Transmilienio

The main method of public transport here in Bogotà is the articulated bus system called the Transmilenio. Most people here will tell you that it is a terrible system and that they hate to use it. In reality the problem is not the bus system but the passengers. The inhabitants of Bogotà are known as Rolos. The feature that is most striking of the Rolos is not so much that they are bad mannered but more that they have no concept of manners or of how to relate to other people.

Bogotà should be a hot destination for students of psychology and sociology. If you consider the situation from a statistical point of view then there are outliers in the population who demonstrate a social awareness, however the vast majority that fall into the 90th percentile demonstrate a miraculous level of social selfishness.

Since the Spanish arrived to populate South America some three hundred years ago there seems to have been little or no development of social skills in the Rolos. It is difficult to describe the manifestation of this with sufficient clarity. It is almost an endemic form of sociopathy.

Back to the Transmilenio then for an example. When waiting for the next bus the people will form something that bears an almost passing resemblance to a queue. If you study this huddle carefully you can make out the odd configuration that almost passes for a line, although later arrivers will join the huddle at any point that suits them even moving directly to the front. You can sense a rising anxiety at the anticipated arrival of the next bus with heads craning to gain the first glimpse of the bus. As the bus arrives there is an immediate increase in pushing and josstling for position. Rolos suffer an exaggerated fear of the possibility that they may have to stand up on their own two feet while on the bus. You can hear the breathing rate increase and hearts begin to race as the Rolos begin to consider that soneone else in front of them may gain possession of the seating that they themselves desire. Once the bus does arrive and the doors open then any remaining resemblance of an orderly line evaporates as the crowd scramble through the dorrs like bulls through a gate. This is compounded by the fact that if any of the front runners perceive that they may not get a seat on this bus they will stop still and erect in front of the doors to reserve their plce for the next bus. The clear demonstration of their selfishness is that they will actively try to stop anyone passing them to board the bus in case they were mistaken and someone else actually does manage to get a seat.

Get away from the Transmilenio and you will encounter the same disregard for other people in every aspect of life. In the workplace it is difficult to perform any kind of workforce planning as Rolos do not arrive at work regularly. When they do come it is almost always late and once they begin to work (and I do use the expression loosely) their main preocupation is the avoidance of work. Diligence is not the order of the day.

One of my later blog postings will relate to the Britsh lack of recognition of the life enjoyed in the UK.