# Will Central and South America become civilized again? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 27, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184 "2019-06-27T22:08:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/1 "2019-06-27T22:08:32Z")
It seems to me that in the last 10 or 20 years many of the countries in Central and South America have descended into total anarchy. As a result large segments of the population are fleeing to the USA. Is the remaining population ever going to come together to reinstate strong local government? The question may seem stupid but I’m legitimately puzzled why we never see stories about gangsters or drug dealers being arrested or at least resisted. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/2 "2019-06-27T22:21:18Z")
Moving to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/3 "2019-06-27T22:21:44Z")
Oh boy… ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/4 "2019-06-27T22:26:17Z")
Chile is one of the best countries in the world by almost every measure ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/5 "2019-06-27T22:34:20Z")
Despite alarmist reports, Central and South America in general are not “descending into anarchy.” There are a great variety of countries with a great variety of social conditions. It is true there are countries that currently have large problems: Venezuela, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in particular. But there are a number of countries that are stable and quite “civilized,” although there may be pockets of crime in urban areas. Among these are Panama, Costa Rica, and Chile. Homicide rates have been falling in northern Central America and Colombia. I just returned from two weeks in Bolivia, the poorest country in South America, and felt entirely safe during my entire visit. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/6 "2019-06-27T22:48:58Z")
> [@Fir\_na\_tine](#): > > The question may seem stupid but I’m legitimately puzzled why we never see stories about gangsters or drug dealers being arrested or at least resisted. Well then clearly everyone down there is just twiddling their thumbs. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/7 "2019-06-27T22:52:32Z")
But I hear that Brazil’s monkey problem is even worse now. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/8 "2019-06-28T07:48:27Z")
Define “civilized country”. Does it include running concentration camps? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/9 "2019-06-28T08:02:12Z")
I like how Straight Dope jumps on people for asking innocent naive questions like this but that guy who claimed that it was Worse to be a Minority in Trump’s America than be a Jew in Nazi Germany had everyone here suddenly go “My god, he’s right!” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/10 "2019-06-28T08:24:08Z")
> [@Fir\_na\_tine](#): > > The question may seem stupid but I’m legitimately puzzled why we never see stories about gangsters or drug dealers being arrested or at least resisted. Can someone translate this to English for me please? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/11 "2019-06-28T08:33:55Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > I like how Straight Dope jumps on people for asking innocent naive questions like this There’s nothing “innocent” or “naive” about characterising an entire continent’s worth of people as uncivilized. There’s a good question buried underneath it about current Latin American politics, but the actual OP is a poisoned well as given. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/12 "2019-06-28T08:48:28Z")
Taking the O.P. at face value, for the shits and/or giggles: how does a population “reinstate strong local government?” In a democracy, they can choose their vote among the existing candidate(s) but in anarchy etc. - as you, the O.P. describe it - aren’t they pretty much stuck with whoever’s the Big Man on the ant hill? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/13 "2019-06-28T08:54:45Z")
And, how is “strong local government” defined? Usually country-wide and local are considered opposites; a government can be very strong and not be any good for their people. In fact, I’d say that one of the problems of multiple countries is that their government is both strong and bad for the people. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/14 "2019-06-28T16:41:46Z")
I did not know I wasn’t civilized, I wonder how I’m using this strange “computer” tecnology?, is it magic perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/15 "2019-06-28T16:57:18Z")
Interestingly, I can find school shootings in the US categorized on Wikipedia by year. I cannot find a similar breakdown of Central American or South American school shootings. Make America Civilized Again! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/16 "2019-06-28T16:57:31Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And, how is “strong local government” defined? Usually country-wide and local are considered opposites; a government can be very strong and not be any good for their people. In fact, I’d say that one of the problems of multiple countries is that their government is both strong and bad for the people. I’ll just throw this out there: Cuba has the lowest rate of violent crime of any Latin American country, and much lower than the US. And while El Salvador has a violent crime rate 15 times that of the US, the US has a violent crime rate 19 times greater than that of Japan. So the Japanese would presumably be justified in asking if the US is ever going to become civilized. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/17 "2019-06-28T17:01:26Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Interestingly, I can find school shootings in the US categorized on Wikipedia by year. I cannot find a similar breakdown of Central American or South American school shootings. Make America Civilized Again! Panama has a rate of violent crime about 80% higher than the US. But while there are occasional gang shootouts, in 27 years here I have never once heard of a school shooting or workplace rampage. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/18 "2019-06-28T17:03:45Z")
> [@Fir\_na\_tine](#): > > It seems to me that in the last 10 or 20 years many of the countries in Central and South America have descended into total anarchy. As a result large segments of the population are fleeing to the USA. Is the remaining population ever going to come together to reinstate strong local government? Every time they do, the US funds rebels to undermine that government. Central America is in chaos because the US prefers to keep it in chaos. If the US ever becomes civilized, then Central America will probably follow. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/19 "2019-06-28T17:16:49Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Can someone translate this to English for me please? In that question specifically: I believe the OP is asking “_How do gangsters and drug dealers come to have power on par with or even greater than the governments of some nations?_” Implicit in such a question may be the observation that “_Gangsters and drug dealers are less powerful than the government in nations such as the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, Germany, France, etc._” It may be a naive thing to ask, but it’s not a topic unworthy of discussion in an effort to lead someone to greater understanding (esp. those who may only read this thread rather than post). It’s also not a topic that is sufficiently served with superficial discussion – the reasons are both multifactorial and complex. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184/20 "2019-06-28T17:29:13Z")
“Soy un candidato de Texas y todavía no entiendo lo que intenta expresar con palabras…” - Beto [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-central-and-south-america-become-civilized-again/836184.md?page=2)