Barrio lastarria

Santiago is an active place. There are people moving everywhere, and in every manner of motion – cars, bicycles, motorcycles, e-bikes, scooters, runners, pedestrians, jugglers and guys on stilts walking through traffic. There are unofficial impromptu market stands on most walkways and bridges, people selling fruit, nuts, sweets, cigarettes, lottery tickets, sunglasses, rolling paper, cold beverages, and ubiquitous clothing laid out on tarps at particular streetcorners with regularity.

Chileans are very entrepreneurial and highly motivated to provide for themselves and their families. They likely spend a larger proportion of their income on food, entertainment, electronics, cars, and fashion. They also appear to be unselfconscious and unapologetic for their appetites. They’re basically the most “American” of people. It helps that the effective tax rate in Chile is closer to the U.S. than Canada or Western Europe. In 2017, Canada came in at 22.8 per cent, actually below the OECD average of 25%. Chile was at 15 per cent, along with South Korea and Mexico, versus up to 35 per cent in Belgium, Denmark and Germany.

So, it’s a bit surprising that Sundays in Santiago are reminiscent of 1970s Toronto. Nearly all of the shops on the high streets are closed, as are most restaurants and bars. It’s not the law – the Costanera Mega Shopping Mall – the Eatons Centre of Santiago – is, like Ontario, open for business. Selected other shops, snack bars, and restaurants are open as well. It’s interesting that these tirelessly ambitious folks still largely view Sunday as a day of rest.

One might think that it’s the result of the continued influence of the Catholic church. However, a massive pedophilia scandal involving priests and a Vatican cover-up, has shaken the faith of many here.  It appears that family, and the importance of spending quality time with those in your inner circle, is even more important. That shows on the people and the way that they interact with each other.

What also showed, in the neighbourhood “Barrio Lastarria” that we visited today, is that many people have had enough of a social order that is slanted towards the rich. Graffiti and broken windows are common here. And when citizens are consistently writing “Death to the president”, “Justice or you will be murdered”, “Cops are murderers”, and plenty of other stuff in Spanish I can’t yet understand, it ain’t good. 

One of the chief players in the Chilean Catholic church scandal was a guy named Bernardino Piñera, an influential Chilean priest who is also happened to be a paternal uncle of current Chilean President Sebastian Piñera. When confronted with the charges, Piñera claimed that it was fake news and that he had had “impeccable behavior. Sound familiar???