Wonderful Diaz, simply wonderful! I wonder who else has been saying the same thing in this Blog... wait a minute, It's me ;-)

Maybe Diaz can be a better champion of a more himanistic approach on how we treat people - ALL people!!!

Que mal salio en la foto, el bigleaguer!
The famous literary genius and author of Oscar Wao, ought to know a few things about what really makes Quiqueya tick.

He states: "As a country, dealing with marginalized sectors is the biggest test. If we pursue being a developed nation and a better society it isn’t the best way to treat the Haitians....

He is right about mistreating Haitians in DR. Yet, I know he's really on a whirlwind tour to promote his book in spanish. Maybe he wants to produce versions in other languages too?

The fact is the deterioation, decline of DR society is a complex of issues; The main one is the break down of morals, and the condoning of ill-gotten fortune. That's the main culprit, and nothing else is the root of "who are destroying the country". The rich may share blame, afterall it starts at the stop, and trickles down. But, it crosses all demographic stratas. All are culpable of the drop in morals. New morality = Old imorality. That's it!

Hear, Hear,
Junot!

well it does make sense!well done diaz !
the only one to blame for the increase of the poverty and violences in dr are the rich and the politician who behave like greedy and who encourage division between poor dominican and haitians,so they are not focused on whom is stealing all the Wealth of this beautiful country

Dalilla5:

So that means that all wealthy people in the planet earth are to blame for people living in misery, what about the people that go the extra mile in life and eventually become middle class or rich, there is nothing wrong with being succesful, Junot showed a very dwarf, ill conceived, nearsightet and chimp mentality.

I know many people that have become rich busting their backs, studying and working hard ,once again living comfortable has nothing wrong, Junot is a "hommo sapiens" without any intellectual credit other that writing this book.

Ignorance is the reason for poverty.

People are poor because they choose to multiply like rabbits.

Take a count of how many single mothers and do nothing fathers and there is a good start.

Then rich are the only reason this country isn't the same as Haiti and for the most part the Dominicans give back to the economy and provide employment.

Jander:


EXCELENT.......................................

Mr. Rubirosa I sorry, but you really don't get it, I hope don't be to late when you do.

Ignorance and inconsideration are the two great causes of the ruin of mankind.

By John Tillotson.

as you say they multiply like rabits because the sexual education is so bad!
beside the only thing free and available is the sex in this country!
instead to invest so much money on a stupid metro and useless building,they should have put the money toward education and health!this country need a major renovation
and for god sake even going to the extra mile doesnt help necessary,because is always somebody on the upper level to remind where you come from!
and nothing wrong be confortable but i can the american system failling at the moment and yes the capitalism is the biggest crap created on this planet!
im proud to be european and be able to pay my taxes to help the poorer!
when in america you die if you can afford the health insurance!

well say icabrera!!
i understand now when i hear comments like why the planet going bad! with such innapropriate comments,what do you expect??

Dalila5:

So let's blame european countries for all the misery in Africa, "what a foolish mentality"
I'm not talking about capitalism in general but the positive side of strugling in life like
studying, working and then becoming wealthy, who in its right clear mind wants to live
in despair all of his or her life.

This is the magic of success when you know you worked hard and eventually get your
goals achieved, also keep in perspective that Mr, Junot now " " is being ignorant
and short on his comments when placing the blame on rich in our country.

All my friends living in Dominican Republic, US and else strugle and eventually achieve
goals going the extra effort, so don't tell me that the companies in DR are to blame
for Haitians misfortunes.

Let's say for example E. Leon Jimenez corporation in Dominican Republic one of the
best or maybe the best in the country and also Latin America, We can't never say that
is their fault that We have so many poverty

(Cont)

When they for example help a lot the country paying taxes, helping culture events, planting trees
and so many other positive acitivities in the country.

I wonder if the book works in Spanish. I don't think Spanish readers will get many of the pop-culture & nerd-culture references. Then again a lot of those were obscure even for those born and raised in US.

Junot did not put down all rich people, that was the invention of someone in the thread. Junot spoke specifically of those who agitate against the weakest group around. And as for questioning Junot's intellectual accomplishment when one can hardly write English: NOW THAT IS RICH (a play on words that may go over some heads).

Manhattanite:

That's precisely what I'm trying to imply, why He did point his finger in a vague way and now
that the can of worms is open who are We going to blame the media or himself for trying to
be a wise intellectual without substance.

Does Junot realize that Dominicans are being treated poorely as well??? Do people realize human rights violations in the Dominican Republic are committed against Dominicans as well?

AzuaNYC:

Very good comments, there is so many people living below poverty lever in DR and you see so many ONG's, pro Haitians groups and peeple like Mr. Rusdhie talking C..P, they want to provide
for haitians what not even Dominicans have, to me this Stupid, ignorant and biased BS.

Jander I have a rebuttal for that. Haiti does have a Rich Elite, please refrain from saying that the rich are Angels and a savior to DR. Have you gone to Petionville and Bel Ville in Haiti to see the mansions and the gated communities. Those people can possibly purchase a good portion of DR if they want, soo please refrain to making the rich seem like saviors. The general inequality gap is again contributed by the rich that steals from the poor for their personal interest. Haiti's situation stems from terrible politics and extremely corrupt politicians. I don't care where you live or from, but don't talk about something you know very little about. The rich in DR don't care about dominicans, they would hire a haitian over a dominican because of the cheap labor. If you have proof to counter my argument, feel free to show me. Its all about the money at the end of the day.

Anonymous:

the proof of this aristocratic class in your country will be showing proof ot the business that they have (They are extremely wealthy) and could buy 1/2 of DR so please correct my Dominican
ignorance "I'M 100 HONEST"........................

zzzzzzzzzz.............

z z z z z z z z z z z .....wake me when it is over.....

Illegal flow of haitians need to be controlled, but the rich and politicians are definitely looking out for their pockets. Its sad, sometimes i feel dominicans are getting the short end of the stick, and deserve to have jobs in their own countries. No one would want a foreigner to take their job, but the politiicians and the rich are quite content with that. And do not look at the long term effects of such a strategy. As for ignorance is the root of poverty, i don't think that is the case necessarily, i know some dumb people who are quite rich. To a certain extent poverty is a perpetuating cycle, it is very hard for a person to leave that cycle. It takes a bit of luck and knowing the right people to leave that cycle. If you were born in a poor barrio and didn't have that much education, do u honestly think you would be as successful as you are now, Jander. You may have a job, but a low paying job, very hard to get out of the ghetto unless ur extremely determined and lucky.

JRRubirosa, they can buy half of the things in DR. The rich in haiti are extremely rich, but they are very small. DR isn't very expensive the last time i checked. There are some families who are quite wealthy. THe last time i checked DR is one of the cheapest place u can buy land and stuff in the carribean. And by buying half, i believe they have enough money to buy half the land. Maybe not all the buildings and building resorts left and right. But to buy half the land im sure they can. Despite popular belief mi hermano DR isn't Tokyo, NYC, or London. It is a beautiful place but still cheap to investors. Haiti has a LOT of poor, the Elite own a good portion. Ignorance is blissful JR. I am not here to bicker with u, but don't judge a book by its cover. I don't think haiti is the most glorious country in the world, but it is definitely not HELL.

Anonymous:

Perseverance always pays up in life, what about just to give you an example in Santo Domingo
Rafael Corporan de Los Santos, borned and raised poor, used to shine shoes and strugle ,eventually hard work payback was for him purchasing radio stations, having his own TV show and a politician too, was this good luck or hard work and perseverance???

Anonymous:

Once again I wasn't sarcastic when I asked you the question, it was a honest and sincere question...

You didn't answer the question yet, can you please name their families names, companies that
they own and else to correct my ignorance.

I can give you a few in Dominican Republic:

E. Leon Jimenez (Jimenez brothers) in Santiago, Banco Popular (Grullon Family), Bermudez & Co (Bermudez Family, Brugal & Co (Brugal family), Mera, Munoz & Fondeur (owned by the same 3 family names in Santiago and which is comprise by a construction company, Cementos Cibao (Rodriguez Family), Productos Induveca (Rivera family), Grupo M (Garcia Family) and which is textile and other type of companies in Stgo too and by the way they have a company right in the side of Haiti, etc, etc.

Just give me an example please to correct my ignorance, once againg I'm being 100 % honest with you not sarcastic.

Dear Anonymous,

How many families comprise the Haitian elitie? Can you give me the contact information to the Haitian elite so I can ask them to contribute to my non-profit organization? Do you think they would be interested in contributing money and resources if they knew I was interested in helping poor Haitian children loitering the streets of Dominican Republic?

Junot is in line to make millions from his book does that mean he is also destroying the country.

old_school_trinitario,

Junot is going to use the millions he makes from his books to help the Haitians that are abused in the Dominican Republic.

wait a minute !!! arent you "the rich dominicans !!! " you are a member of the hypocrisy . wake up and smell the coffe . i mean come on.....

AzuaNYC;

Agree with you 100% if he does something to help the Haitians then I shut up my mouth and will give him credit for being humble and sincere.

Dear Azua,

To be honest, i doubt the haitian elite truly care for the poor. I don't know if you were trying to be sarcastic or anything, but i can tell u flat out that the elite do not care about the poor. And that is the case in many third world countries.

Junot should not get involved in the Haitian plight.
Haiti will always pay for their actions during the slave era..
did everyone forget how much Haiti had to pay inorder to be accepted as a legitimate country..
just ask France

Come on, I guy like him can't generalize about the rich people, yes about the politicos, but not the rich. Many middle and high class people have earned their wealth by working hard many many hours.

DaniDR:

You are right with your statements, I could care less when He mentioned about politics being corrupted because is true but how can he use his tongue to lash business people and blame
them for other's people failures.

I did worked with somebody in the DR many years ago, this guy nowadays in his 70's created
a business empire and do a lot for the country and the comunity, it would be dumb and stupid
to make negative comments against him because he is wealthy and many people are not.

Junot made a big mistake talking BS in 90% of his exposition, why he doesn't propose a
percentage of his earnings from his book to be allocate to help the Haitians and he will get
people's confidence and credit instead of being a crazy, non sense lunatic without sense.

The Obeah says Gus is going to turn west and get Houston, although almost all of the weather men say Gus is going to get Louisiana or something like that.

Junot Diaz is a great man and writer.

Aristotle said any just man is greater than the greatest artists.

But a great artist finds and shows us the just man.

It is phoney when an idiot confuses the direction the country is heading and the failures of the corrupt and inept democracy imposed after 5/30/1961! RD has 2 million Haitians (about 1.6 millions are illegal). Those Haitians are displacing Dominicans from low scale jobs (by accepting lower wages), from public and private lands, takings subsidies, committing crimes and violence, importing contraband, weapons, drugs, diseases (HIV), crazy ants, creole, kompa, voodoo, prostitution (children), etc.
This guy is putting his nose in an area that he knows very little and that is why he looks like a fool making this type of statements!

"Those Haitians are displacing Dominicans from low scale jobs ..."

oooo

Haitians displace nobody.

The rich in the DR, as Junot implies ... whom the servile Dominican middle class and a cringing sector of the working class that bows before the rich like slaves ... displace the Dominicans in low scale jobs.

Blaming Haitians for a policy formulated and implemented by the rich of the DR is another forming of bowing and behind-kissing the Dominican rich.

The Haitian powers that be violate human rights against their own citizens so much so that there is a mass exodus to the Dom. Rep. Why is the Dominican government, elite, middle class, and poor obligated to extend these unwelcomed guests any better treatment than the Haitian gov't and elite would give them? Why is there a double standard? Haiti is a hotbed for human rights violations. Yet, everyone gets their panties in a bunch when Haitians are treated the same in Dom. Rep. as they are in Haiti? Are Haitians in the Dom. Rep. treated much worse than the poor Dominicans? Would everyone feel better if illegal Haitian immigrants were treated the same as poor Dominicans? Probably not, b/c in Dom. Rep. the poor are mistreated as well...is the int'l community in an uproar over this? Should illegal Haitian immigrants be treated the same as Dominican citizens? When the Haitian gov't and elite treat their countrymen with dignity and respect the int'l community will follow suit.

azuanyc:

Brilliant...............................Superb

After reading this article it came to my mind that the juno that we idolatress is nothing but a dysfunctional child. Juno Haiti is an issue not only fot the DR but for the rest of the global community who have deploy force to stabilizes that country, READ brother READ.

the Oligarchs and crooked politicos are responsible for this mess here and in the rest of LA.....Aping the bad habits of their European ancestors will lead to a bad end

Junot is completely out of touch with the real world as an angry and irresponsible depressed misfit, handing out blame like a loose cannon and blaming "the rich" and the all politicians.
Like the socially inept leftist intellectual book worm that he is, he does not simply understand the basic "give me" mentality of the Dominican masses and their dependence on "clientelismo".
In his broken Spanish or Spanglish, (I was at the book sale event) he should really refrain himself from vomiting such harsh comments and stating that "all politicians should be blown up by an atomic bomb". Frustrated revolutionary who idealizes Fidel Castro should stick to his "novelas" that according to himself got him an intellectual "Pulitzer" price but where a commercial flop.

hey greenwave are you related to Lou Dobbs?

Generoso:

Lovely comments.........................You hit the target right on the middle, Junot is a dysfunctional worm

Before 1985, Dominicans used to do all the works in construction, tourism, and most of the agriculture jobs (except sugar cane harvesting). So don't come here and tell us that the Haitians are not displacing Dominicans from the low grade jobs! The Haitians are willing to work for $1 or $2 a day (a salary that a Dominican can't sustain him/her or their families!). Employers when faced with a Dominican asking $ 5 or $ 6 Dollars versus a Haitian asking $1 or $2 Dollars, who do you think the employer will choose? This is lowering asking price to keep the natives off the jobs! And we have employers who are not patriotic and violate the laws (foreigners should 20 % of workforce). Ever since Baby Doc left Haiti and the U.S. closed their doors to the Haitians, Haitians exponentially invaded DR!

Not related to Dobbs but I am related to Duarte, Sanchez, and Mella! If you like Haitianism, GO TO HAITI AND STAY THERE BUT DON'T BRING HAITIANISM TO DR! KEEP IT WHERE IT BELONGS!

We have 3.8 million poor Dominicans in DR and you want us to swallow 2 million poor Haitians crossing at a rate greater than 100,0000 a year?
We have more than 22,000 Haitian children studying in pre-university Dominican schools.
We have more than 18,000 Haitian studying in Dominican universities learning technology, science, law, business, art, etc. in Spanish. When they graduate, guess which jobs are they going to take in DR? Those Haitians will lower the salaries of the middle class jobs in engineering (chemical, mechanical, civil, etc.), law (lawyers), economy, and even telecommunication. Displacement is ocurring as we speak but the Haitian lovers would love for the Dominican to ignore this problem (go to sleep) and convert DR into a Haiti Satellite!

Everyone knows that corruption has destroyed DR but DON'T USED IT TO FORGET OTHER ERODING FORCES IN DR LIKE THE HAITIANISM OF DR! Those corrosive forces are not competing but are working in parallel on their way to destroy DR! Junot, who is illogicaly selling the Haitianism by tellings to focus only on corruption, has now become a Haitian catalyst, like Solange Pierre, and he should not be welcome nor entertain in DR!
You don't hide or cover a problem with another problem! It is so stupid to suggest to ignore the Haitian invasion because we have the corruption problem. It is like telling the sick focus on the Diabetes and forget the cancer! 1801, 1805, 1822, 1845, 1849, and 1855! NEVER FORGET!

Greenwave:

Amazing......................................keep it up

BOTH DO MR. DIAZ.... Politicians create the environment for the Haitians to do what they do best... DESTROYING our country

In my previous comments I have not bring the issue of Haiti because for some of us is an issue that is no worse bringing to light, Haiti is our neighbor and we as Dominicans needs to deal with the issue, having said that, I fully understand that there is some non governments organizations trying to keep this issue alive.

To Anonymous: You speak the truth. DR citizens have been brainwashed during Trujillo era. Only Dominicans spiritually minded are fair with Haitians.

If most Haitians were white, they would be welcomed in DR. 1 million white Haitians would whiten DR. DR wants to look more latin than black. It is simply a racial issue. I have lived in both Haiti and DR. Yes, there are a lot of rich people in Haiti. Just like DR, they take advantage of the cheap labor. Yes, there are also Dominicans living in Haiti about 50,000. Yes, there are whites such as myself living in Haiti. I must admit, I have hired Haitians to do work for me when needed. Why? I pay half the price. Rich Dominicans want Haitians in DR. If not, the situation can be easily fixed by building a guarded barb-wired/electrical wall along the border and deporting all illegal Haitians. But not all Haitians in DR are illegal. Some of them are very rich, own property, do not look Haitian, are white, mixed or black.

The situation of migrating from a extremely undeveloped country to a more developed one has always happened. It is our nature to survive. We can talk about this forever, as we can also talk about the situation of latinos in USA coming from the DR to NY, or Mexicans crossing the frontier to California. I think Americans could view us here as also taking their jobs... do we agree?

The issue of Corruption is the main cause of our failure. The lack of empathy -- the rich not caring for the poor. The politicos taking all they can get and looking the other way. The DR has a history of abuse, we have been programmed. Education and raising awareness is essential to get out of this misery. I agree private companies like E Leon Jimenez, and others have done alot -- but they can do more. The strategy needs to shift, from an individual to a collective strategy. People working together for a greater goal.

What good does it do to be rich, if the world around me is falling apart?