Difference between revisions of "A molestar a otro lado (Guatemala)"

| imagemap = (guatemala)_kaminaljuyu.png

| clusters = [[:Category: Double standards|Double standards]]

| authorinstitution = Manning School of Business. University of Massachusetts, Lowell, USA

| authorwebsite = [https://www.uml.edu/msb/faculty/dunlap-denise.aspx Profile page at UML] [https://www.uml.edu/msb/faculty/godinez-gonzalez-jose.aspx Profile page at UML]

<big>'''By Jose Godinez and Denise Dunlap, Manning School of Business. University of Massachusetts, Lowell, USA'''</big>

|style="font-size:1.1em;"| ''A molestar a otro lado'' (‘go bother someone elsewhere’) - is a common expression used by Guatemalan businesses to let potential customers, suppliers anddistributors know that they are not welcome. The practice of providing poor service or refusing it to people who look as if they are without sufficient economic means to afford the items on sale took root when the Spanish began colonizing the country nearly five hundred years ago. This attitude is common towards potential customers of modest means, but is more frequently used in dealing with people of indigenous descent, especially if they wear traditional clothes. Irrespective of whether or not such customers can afford goods or services provided by the business, the business often tells them “a molestar a otro lado,” indicating refusal to deal with them. This discriminatory practice is aided by the fact that businesses are permitted to hang signs outside of their shops saying “nos reservamos el derecho de admision” (ʻwe reserve the right to refuse service to any personʼ).   

Guatemala is a country characterized by contrasts, and ranked as the tenth most unequal country in the world (CIA 2020). Acute inequality has been in place since colonization of the country, which allowed people of European descent to accumulate and retain wealth while displacing indigenous people. Due to the unequal allocation of wealth, large businesses are controlled by a small minority. These business groups coined the practice of  ''a molestar a otro lado'', which occurs commonly in their day-to-day operations. This practice has also permeated smaller businesses and became part of the business culture in the country. Nowadays, this practice is commonly used to provide an impression of exclusivity. However, ''a molestar a otro lado'' affects a large part of the Guatemalan population since over sixty percent of the population (or 6.4 million people) live in poverty. In addition, Guatemala has the second highest percentage of indigenous people in Latin America, about forty percent of the population(Borgen Project 2017).

[https://www.cepal.org/en/news/new-public-policies-are-proposed-eradicate-racism-and-discrimination-guatemala New Public Policies Are Proposed to Eradicate Racism and Discrimination in Guatemala. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean]