Colombia is a country with a great diversity of customs, perhaps that is why it is so easy for the inhabitants of different regions to be pigeonholed by their attitudes. However, can these views become an offensive prejudice?
Among the most common stereotypes in Colombians we find some such as: the Santandereans who are brave, the Cachacos who are boring, the pastusos who are naive and one of the most controversial is the rumor that “the coastal ones who are lazy”.
(Also Read: Top 5 Noisiest Streets in Cartagena: Here’s How They Affect Your Health)
Today the universal has gathered the opinions of some people from Cartagena, who answered what they think of this label, since many say that even if they get to work first, they have always been marked as lazy, as well as party animals and “folk”.
To follow, a video with the opinions.
Where does this myth originate from?
Alfonso Múnera, historian of Cartagena, wrote a book in which he accuses the scientist Francisco José de Caldas of having created this stereotype, since the author in the 19th century wrote several essays dedicated to the human geography of New Granada (Colombia).
The location allowed him to identify the geography of the Andes as an area of civilization and progress, and the hotspots as geographies of barbarism and backwardness.
Caldas published an essay on the influence of climate on organized beings, in which he tried to show how climate determined the distribution and moral and intellectual traits of human beings at that time.
What does the employment data say?
Leaving aside stereotypes, and putting ourselves in what are the job opportunities, according to the latest report of “Cartagena as we are doing”, in the city the employment levels have decreased. For the quarter April-June 2022, 30,000 jobs were lost compared to the same period in 2021. However, there is no certain answer on the reasons for these layoffs or resignations.
Young people in Cartagena are less likely to find job opportunities. These represent 23% of the workforce in the city.
Cartagena shows a level of employment above the average of the 13 main cities, however the employment generated in the city is of low quality. 58% of the employed are self-employed, which is directly related to informality.
