the economy of indifference
%%red%%we are surviving an economy of indifference%%. we must face economic cruelty on a daily basis. why? inequality and disproportionate care in the era of attention and empty performative gesturing.
%%purple%%i keep wondering why, collectively, don't we consider influencers, travel bloggers, landlords, digital nomads, and capitalists cringe?%% my city has been gentrified by hoards of american cheapskate wannabe capitalist digital nomads who came here simply because of its instagramable charm. i mean the go home gringo is picking up steam, but those of us who have been displaced can't compete against our own local greed, the american dollar, and our own need to find a way to put food in our mouths.
%%red%%blanket statement, yes, but i don't like estadounidenses.%% but more specifically the new colonial sort who come here for cute photos and supposedly cheap rent. cheap rent for whom? for them i suppose, although due to them, we now live in one of the most expensive cities (in the second poorest state) in the country.
we try not to go to centro anymore, because it is overrun. we can't afford the inflated prices of coffee and food, so we stick to our barrio. %%red%%our biggest problem here, is our guests economic indifference.%% gentrification, poor tipping habits, and the egregious naivety and complete lack of knowledge on how to act like a guest all feed into this indifference. the regions radical hospitality has far too long been taken advantage of by these colonial insurgents.
%%green%%so we have begun creating our own economies of care%%, background sharing and gift economies, sliding scale "secret" pricing in restaurants and bars, hosting friends and family more than going out, and promoting local activity away from tourist hot spots. our old hangouts and spaces have slowly been disneyfied and sucked clearly of their spirit: once important and culturally relevant places are now celebrated on instagram and tik tok as fashionably cool.
but these influencers and tourists have no stake in the game here. they take advantage of the community and the city, and will until it too becomes too unaffordable to them ... then they will leave. well, tons of hard feelings gringo. that is why you should go home sooner than later. we will pick up where we left off, with our economies of care.