They forgive me, but Bogota is a 'gonorrhea' [opinion]

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I use the term 'gonorrhea' for its power, for its authenticity, because that's what they told me while I was mugged, and because it really describes this damn city. Everything has been said about Bogotá, that it has nice and friendly people, that it has good cuisine and that the Transmilenio is a system that should be applauded and replicated. But I wonder: isn't that normal, the minimum? Shouldn't it be the norm for a city to have good people, kind to tourists and to its own citizens; that can be undertaken, create good restaurants, execute good ideas and carry out what we all call 'quality of life'?

Well, the quality of life in Bogotá sucks. Surely this column has been written over and over again. Worst of all, it will continue to be written, because it will not stop happening. Last week, my partner Sergio Fabara's suitcase with the ENTER.CO camera was stolen at 116 and 9th. Today, it was my turn; two thugs on a bicycle stopped me at 90 and eighth to steal my cell phone. And no, Mr. Petro, I was not giving papaya. Or well, what do I know. If wearing a hood with your headphones hidden and your cell phone in your pocket is giving papaya, then yes. They both pulled a knife to intimidate us. In the past, our colleague Ericka Duarte had her cell phone stolen at 87 with 19, in front of ENTER.CO, when a motorbike passed by and shaved off her equipment. Camilo Martínez, another of our colleagues, was caught by four guys coming out of a Transmilenio station and they cleaned him up.

Where does a typical complaint go on a tech news site? That can be decided by you, our readers, but I think we have more reasons than many media to publish this text. Our special on cell phone theft went under the radar, surpassed by notes like the latest trailer for (insert ultimate superhero here). That in itself is not anyone's fault, or anything wrong. It is just a symptom of what we feel for the well-being of the other, of the health of the place where we live.

Yes, the figures say that cell phone thefts have decreased by 40%, but that is still not enough. According to the latest statistics, more than 3,000 cell phones are stolen daily in Colombia, that is almost three per minute. In Bogotá, 456,380 cell phones were stolen in all of 2014, according to Police figures. This is the same as saying that in this city, last year, an average of 1,250 cell phones were stolen per day, 52 per hour, more than two in three minutes. In the time you have been reading this text, two or three cell phones were stolen in this country. And that we are improving...

But the theft of cell phones, computers, and cameras is only the symptom of the disease. What we have to cure is the kind of society we are, because we are in the hospital. The other day I saw a tweet that caught my attention. Catherine Juvinao C. said: “The revivalist citizen does not think very differently from the corrupt politician. The difference is that the second one has power”. I would add that the avivato citizen does not think very differently from the common thief. The difference is that one dares and the other does not.

That is the big problem in Bogotá and, I think, in Colombia. Since I have never lived outside of Bogotá, I am only going to talk about the case of the capital, but I would think that it happens in other parts of the country. Here we are not supportive, we are exactly the opposite: we always want to be the most alive or the most 'plane'. Here, the one who manages to sneak into a line is celebrated, the Police are whistled for trying to fix traffic and the young woman who headbutted an officer is rewarded with fame and a possible photo session in Soho.

Yes, Colombia may have many good things, but it has nothing out of the ordinary. Bogotá is like that friend who lives it "shitting" but they always excuse it because they are good people. Shouldn't that be the minimum? Shouldn't the starting point start with being a good person? That shouldn't be celebrated, it should just be the basics.

Not here. Here we all turn our faces away from a crime, here no one calls an authority if they see something suspicious. What's more, in this metropolis of almost eight million inhabitants, the norm is to let things happen, without saying anything.

You can't take out a cell phone here because since they read the last figure, another couple of devices have been stolen. Goodbye to city applications, those that help transportation, report crimes and solve problems. Remember what the mayor of this incredible city said: “Is it valid to take out your cell phone to answer a call or make a call on the street? Well, I think that there is a civic culture campaign here that we must undertake…not use the cell phone on the street”.

I have to study how to convert from hex to binary and to decimal for tomorrow. Someone. halp. http://t.co/fQXBuarV

— swole chiwawa Mon Oct 29 17:30:34 +0000 2012

This is Bogotá, a city where the Mayor's recommendation to avoid being robbed is not to use a device on the street created especially for use outside. That is Bogotá, where nobody helps you, nobody collaborates and everyone wants to sit in the blue seats of the Transmilenio, knowing exactly what they are for.

In all cities they steal, but here what hurts is how. From the mayor's statements to the incomprehensible system of permanence clauses. From the one who looks the other way to the one who sneaks in line. I remember when I was studying in Los Andes that a teacher introduced me to the concept of 'CYV'; the famous 'how am I going'. Here everyone asks: “and there, how am I doing?”. It's the only thing that matters, getting the cut.

No one lends a hand because there is nothing to be gained, and possibly everything can be lost. And the sad thing is that no one realizes that together we are sinking this city into a sea of ​​shit. Not having a citizen conscience impacts absolutely everything.

A simple example: If my cell phone is stolen, it is very likely that I will not buy an expensive one again. Expensive cell phones are the ones that leave the most margin, so the manufacturing companies will stop campaigning and bring these devices to the country. With fewer devices, app manufacturers will stop undertaking and large companies will stop investing in mobile solutions, which will directly impact the country's innovation, hitting GDP and increasing poverty. This may be a simple economic view, but it is not far from the truth.

I'm sad. I have homeland pain, city pain. It hurts me that a friend had to throw himself to the floor because they tried to cut his suitcase strap with a knife and he felt responsible for losing someone else's camera, I am sad for the lady who was left crying because her wallet was stolen (scene seen hundreds of times in Bogotá) and I'm still sad for my friend who came crying to the office after saving a lot of time to buy her iPhone.

I am sad because in Bogotá people steal without consequences and we all contribute a grain of sand so that this problem remains the same. Because all of them – or the vast majority – slip in, do tricks and steal in their own way. The robberies of the ñeros and hampons that plague the city are not far away. I am sad because in the Colombian capital a thief with a knife can rob you in the street for your cell phone, or in Human Bogota any 'friend' can stick a knife in your back for a few pesos.

Ultimately, everyone is equal.

PS: I apologize to those good people, who care about the city, who report incidents and flagrant violations of the law, even on Twitter. Due to the nature of the text, it is necessary to generalize, but I know that Bogotá is full of good people, but sometimes I feel that we are losing the battle and we are light years away from winning the war.

Editor's Note: This note has been updated to more accurately reflect the statistics for Bogotá and Colombia. Thanks to @tutorsena for his clarification.

Image: Screenshot from Jurassic Park, Photos593 (via Shutterstock).