Rick Steves' Travel as a Political Act Blog

Santa and the Chopper

Overwhelmed by the uncomfortable realities that El Salvador confronted me with, I retreated to a strip mall in a wealthy part of town. I was just settling into a nice, peaceful, comforting latte, like I get each morning back home, when a US military helicopter surged over the horizon. It hovered above for a moment and then clumsily landed. A jolly Santa Claus hopped out to the delight of the children wealthy enough to have moms shopping here.

Looking at those kids and thinking of their dump-dwelling cousins, I realized that, even if you're motivated only by greed, if you know what's good for you, you don't want to be filthy rich in a desperately poor world. I've seen it here in Central America, where fancy houses are built with speed bumps in front forcing angry people to slow down before tossing explosives into their yard enabling guards to get the license plate number. I've seen it in Java, hanging out with rich Chinese behind designer fortifications. And I've seen it in Dallas, driving out to Plano past ten miles of fortified front yards with chicken wire over the top to protect those relatively wealthy children from the have-nots who roam those fine streets.

Feeling the breeze of the chopper as Santa climbed back in and it flew away, I took another sip of the drink I just paid half a day's local wages for. Pulling out my little notebook, I added a few more observations, and continued my education.

About This Entry

You are reading "Santa and the Chopper", an entry posted on 14 October 2009 by Rick Steves.

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Comments [ top ]

I think you need to better advertise the existence of this blog. I say this because I would have expected more comments by readers. I've been reading it on my Blackberry via an RSS feed and so generally can't post any commentary of my own. But after reading some of the latest entries I felt compelled to "Thank You" for writing about your observations in El Salvador. My wish, more people start reading this blog...very enlightening and very powerful!

Posted by: Waltlanta - Oct 16, 2009 5:01 AM

Rick, I believe you are right to branch out from the comfy storybook world presented by your tours to try do something about the human misery you inevitably encounter on your travels. I believe you have not found your literary footing in this endeavor. Your happy homilies, artistic allusions, cheerful alliterations, meandering metaphors, zingy zingers and catchy phrases such as, "Scampering like sixteenth notes..." don't transfer well to human misery. I am most disappointed when you observe complex facts then present over-abbreviated, cliche conclusions. You are so skilled at revealing the uniqueness, diversity, charm, sincerity, and practicality in people around the globe but then you conclude there are only two types of people in all the world. The "haves and have nots" concept is very old and treacherously simplistic. Many years ago the term "relatively deprived" emerged from the "haves/have nots" discussion. Rick, please keep trying. You have built a great pulpit. Your hi-tech skills provide a powerful megaphone. You still have a sympathetique audience who vote. You must refine the logic and concusions or you will lose us.

Posted by: Charles in Plano - Oct 18, 2009 11:50 AM