Message-ID: <199703021805.PAA27528@zeus.openline.com.br> Date: Sun, 2 Mar 1997 15:05:32 -0300 From: Ernani Sartori <mailto:solar@OPENLINE.COM.BR> Subject: middle class two To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
Dear all,I agree in part with that which was pointed out by David Johnson, but I would like to talk to you some experiences I had travelling through Europe and the US.
Some years ago I was with a friend of mine in a London pub drinking beer. At the pub closing time (about midnight) I was to pay the bill, which resulted in a little bit less than a pound, but I gave to the cashier a note of five pounds. He gave me in change the money as if I had given him one pound. I had previously told him that I had to travel again in the morning. Even with my protest he said to me that I had to wait until the next night. I couldn't wait, of course, and then I lost about four pounds (not so much, but in a dishonest situation in London).
Last year another friend of mine was in New York and he went to buy a ticket to a baseball game. When he went to enter the stadium, he was informed that the ticket was false.
Last year, I confirmed a hotel reservation in Switzerland through the Internet. When I arrived to the hotel, the man said to me that there was no one reservation for me. I then showed him the copy of the reservation and he said to me that there was no reservation in my name. Then I took a taxi and went to another hotel. But, that taxi, a woman driver, didn't let me to watch the value in the taximeter quickly switching it off and charged me in 20 Swiss Francs when the normal fee would be around 12 SFr for that way.
"Good sensations", don't you think so?
Good sensations to know that from now on we could not expect all the best from people from those kind of countries. Or, do you think that the honesty of the world people, including developed countries, is changing?
Regards,
Ernani.
>Return-Path: <mailto:owner-devel-l@AMERICAN.EDU>
>Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1997 23:27:13 -0800
>Reply-To: David Johnson <mailto:pinefarm@UNIONTEL.NET>
>Sender: Technology Transfer in International Development
> <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
>From: David Johnson <mailto:pinefarm@UNIONTEL.NET>
>Subject: middle class two
>X-To: mailto:pcorps-L@cmuvm.csv.cmich.edu
>To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
>
>My observations on the middle class in Paraguay were borne out
>during my vacation in Mexico. Most of the Americans I talked to there had
>positive things to say about Mexicans. They found them to be friendly,
>nice people, as I did.
> The one exception was a man who spent his days selling
>advertising to Mexican business' for a magazine he published. He found
>the business people he dealt with to be devious and dishonest. He had all
>sorts of problems getting them to pay for the ads he ran for them.
> There seems to be a very definite line between classes in these
>countries. Much more so than in the US.
> It seemed to me in Paraguay that the middle and upper class
>people felt themselves to be, not so much better than the poor but,
>actually a different race entirely. They used to say to me "You should
>get to know the Paraguayan campesino, they are really great people,
>you'll like them a lot." and, so I did. But, the way they said it seemed
>to indicate that there was really no connection between them and the
>campesinos. That seemed strange to me.
> Dave Johnson
>
>