SouthOfTheBorder

Rio vs São Paulo I’d still visit SP, but no more Rio unfortunately. Visiting the well-known tourist zones (Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon & adjacent) in Rio is going into an extremely small geographic area populated by wealthy tourists and surrounded by favelas with people in extreme poverty/desperation. Of course, there’s going to be rampant crimes against tourists. It’s been this way for years, although it does seem to be getting worse. It’s possible to visit Rio and not be a victim, but not much fun to be on vacation and in a state of hyper-vigilance at all times. By contrast, SP is not a city known for tourists and there is no similar small zone of wealthy tourists that is surrounded by favelas. It doesn’t exist that way in SP. So, the potential crime against tourists doesn’t compare, although crime obviously does happen there but in larger context of street crime in general. Additionally, Brazilian friends have explained that in SP, the drug trade is largely controlled by one gang/cartel where in Rio its urban warfare among many gangs - thus the extreme violence in Rio. And the police in Rio are known to be corrupt and dangerous themselves, where in SP it’s a much more professional law enforcement situation. As for the OPs comments re; São Paulo - perhaps San Francisco, Los Angeles and NYC should be viewed in the same context ? None of those cities is the same as pre-pandemic and it’s a complicated discussion that goes way beyond one or two simple explanations. Cities tend to be dynamic & fluid - what we see now is not how it will be in 5 years time.

correct - this is the main problem with that line of questioning. when a white personal asks those questions to a person-of-color in a society/culture/country that is predominantly white, then it’s a clear signal that the person is “other” or doesn’t belong to the dominant group. that’s what makes it offensive. in the United States, Germany or the UK as examples, those questions are particularly troublesome given either the modern history re: race and/or current issues re: immigration. As mentioned, my personal experience as a witness to this particular line of questioning is that it’s ALWAYS white people asking non-white people “where are you from?” However well-intended, it’s just not appropriate in my observations. If you don’t think these particular questions are troublesome, then either you are probably white or from a country that does not have these same systemic racial disparities.

asking “where someone is from” or even worse “what is your ethnicity” is not an appropriate question for anyone. If they want you to know, that information will be offered. My partner is an American born person of color and he gets asked those questions all the time when I’m standing next to him. It’s always awkward and isn’t necessary. There are many other conversation starters besides that. The question implies that you think the person is “other” or perhaps “exotic”. ….I’ve literally heard it all in a variety of creative questions. 90% of the time, it’s very white people asking the question to a person-of-color. It’s actually pretty cringe-worthy when it happens. It reeks of some sort of superiority, whether you know it or not. Absolutely qualifies as a micro-aggression and very bad manners.

don't let that guy ruin hiring for you - just learn from it & try again we all make mistakes & we're all learning

I’m sorry this happened to you. but, tbh - you got off easy. That “masseur” has no reviews and it’s basically hiring an unknown person who has already confessed to having a drug problem, meaning he missed your first appointment because of “partying”. You’re lucky he didn’t cause you any bodily harm or steal other stuff that would be harder to replace. Every time we hire it’s a risky proposition. My thinking is to try to minimize the chances for something to go wrong and at a minimum, the hires need to have a few recent 5star reviews. It’s not an exact science and plenty could go wrong - but, it’s less likely. I also have a hard no policy with any drug use mentioned in profile or indicated at any point in communication - that’s just asking for trouble. The police are not an option. You’re hiring someone to do something technically illegal.

I have no personal experience with thick_machotop - but, he’s been around for while and has all 5 star reviews with some very detailed recommendations. He’s not my type, but I wouldn’t hesitate to hire him if he was. Barcelona is one of the easier cities to get good escorts - just do a RM search based on your criteria and you will get several options with multiple good reviews. Sauna Thermas in BCN is a great option if you want to see the guys in person before hiring. Some days are in theory better than others - but I’ve probably been there every day of the week and always had a good time. It’s more what you bring to it vs what you expect to get

yes, non-premium members can block users, among other privacy features. My sense is that if providers are blocking potential clients, then something happened to cause the block. I’ve blocked providers where there have been issues and I don’t want to mistakenly engage them again if they’ve substantially changed their profile or I just forgot the details. It’s not a big deal - just move on

if this is real (which is extremely doubtful in nyc), then yes…..it’s you causing the situation aggressive repetitive cruising as described doesn’t just happen if you really want it to stop vs being a topic to complain, perhaps wise to examine your own behavior. Or not

fyi - the political keyboard warriors are alive & well at "the other site" some of the more passive/aggressive are at war amongst themselves (surprise) definitely the right move to purge the toxic politics from here

exactly this similar to a house on fire while the residents argue about which tv channel to watch it’s not a right side or left side issue - it’s both sides, together with insidious systemic corruption. which is why the partisan arguments & polarization is so terribly misguided. But, that’s precisely what they want - a public largely distracted from the big picture and tearing each other down while the thieves are at work back to the original post re: SF - it’s very complicated and a complete understanding of SF history is required in context with extreme economic disparities exacerbated by the various tech booms. I suspect few are interested in these complex discussions, but rather 2d analysis to confirm what they already believe about the city

I would have agreed with your Winston quote 40 years ago. Now, that idea is sadly outdated. Our politicians & courts have been bought by corporations and the wealthy elites for their benefit only. There is no more “doing the right thing” - that’s exactly why the wealthiest country in the world has both of out control homelessness and escalating gun violence. And it’s going to get a lot worse. We now have an entire political movement wishing for the destruction of our own cities - we are at war with ourselves. Doing the destructive work no outside enemy could. I guess we can be proud of the America that once was. But, it’s long gone

we don’t need to reinvent the wheel here - wealthy civilized countries like Japan & Spain do not have these same homeless problems at same scale as US. Each of those countries has a tiny fraction of the American homeless….to the point where you have to look for it in their major cities. It’s like the gun problem in an America - other wealthy civilized countries just don’t have mass shootings every other day. Yet, most Americans are certain everything is better in the US. My only conclusion is they must not travel much.

Grindr is for people that have time to waste - on both sides of the potential hookup. and the “flakiness” is usually either something better came along or they just realized that you aren’t “partying” the apps are a cesspool. it’s that simple

Not sure I’d go so far to say “nightmare”, but absolutely headed in the wrong direction. this is not a comment cloaked to support partisan talking point: the US is the only “wealthy” country where life expectancy is falling. Or, going backwards. Yet, we spend more on healthcare as a percent of GDP than anywhere else. That pretty much says it all. Rampant homelessness is yet another marker of a country in decline & it didn’t happen overnight. Gun violence is similarly out-of-control and where the US is an outlier among its peer countries. It’s not a failure of one political party, but rather a slow motion collapse of a deeply corrupt system of government where everything and everyone is for sale. Otherwise known as late-stage capitalism. Ain’t it great ?

if you’re referencing online providers in Brazil - the going rate is about 300 reais per hour/$60 usd Brazil is a big country and there are more people with money than you think - especially in São Paulo. The “average” Brazilian would not be able to afford $60 per hour tho as you mention

is there a big difference between online behavior/etiquette vs IRL ? Are you aware of your own behavioral differences, if any ? I don’t participate in any social media, except for here. Previously had Twitter but deleted when Musk got involved and should have done it months before that. Aside from the time wasted, it just seemed so toxic - feels much better without that negative energy. I found some of my own behavior was different online and I didn’t much like it. Curious if others have noticed the same ?

I’ve been to São Paulo & Rio many times without incident. But, I have witnessed everything from home invasions to armed robbery in close proximity. For me, travel to Brazil requires a level of personal safety vigilance that can become annoying when trying to relax on vacation. There’s no place else like Brazil though and when things are going right, it’s just magical. So, there’s a trade-off that you make going there knowing what you’re getting into. São Paulo feels much safer to me as a visitor because tourists aren’t confined to a small geographic area as in Rio. SP is like visiting New York with much better hotels, restaurants, museums, etc.

I recently bought a new car, thus the example. I wouldn’t go into a dealership without an initial conversation w the sales person. And wouldn’t agree to an appointment and hope for the best - I’m not a Tesla customer so whatever their rules are, they don’t apply. And no, I wouldn’t wait more than 4-6 hours for anyone in a basic sales or service capacity to return my inquiry. We’re not talking about highly skilled surgeons or trial lawyers in these examples. In the provider context, I’m never looking for now - but frequently same day or within a day or two. A delay of more than 4-6 hours tells me the provider is busy and I should look elsewhere, whether or not that provider is someone I really want to see or not. I’ve found letting go of my expectations re; exact hires and being more open to what comes to me as relatively easy is usually a pleasant surprise. I view every interaction w provider as a decision point. How they handle inquires and timely response tells me volumes about what I can expect in-person.

while “timely” is a flexible concept - almost all successful people I know in either sales or service oriented businesses are focused on almost immediate response. if I call a salesperson at a car dealership to buy a new vehicle - I’m not going to wait 4 hours plus for a response. In context, I’m calling to spend money and put income into the salespersons pocket. I can just as easily go to the next person who understands the value of a client inquiry. btw - I managed a large fortune 50 sales team and I’ve seen it all in terms of excuses & justifications for poor client communications. I used to get calls from prospective clients ready to spend money & telling me the salesperson hasn’t called them back after several hours. Truly amazing to me then & I would immediately assign to another person who would at least acknowledge the inquiry and schedule time to get back to prospect. the lesson; some people are just clueless and can be their own worst enemy the best always rise to the top with no complaints - they just keep moving and making money. in a market with many choices available, isn’t it easier if I select those who make it easy for me ? I am, after all looking for a pleasant overall experience, which includes the inquiry & scheduling process. And I find that those who deliver a seamless/easy inquiry & scheduling tend to be the best actual in-person experience too. It’s all connected

dealbreakers from client perspective, any reference to PNP in the ad any visual clues re: PNP - there’s a look any visual clues to a disorganized environment any mention of “anything goes” or similar risky behavior no reviews or unacceptable ratio of neg reviews (more than 10% NO) more than 4-6 hours time to respond to inquiry pressure to book immediately deposits younger than 26 hubris providers soliciting on hookup apps - not professional

not sure if this is intentional trolling, or just ignorance ? perhaps a combination of both - pretty common these days

that’s a ridiculous premise.

he is a real legit massage therapist who allows touch & admiration. the massage is excellent, although I found him a bit removed compared to others offering erotic services. i got the impression his thing is younger guys for whatever that’s worth that said, well worth the money if a skilled therapeutic massage by a very sexy hung guy is the objective

this a situation where the providers appear to have established the norm of “same day appointments only” seems like many providers have experienced client flakes and now majority of profiles have some sort of language about same day only - at least that’s my current sense of the industry at large based on regular browsing rentm. yes, there are a few providers that say they want notice - yet, the norm has been clearly laid out that same day is the accepted practice. my own preference is to plan ahead, but I have been burned too by flaking providers and then no last minute replacement. So, I’m of the mind to go along with same day norms as it just seems to minimize complications. I have no problem scheduling future dates w providers where I have relationships. The 2-3 providers I’ve known long term don’t have any sort of prerequisites to schedule: I think they’ve been in the business long enough to vet potential clients on initial contacts and work towards maintaining the valuable repeat clients with whatever it takes. Those guys make my interactions with them effortless, which is the entire idea in a service based business.

My other ppv is those who want to take group photos when dining out & then they post it to social media somewhere. It’s a really tricky situation because to object to a photograph can really sour the mood at the table. I do not understand why this has become accepted behavior ? the bright spot is it seems to becoming less of a thing as perceptions around social media are changing I don’t participate in social media and thats intentional. I don’t like to get on a soapbox about it, but at the same time I do value my privacy. Anything on social media is the opposite of having any sort of privacy. Why would I want anyone to know where I had dinner & with who ?