Am I another North American manimpulated by the media??

utopiacowboy says on Nov 11, 2004, 12:24:

In answer to your topic question, yes.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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nomad unpopular says on Nov 11, 2004, 12:33:

take it easy there is no problem for you,
common sense, if you know some spanish it always helps but not nesassary, the only problems i can imagine is that if you encounter La FARC o ELN, just tell them you disagree with american foriegn adminastration. also helps to have some socialist propaganda on you, like a red and black flag, or a soviet hammer and sickle t-shirt. but i am really going over the top, just take it easy.

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kernow62 says on Nov 11, 2004, 12:40:

unfortunately American media does not begin to show the world outside. America does not want world savvy citizens; it is easier to claim that America is the best country in the world if the populace in general has nothing to base this on other than what the media lets us see.

If you are in the US and have Direct TV I recommend World Link TV, as well as NWI for a more balanced view of the outside world.

Yes America is a wonderful place to live and in some ways it is the best, but in many others it lags behind much of the world. Perhaps if the leaders in the US looked at where Britain was 100 years ago and the mistakes she made they would not make many of the same errors in foreign policy.

Colombia is a wonderful country, and yes it is not the safest country in the world, but there are parts of the country where you can feel quite safe. Colombian people are what make Colombia so special for most who have visited.

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Roncita says on Nov 11, 2004, 13:38:

Hey - people here have bleached blond hair, wear sandals and shorts (in Cartagena you don't want to wear anything else) AND go to McDonalds too you know....

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Yag says on Nov 11, 2004, 14:52:

How about Jamaica What does the media and the U.S. government say about Jamaica?

I'll TELL YOU!! Jamaica is a wonderful vacation destination......that's the word......and it is!

The truth about Jamaica is that it is the murder capitol of the world and it beats colombia.....hands down .......on drug use!

The U.S.government needs to blame someone for the drug use problem that we have in this country.....soooo....colombia gets the rap.

colombia sells drugs ...AND ....the U.S. buys!

Who is at fault here and who is to blame?

Colombia is not responsible for the drug problems that we have here in this country. It is political......you can not believe those government reports..........period.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Nov 11, 2004, 16:06:

Don't blame the media. It's not like they're making this stuff up. However, there's a side to Colombia that isn't well represented to the outside world, too.

The difference between a place like Colombia and, say, Jamaica, is that Jamaica isn't involved in a war between 4 different formal armed groups. Jamaica just has a terrible crime problem, much like certain places in the US. But it doesn't have 2 million displaced, coke dealing guerillas controlling parts of the country, presidential candidates kidnapped, etc.

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kernow62 says on Nov 11, 2004, 18:20:

why not blame the media if they reported a balanced view of the subjects that would be one thing, but they tend towards sensationalism. Perhaps I expect too much from the media. They talk about the problems of Colombia all too frequently, they tend not to delve deeper into the root causes of these problems, they also seem to never mention the use of dangerous defoliants in the war on drugs. As Tinto menions it is a very
"American-centric view". I personally watch several international news reports as well as listening to a bit of the old shortwave or Internet radio and would recommend anyone who is interested in what happens outside of America to do likewise.

Thank goodness there is the Internet and forums such as this, which for the most part portray Colombia through the eyes of those who live there or have visited & have firsthand knowledge.

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Colombia-Jane says on Nov 11, 2004, 18:54:

No worries! I know what you must be hearing. You'll be kidnapped, stabbed on the bus, taken to random dumps and killed by taxi drivers, and that "narco-terrorists" will slip drugs in your pocket when you're not looking.

All I have to say is....PFFFFFFFFF.

Unless you plan on hiking through the jungle by yourself, you're gonna be fine.







www.community.webshots/user/cjontheloose

www.community.webshots/user/cjontheloose

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brad216 says on Nov 12, 2004, 08:31:

I am a gringo from the northeast part of usa. i've travelled back and forth between usa and cali 4 times in the last 3 months to see my fiance and have had no problems at all. I will admit i was scared before my first visit to Colombia but i have to admit, it is now one of my favorite countries. i've travelled through out europe, usa, and canada and can honestly say....DONT BELIEVE THE NEGATIVE ABOUT COLOMBIA. i have never felt as comfortable or treated as nice as i have by the colombian people. unfortunatley i dont speak spanish at this time, but i have found surrounding yourself with locals is the best thing you can do when traveling there. don't worry about the danger, there is no more danger in colombia as there would be in any major city in the usa...just enjoy the beautiful country and its people.

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william_andrew_channell says on Nov 16, 2004, 10:41:

Who can say... Stupid, biased, lying, the-US-is-the-center-of-the-world-and-everything-else-is-wilderness, twisted, uninformed US media???

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william_andrew_channell says on Nov 16, 2004, 10:42:

One other thing... If you still believe everything the US media tells you and think that it's the best news source. I'm sorry. You've been living terribly misinformed.

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sus says on Nov 23, 2004, 23:28:

wow guys! take it easy on the bantering! the guy just wants to know if it's safe to visit our beautiful country....bottom line? YES, safer than visiting Mexico or Jamaica in my opinion.
I've been to both and I saw way crazier stuff there than I did in Colombia. Just use common sense, you will have the time of your life, promise.

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Raleigh1590 says on Dec 9, 2004, 19:37:

I might be a little naive on this, but besides a passport, is there anything else you might need to visit? I don't know much Spanish besides no habla espanol, LOL, but I'm trying to learn.

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phishrox says on Dec 12, 2004, 08:35:

Learn mas espanol !!! I just returned from my first trip to Medellin and I loved every part of the trip.I felt safe at all times.Yes if you want to find problems or trouble you can, but you can find even worse trouble in any large US city.
I cannot wait to return but I want to habla espanol muy bien. The most important thing I would tell you is that the Gringo way of dealing with things is not the best way to deal with issues there.Be polite is the most important thing.I was never bothered if I was polite with those that wanted me to buy from them. I never heard anyone raise their voice when there was a dispute....and I never heard the words we love to use so well.....words like Fuck you,Leave me alone,Get away from me....and so on.All that was required was a polite gesture of no with the hand and then say grasias while doing it.
The only place I was confused was actually the airport!!!

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suzannyo says on Dec 12, 2004, 10:49:

Just use a little common sense and you'll be fine :) I'm a gringa from the midwest who's spent 3.5 months in Colombia this year (1 month in Cartagena and 2.5 outside of Bogota). Before I came I had a lot of the same fears that it sounds like you do...I made the gigantic mistake of reading the US govt warnings about travel to Colombia (and a Guatemalan friend had just been killed in Guatemala) so I was freaking out about safety issues. However, I can honestly say that once I got to Cartagena, those fears melted away.

I'm volunteering as a social worker with a NGO that works in some tough, tough neighborhoods in both cities. Yes, we have a pretty extensive security team (we always have security with us while we're out working in the communities doing home visits, etc, and are in constant communication via Avantel/Nextel with "central" which is monitored by the police), but it almost always feels like over-kill. Outside of work hours, when I've been hanging out in Cartagena at night or just doing normal, touristy things in/around Bogota, I've always traveled with Colombian friends, but we've never had a problem. Of course, we use common sense...like you said, don't flash lots of money/jewelry and try to blend in, but also avoid going anywhere alone, avoid using ATMs at night, always lock your doors, don't drive around with lots of things in your car, etc. Generally speaking, ask the Colombians you know before you go somewhere or do something for the first time...they want to make sure you're safe and well cared for, so they'll be really honest with you about whether or not something or someplace is safe.

But most of all, relax and enjoy the culture and the people...they're absolutely wonderful. I'm moving to Bogota in February (si Dios quiere) y estoy aman~ada con Colombia.

Suzannyo

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