Looky Looky Men

[fincalospinos]

I don't want to start a row, but look at it this way.
Has anyone ever bought anything from a Looky Looky ?
I have.
I have a couple of expensive watches that I don't like wearing for knocking about in the garden , cleaning the pool, lying on the beach etc, so I always wear a cheapo, usually bought for around 5 euros from one of these guys. Some go t*ts up after a week or so, but most of them last around 12 months, or until I drop it in the pool !!
Some of the CD's aren't bad quality either.
Still trying to get Er Indoors to forget about Mango and get into the Looky Looky gear
Cant stand the squeeze box merchants, have found the best policy here is to tell them to eff off before they star playing.

[avellana]

I agree with you Silver.
It' s so very easy to laugh and call them looky looky men but the hardships they have borne and continue to bear are awful.
Hence my previous post with the comment 'There but for the grace of god go I'.

[Paula]

I do object to them coming into a restaurant (not beach chiringuito) and dumping a ton of tat on the table when we are trying to have a meal. I think that restaurants should stop it.

But by and large I do adopt a tolerant attitude, you just need to smile and say a firm no. Worst thing you can do is cast your eyes over whatever wares they are selling. They do work hard and long hours, I think its getting tougher each year for them.

But don't get me onto the chinese beach travelling massage parlour, they do drive me nuts

[Heston]

Well said Silver I have spent a lot of time working with a charity in Africa and until you have seen it first hand..... theres an old Indian saying
"never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes"..actually that is if they have any!

[katy]

It's more complex than that. In Zaire it was against the law to pay workers more than the fixed wage for reasons that it would bust the local economy (you did however have to pay for their childrens school fees, uniforms and medical fees). It is the same with Lucky men, the more people buy off them the more the mafia who transport them (illegaly) earn and more come. Do you think you are actually changing the system by buying cheap crap? 2 mins. after you have bought it there is another one selling. why should people who work hard and take 2 weeks holiday should be pestered even when they are snoozing on the beach and then again when they go to a restaurant in the evening?

Of course their predicament is bad, maybe if they got to the UK and got social security they would be better off than here. But all this is a political problem and buying something will not change the general scheme of things. BTW much of their earnings go to the mafia types who finance their (dangerous) travel here.

[Heston]

Up here there are not so many they tend to come for the olive picking then return home however this year there seems more staying. They tend to only sell Cds..i know a few of them now and tend to buy them a drink and chat with them..ok it dosnt give them money but a free tapa and ten minute chat with someone who is interested in them goes a long way..I know there are far more on the coast but I would rather be mithered by these chaps than those time share badits!
Actually the biggest mithers up here are the lottery men!

[silver]

Heston.. I love all those old Indian sayings.. very wise folk they are

[katy]

Well aren't most lottery sellers disabled?

[Heston]

There r two near me one has one arm but he dosnt mither hes lovely..the other one who dosnt appear to have anything physical wrong with him is a pain he stalks me!!

[spanish hopes]

I have spent a lot of time working with a charity in Africa and until you have seen it first hand

I went to Romania at least once a year from 1989 to 2002 delivering aid to an orphanage. I have seen their poverty. However it doesn't stop me from thinking that the Gypsy Scum who are giving Romania a bad name throughout Europe should be put against a wall and shot. They are not poor but hard working Romanians, they are scum.
Some of the looky looky men are less than honest too.

[Heston]

Spanish hopes....good on you ( sad thing is despite ten years on somethings are still the same in Romania..but all you can do is your bit) Totaly agree with your point about dishonest amongst them but sometimes are people not driven to do things they wouldnt normally do just to survive??

[Colinm]

S.H. isn't that what our dear friend Adolf H. wanted to do?

[mijas-lady]

Just thought I would tell a good story about these looky looky men.I was walking around Fuengirola market 1 Saturday in January (visitors over ) and my son (8 with white blonde ponytail!) got talking to the looky looky guys selling DVDs and they kept touching his hair and talking to him -I called him as I knew he was hoping for a copy of the James Bond film and as he walked away 1 of the guys ran after him with the DVD as a present!! Let me tell you he was one happy boy that day thanks to a very kind gesture

[Miro]

but sometimes are people not driven to do things they wouldnt normally do just to survive??

Watched the movie "Tsotsi" the other day. Having been to S.Africa and visited the slums of Soweto made it easier to relate to, but I defy anyone to watch this fantastic movie and not be moved by it.

[Heston]

Never seen that one Miro but Hotel Rwanda a good one too ( based on a true story)
Blood diamond too...ops...actually bought it off a looky looky man!!

[spanish hopes]

S.H. isn't that what our dear friend Adolf H. wanted to do?

I never met the fella so can't comment but that is the sort of argument the politically correct lily livered brigade always come up with when they have nothing of substance to use.

heston said:

but sometimes are people not driven to do things they wouldnt normally do just to survive??

I met some veru poor Romanian people who were feircly proud of their country and who had enormous self pride which prevented them from becoming thieves and vagabonds. They were true Romanians and worthy of help.

[Heston]

Point taken I too have met many poor Africans who are very proud, what I was saying though that sometimes people are in a terrible situation and do things they wouldnt normally do....I hanvt got children yet but if I did and had no money and they were starving and couldnt get work I would steal to feed them.rightly or wrongly and I am or like to think i am a decent honest person but in extremes who knows what you would doxxx

[spanish_lad]

i've made good friends with a guy called jimmy in fuengerola. i reguraly buy dvds off him, which are always a perfect copy of the original. he comes highly recomended

[claire4james]

I don't personally buy the copies, i think the quality of an original is essential (after spending 0,000's on super duper tvs and dvd players why then ruin the experience with a copy) but anyway....

When you watch an original theres a bit at the start that says "would you steal this lady's handbag?" "would you steal a car" and it goes on and on, then it says, dvd piracy is theft and purchasing copy's is a crime. Same goes for the dodgy watches!

So by buying from said looky looky men, you become a criminal.

There will be people who will say, it's only a DVD for goodness sake so it's OK....But where does it stop? Others think white collar crime is OK, because large corporations can afford it, it doesn't affect the "man on the street"

He without sin casting the first stone and all!

[spanish hopes]

You are right claire it is criminal, as are the sort of prices the manufacturers charge in the first place.