$3.8 billion
  • Dominican Peso: appreciation of 2%.
The tables and graphs shown (in the order they appear).


5% GDP growth - an extremely healthy number
5% open unemployment - a remarkable figure.
Inflation - 7.8% - I don't like the number but it's more or less in line with the rest of the western world right now.
8.5 billion coming in from tourism (ON THE BOOKS ONLY, actual figure obviously higher), 10 billion coming in from remittances (On the books only, actual figure obviously higher)


I won't bother with the other numbers because they don't affect the common person nearly as much.


DR is arguably the richest and most comfortable country for a poor person south of the USA in this hemisphere. I'm not familiar with how the poor live in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay or Uruguay but it's hard to argue that a poor person in DR isn't WAY better off than one in Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, or any of the other Caribbean countries.
https://www.borgenmagazine.com/pove...g natural disasters and government corruption. 40 % in poverty and 10% in extreme poverty.
 

bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
32,562
5,973
113
dr1.com
"Cut the balls off their guy"? Not fond of how that comes out. I know you are speaking metaphorically (for the most part) but if I said that a guy would "Cut the tits off of his woman" if she were having sex with other guys or acting coqueta -which is exactly how over 70% of Dominican women act when around a guy they are into, or just to go walking around the street wearing tight or revealing clothing -all of sudden we would need to have a "Domestic Violence" conversation that drags men through the mud.

NO one should be cutting anything off of anyone.

Back to the topic at hand - I've spoken amorously with over a thousand Dominican women. I agree with you that most do not see it as "ideal" that their guy be with other women. That said, the culture here specifically allows a man to be with multiple women "if he does it right", is the phrase that is commonly used. This includes not being seen in public places, not bringing home children or diseases, and not neglecting his responsibilities to the home, primarily the financial ones. When a man is 5'11 or 6'3 or 6'6 and he has a square jaw and he is fit or in shape, he is getting around, period. Even more so if he dresses professionally and/or has a job that brings in serious money. And the women that he is with know this, and they tolerate/accept it because they value being with him more than they do being the only one that is with him.

That said, I will agree with you that there are lots of guys who don't fit this caliber and are mujeriego and their women do (eventually) get fed up and leave them. I will also agree that in general it is a difficult thing for a Dominican woman to accept. That said, culturally it is widespread, common even, and not a secret. It happens, every day, amongst every social/economic class.

I don't want to keep having to rehash this conversation but I know it'll come up over and over again. Dominicans aren't living in the kind of "poverty" that requires them to "scrabble for food and shelter." And it's a really disingenuous statement to make. MAYBE 20-50 years ago, I don't know - I wasn't here and haven't done enough reading to say otherwise. MAYBE some of the Haitian population could be described as being in that situation currently. But how many indigent Dominicans do you know living in the forests and jungles of this country without a roof or on the streets sleeping on cardboard? Eating once every 2-3 days? And then how many 18-25 year old girls do you know with Iphone 12s and 13s? 30-40 year old women going back and forth to western union collecting more money monthly than you do with your job at the school? Guys who are connected receiving remittances (through women that they set up as mules) from different black and gray market channels? Maybe people are confusing the Dominican Republic with Cuba, or maybe you are just comparing this Island and it's people, which has it's pros and cons to the most economically powerful nations on earth - the USA, Canada and those in Europe? Apples to oranges. All you need to do is walk inside a PriceSmart or Jumbo and see Dominicans every day all day walking out with big screen TVs and stereo systems and carts full of items to dispell this ridiculous myth. This country ain't in poverty, not by a long shot. Also, a lot of the conditions that a 1st worlder would consider as immediate "Poverty status" aren't seen the same way here. A zinc roof, no electric, or electric borrowed from neighbors, living a ways from the nearest city, living on streets that are absolutely filthy and/or where there is lots of barrio noise, living amongst individuals or being an individual that doesn't have a formal education, etc. etc. These are not indicators of poverty, as much as they are conflating contemporary "Western" standards of living to other countries. The DR is in a rapid period of growth/development and it's normal to have infrastructural challenges when a country is rapidly developing. Think the late 1800s, early 1900s in the USA.

The people are well fed (overly so) with extremely fresh and non processed food (and processed foods are of course available as well), mostly everyone has a home or two or three they can be in, though it may be living with an aunt or uncle or a brother or sister, and for those who want it a job is not a difficult thing to find.

Bob - when I took the Ruta Panoramica from PoP to Santo Domingo I saw 3-4 of those "party busses" - old yellow schoolbusses fitted with lights and speakers, full of (lower class) Dominicans getting drunk and grooving out doing turismo interno. You ever seen them? Does that seem congruent with a country in which there are a significant number of people "Scrabbling for food and shelter"?
 

Facepalm Supreme

Active member
Dec 29, 2022
190
174
43
Santo Domingo
In poverty with their iPhone 13 and big screen TV. En la chercha with their families of 25 people all together living peacefully for every holiday, birthday, anniversary. Tables full of food and presidentes. Ok. Está bien.

Tell that to the "Rich European or American" who is estranged from or essentially has no family, has a car and a tv and apartment or house athat they pay an extravagant mortgage on and works so frequently that they can never enjoy it. Who has more leisure time? Who goes to the beach more frequently? Who spends more time at/in social functions? When was the last time the American or European had a home-cooked meal that didn't come out of a box or a can?

Poverty as you describe it is purely financial. People here live better lives, have better social lives, eat fresher foods, have more leisure time and do things and see/go places with their leisure time that the rats in the cage of the USA and Europe can only dream of.

It is a highly disingenuous argument.
 

Big

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2019
4,795
3,980
113
In a country of 10 million+ people. You think you know 100 dominican's romantic relations and standards? And you're basing this on "traveling" to other countries? Lol. What you're saying can be taken as parody because of how irrational it is.
live here, work here and do business here, like many posters. Then report back with an opinion based on experience.
 

terantius

Member
Jul 28, 2022
33
24
8
Plants
People are people. Different cultures have different habits.

It's well known that Dominican culture functions as Big and Auryn have stated.

There are physical signs and symptoms/indicators of this behavior. The very existence of the cabaña is one. Prostitution is legal on this island. It's well known that many guys, whatever their social class have a partner, a mistress and also other "romantic relationships" with random women.

It's the culture. Not exactly sure why you're trying to pretend like this doesn't exist and isn't well known about.
People having different habits doesn't give you a free pass to making up things and claiming things that are absolutely insane.

What is well known is that some people from the expat community tend to have issues with basic numbers when it comes to generalizing Dominicans based on their artificial status and experiences.

You're using short stays at a motel and prostitution to claim that Dominican culture accepts sleeping around for money even if people are in a relation? This is parody right? The alternative is unadulterated insanity, lmao. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a joke. LOL.

No, you're making a claim that is absurd on its face. I don't see the scenario where Dominicans or people from different cultures divulge their relation status as they're sleeping around for money. Are you claiming that is also habitual for ladies of the night to give you their relation status and facebook history? What in the world are you people saying, lmao. It gets more ridiculous by the minute.
live here, work here and do business here, like many posters. Then report back with an opinion based on experience.
Yeah, because you think I'm a random poster with no relation to the place we're discussing? LOL. Just beautiful observation skills.
 

Facepalm Supreme

Active member
Dec 29, 2022
190
174
43
Santo Domingo
People having different habits doesn't give you a free pass to making up things and claiming things that are absolutely insane.

What is well known is that some people from the expat community tend to have issues with basic numbers when it comes to generalizing Dominicans based on their artificial status and experiences.

You're using short stays at a motel and prostitution to claim that Dominican culture accepts sleeping around for money even if people are in a relation? This is parody right? The alternative is unadulterated insanity, lmao. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a joke. LOL.

No, you're making a claim that is absurd on its face. I don't see the scenario where Dominicans or people from different cultures divulge their relation status as they're sleeping around for money. Are you claiming that is also habitual for ladies of the night to give you their relation status and facebook history? What in the world are you people saying, lmao. It gets more ridiculous by the minute.

Yeah, because you think I'm a random poster with no relation to the place we're discussing? LOL. Just beautiful observation skills.
I'm done. It's like arguing with someone from the US or Mexico that the US or Mexico, especially in some particular areas has a violent culture that involves firearms and drug dealing/use.

Not sure what you gain from purposefully deluding yourself/white knighting for the "morals and values" of a country when everyone with eyes know what's going on. The truth is the truth, despide whether or not you want to believe or acknowledge it.
 

terantius

Member
Jul 28, 2022
33
24
8
Plants
I'm done. It's like arguing with someone from the US or Mexico that the US or Mexico, especially in some particular areas has a violent culture that involves firearms and drug dealing/use.

Not sure what you gain from purposefully deluding yourself/white knighting for the "morals and values" of a country when everyone with eyes know what's going on. The truth is the truth, despide whether or not you want to believe or acknowledge it.
The difference is the FBI keeps track of homicide and fire arm use around the country, Mexico keeps tracks of homicide. So there is actual research and stats, the other is you having a gut feeling that it happens more often or do you call it a spidey sense? They're completely different issues. It is equivalent to how Americans themselves presume there is thousands of instances of the police killing black men each year, when there is only about 300 or so each year.

Saying that you're measuring instances of sleeping for money while having a partner by just eyeing is actually hilarious, lmao. Can you tell us how big their bank account is? Or does it only stop at relationship status and profession?
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,485
3,189
113
In poverty with their iPhone 13 and big screen TV. En la chercha with their families of 25 people all together living peacefully for every holiday, birthday, anniversary. Tables full of food and presidentes. Ok. Está bien.

Tell that to the "Rich European or American" who is estranged from or essentially has no family, has a car and a tv and apartment or house athat they pay an extravagant mortgage on and works so frequently that they can never enjoy it. Who has more leisure time? Who goes to the beach more frequently? Who spends more time at/in social functions? When was the last time the American or European had a home-cooked meal that didn't come out of a box or a can?

Poverty as you describe it is purely financial. People here live better lives, have better social lives, eat fresher foods, have more leisure time and do things and see/go places with their leisure time that the rats in the cage of the USA and Europe can only dream of.

It is a highly disingenuous argument.
The data used in that magazine is outdated as I have seen it used for over a decade and the extreme poverty figure is always within the overall poverty rate, not in addition to that.

The source the mgazine use do pick what data to use, because they use data from 2019 when mentioning the Human Developing Index. Here is data from the World Bank for 2018 regarding poverty rates (which they didn't use for whatever reason.) The years 2018 and 2019 were not crisis years for the DR, so this type of figure wouldn't change much over a one year period.

1EFDFA44-4852-4A01-B909-71E48A0193BD.jpeg
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
5,561
1,345
113
In poverty with their iPhone 13 and big screen TV. En la chercha with their families of 25 people all together living peacefully for every holiday, birthday, anniversary. Tables full of food and presidentes. Ok. Está bien.

Tell that to the "Rich European or American" who is estranged from or essentially has no family, has a car and a tv and apartment or house athat they pay an extravagant mortgage on and works so frequently that they can never enjoy it. Who has more leisure time? Who goes to the beach more frequently? Who spends more time at/in social functions? When was the last time the American or European had a home-cooked meal that didn't come out of a box or a can?

Poverty as you describe it is purely financial. People here live better lives, have better social lives, eat fresher foods, have more leisure time and do things and see/go places with their leisure time that the rats in the cage of the USA and Europe can only dream of.

It is a highly disingenuous argument.


You are confusing poverty/wealth with quality of life, I think.

Are many dominicans poor ? yes. All you have to do is walk around 5mn to see that.

Do many dominicans have a better quality of life than " westerners" ? One could argue that it is the case.
 

aarhus

Long live King Frederik X
Jun 10, 2008
4,412
1,987
113
People are people. Different cultures have different habits.

It's well known that Dominican culture functions as Big and Auryn have stated.

There are physical signs and symptoms/indicators of this behavior. The very existence of the cabaña is one. Prostitution is legal on this island. It's well known that many guys, whatever their social class have a partner, a mistress and also other "romantic relationships" with random women.

It's the culture. Not exactly sure why you're trying to pretend like this doesn't exist and isn't well known about.
Why criticize the DR for prostitution being legal here ? It is in many western developed countries too ?
 

nanita

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2014
321
513
93
In poverty with their iPhone 13 and big screen TV. En la chercha with their families of 25 people all together living peacefully for every holiday, birthday, anniversary. Tables full of food and presidentes. Ok. Está bien.

Tell that to the "Rich European or American" who is estranged from or essentially has no family, has a car and a tv and apartment or house athat they pay an extravagant mortgage on and works so frequently that they can never enjoy it. Who has more leisure time? Who goes to the beach more frequently? Who spends more time at/in social functions? When was the last time the American or European had a home-cooked meal that didn't come out of a box or a can?

Poverty as you describe it is purely financial. People here live better lives, have better social lives, eat fresher foods, have more leisure time and do things and see/go places with their leisure time that the rats in the cage of the USA and Europe can only dream of.

It is a highly disingenuous argument.
Very interesting observations! Yes, many of us are rats in a cage in our 'wealthy' countries. Yes, life in many Latin American countries is richer in terms of social/familial relationships and leisure time. Much more social support and connection and very active social lives, along with strong relationships.
 

nanita

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2014
321
513
93
Of course cheating happens in Canada and everywhere else around the world.

This thread isn’t about that, it’s about cultural acceptance.

It’s more culturally accepted in the DR than Canada. No one said or implied that it doesn’t happen in Canada, but it’s not as much of a cultural norm as in the Dominican Republic.
Without a doubt. Absolutely.
When we talk about this aspect of Dominican culture, whether it's 'accepted' or 'not accepted' - the truth is that there is some NUANCE here. We can say that part of the culture here is to SAY it's unacceptable but also to quietly accept it. These aspects of cognitive dissonance are a really interesting aspect of culture.
Do more Dominicans cheat? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! Does the family remain intact despite this? Yes, many times. Does money and power impact this behaviour? Yes, definitely.
It doesn't matter how 'sassy' and 'independent' most Dominican women seem, they usually have that undercurrent of traditionalism and 'staying together for the sake of the family' and are far more likely to stick with a cheater than, say, a Canadian woman would be.
Are there exceptions? Of course.
 

terantius

Member
Jul 28, 2022
33
24
8
Plants
Meanwhile men all over the west are coping with being in open relationships or "polyamorous" relationships producing some of the most awkward videos known to men. Maybe if we compare D.R to the 1950s we could have a debate resembling reality.
 

nanita

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2014
321
513
93
Meanwhile men all over the west are coping with being in open relationships or "polyamorous" relationships producing some of the most awkward videos known to men. Maybe if we compare D.R to the 1950s we could have a debate resembling reality.
I don't know a single person who is in an 'open' or polyamorous relationship'. Perhaps you are relying on social media to inform your world view. The same world view that has given us 27 different genders, 'micro-aggressions' and drag queen story hour. This is not the real world my friend. It's just the world they want to shove down our throats.
 

Big

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2019
4,795
3,980
113
I don't know a single person who is in an 'open' or polyamorous relationship'. Perhaps you are relying on social media to inform your world view. The same world view that has given us 27 different genders, 'micro-aggressions' and drag queen story hour. This is not the real world my friend. It's just the world they want to shove down our throats.
a tiktok or youtube education
 
  • Like
Reactions: nanita

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,485
3,189
113
You are confusing poverty/wealth with quality of life, I think.

Are many dominicans poor ? yes. All you have to do is walk around 5mn to see that.

Do many dominicans have a better quality of life than " westerners" ? One could argue that it is the case.
He is discribing typical lower middle class Dominican households. Even they will often say they are part of the poor and more so people who's origin is a developed country, but in reality they aren't. With that said, 20% of a population of about 11 million equates to 2.2 million people. For someone to see just 1% of them, they need to see 22,000 and that is simply way to many people seen by anyone, even those in vehicles going from one place to another in the same city. That's one of the short falls of going by the eye-o-meter, it doesn't quite captures the entire scope of things.

This is what is at the essence of this thread as many expats affirming that the issue is culturally accepted are going by what the see (or want to see.) Notice hardly any Dominicans say much here. lol Opinions such as the ones expressed here I think are more a reflextion of where expats are spending their time with if the come to the conclusion that it's culturally accepted.

I still remember when DR1ers were made "aware" of the role religion plays in Dominican society to the point the government builds and maintain all Catholic churches, most government institutions have a saint and their days are treated like a holiday by the institutions they are assigned to, etc. The thing is that this has always been the case, even during colonial times. That many expats weren't aware of this is telling in so many ways.
 
Last edited:

terantius

Member
Jul 28, 2022
33
24
8
Plants
I don't know a single person who is in an 'open' or polyamorous relationship'. Perhaps you are relying on social media to inform your world view. The same world view that has given us 27 different genders, 'micro-aggressions' and drag queen story hour. This is not the real world my friend. It's just the world they want to shove down our throats.
Do you believe things cease to exist when you close your eyes? Your personal experience not being equivalent to general reality has been my premise since the beginning, lmao.

You said it was "acceptable" and the people knowingly partake in open relations, meanwhile in the west is openly glorified and depicted as quirky new age relations dynamics. One is clearly more accepted culturally. This is not debatable.

I asked what I asked another user, in a country of 10 million+ people how many do you know that are okay with their spouse cheating on them and THEN hilariously spill the beans to random expats? I'm legit curious about the methodology.