Liar, Liar
At the ripe old age of 25 one starts to realize the world isn’t always the idealized place they once thought it was. The cheating, stealing, conniving, lascivious, lying nature of the world becomes more apparent every day. One’s pleasant upbringing can shelter them from much of the harsh reality that eventually hits everyone in the face. Taking into account that I have much to learn about the world, I still see a stark difference between North and South America. In North America, no matter what anyone might tell you, integrity still matters. In Central and South America lying is not only accepted, it’s a way of life.
I remember when President Clinton was undergoing impeachment hearings and the big charge was that he lied under oath. This upset millions of Americans and really brought down the dignity of the highest office in the land. Conversely, I also remember how much of the world bawked at the charges and sarcastically remarked, “Ooohhh, he lied! How terrible.” In other words, “What’s the big deal?” Wanting to be in with the chic European crowd, many in the media echoed the sentiments and downplayed the situation. The redneck Christians and their morality apparently still had a stronghold in the northern part of the western hemisphere. Lying in America, while more and more of a problem, is still a big deal. We have contracts for everything and have to sign liability waivers to take a 5 minute bus trip, but we still like and expect honesty to some degree.
Argentina’s roots are from Spain and Italy, where it appears honesty is viewed differently. In Argentina, if you miss one day of work because of illness, generally you need to bring a doctor’s note to the boss, proving that you were actually ill. To an American this seems awfully Jr. high-ish. There is this adversarial relationship between employees and their superiors that appears to go beyond what we have. It’s expected that the employees will lie to their boss and the boss will also lie to the employees to get what they want. Wherever you go, people will make things up for whatever situation. If a laborer promises to be at your house at a certain time, not only can you count on them being late, there’s a decent chance they won’t show up–almost as if they don’t want your money. It goes beyond just the cultural difference in punctuality. There is an all-around lack of pride in keeping one’s word and taking responsibility. The ball is usually passed to someone else who must have screwed up. Whether it was at the language school between administration and teachers, the Internet company and the apartment owner, other apartment owners and the real estate company, or other situations, several times I’ve been in the middle of seemingly simple conflicts that dragged on and on because one or both parties kept lying to me.
All of the mistrust and deceit down is to the detriment of the well being of the culture and the country. Business cannot flourish in an environment where people cannot generally be relied upon to pay or follow through with their promises. People live in fear of being taken advantage of. It shows up in the corruption of the government, police, and military. The jadedness is evident in the lack of hope for the future. In marriages, men are almost expected to have girlfriends on the side. They even joke and brag amongst themselves about their latest score in the game of infidelity. I willingly admit my ignorance when it comes to Latin American history and their problems. But it really is astounding how little they look at themselves and how quickly they point the finger at the U.S. and Europe.
Think about eBay or Internet commerce as a simple example. It’s thriving and grows more every year. I would rather shop from my bedroom than go to the store any day. As long as I’m somewhat smart about it, what I buy is going to arrive at my house. And if not, there’s usually financial protection or recourse available. Internet commerce can’t work down here in the same way. First of all, how can I trust the seller will actually send me the package? Secondly, will someone steal my package while it’s en route? If there is a problem with payment, how do I know the bank isn’t lying? Will they actually come through on their pledge to protect me if there is a problem?
Take these questions and multiply them to a society-wide level and it’s easy to see the pernicious nature of lies. They eat away and make us much worse off. It’s no wonder experts always talk about how capitalism needs a strong moral base to function. I don’t say these things under any misguided notion that the U.S. is perfect by any means. We have our share of problems with deception. It’s really not possible to understand without living here, but the contrast is so clear. With more time in South America, I will try to explain myself better as I understand more and more of the cultural complexities. There is still a heritage of trust and integrity that fortifies the United States and allows us at the very least to work together.
