Salsa, Salsa & The Politics of Water
The salsa was hot, and I was sweating slightly. I stepped off the dancefloor & dipped a tortilla chip in a pot of red sauce. The salsa was hot, and I was sweating slightly. I put down my tortilla chip & stepped back onto the dancefloor.
I had signed up for a trip to a salsa club/mexican restaurant at my hostel. 500 people can stay here at any one time, so you’d think there’d be a big demand for such a trip. Mine was the only name on the form. So a local girl – Anahita – who had volunteered to lead the trip, and I, set out uptown on the famous “El” railroad.
The demonstration of the steps was fast-paced. I kept up as best I could, but memories of being moved to the back of the stage during a high school musical due to my atrocious dancing kept coming back to haunt me. Dont get me wrong, I love to dance. But in a more free-spirited, non-step oriented way. Still, I was determined to try.
Of course, all this exercise was bound to get me thirsty. So I asked the waitress for another glass of water ( I had drunk one before the music had begun.) She told me that she was not permitted to serve tap water after the music & dancing began. Only bottled water. I went to the toilet and filled my glass up from the sink. And started to think about capitalist greed & the politics of water…
I spent a fair bit of dosh in that mexican jaunt tonight. And I might well have spent more had they not been such greedy, exploitative assholes. It’s not as if they dont have a tap. Or even that they have one but consistently dont serve water from it (although in my book that’s still pretty shitty). No. They took a conscious business decision to take advantage of the fact that when people dance they get thirsty. They’re not alone of course. I’ve been to several clubs in the U.K where the cold water taps are switched off, forcing people to buy especially small or incoveniently shaped bottles of mineral water. My friend Anna Cook told me a story once about trying to get a glass of water at a bar, only to be told that they had no glasses. Yes, a bar with no glasses. Like a rodeo with no horses, or a theme park with no rides. All really profitable enterprises. So Anna sighed and asked for a glass of Bourbon & coke. Lo & behold the barman reached for a glass. “Hang on” said Anna, as he reached for the JD. “Now can you fill that glass with water instead.”
The politics of water also take place on a much larger scale. From arguments between Israel & Syria over rights to the Sea of Gallilee to the recent poisoning of a river in China – water is used as a political tool and a political weapon. Sure, in mine & Anna’s case the purpose is just to squeeze a few extra bucks from the consumer’s pocket. But what if I didn’t have a few extra bucks? What if I decided to just forget my thirst and keep on dancing? What if I then collapsed from dehydration and died right there on the dancefloor, salsa pumping above my corpse? You can ask “what if” till the crows come home to roost. But as long as greedy businesses and self-interested nations continue to use this precious & universally owned commodity for profit & power these questions will remain. I’m going to go & get a drink of water now. It’s free. For how long?
Tags: Chicago, Salsa, USA, Water
The Dude
Leave a Reply