The Gloves Are Off

I have thus far resisted the urge to bad mouth The Dominican Republic. Nobody made me come here, and nothing, other than economic reality, is forcing me to stay. Having said that, a person would have to be deaf and dumb or a DFD not to realize that there is something seriously wrong with the inhabitants of this glorious island. I am none of the above. I see things on a daily basis about which I can no longer stay silent. Those who know me, know that I can't keep my big mouth shut. I once had a partner who said that I would volunteer to go into a field to try to check for land mines. In trying to decide how to present my observations I have decided to break them into small rants, rather than one long (neverending?) rave. The Gloves Are Off (TGAO)

I Tan At Night, Even in the Rain

In Close Encounters of the Third Kind Richard Benjamin is looking for an alien spaceship. The spaceship somehow gets behind him and suddenly rises up behind his truck with the brightest array of lights ever seen on any vehicle. It is covered from top to bottom in lights that are so blindingly strong that Richard Benjamin actually winds up getting a severe sunburn on one side of his face, not from direct exposure, but rather, from the reflection from his rear view mirror.
About 5 months after arriving here I created my first anti Dominican joke: Why do Dominicans always honk their horns? Because they have them. Why do Dominicans always drive with their bright lights on at night. Because they have them. I will leave out the punch line. The joke was based on my experiences driving around. Having been without a car for more than 3 years, I recently decided that the cost of taxis was starting to get prohibitive and that I had to buy a car, so I did. At first I didn't want an SUV, but eventually I discovered the Hyundai Sante Fe. I read a lot about the car it was very well reviewed. It's big, but I am really thankful for its size and most of all its height. I mention Close Encounters because since I have the car I have noticed something of which I was unaware as a passenger in a taxi. Not only does everyone here drive with their bright lights on, but now it seems there is a new brighter blue-white head light that when on in the bright position, are absolutely blinding just like the alien ship. There is also a new yellow, ultra bright light that are all over as well. I can't believe how many cars have changed to these lights. When I asked a friend why so many people have bought these lights, even for their motorbikes and scooters he answered with one word which, the more I think about it, could be the defining problem in the DR. The word he used as explanation for the use of these lights? FASHION. Fashion, brilliant word to choose. No sense, no value.....FASHION.
The concept of using bright lights only when the road is dark is not understood. People think that their brights are to be used at all times and even though they might be blinded by someone else using them, they don't care how it affects others. They got 'em, they use 'em, day or night.