Idealistic adventurers (whether in Latin America or elsewhere) inevitably find themselves in a world of contrasts. Some contrasts are devastating, others empowering, and then there are the contrasts that are neither here-nor-there. The last of these, whether they make us chuckle or swear, add unique flavor to our daily lives, and it is into this category that I place: the Plasma vs. refrigerator phenomenon.
In the midst of Copa Mundial fervor here in Chile, every home appliance and electronics store is offering “baratísima” deals on TVs of every size and shape, but particularly on Plasmas. I assumed that the frenzy of these “buy your new high-definition, 50-inch, Plasma [which refers to either a plasma or an LCD TV, as it turns out]” advertisements was only reaching well-to-do Santiaguinos. But a visit to a client’s home yesterday proved me wrong.
This home was missing a window – unrepaired damage from the February earthquake – and did not have a refrigerator. (Although now, in winter, with no heat and an open window, room temperature is about 45 degrees which means that perishable goods store just fine.) Yet, in the center of the living room, there it stood – the new Plasma.
There is something about the big black (or white, in the case of the one you see here ) screen turning on for the first time to make its high-def debut that never fails to startle me. I had the same surprise when I arrived to my last apartment in Honduras, which was furnished with a flatscreen TV, yet tried to pass off a mini fridge and a hotplate as a “kitchen.”
For some people, a television is more logical than a refrigerator. A group of clients I once visited in rural Honduras had recently celebrated the arrival of electricity to their village by purchasing televisions. Their new power grid was run by solar energy, and worked very effectively to power lights and small appliances, but was not designed to power large appliances – like televisions and refrigerators – for any amount of time. But unlike fridges, you can run a TV for only a few hours per day; and for this community, the televisions were an important symbol of a new era of better living standards.
Though the same economic logic cannot necessarily be applied here in Santiago, Chile (a new refrigerator costs around $350, and even “en oferta” the cheapest Plasma is going for about $700), TVs definitely serve as status symbols. And there’s no doubting the social obligation to be plugged-in in high-def to watch the Orgullo Rojo win their World Cup matches.
To read more about the overwhelming pride Chileans feel for their team, read Lindsey Chapman’s post, “A Week of Three Firsts.”
Latest posts by katimayfield
- The Lost Boys of Santiago - July 8th, 2010
- Fatalism and Optimism - June 3rd, 2010
- An Adventurous Routine - May 27th, 2010
- Mother Hen - May 6th, 2010
- A Matter of Trust - April 22nd, 2010
