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Most people that visit Costa Rica don’t know this, but a little digging around and you can easily find that Costa Rica still has 8 separate indigenous groups that live within its borders Bribrís, Cabécares, Guaymies, Huetares, Bruncas o Borucas, Teribes, Chorotegas & Malekus. Six of them still use their own language (the first three groups mentioned are the largest and commonly use their language—sometimes not knowing how to speak or write in Spanish) and the Guaymie women still use their typical long dress made handmade of patchwork textiles. The Panamanian group that tends to crosses over to San Vito are also Guaymies. You’re right, the CR indigenous population was decimated thru the colonization and marginalization of its people in CR. Similar to what has been done in the many other parts of the world, but they are there and people tend to want to think that they’re invisible. They’re still about 1.7% of the population (see link) and foreign nationals according to the 2000 census are at about 8% but since about 75% of those are Nicaraguan then other “expats” make up about the same amount as the indigenous populations (+/- 2%). For goodness sake, the indigenous Costa Ricans only “earned” the right to vote in 1994 so yes, they are not in a marvelous position by any means, but if they can physically access healthcare clinics/hospitals they have access to medical services and if their children can reach the schools, then they have access to education, which is more than their Panamanian counterparts can say. All of the autochthonous groups have been marginalized, even in the US, that doesn’t mean it’s not happening in Panama. Again, it happens to be that certain basic services as health and education are not available to a large part of the population. I met many great Panamanian students at UNA and UCR which all told a similar story to what you’re saying now, they all thought that once the US pulled out of the Canal, many in Panama City would be doomed, but somehow (you’ve mentioned some alternatives) that hasn’t happened, but the polarization of wealth has—it was certainly evident to them. Does this mean that it hasn’t happened elsewhere, well of course not, but we’re not talking about elsewhere, we’re talking about Panama and Costa Rica. I’m still glad that in spite of their “minor” numbers, CR decided to remember that those numbers represented people and those people needed to have voting rights, access to medical services and education….May Sibö (Bribri name for God) help us all if we start to forget that…..
http://saiic.nativeweb.org/ayn/crilo.html
http://www.ccp.ucr.ac.cr/noticias/simposio/pdf/solano.pdf 2000 CR indigenous population census
http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2005/junio/17/migrantes/ regarding immigrants in CRThis is an excellent article and I will print it out to give to a few clients that sometimes ask about Panama.
The economic polarization that this article addresses in Panama is increasingly troubling and not a model any country should aspire to since it affects anyone that chooses to live there, rich, poor or in between. Extreme poverty is evident, especially for Panama’s indigenous populations and also in the cities. It’s always heartbreaking to see. We humans seem to forget that despair easily breeds contempt. When someone has nothing to loose, they look for ways to numb their pain and also to make others pay for their misfortune. How can any country not experience a rise in violence as their disparities in wealth increase? Whether it’s watching young indigenous mothers bring their sick children across the border to San Vito, CR in hopes of making them well because they would literally die without medical attention in Panama while knowing these women travel with barely the clothes on their backs and often go without eating much during their children’s hospital stays or when I see the Panamanian middle class sacrificing so much to send their youth out of the country to access higher education in hopes that they can become working professionals (evident by the number of Panamanian students in Costa Rican universities)–I’ve always been grateful CR had chosen another path. The Panamanian model is not one I would hope for Costa Rica where health care is still available to most and regular/higher education is also accessible to the majority of its population. We’ll have to see how the changing winds of trade agreements alters the economic disparities already growing in CR. Either way, whether it turns out to diminish the gap or to increase it, it will be felt by ALL who choose to live and visit there…I have great hopes that in a few years we will not be reading an article like this about CR, time will tell….
Hi Aaronbz, Ticos/as usually bring gifts when they travel and visit friends. They also bring back souvenirs for their friends & family. I can’t tell you the amount of stuff that my parents and I have that Ticos/as have given us when they’ve come to visit us here in the US. You’re right, it’s expected and meant to express that you were thinking of them, but it doesn’t have to be anything big. It’s truly about the thought you’ve put into to it. Giving art sounds wonderful since your hostess obviously loves art and you’re an artist. You can bring the kids anything fun that kids the same age would enjoy where you live. Globalization means that most of the kids in CR know about most of the “cool stuff” (sports related or otherwise) as their Canadian/US counterparts. Of course, you have to keep in mind that they don’t all have IPods, X-Box, etc. so try to avoid accessories for items they may not have. However, I cannot stress this enough, please do not make the exchange of “regalitos” about the monetary value or you will have entered a slippery slope that may hinder your efforts to make real friends.
I can also tell you that they usually don’t ask anyone for input regarding the gifts they’re bringing to their host/ess or the gifts they bring back for family–they just give them. If it’s about taking your cues from host/ess, then I would just pick something out for them. Once you become better acquainted, you will know what they like and will have a better idea of what to bring them on your next visit. I hope this helps. Pura Vida!
Oh, I forgot to add a very important factor to consider, now that CAFTA has been ratified, there are many pieces of environmental laws (among other kinds) that are up on the “chopping and auctioning block”–by this I mean that some serious changes have been proposed to these laws and some new laws must be voted on by the CR Legislature as per CAFTA (TLC). In general, many of the proposed changes will allow for “others” who have economic interests at stake to take advantage of the existing Costa Rican biodiversity. I just got a list from my friends at MINAE and it isn’t going to be pretty….We’ll just have to wait and see what this, as Ticos/as say, “arroz con mango” ends up looking like after all the voting dust in the Legislature has settled…I guess not so Pura Vida, but we can try to be hopeful….
Hi Alexgil, I don’t know what your mission statement is or why you would like to formulate an NGO out of CR, but besides the legal counsel, I would suggest you also consider speaking with representatives of MINAE (CR’s Ministry of Environment) since many of the existing CO2 capturing laws didn’t quite pan out the way many had hoped due to lack of government funds and other issues–and this has varied throughout the years. CR has many wonderful environmental laws and many are very difficult to enforce and/or fund. It would be important to know not only the legal issues concerning the areas you would like your NGO to cover, but also how they are actually enforced and viewed at this moment in time. If you need a contact, let me know, but you should be able to speak to someone from MINAE in every area of CR–just make sure you’re speaking with someone that actually deals with the issues that concern you, be specific and bring a translator if you don’t speak Spanish. Last I checked, CR bookstores have environmental laws compiled in a little booklet and it might be wise to purchase that also. Also, CR currently has a large number of existing environmental NGOs (ONGs en español) which struggle to stay afloat and find funds for their projects. The international community has re-categorized CR within the last 2 decades and they don’t assign as many funds to CR NGOs (of every kind) because they have diverted those funds to countries that are more impoverished so funding could get tricky. Of course, there are private endowments, GEF, IMF, World Bank, WWF (and others) and even gov’ts such as Finland & China that still designate funds for CR projects submitted by CR NGOs, but the funds are limited and the competition is strong. I don’t mean to sound negative, it’s just that I hope you will enter your new endeavor with both eyes open…Hope this helps…Pura Vida!
When I moved to Costa Rica I basically only brought personal items, books and my daughters toys so I came across the same problem. Back then I sent some boxes via LACSA cargo. If you don’t have a lot, it may not be that expensive. I would check with the airlines regarding their cargo policies & charges. UPS type of delivery services are very expensive as a small box I wanted to send my sister last Christmas would have cost more than $400 to deliver! I chose to use the money for an airline ticket & personally gave her the gifts a bit late in July 🙂 However, once your cargo packages arrive in Aduanas, that’s another ballgame, be prepared to arm yourself with patience or hire a reputable agency to get your boxes out. The cost charged by CR is minimal, the time spent making the numerous lines are what can be a bit trying…
A variety of beans (frijoles)are consumed daily in CR, but due to some previous agricultural trade agreements, the amount of national production has been drastically reduced and much of it is now imported from neighboring countries because it appears to be cheaper to import than to grow nationally. By 2003 about 80% of the black beans consumed in CR were being imported. You will find an immense variety of beans, but it depends what you’re looking for (organic, regular agricultural production, genetically manipulated or genetically engineered). If you’re looking for organic, go to the organic markets, but otherwise I don’t think stores will be able to assure you of the sources as many times these categories are bundled together before exporting them. The University of Costa Rica’s School of Agricultural (San Pedro, SJ) has seed programs and so does CATIE (in Limon). I would imagine Universidad Nacional’s Agricultural School will also have some programs (Heredia). It will depend on what you’re looking for–what type of bean and how that bean was produced. Best of luck…
Enjoy your stay in CR, but please don’t forget to use your common sense when dealing with any individuals anywhere in the world–including what surely seems like paradise found…
The meeting of two people or two cultures represented in the human beings that are meeting is always like a dance and your partner will forgive your lack of skill performing that dance as long as your attitude is in the right place—it should be fun and interesting. HOWEVER, I would hate that all of the positive depictions of the Tico/a culture entice anyone to, as Lotus put it in another thread (I don’t have much time, but I still do read the post :), to “check his brain at the airport” regarding any dealings with individual Ticos/as. Human behavior runs a huge spectrum between incredibly benevolent acts and unbelievably cruel ones, in CR or anywhere humans inhabit the planet. Costa Rica’s people, beaches, mountains, rivers, fauna, flora, etc. are all incredibly magical and “paradise like.” Most of the people are generous, respectful and friendly, but they are ALL humans too. I’m an optimist, but I do not have a Pollyanna mentality. This is an incredibly true, but sad story of two young US college students that arrived in Puerto Viejo, Limon to visit, fell absolutely in love with the place and its people and decided to extend their stay. This is all very common and many of us have been bitten by this bug once we visit CR, but they totally forgot that Ticos/as are also people and there are good people and also some horrible people everywhere. They wrote to their parents that they had “found paradise.” A few days after that email was written, those two girls were leaving a great dancing spot in Puerto Viejo at 2 A.M. and driving home alone when they encountered two young men walking home on those dark and lonely streets that have the beach to one side, homes and lotos of vegetation all over. They did what they would have NEVER done in the US, they decided to stop and give those boys a ride home. Now, during the day in most rural areas and certainly from Puerto Viejo onto Manzanillo, it’s customary to help someone out and give them a ride if they’re going in your direction. As a woman, I have only given rides to children and women with children (I’m sure many strangers that are men and have asked for a ride must be very nice, but I choose to err on the side of my safety). However, this was 2 A.M. in the morning!!! Needless to say they were raped, tortured and killed. Even though the perpetrators were caught, it could never bring those girls back and take away their parent’s sorrow.
Alfred, as always, your writing is a pleasure to read! Pura Vida!
I’m under a real time crunch with some things I need to get done for school, but I really think this may help those reading this thread and give you some extra info so you can make up your own minds about this subject once you actually get to visit or live awhile within the Costa Rican culture. Sure, CR has suffered from much acculturation by now, but there is still a CR culture that is interesting and has been personally a pleasure to experience.
*****
I’m sure you can all think of analogies that prove that the point that going from the general to the specific doesn’t have to mean one denying the other. (example: from animal kingdom, to having skin, to being human, to being a woman, to having DNA–specifies who we may be without discounting many shared similarities along the way with other living beings–While other living creatures have DNA and analogues structures, your DNA specifies you.)Our specific culture doesn’t deny our humanity or other groups we may be similar to or be part of. Different cultures have different traits, different degrees in which those traits are expressed and the significance they give them. Even though Latinos share many cultural traits, we ALSO have specificities within different groups. If you put a Mexican from DF, Guatamalan, Cuban, Nicaraguan, Costa Rican, Panamanian, Venezuelan and an Argentinian group of people (just to name a few) in a room they of course could recognize their similar “human” condition and social drives. They would also recognize their Latino culture, but they can also identify themselves and the others as having divergent cultural characteristics. It’s what cultural anthropologists have been studying and cultural psychologist observing in order to understand why coming from a particular group of people sometimes delineated by a common history and geography produces some different behaviors. I loved that someone mentioned how “different” doesn’t have to mean “less than” and certainly doesn’t have to mean anyone is trying to patronize another just because they recognize a difference or a similarity. The convergence and peaceful (or at least sustainable) existence of diversity in all forms, is a fragile equilibrium, but it’s also one of the richest environments known to us.
I think it may help is we ask — what is culture? Well the definition began as a pretty ethnocentric concept of “civilized” western views of native people, but today that’s been replaced by definitions more in line with Franz Boas’ cultural relativism. I’m sure you will find many definitions, but they all tend to include some if not all of Boas’ 4 major postulates:
1.The cultural aspects of human behavior are acquired solely through learning and are not biologically based or conditioned.
2.The cultural conditioning of behavior is really accomplished through habituation and so it’s more about unconscious processes rather than rational thinking (even when rationalizations can be expressed to explain cultural values).
3.ALL cultures are just as equally developed according to THEIR own priorities and values; NONE is better, more advanced, or less primitive than any other.
4.Cultural traits cannot be classified or interpreted according to universal categories appropriate to “human nature.” They assume meaning only within the context of coherently interrelated elements internal to the particular culture under consideration.
As per Bates & Plog’s, culture is “a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning.” The latter is really important to stress since, for example, even though Cubans may share some common Spaniard and/or African slave heritage (probably none of their Taino indigenous background) with Costa Ricans, most Cuban ancestors couldn’t provide ALL of the cultural lessons for Costa Rican people because you can’t discount all of the lessons provided by the groups they do NOT have in common—even if they’re both Latino groups.
This definition points to four important characteristics symbolic composition, systematic patterning, learned transmission and societal grounding. Within these, language and the use that this language/communication is given within the context of a cultural group is extremely important. Which is why everyone keeps bringing up “Pura Vida” which not only is reflective of their laid back nature, but of how pervasive it is since they use this word when meeting, when saying good bye and when expressing consent. There are millions of other words that take a different meaning to one Latino group than the do for another. I think we may all be aware of this problem so please if you love papaya in Costa Rica DO NOT request it when you visit Cuba unless you want to be considered vulgar, there the appropriate word for that fruit would be frutabomba—the same goes for Puerto Rico with the Spanish word for “insect” which would be considered innocuous in Costa Rica and not so much in Puerto Rico.
When observing a culture you obviously are observing individuals act, but when the tendency appears to be towards acting in a particular way, then there is a correlation made as to the general group—a cultural trait. Of course there will be Ticos/as that are not as polite, but the general tendency is that they are a polite group of people. Some have said that Latinos and Ticos are not forthright/direct, well I guess they haven’t met many Panamanians or Cubans among other very direct Latino groups which really don’t pussy foot around many issues. Perception is everything, I say Ticos/as are polite in their use of sense of humor and someone else might disagree– when they typically don’t make fun of foreigners who feel superior to them to their face, but they sure give them material to create their very funny jokes and “choteos” (well, I guess how funny the joke is considered depends on which side of the joke you’re on…).
Ticos “jalan” and go to their girlfriend’s house to “markar” and it would be offensive to most US women, Cuban women, Venezuelan women, and probably many others to think that their boyfriend was saying he was going to “mark” when on a date with them—the first thing they would think was that they were “marking a territory” and I can’t imagine that this would put them in a romantic mood—BUT for Ticos/as it does not have this negative connotation. They take certain times during the week (sometimes specifically assigned times ex. Wed nights and Fri & Sat–not typically that constricted today) where they are expected to visit their girlfriends at the girl’s parental home. It’s expected as part of the function that they are “jalando” which literally means pulling (I will not even go there..) and for Ticos/as it means that they are in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. All cultures have male-female courtship (or we would have died off many millions of years ago), but Ticos/as express this behavior with words that have specific positive meaning to them and that would not be considered so positive to someone who does not know of their cultural context.
The oxcart is also considered a symbol of what some seem to think is a non-existent Costa Rican cultural heritage, by some I mean UNESCO.
I will go one step further, Costa Rica not only has a specific culture, it also has different cultures within its borders because it’s not as homogenized as most of our milk. If you would like to know more about different CR cultures, I recommend reading Carmen Murrillo (during the 10 years I brought college students to CR, I made sure she provided them with a lecture that would help them question many of the myths that are proselytized in some CR Tour Guide Books and give them a better understanding of the people they came to meet) and 2 different Palmers who write about CR (which are in English & Spanish)—They have spent their lives observing the supposedly non-existent culture of Costa Rica and are interesting reads.
Just a few of Carmen’s work (she’s also written about the railroad and many other CR related subjects, I’m sure if you go to Macondo bookstore near UCR in San Pedro, you will be able to find it there or at Clara Luna a few blocks away—If not, head for the UCR—School of Anthropology)—I hope you enjoy the reading. Now I really have to run…Pura Vida!
Murillo, Carmen. 1990. La cultura nuestra de cada día. Revista Herencia. Programa de
Rescate y Revitalización del Patrimonio Cultural. Vicerrectoría de Acción Social.
No. 2, Vol. 1. San José, Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica.
_____________. 1994. Dimes y diretes sobre el patrimonio cultural. Revista Herencia.
Programa de Rescate y Revitalización del Patrimonio Cultural. Vicerrectoría de
Acción Social. No. 1 y 2, Vol. 6. San José, Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica.
_____________. 1994. Banco de datos sobre cultura popular costarricense. Proyecto de
Investigación. Escuela Estudios Generales, Escuela de Antropología y Sociología.
San José, Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica.http://www.amazon.com/Costa-Rica-Reader-History-Politics/dp/0822333724
This site has “The Costa Rica Reader: History, Culture, Politics” Edited by Steven Palmer & Ivan Molina (I haven’t read this particular book, but knowing a bit about Ivan, it’s probable pretty exhaustive).http://www.amazon.com/What-Happen-Folk-History-Costa-Talamanca/dp/0970567839/ref=sr_1_5/103-2601919-9321419?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193060397&sr=1-5
This site has Paula Palmer’s “What Happen: A Folk-History of CR’s Talamanca Coast”. (This woman is very respected by the local people of Limon and a must read to understand the area and immunizing yourselves from the stereotypical portrayal of people who live in Limon (again–a diverse group of people).Wizze1: Although I wish I could remember some names & #s for the great flower shops in Costa Rica, I’m terrible remembering those kinds of details. In the meantime you can ask another Tico family member to get you phone #s and order them via phone. Also, I’ve received flowers sent via FTD which were ordered from the US. If you go online you will see that they can do this (www.ftd.com). They apparently work with some local florists to have the flowers arranged and delivered in Costa Rica. I hope this helps…
Dear Alfred: It has been an honor and a pleasure to read your posts and I hope you will continue to enjoy yourself with such dignity and humor—keep reading because people’s minds are infinitely complicated, amazing and it’s fun to explore thoughts other than our own. I’m starting my Midterms, papers are due and it’s crunch time– so I will not have much time to participate in the forum. Life has given me a wonderful opportunity and I want to honor it. Who knows, if you ever see a petite lady with shoulder length brown hair and big brown eyes bird and alligator watching in Caño Negro, surfing [maybe not well, but apparently for the pleasure it provides her :)] during the day near Tamarindo or hoping to see Baulas at Playa Grande under a full Guanacaste moon, soaking in the hot springs of Tabacon in Arenal, riding horses and strolling among cattle in San Carlos, participating in lectures at CR universities, looking for Pelamis at Manuel Antonio’s first beach, eating an early breakfast in Pavones on her way to explore a bit more of Golfo Dulce or enjoying herself as she views pairs of Lapas in the Carate skies or the footprints of Jaguars on its beach on her way to Corcovado, laughing and enjoying a leisurely lunch with some Bribri people by the Sixaola River, dancing at Maritza’s or Johnny’s [certainly not as gracefully as most Ticos/as, but the locals are gracious and don’t complain—instead everyone seems to be having a good time :)] or enjoying the most delicious chocolate cake aptly named Queen of Sheba at Bread & Chocolate after having been woken by Congos in Puerto Viejo, enjoying a scrumptious Italian meal at Ilario’s amazing Pecora Negra or the best Caribbean lobster meal you can imagine at Maxi’s in Manazanillo (Gosh, I love CR!) and you happen to hear one of her friends call her Rebe—don’t hesitate to come and introduce yourself you would enjoy meeting some of my Costa Rican friends.
To Diego: If you happen to see the same petite lady—I hope to see someone smiling also puts a smile on your face, but please try to refrain from introducing yourself. I know you don’t practice this much, but trust me, you can do this unless you happen suffer from some brain lesion that I’m not aware of. I don’t travel alone and my friends whether they are Ticos/as or from another country don’t easily stand for rudeness. As one of my Tico friends who is a Forrestal Engineer said when he saw your posts (no paraphrasing on my part needed), “tell that guy to go to a bar in Liberia, the halls of academia at UCR or the easy going town of Puerto Viejo and express himself the way he’s done in those posts about Ticos—the retort he receives may be expressed with different Spanish words, but the delivery of the sentiment will be the same.” I don’t choose to be clever to manipulate you or anyone else. I find it much more respectful to share views and expect others to make up their own minds and I also mull over ideas others present (including yours) without indiscriminately discarding them by just choosing to label that person—I don’t treat my dialogues as political campaigns or contests to see who can scream the loudest—even if Cubans can certainly scream when necessary. You may also want to consider why this little and, according to your own estimates, “not so clever” girl managed to make friends during the first month of her first visit to CR in 1982 that have accompanied her for over 25 years (and has also been able to make other friends along the way) and according to your own posts, you have only managed to be blessed with superficial acquaintances after 20 years of visiting/living in CR…I don’t pretend this to be a “last word” for you or anyone as we all have the last word for ourselves before exhaling our last breath and reviewing the choices we’ve made along the way. I do hope that after your ranting is over, you may actually consider why many people, not just me, have made true friends with and even married people who happen to come from many different places and from different cultures. We are all gregarious/social creatures–people are people and enjoy dealing with those that show us respect, know how to have fun without it being at your expense and behave with dignity…I still hold out hope for you—too bad I may not get to see it…but I do hope you get past the minor ego bruising you may have felt from my words and go for it—Look for the best in others and you just may find it–no need to view Mr. Rogers to know this…Life is really too short to be that cantankerous…
Aaronbz, You’re welcome. It was fun looking at some of those sayings again and I’m glad they can be of some help–Best of luck on your trip. Pura Vida!
Do you read whole posts or just parts Scottbenson? I was talking about taking care of my friends not Ticos! Don’t you? If you don’t, I can’t imagine you would have any friends as ALL relationships take work. I take no offense when my friends also take good care of me and don’t take me for granted–no matter where they happen to live or have been born in….The part of my post you’re referring to is here:
“I have been blessed with good friends in the US, CR and New Zeland. I make it a point to take good care of them and not take them for granted.”
So if you’re going to criticize, at least do it after having understood the post…My sister married a Tico, my nieces are Ticas, I’ve lived in that country for many years (since 1982), but that doesn’t invalidate other peoples’ experiences with Ticos/as that they have shared on this thread–even when different from my own. To observe someone patronize any group is upsetting and I can understand your disdain, but I suggest you have just done the same thing here sir…
Assuming again..Diego, the basic philosophy of the passages I put in my post that are part of the New Testament (not the Old Testament) do not condone attacking others for any reason. It doesn’t say If I have all of the wisdom in the world but I don’t have love, I have nothing–PS. except don’t love gays, fornicators and women who choose not to have children…You might want to give that a lookie…If you want to live by the law then forget the New Testament promisees and just live and be judged by the Old Testament law–Oh wait according to Christianity, that wasn’t working too well so the whole Jesus thing came about, or no? I’m spiritual but not religious; however, I love him and his teachings. Frankly, what he stood for–the whole let he who is without sin cast the first stone and all. I love seeing people trying to judge others by the Old Testament and then granting themselves absolution and salvation based on the New–mighty convenient wouldn’t you say?
You obviously get nastier at night, I really don’t know why–might want to think about it…Anyway, there have been plenty of people I have assisted and that I’ve never seen again. Hence, your correlation is void of substance. I help because I can and by the grace of God that could to be anyone. Yesterday, today and tomorrow, I choose to help in whatever small way I can. The “colorful” friends I have or have had along the way have been very helpful, but I do not like to make people feel indebted to me–that’s a nasty little habit that people who consider other people inferior do. Gratitude is a great thing for us ALL to feel, feeling indebted–not so great! So now that you have accused me of trying to be popular without having substance or character, not making a point, missing the point, having no sense of humor, helping others only to help myself, being a control freak, assuming about you when you’re the one making judgments about me all the time, that I was taking stabs/barbs at you (which I was not doing) when you’re constantly doing this to me and others–Do you feel better now? I really can’t imagine that you might…You are obviously intelligent and can make very precise points sometimes, but you know very little about me or anyone else on the forum to make the kind of blatant assumptions you do–that is NOT insight Diego, that is ordinary stereotyping and you’re way to smart to just be falling into that trap. Someone else mentioned it in another post, people can be different, that doesn’t make them any less. You shouldn’t try to make them feel any less either–It won’t make you feel better and is wasted energy. I’m still waiting for the insightful, intelligent and funny without being nasty Diego that does show up from time to time to come forward…Have a good night Diego…
See, something in common, you seem to like one of my favorite writers! Diego, I didn’t say YOU had a log in your eye, I said we ALL have it. I read voraciously and I wanted to make a point that the New Testament does not support gay nor female right’s bashing. As the views you were expressing are very conservative and some conservatives think that the NT does support such positions. I don’t need you or others on the forum to like me, but I would prefer it and I’ve taking a liking to many. However, my views are not popularity driven as neither are yours (STOP ASSUMING!). I’m sure there are those that agree with your “that’s just wrong to be that way deal,” but I didn’t want it to sit without a response. Reread your own posts and then reread mine. No spin and no assumptions necessary. By the way, I’ve always championed for the less fortunate or the ones that couldn’t or didn’t have the opportunity to defend themselves. I like that about me and it has given me some very colorful and loyal friends around the globe. They’ve come in handy when I’ve been in a bind…:->
