Piojo
I’m not too proud to tell you that I use a thesaurus. I write short stories, books and articles for magazines, ezines, etc. With Google, Roget and
Brittanica at hand you would think I could find the perfect word most of the time. Not this time. The English word has not yet been coined for this
particular kind of character trait.
The word I have been searching for needs to describe the mind set displayed by those adults who must have a bargain in everything they purchase.
Greed and Avarice describe another condition; those who must have wealth, those who are only happy when they have more than they need, more than they
could possibly use, eat, drink, consume, utilize, enjoy.
Cheap doesn’t come close. It’s an adjective describing things, not people. A cheapskate is a miser. Stingy means someone who is unwilling to share
what he has. Most of the time I hope my articles will not evoke “letters”. This time I’m hoping for letters. I hope I can read them; if there is a
proper word out there, it’s in another language and I hope those Jews, Italians, Germans, etc, will get back to me.
It remains a mystery to me that we don’t already have a word close at hand. Surely we recognize the condition; Priceline and lots of other sales
gimmicks thrive on the growing phenomenon. On a commercial services level setting your own price, naming the highest price you will pay comes close
to the logic: “I’m only satisfied about the price if I think I’ve taken advantage of the seller”. The need to cheat the seller runs so deep that
often the value of the thing or service takes a back seat to the necessary huge gap between what the buyer wanted and what these people will pay.
All you proud Anglophiles out there: before you begin to run your laundry list of English words I might have missed, please wait until I define, in
broad terms, the characters who demonstrate the condition.
Allow me to eliminate those casual bargain-hunters who don’t fit the pattern. We all like a bargain. Please drop from the list those of us who pay
retail most of time but seek out bargains when and where we can.
The millions of people I’m talking about are those who delight in finding an uninformed or distressed seller. These folks are unable to pay the
asking price for anything — never have, never will. For example one of them might learn that a boat worth $20,000 on today’s market, in the region of
the sale, in the visible and contractual state of condition equal to that value, is being sold by a person in monetary distress. The buyer discovers
that for a quick cash sale the seller might accept $10,000. It is at this stage that our guy will offer $5,000. He makes it clear his offer is firm,
shows the seller the cash, does not even flinch when the boat sells to another bargain hunter for $8,500.
By way of demonstration let me shine a light on some of my neighbors with the trait. This little scene could happen in any of a dozen or more
garages in this little Mexican village. I stop by Fred or Bill’s to say hello, maybe share a beer. Fred is cleaning a gas generator with a solvent
and a rag.
I said “New generator?”
“No. No. I bought this about six months ago in Santiago. Some old Mexican codger was sick, his kid got the word around, I went over there, picked
this sucker up for $250. The new Hondas in this model are $2,200.”
“Great buy. Just what you needed for down here.”
Fred said “No, I got two others. Bigger, quieter. I’m just saving this one for some time when the storms hit, when the hotels need more juice. I
can maybe unload the thing for $1,800 or so. Depends on how bad the storm was, how bad they need it.”
I suppose what sent me looking for the word was my brief encounter with a realty bargain hunter. Lots of gringos stop by my gate to ask directions,
ask if I know of any good deals around here on homes or land. They are all looking for a bargain. This particular guy sticks in my mind.
He said he was from Canada, really liked our little village, wanted to buy a lot here, build a house or buy a little Mexican house like mine, fix it
up the way I did. He wanted to know about land ownership. I told him there were several 1/4 acre lots in town for about $25,000 or so, some with an
ocean view. I explained that the realty purchase process would cost him about $7,000 initially (Mexican purchase agreement, notario fees, honorarios,
etc) and about $400 per year for the annual cost to maintain a bank trust. He just shook his head in disbelief, said he wasn’t interested in that
kind of deal in Mexico.
Just for fun I told him I had a Mexican pal who had a nice lot with an ocean view, was just tired of the responsibilities, just wanted to dump it,
get rid of it. I said “He’ll just sign the deed over to you, be done with it. No money involved. You can have it.”
He said “Do I have to pay fees?”
“Sure, I just told you, around $7,000 to get the bank trust, to know that it’s in trust for 50 years in your name with a Mexican bank, guaranteed by
the bank and the government. The trust is renewable so you can pass it on if you like, or sell it, rent it, whatever.”
He said “No, no thanks. I’ll pass. See you later.”
While I was telling this story for months about a guy who was so cheap he wouldn’t take a piece of free land “he’d steal a hot stove, go back for the
smoke” kind of guy, I missed the point. Without the distressed or uninformed seller there can be no joy. My joke implied that the seller would be
better off without the property. No deal for these folks; no sad and bleeding seller crying in the night at his lose, no joy for my buyer. So, it
turns out these folks could find a big gold nugget in a stream, never say a word about it. Pay 10% of the value for a wrist watch they don’t need,
will probably never sell, leave the poor seller, the dumb bastard wondering how this slick guy got the better of them — now that’s a story worth the
telling.
I asked a couple of my Mexican friends if there might be a word in Spanish for these people. They suggested piojoso. Not quite what I was after. A
piojo is a louse, as in body louse. That would translate to lousy. When they say it they are referring to a mean, stingy person, clean or dirty. If I
don’t get any positive feedback on this thing pretty soon, I’ll just have to make up a word. Putting a proper handle on these people, for me, would
be just like tagging a big marlin, releasing it. Like a sign: “caught ya.”Pescador - 7-17-2012 at 06:56 PM
And their whole feeling of self worth centers around the fact that they were able to take advantage of someone else in a transaction, but the whole
point is the bouying up of their miserable lack of self worth because they were so smart as to take advantage of someone. I had a boat that was for
sale because of the fact I "needed and deserved" a newer boat. I met this guy who looked at it hoping that I was in dire straits and hoping to steal
it for a song. He got really angry when one of the local Mexican fisherman bought it out from under him for a fair price. I decided that if I was
going to sell it, it would certainly go to my neighbor and not the "tightwad" who wanted to steal it only to prove his superiority to me.Russ - 7-17-2012 at 07:14 PM
There must be a psycho word that comes close. They're really sick and I hate being around their bragging and superior attitude.Skipjack Joe - 7-17-2012 at 10:56 PM
Never thought of the motivation of stinginess in quite that way. But it does make sense.
Most of the issues I have with cheapskates is not being cheap itself. It has to do with selfishness. Being cheap is just the tip of the iceberg.
The cheapest guy I ever knew was my friend's brother, George. George once received a box of chocolates on his birthday which he never shared with
anyone. He kept them in the top drawer of his desk. Every now and again he would open the drawer and count all the chocolates to make sure none was
taken since he ate the last one.
That was adolescence but the problem persisted his entire life. He had a failed marriage because in every task he tried to do less than his partner.
Doing less was "winning" somehow. At first it was barely noticeable but in the end the strain was just too much for her.
He was the guy that watched my roomate drowning from hypothermia here in HMB but didn't lend a hand because of a fear that he would be pulled down
under as well.
Interestingly enough, most piojos don't see themselves that way. Either way, it's probably too complicated to unravel and make any significant
changes.watizname - 7-18-2012 at 09:08 AM
Boy Osprey, you have the knack. You're looking for a word, and we get another good read.
Thanks.Osprey - 7-18-2012 at 09:24 AM
Thanks watiz. The Canadian guy at my gate was a fluke. Just so we're square on Canadians, at this part of the cape many Canadians waited, conserved,
waited some more until the exchange rates favored the purchase/building of homes down here near the beach.
Now there are many outstanding homes here, tastefully appointed and enjoyed by those Canadians who were anything but cheap; those who could think
clearly and make very smart decisions.J.P. - 7-18-2012 at 10:12 AM
I married into this rather large family and there was this male member that couldnt stand if another family member had something nicer than what he
had, If he couldnt beat them out of the item he would see that it was stolen or destroyed. if he gained possesion he put it under lock and key and
never used it.CortezBlue - 7-18-2012 at 10:38 AM
Personally I am tired of labels . It is no ones business what I spend or what I spend it on.
Unless, you borrow money against your house and then decide to bail on your residence, take the equity that you borrowed, trash your house and then
not take a 1099 and pay taxes on what you stiffed the banks, and us, with.
This will tax loophole will expire in DEC of this year.Osprey - 7-18-2012 at 10:53 AM
I love labels. Without em, I'm lost. Can't figure out how I feel about what's what, who's who.
I bet you would hate the one I just tagged you with.DavidE - 7-18-2012 at 10:54 AM
DavidE, thanks for that. I must admit to a new morbid fascination with the TV shows titled "American Pickers". I have a sickness about a sickness. The
show that got me hooked was about an old single guy who buys, collects, stores kerosene lanterns. I guessed a collection would be 7 such lanterns. I
supposed 70 would be an obsession. The guy had 700 (all the same) and NONE FOR SALE.
I'll have to suppose he thought they were each and every one a bargain and that he thought he was "gathering assets" but the bare truth is that the
man is very, very sick.Udo - 7-18-2012 at 04:55 PM
I think you wrote your "CHEAP" before I sent you my e-mail about purchasing a place in your area.
I'm not quite that cheap, but I've only got so much retirement cash to work with, buddy!DavidE - 7-18-2012 at 05:03 PM
What? Pinching a peso so tight, the aztec farts?Udo - 7-18-2012 at 05:35 PM
Is that before your avatar mood, David, or mine...EH?prorader - 7-18-2012 at 05:42 PM
With an avatar like this and you are tired of labels?
che Guevara
This isn't Cubawillardguy - 7-18-2012 at 08:25 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by prorader
With an avatar like this and you are tired of labels?
che Guevara
This isn't Cuba
LOL! hey prorader, ever hear of larry fine????Iflyfish - 7-18-2012 at 08:47 PM
From a clinical perspective I think that the term Sociopath or the behavior of Sociopathy fits but it lacks the poetic or literary sense you are
trying to get at.
Having said that I think that the view of the Sociopath is that other people are objects to manipulate to meet their needs. No empathy, no concern for
the other, no sense of guilt or responsibility for the other, egocentric thinking and values.
I appreciate your pondering of this issue, it would be good for all of us to recognize that there are Sociopaths in our midst and that they are
predatory and create a whole lot of pain for those who are in their lives.
I think that Sociopaths are found in all cultures and they often look good, too good! Beware!
IflyfishwithmyheadfirmlyenbededinpsychologyIflyfish - 7-18-2012 at 09:03 PM
Those who are parsimonious are not necessarily sociopaths, they are a horse of another color. Frugality does not fit the larger issue that you make,
there are people who value profit over all other things. It is not just profit, but dominance and control they are after. For an analysis of this
perspective I would recommend Eric Berne:
There are deeper psychological mechanisms at play in these folks than our typical language covers. This is why I use a psychological term Sociopath to
describe the attributes of people like this.
The Eskimos have lots of words to describe snow, we have only a few. I believe normal folks, living with a conscience, empathy and consideration of
others find that it is hard to conceptualize others who live without these characteristics or values. We simplistically call them criminal or evil but
don't really take the time to think deeply about who they are, hence we lack the vocabulary to label them.
My two centavos in this interesting thread.
IflyfishUdo - 7-19-2012 at 06:52 AM
Between Iflyfish, Pescador, Skipjack Joe and Osprey, we found a new meaning for AVARICE.Osprey - 7-19-2012 at 07:20 AM
Udo, you paint the four of us avaricious!
Avarice doesn't quite get it >> it means you want what the other guy has and when you get it, you want more, then all of it.
The guy I'm after wants to impoverish the seller while he makes an unfair gain in the bargain.daydreamer - 7-19-2012 at 08:16 AM
The Germans have a word "Schadenfreude" which sounds like it may be close to your description?Osprey - 7-19-2012 at 08:36 AM
That's close. It means the joy we feel at someone else's bad fortune. It is tied to morbid curiousity; when we slow down when we pass a bad accident.
Usually, in that context it is aimed at people we don't know but who suffer when we don't.
[Edited on 7-19-2012 by Osprey]windgrrl - 7-19-2012 at 07:28 PM
In my circles those folks who go around making lowball offers are usually referred to as "Bottomfeeders."Bedman - 7-19-2012 at 11:12 PM
Osprey....
try "Goniff" (sp) I believe it's Yiddish.Skipjack Joe - 7-20-2012 at 06:48 AM
Operator.
From a translation of 'gonif'.Osprey - 7-20-2012 at 07:03 AM
From the Yiddish Dictionary online
thief ganef (ganovim) ∙ (m.)
[Edited on 7-20-2012 by Osprey]greengoes - 7-20-2012 at 07:08 AM
Wouldn't the word 'codo' work in this situation?Mula - 7-20-2012 at 07:22 AM
"codo' is elbow.
I use 'codo duro' a lot when describing cheapskates - Hard elbow - which means the elbow doesn't bend very well.Osprey - 7-20-2012 at 07:25 AM
That's the word I think you hear the most around here to describe somebody who doesn't leave much of a tip: a cheapskate -- too mild for my
hypothetical guy or girl.BajaAnthro - 7-23-2012 at 01:45 PM
A good one, Osprey. Sometimes certain folks are looking for more than just "getting a good bargain" and the search for low prices more to do with
putting one over on a fellow human being. Sad, really. But they are out there. And you're right that words like "cheap" or "codo" don't cut it.
Anyway, thanks for this.DavidE - 7-23-2012 at 02:08 PM
I like to use the word "prey". People who do this sign away their "rights" to be treated like anything other than a tasty morsel in the Serengeti Of
Life. They enter my food chain and god help them if they should show a soft underbelly. Nasty, nasty, David (hehehe).acadist - 7-23-2012 at 04:11 PM
Anyone have a boat for sale, cheap????
Acadist
captkw - 7-23-2012 at 04:18 PM
LOL. We have a saying in the boat biz " there is no such thing as a FREE boat"...LOL and I have found cheap people are usally never very happy folk's
!! not meaning you.but just reading the thread.... K & T
[Edited on 7-23-2012 by captkw]weebray - 7-24-2012 at 07:51 AM
We have run into any number of people in the Baja like you are trying to describe. We call them Canadian.DavidE - 7-24-2012 at 08:29 AM
Some of the most generous folks I have ever met were Canadian. Just saying.
