>>>> Not sniffing - genuinely interested.
A big question, but at a high level...
>> What is the mix in Chile for people of different origins?
18m Chilean
--2m Mapuche
--1m other indigienous
1m Gringo
1m other foreign
Historically the non-Mapuche Chilean are of Spanish descent. Obviously a serious amount of interbreeding over the years.
NB: Many people see 'gringo' as a perjorative term. Gringos typically don't. it is an old Spanish term originally mean "people who Speak Spanish with an awful accent, typically Irish".
>> Is the attitude Mark describes cultural or something learned?
I am not entirely sure of your distinction, but in this case it is most certainly learned. It is not a feature of any racial distinction.
>>Does it predate the Allende/Pinochet time?
Kind of.
Chile has been on a path ever since the Spanish ran the place. It tends to have been very influenced by distant nations (Spanish, American, British, etc) and much less by it's neighbours (Peru, Bolivia, Argentina) were it's interaction has been mostly war and conflict.
If one considers the Indian population in the UK they tend to be more traditional and stuck in the past than Indians in India.
Similarly Chile has not culturally developed from it's distant influenced start and continues to be hostile with it's neighbours.
They've been a colony of Spain, at war with their neighbours, financially dependent on distant countries, subject to the tyranny of Allende and the dictatorship of Pinochet and scared of communism and corruption. Even more concerned about being accused of corruption or communism.
Consequently they are naturally defensive, fearful of blame and extremely defensive of their rights. They are not open or sincere with strangers, are obsessed with rules and bureaucracy as a way of avoiding communism and corruption and obsessed with following the rules as a way of ensuring that they can't be blamed for anything.
They don't really grasp the idea of quality in delivery. It is simply according to the rules or it is not. They have no regard for duty or responsibility, they believe they must fight and insist upon their every right fearful that they will be infringed.
They do not understand that value can be created, they believe it can only be taken. consequently they believe that if they are not taking the value then it is being taken from them.
They take that to the extend of believing that they are entitled to things from the Government (subsidised metro fares) but believe that taxation is an infringement of their rights.
As part of that they equate courtesy to subservience and initiative to failing to follow the rules.
Education is subpar and is oriented on the learning by rote of what is true with no discussion or understanding of why it is true. And that holds whether you are talking about Maths or History.
They achieve our "o-level" at around age 18 and finish their degrees when they are around 27. Unless they want to be a doctor or something and then it's much longer.
They live at home until they get married, and often continue to live at home even when they are married.
The home is run by the senior female, typically either the Mother or the Grandmother. Men are treated as peacocks but allowed no involvement in decision making. Girls are expected to work to look after the men folk (cleaning, cooking, serving etc).
Consequently the place is awash with 20 - 25 year old immature males with no clue about life, responsibility or any other damn thing. It is them that began this current dispute.
They are a tortured crowd, basically resentful of everybody.
For example, every level of wealth from labourer to gazillionaire abuses every level of wealth beneath them and despises every level above them.
And the poor are absolutely abused by the rich. Over charged, deprived of benefit, no meaningful pensions, welfare or education. No care, no choice, no voice.
Your family name matters and will govern the treatment and opportunities you receive.
These are all a result of their "upbringing". Fundamentally they are just people, no better or worse than a child that has been abused.
The above is a generalisation, and a brief one at that. I am talking of learned and influenced behaviour not racial trait. It is vastly more complex than I have time or will to type, though next time I am in the UK I will happily sit down over a beer and chat it through with you.
I typed it as a stream of conciousness and have reviewed neither the typing nor the grammar. Nor the logical flow for that matter. It is what it is.
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