The Notebook: I Went Here For You

On The Ball Notes From The Third World

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I have been fortunate to catch the tail end of the benefits of excessive financialization and credit in Canada during my young life. This has been paired with a relatively normal culture upbringing, one with safety, predictability, trust and private property respected. My parents, by the neighbourhoods’ standard would have been considered middle class. I had friends that had homes with indoor heated swimming pools, and I had other ones who lived in 80-year-old homes next to farms but the gap in wealth between these two people wasn’t outrageous–everybody had ‘something’ to their name, even if it was borrowed.

I wanted to write some things I’ve noticed after spending a great deal in 3rd world countries throughout the Americas, that perhaps you may be unaware of if you haven’t travelled all too much yourself (please view many of my travels using the button below!!)

This post is why I strongly suggest you pick up our Monthly Newsletter where I sum-up important events that had occurred around the world for the month prior. It’s only 25 dollars for… the YEAR

Notes

• There is an almost perfect correlation between the noise of an area and it’s cleanliness, infrastructure and spray-painted walls. The higher the noise, the more messy and filthy the streets are to be expected–> Likewise, a quiet tranquil area is often neat and tidy, pleasant and clean.
  
  I distinctly remember a friend commenting that Tokyo is the weirdest city he’s been because there is so much to see and so many people–but it’s strangely quiet. Japan has the highest IQ on the planet.
• Every country, no matter how poor it is, has an area where the rich reside. They could be the top political criminals, bankers, lawyers or top drug dealers–but their living standards and areas will be very, very good…despite being in an extremely poor country overall. Wealth inequality is tremendously large.
• Motorcycles are extremely common if the country is more poor
• Regions, barrios, neighbourhoods or districts (blocks in a city) can be safe areas or dangerous areas. For the most part, all it takes is a street or two for an area to look and feel far different. Like Wolves, somehow people respect this territory.
• Some places, such as Mexico, Panama and Paraguay have decided that it’s better to build in the new space they have rather than renovate or fix the old place (which still offers lots of charm and history). Latin America is still largely undeveloped compared to many areas in West Europe or North America. Potential?

• Investment is not necessarily a thing in much of Latin America. In Mexico, only 4/1000 people invest their money (this could be short term government debt even). This is a result of a lack of planning, a lack of education, lack of investment facilities that are trusted and true as well as poverty.
• Spanish is the go-to language and English is *very* poorly spoken. The best English I’ve encountered is in Argentina and Panama (Panama for professional reasons). Mexico is generally very weak despite having a border with the United States and 4/10 Mexicans have visited the USA.
• Many women in LATAM find white men attractive, especially if they have green or blue eyes. It may also be assumed they are less “machisimo” as well to provide an easier life for them (please don’t generalize this). I have some funny stories about rural Mexico however.
• With the exception of USA and Canada, the Americas are definitely non-woke, non-PC, still religious and have deep racist stances (often amongst their own people). It is a raw place.
• All of the places put a significant amount of effort on their food (& often discuss about it). I say “If you British talk about the weather a lot, wait until you hear Mexicans talking about food”.

• A huge percentage of people selling soaps, shirts, necklaces, mangos, oranges, gloves, on the side of the road, sit in a chair on their phone all-day, everyday. Their time is not spent productively at all. They sit, on or off a phone and stare, waiting for a customer to earn their 100 pesos. Productivity doesn’t come to the psyche in a lot of these countries.
• Likewise, the sensitivity to unhygienic places (trash, flies, uncut grass, dying plants, etc) is higher in poorer areas. The impulse to “do something” about it, isn’t there.
• Many of these places are failed states; but not failed societies. I will write a whole new post on this point.
• It’s a region with a number of gangs that are rather sophisticated. It’s not like it’s portrayed on Netflix; there are often smart, clever members of organizations using many sophisticated tactics.
• The 3rd world does not hold the tenets of Western Civilization as paramount; these are the valuing of the individual, free trade/commerce/enterprise/speech, rationality deprived of superstition and privacy. This always causes the people who value these subjects to link up together and the social inequality grows further.
• Most of the 3rd world holds a plethora of key assets, minerals, hydrocarbons, foods and tourism potential, unlocked due to bureaucracy, anti-business attitudes and lack of investment security. The standard is uncertainty.

Closing

Why did I write this? I believe there is a discrepancy between expectations and reality especially for people who have spent their entire lives in the so-called developed world. While this may come across as me just trashing the 3rd world, I believe that there is significant opportunity for somebody motivated to come in and sensibly navigate it to create something worthwhile as you have reduced barriers of entry and/or competition. I hope this will serve as a little bit of “tough-love” motivation for those considering to set up abroad.

These are some things I have come across, again if you feel that this honest, rather blunt way of stating my findings is helpful, please consider the free newsletter and the cheap 25 dollar monthly newsletter or even better

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