Other safe, colourful and worthy streets

[Anna Banana]

barrio is the perfect word.

Originally Posted by snappysammy

i would say that, in general, the "slum" people are happier than the quinta avenida people
they have less in material goods, but they live well, within their limited means

maybe "barrio" is better, not sure
gonzalo guerrero started out the same as colosio, btw
question for the prof: is that a slum??

[ProfessorPibil]

Originally Posted by Anna Tortuga

I know a few people that live in the " slums" as you like to call them. Believe me they are happy people, that have been offered millions of pesos for their land, and don't even think of it. They love the way they live.
And this is not somthing " romantical" that I am saying, because I don't live there....
My ex boyfriend and other Mexicans I know still prefer to sleep in a hammock ( some don't even have beds) and its NOT because of poverty. They all have a job, cars and cells and kids go to school.
To me, slums are areas where life is hell and people have no choice.

I've recently bought a couple of houses in Playa and I find it hard to believe anyone is offering "millions" of pesos for property up on 70th street and above unless it's smack on the beach. Maybe in the peak of the bubble, but now that opportunity is gone for a long time for those who didn't seize it... it's true though that what might differentiate upper east Playa from bona fide slums is that people have some degree of land ownership (although how many of them have a proper title, I don't really know)

Anyway, definitions vary. For example on the outskirts of Madrid there is an amazing neighborhood called Canada Real Galiana (it is built along an old country road that does not belong to any municipality, so the entire neighborhood is an extremely long strip made up of one house on each side of the road). It is considered Europe's largest slum (certainly Europe's longest slum ) and has more than 40,000 inhabitants.

If you look for it in Google Earth (coordinates 40"23'19 N 3"32'36W), you'll see that there are some of those structures that aren't quite houses, but many of them are respectable private homes (with many swimming pools), and certainly many people who live there have a choice, in theory, of moving to a proper house in a proper town and paying taxes up the wazoo. The only thing they are collectively unhappy about is the government's attempts to evict them.

I think a source of objection is that many people who grew up in capitalist countries associate being poor with being bad and unhappy and therefore they think that a slum must be the home of bad and unhappy people (like it was in Brazil many years ago) but there are many people living happy lives in slums all over the place.

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by ProfessorPibil

I've recently bought a couple of houses in Playa and I find it hard to believe anyone is offering "millions" of pesos for property up on 70th street and above unless it's smack on the beach. Maybe in the peak of the bubble, but now that opportunity is gone for a long time for those who didn't seize it... it's true though that what might differentiate upper east Playa from bona fide slums is that people have some degree of land ownership (although how many of them have a proper title, I don't really know)

Anyway, definitions vary. For example on the outskirts of Madrid there is an amazing neighborhood called Canada Real Galiana (it is built along an old country road that does not belong to any municipality, so the entire neighborhood is an extremely long strip made up of one house on each side of the road). It is considered Europe's largest slum (certainly Europe's longest slum ) and has more than 40,000 inhabitants.

If you look for it in Google Earth (coordinates 40"23'19 N 3"32'36W), you'll see that there are some of those structures that aren't quite houses, but many of them are respectable private homes (with many swimming pools), and certainly many people who live there have a choice, in theory, of moving to a proper house in a proper town and paying taxes up the wazoo. The only thing they are collectively unhappy about is the government's attempts to evict them.

I think a source of objection is that many people who grew up in capitalist countries associate being poor with being bad and unhappy and therefore they think that a slum must be the home of bad and unhappy people (like it was in Brazil many years ago) but there are many people living happy lives in slums all over the place.

I think many Westerners associate the word 'slum' with neighborhoods of extreme poverty, no electricity or running water, no garbage pickup or schools, high unemployment, high rates of substance abuse and addiction, broken families (usually single moms), abuse, high rates of mental illness and suicide....is it any wonder we don't think this sounds too 'happy'?

Having your basic needs met makes people happy, so in that sense, money DOES buy happiness- at least enough to do this.

[Anna Banana]

Originally Posted by Rissask

I think many Westerners associate the word 'slum' with neighborhoods of extreme poverty, no electricity or running water, no garbage pickup or schools, high unemployment, high rates of substance abuse and addiction, broken families (usually single moms), abuse, high rates of mental illness and suicide....is it any wonder we don't think this sounds too 'happy'?

Having your basic needs met makes people happy, so in that sense, money DOES buy happiness- at least enough to do this.

[ProfessorPibil]

Originally Posted by Rissask

I think many Westerners associate the word 'slum' with neighborhoods of extreme poverty, no electricity or running water, no garbage pickup or schools, high unemployment, high rates of substance abuse and addiction, broken families (usually single moms), abuse, high rates of mental illness and suicide....is it any wonder we don't think this sounds too 'happy'?

Having your basic needs met makes people happy, so in that sense, money DOES buy happiness- at least enough to do this.

Ok, you've convinced me, that neighborhood is not at all a slum.

PLAYA IS JUST HAPPY PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO EITHER LIVE IN LUXURY CONDOS OR SLEEP ON A HAMMOCK IN A RAMSHACKLE STRUCTURE. IN ANY EVENT, IT'S ALL HAPPY, ALL GOOD.

[roni]

Originally Posted by ProfessorPibil

Ok, you've convinced me, that neighborhood is not at all a slum.

PLAYA IS JUST HAPPY PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO EITHER LIVE IN LUXURY CONDOS OR SLEEP ON A HAMMOCK IN A RAMSHACKLE STRUCTURE. IN ANY EVENT, IT'S ALL HAPPY, ALL GOOD.

I have seen unhappy people in Playa

[snappysammy]

way back in the day, playa was full of happy people, locals and visitors
you rarely saw anyone without a smile on their face
now, not so much

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by ProfessorPibil

Ok, you've convinced me, that neighborhood is not at all a slum.

PLAYA IS JUST HAPPY PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO EITHER LIVE IN LUXURY CONDOS OR SLEEP ON A HAMMOCK IN A RAMSHACKLE STRUCTURE. IN ANY EVENT, IT'S ALL HAPPY, ALL GOOD.

I wasn't talking about Playa at all ...I was responding to this (admittedly somewhat off topic) part of your post that I quoted:

I think a source of objection is that many people who grew up in capitalist countries associate being poor with being bad and unhappy and therefore they think that a slum must be the home of bad and unhappy people (like it was in Brazil many years ago) but there are many people living happy lives in slums all over the place.

Sorry if that wasn't clear. I disagree somewhat, is all. I think that is a sentimentalized and overly romantic view of extreme poverty.

I actually haven't seen anything I would call a 'slum' in Playa. Elsewhere in Mexico, yes, but not Playa, which has a lot more money coming in than many other places. Even these days.

[snappysammy]

Originally Posted by Rissask

I wasn't talking about Playa at all ...I was responding to this (admittedly somewhat off topic) part of your post that I quoted:



Sorry if that wasn't clear. I disagree somewhat, is all. I think that is a sentimentalized and overly romantic view of extreme poverty.

I actually haven't seen anything I would call a 'slum' in Playa. Elsewhere in Mexico, yes, but not Playa, which has a lot more money coming in than many other places. Even these days.

you haven't seen any cause you never go where they are
and you don't have to walk too far to see them

[Anna Banana]

no its not but I wouldn't call them slums.
Have you ever BEEN to a slum? I regularly went to slums in India ( not for sightseeing) and believe me, you don't wanna know.

Originally Posted by ProfessorPibil

Ok, you've convinced me, that neighborhood is not at all a slum.

PLAYA IS JUST HAPPY PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO EITHER LIVE IN LUXURY CONDOS OR SLEEP ON A HAMMOCK IN A RAMSHACKLE STRUCTURE. IN ANY EVENT, IT'S ALL HAPPY, ALL GOOD.

[snappysammy]

Originally Posted by Anna Tortuga

no its not but I wouldn't call them slums.
Have you ever BEEN to a slum? I regularly went to slums in India ( not for sightseeing) and believe me, you don't wanna know.

it is relative
if it looks like a slum and smells like a slum, it is probably a slum
not a bad slum, mind you, but a slum by any other name, etc

[Anna Banana]

my house is probably a shack compared to bill gates house.

Originally Posted by snappysammy

it is relative
if it looks like a slum and smells like a slum, it is probably a slum
not a bad slum, mind you, but a slum by any other name, etc

[snappysammy]

Originally Posted by Anna Tortuga

my house is probably a shack compared to bill gates house.

mine is probably a shack compared to yours
i live in colosio, after all

[Anna Banana]

:d

Originally Posted by snappysammy

mine is probably a shack compared to yours
i live in colosio, after all