Is it considered glamorous in Colombia to be a narco?

Simon says on Mar 11, 2010, 12:27:

It's not considered glamorous by decent people.

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

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ConorC says on Mar 11, 2010, 12:36:

I'm always amazed at the amount of telenovelas that focus on narcotrafficing and the lifestyle...and whilst not glorifying it, don't seem to be raining on the parade either...

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Robert Jorge says on Mar 11, 2010, 15:58:

Put it this way, Pablo Escobar was one of the wealthiest men in the world at one time. But one of the things that he could not attain was acceptance by the law abiding, old wealth in Colombia. He was considered an outcast by the country club types.

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juanalejo says on Mar 11, 2010, 17:32:

Mafiosos have always been considered outcasts, the type of car a mafioso drives is considered tacky, the type dress, home decoration, etc. And if anybody is not a mafioso but happens to have those kind of tastes it is also not well seen. That is one of the big reasons Colombians think that Venezuelans and Panamenians are tacky, simply because they have that south Florida taste that was so popular among mafiosos.

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Wastelandlive says on Mar 11, 2010, 17:38:

Absolutely.

"Decent people?" There are some of those, I suppose, who recognize the entire enterprise - trafficking, prohibition, corrupt public servants playing both sides against the middle, hardened criminals with no respect for anybody - for the evil, corrupt, and impoverishing force that it is.

But mostly you're seeing old money resentful of new money.

Absolutely it's glamorous. What, you think the babes hanging off the arms of the narcos don't know who they're with? They think that their men are Robin Hood... and sadly, their perspective has a grain of truth to it.

Wasteland

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Monita Linda says on Mar 11, 2010, 17:47:

See the popularity of "las muñecas de la mafia".

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Robert Jorge says on Mar 11, 2010, 17:49:

And those girls by and large come from estrato 0-2 roots. The traqueto / mafioso is their only way out of the barrio. Just another branch from the easy money, easy life tree.

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 11, 2010, 18:19:

That is a ridiculous question, I am sorry, I have to think that it is just plain ignorance. If you know the real Colombian traditional people with morals and scrupulous, this is a BIG insult even to suggest that.

http://medellinapartment.yolasite.com/

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Wastelandlive says on Mar 11, 2010, 18:40:

When I die I want God to explain to me why men worry about whether an answer is correct or not, while women worry about how the answer makes them "feel."

I know plenty of "real Colombian traditional people" Lisa. The latter part about "with morals and scrupulous" is a tautology which has little relationship to the former: "La Violencia" was not inflicted on Colombia by a bunch of coke heads.

Really. Here are Colombians celebrating the narco-lifestyle.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/21/world/main1826451.shtml

It's really no different here in the US... everybody loves an outlaw. We call ours "investment bankers." We hate them, yet they sleep with the lingerie models.

Welcome to the real world!

Wasteland

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juanalejo says on Mar 11, 2010, 18:51:

Wasteland, just because the Colombians you are related to or have been around you are those kind of Colombians, it does not mean that the generality of Colombians do not feel disgusted by narcos and their life style. The real world is not trying to justify outlaws, it is simply living by your own moral standards.

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:25:

Wastelandlive: fame has nothing to do with being a novel person and educated from a nice Colombian family. I don't need to explain any farther.

http://medellinapartment.yolasite.com/

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billyb says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:26:

Of course it's glamorous. I mean, can it get more glamorous than this?



...

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

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billyb says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:30:

Or this stylish fellow, sporting his new neck tie. They say he used to be the toast of the town.

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

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span_colombia says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:31:

interesting opinions - anybody have any real life examples?

I would say in my experience, being a narco is not considered glamorous in colombia. colombia's relationships to drugs is quite complicated - we're talking about a very proud and nationalistic people, but also a very pragmatic people.

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:35:

Thanks Billy. or no thanks, that is horrid!

http://medellinapartment.yolasite.com/

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Wastelandlive says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:43:

Great...

Here come the nationalists.

Juan, you have no idea what kind of Colombians I hang around with. And you're absolutely right: "it does not mean that the generality of Colombians feel disgusted by narcos and their life style." My point exactly.

Lesa, your sentence makes even less sense than Jaun's. Fame has nothing to do with being novel or educated? Er... OK. Point to you!

Think people. Look at the original question, consider your own experience in the matter, and ask yourself, "How is it that Colombia is the largest producer of coca paste in the world?"

I'm thinking it's probably tougher to be gay than a narco in Colombia... at least the latter get respect.

It doesn't happen in a vaccum folks. And nobody is trying to insult your precious honor... I'm well aware that the demand comes from the US and Europe...

Wasteland

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treedoc says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:45:

Billy, thnx for showing us how glamorous the life of a drug lord really can be....the last guy kinda looks like a young Antonio Banderas.....rock stars and movie stars, all of em, right up to the moment of truth....gotta be a better way to play Robin Hood....

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Simon says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:49:

Good one BillyB! Thanks for handling these anti-Colombian pricks!

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

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juanalejo says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:52:

The only thing more repudiated than narcos in Colombia are stupid gringos like those around here, obviously except by those hotties looking for an easy way to a glamorous life or in the worse case a Blue Passport.

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Simon says on Mar 11, 2010, 19:57:

Yeah, those stupid gringos who come to Colombia to get laid by thirteen year-olds are the most pathetic!

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

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Robert Jorge says on Mar 11, 2010, 20:08:

Oh Jesus.

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 11, 2010, 20:24:

My answer to the op is: NO!

If you meet someone that tells you he is a narco or hangs with some,,,,RUNNNNNNN the other way!

http://medellinapartment.yolasite.com/

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webmanco says on Mar 11, 2010, 21:09:

Is it considered glamorous in Colombia to be a narco?

Yes in Hollywood and other countries. There are many wanna be PE.

No hay extremo cierto o verdadero, porque los extremos opacan, enruedan, (lavan cerebros) verdades. Yotas

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cara_de_mono says on Mar 11, 2010, 21:13:

Strange how Juan turned the topic from narcos to stupid gringos.

I don't get it.

The Feeble Few flageth, and the Moderators taketh away ...

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Mar 11, 2010, 22:29:

No.
It's not considered glamorous, but it makes money. Pragmatic people,

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Sam Salmon says on Mar 11, 2010, 22:37:

And now de leg!

' a la orden!'

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Lisa Zee says on Mar 11, 2010, 22:41:

Check this post... here is the answer to the OP:http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/post/beautiful-model-shot-by-narco-boyfriend/

http://medellinapartment.yolasite.com/

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Simon says on Mar 11, 2010, 22:45:

''And now de leg!''

That's from Scarface, lol!

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

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eafit2005 says on Mar 12, 2010, 03:50:

even the newspaper el colombiano has put already some articles to the question weather e.g. telenovelas like "El Capo", "Los Victorinos" o "Las munecas de la mafia" corrupt colombian values etc. So the question if it is considered glamorous in Colombia to be a narco isn`t an insult at all. Rather its a problem that some mostly estrato 0-3 Colombians consider it as an option to get out of economic necessity and those type of novelas support them in some way in this opinion. Amongst well off colombians I haven`t openly seen this attitude, but then IMO many of them also know who of their rich neigbours are "moviendo fichas" - gaining their money by illegal means- and don`t do anything about this....

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juanalejo says on Mar 12, 2010, 04:14:

American television is all about violence, rapes, killings, treason, etc. Does this mean that Americans are assassins, violent etc? Just because the can reflect specific types of lifestyles, it does not mean it is highly regarded. Cara de mono, no it is not strange how the subject changed, it is just a commentary of how we Colombians view the whore searching gringo who is so common in this forum.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Mar 12, 2010, 05:32:

Is it considered glamorous in USA to be a mafiosi, a gangster, a serial killer, a psychopath?
I certainly hope not and I believe that even if there may be a crowd that sincerely admires the culture of crime they should be a minority. There's a certain subculture that idolizes crime; both in USA and in Colombia and even in other countries.The media industry exploits the ever-growing demand to create shows, movies, scenes with explicit sexual and violent content that seems to sell so well. Thirty years ago movies like Clockwork Orange or The Wild Bunch were consodered the epitome of crude and despiccable violence, now scenes from these movies make audiences to yawn in expectation of something even cruder, even more shocking, even more violent. We have become immune to the obscenity of violence.

Something fundamentally very wrong happened in Colombia in the eighties and nineties; something that caused severe damage in the very fabric of the Colombian society and culture. I'm not saying that everything were hunky dory before either, just that the normal, peaceful progress from an archaic society towards a more egalitarian, less religious, more humanistic and more democratic society was halted and compromised by the drug culture, the power of the cartels and the morality criminals. Colombian society and media need to let go and focus on more positive aspects of the culture. It's time to move on.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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pavo says on Mar 12, 2010, 06:20:

Tell me if I´m wrong but there are no more narcos in Colombia as they were once perceived.

The drug business is now run out of the jungle by FARC and Paras and deliquents. The drugs are moved into Venezuela where they are packed and shipped to Mexico, Central America and the carribean where it then is shipped onto the fertile markets in the United States, Russia and Europe.

The only ones left in the business of drugs in the Colombian cities are those cleaning the money.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Mar 12, 2010, 07:07:

The Cartel del Norte is not finished....as far as I know.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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pavo says on Mar 12, 2010, 07:21:

Bogota. Category 1. 23 years

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tropicalshirt says on Mar 12, 2010, 07:46:

Span,

considering a career change?

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Simon says on Mar 12, 2010, 09:52:

I wonder if the popularity of 'The Sopranos' and 'The Godfather' movies means that the mafia lifestyle is considered ''glamorous'' in the USA?

"Just an honest, decent Colombian trying to do the right thing."--Simon

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span_colombia says on Mar 12, 2010, 10:23:

ya, personally I find it creepy when a dude puffs out his chest and informs me of his 'glamorous' career choice. but I must say, from my last couple of months in guatemala and el salvador, it does seem to be considered pretty glamorous by a lot of dudes. that just seems to be a contrast from colombia and I was wondering if I was missing something there.

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billyb says on Mar 12, 2010, 10:50:

"The Cartel del Norte is not finished....as far as I know."

It is not dead yet, but all its leaders are all in hiding, living like rats in chozos and Saddam style spider holes, hardly the "glamorous" lifestyle that the OP hand in mind I think.

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

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cara_de_mono says on Mar 12, 2010, 10:54:

Juan, I understand now, you just ran out of things to say about narcos.

A small percentage of the drugs produced does go to Venezuela. Most of that is shipped to Africa then Europe - or straight to Europe. The majority of drugs going to the US still leave the west and north coast of Colombia via maritime vessels of one sort or another and go to Central America, Mexico, or the Caribbean Islands before entering the US.

The Feeble Few flageth, and the Moderators taketh away ...

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dwmte7 says on Mar 13, 2010, 06:29:

colombia eliminated the 'money laundering' problem by enacting laws which allowed off colored money to be invested in real property developments, guaranteeing govt their share of the profits in taxes....then, the money is clean. and don't forget, it's a well known fact that many--if not all--latin govt's have their hands in the narcotics business, and with diplomatic immunity, they're able to move product around the world without problems. that ones been going on for a long time.

there's that old saying, 'follow the money'......then there's 'look at the politicians'. complicity is always worse and greatest, at the top. and that goes for right here in the good ole usa. lot's of hands in that pie, as the pie is so large.

as for it being glamorous to be a narco..........never at the high end of the economic pole. but in the barrios, amongst the have nots and powerless, yes, it is a sign that someone has 'come up' in the world. pity

patriarch

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dwmte7 says on Mar 13, 2010, 13:48:

it's like in the hood, the hoodlum who's sellin crack and wearing all the gold and driving a fancy suv is thought of as having made it. go figure.

patriarch

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