Fotografo de Bodas, Santiago

March 1, 2009

People in Chile have different ideas of what the words “Cuico,” and “Flaite,” actually mean. I’ve touched upon the two subjects a couple times, mentioning their definitions briefly in passing, but today I want to write and actual post on the subject.

You are a cuica because you are a gringa.

Myth #1.

Being a cuico does not depend on where you live. Chilean would say that a cuico is someone who is upper class, snobby, looks down on people of a lower social standing. And often times, Chilean society will automatically assume you are a cuico or a flaite, simply based upon your physical address. If you live in a “barrio alto,” you are a cuico. A barrio alto, literally translated, means a high neighborhood. This term came about because the rich Chileans tend to move higher and higher up into the Andes Mountains, isolating themselves from the smog, the city bustle and noise, and the poor people. They live in higher altitudes, aka, “barrios altos.” A “barrio bajo,” or low neighborhood, on the otherhand, tends to be anything below the metro stop Baquedano.

This is actually something that bothers me. I don’t like that people assume I am a cuica simply because I’m a gringa or because I live in Providencia. Many (most) Chileans will assume that gringas are rich. I might be (comparatively) now, but that’s only because my husband and I have worked our respective butts off. When I first moved here to get married, I was unemployed and my husband made less than 300,000 pesos a month (around $600 U.S. dollars). That’s pretty much the same boat most Chileans are in. While I fully realize that we have more opportunities than a lot of people here do, and that our earning potential is much higher, we did, for a long time, live the reality of a non-cuico Chilean family, living in a barrio bajo, (Estacion Central) and barely scraping by on the money we made. Keep in mind that while I might have been able to make more than most Chileans, I am also in more debt from my student loans, than what it would cost most people here to buy a house.

You are flaite because you are poor.

Myth #2.

Chileans call people who are generally lower class and tend to have a certain attitude or set of beliefs, “flaite.” Flaite can be a low social class, people who rob and steal to get by, a certain style of dress and a way of talking. For instance, pronouncing the “Ch,” in Chile as Shile instead of tChile almost automatically qualifies you as flaite, which is unfortunate.

While many Chileans may classify all poor people as flaite, I really disagree with that. In the U.S., we have a saying that “money can’t buy class.” And I would have to argue that the same applies to this country.

In Chile socially inappropriate behaviours will qualify you as flaite. The term does connote low socio-economic status as well.

But, I think that’s absurd, as the rich are not exempt from behaving socially inappropriate. For instance, I was once on a bus ride back from Algarrobo. Two girls vomited in the back of the bus and didn’t clean it up until someone tattled on them. An older woman sitting near me remarked in an aghast tone, “Que flaite!”

Calling them flaite automatically implies that they’re poor, when really, any drunk girl of any social class could have behaved just as bad.

My nana is hands down the least economically well-off person that I know, not only in this country, but that I’ve ever met. Ever. She was worried and tried to turn down our invite multiple times when we invited her to our 40 person wedding because she felt like she’d be so out of place with all the gringos. I was apalled by that because I could see that her fears stemmed from the stereotype, that she included herself in. She was too poor, and therefore too “flaite,” to hang out with the gringos coming to the wedding, that were sure to be rich and “cuico.” I have never seen my nana act in a manner that I would consider flaite, nor have I ever seen any member of my family take on a cuico attititude.

My own definitions of cuico and flaite are:

Cuico: Someone who lives in their own little bubble, looks down upon anyone who isn’t wealthy and judges people based upon where they live.

Flaite: Someone who behaves like a jackass, regardless of social class.

However, those two terms in Chile are heavily weighted by classism and years of stereotypes, so I wouldn’t go tossing the words around if I were you.

What are your definitions of the words?

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21 Comments

Good topic!
I have known that different people put flaite and cuico on different kinds of people. My hubby says flaites are the people that act like assholes, and about how they dress a certain way, the baggy pants tucked into they’re Nike shoes. When I then told him, uhmmm your cousins dress like that so how are they not flaite he said, they are pussys, if anyone would try to steal from them they would give in instantly without a fight. He also pretty much thinks that flaites are anyone that is poor, but this I don’t understand because Rodrigo and I have like 80,000 pesos to our name at the moment and I have debt in the US of about $1500. But we are not flaite.
Cuicos from what I have learned are definitly the snobby people that think they are better than everyone and think the deserve something special in life. People have called me cuica before, but like you already said probably because I obviously look gringa and the automatic assumption that gringas are rollin in dough.
I think that flaites are people that are bad, anyone that acts disrespectful, and the people that talk with the sh sound instead of the ch.
Cuicos to me are the people that think they get something better in life because of their bank accounts. Once a woman came into work and sat down next to another person, in a room full of people and she of course sat by the only other person in the room. She later came up to the front desk and said, “That girl next to me is doing her lessons too loud, will you ask her to move?” NO I won’t you got here last, you can move. She grumbled out and walked away with her head up high like she was the shit. Cuica!

Comment by Shannon — March 2, 2009 @ 4:49 am

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Interesting topic.

I can’t help but feel quica because of my US passport. I may or may not have a dollar to my name but just the opportunities that my passport provides make me feel much better off than most. But my quica-ness isn’t pretentious. I don’t think it is anyways. It’s just an accepted part of my identity here in Chile. I’m perceived as rich and, to be honest, when I look around a bit here in Chile, I know myself to be rich, whether or not I have money. Now, if I gave up my nationality, then I think I might feel quite poor.

I’ve heard quicos call other quicos “quicos flaites” because of their actions. Like, you could say the girls on the bus “son quicas flaites”. “Quico flaite” describes a rich person you can’t trust or with other questionable character qualities.

Kind of off topic, but one thing I’ve noticed here in Chile is that we gringos identify more with the middle class people here, because we have similar values. However, many middle classers just barely get by. Whereas, we may identify physically/geographically, with the Barnechea. It looks a lot more like the cities in the US. The Barnechea even resembles poorer parts of cities in the States. At least in my experience.

Comment by Maeskizzle — March 2, 2009 @ 6:21 am

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I think that here in Chile flaite has (at least) two definitions. One, as you said, denotes a way of acting that is socially inappropriate, like being a huge jerk. This is the only way I ever use flaite here. Unfortunately, Chileans use it also to denote social status, especially when it is used in a more negative manner, like “flaite de mierda” or “flaite culiado”. Now that I think about it though, the “socially unacceptable” behavior is classist in itself, because I feel like it’s “socially unacceptable” BECAUSE it’s associated with the lower classes, like getting on the micro from the back door. But really, being a jerk transcends class boundaries, so who knows.

For some reason, I have more experience with the word flaite than with cuico (or is it quico, Heather?) What does that say about me? Hmmm…

Anyway, great post!

Comment by Abby — March 2, 2009 @ 6:41 am

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I don’t like the word flaite and don’t use it, because I think it’s “flaite”, hahaha. I do put labels on people, though, but try not to do it in regards to their looks as much as to their manners. Someone who gets on the bus for free, or uses curse words in front of seniors or other people’s children, or who throws their car at you on the street, that’s flaite to me. If I called flaite everyone who dresses with Nike shoes and baggy pants, I’d have to include some relatives and lots of teenagers living in barrios altos. Someone who says “Shile” catches my attention, I’m sorry to say, but I’m trying to broaden my mind in that sense. Many people who speak like that come from small towns in the countryside and may or may not have had poor upbringings. I’m mebarrassed for the very few who feel they are superior just because a hundred years ago their family members were famous presidents, military men or priests. Many of the descendants are immoral, lazy, seriously below-average humans.
Cuico, on the other hand, has been depicted very well. Snobish people who think they are above from everyone else because of their last name, amount of money in the bank and so.
Although, there are rich people who might be considered “flaite” because their manners belong to more uneducated people. And there are the nicest and most decent people living in poor neighborhoods because not everyone is lucky enough to make a lot of money, but that doesn’t make them any less good and decent.
Classism and stereotyping in Chile is very cruel, because it stops people with more “indigenous” looks from ascending in the social ladder and because those who don’t look European discriminate themselves and prefer to stay away from cuicos and that creates two parallel countries.
It’s such a shame that still today such differences exist, considering that many people belong to perfectly nice families and have “dark” skin and unmistakably mapuche faces.
Good column.
There should have been a group post on the subject, was there?

Comment by Flo — March 2, 2009 @ 7:56 am

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They are difficult to define sometimes and it sort of depends of the way someone says it because it can be a good thing to be one or the other and then it can also be a very bad thing.

cuico- yuppie.

flaite-ghetto.

Those are my extremely simplified personal definitions or that’s what I would tell my students.

Comment by Sara — March 2, 2009 @ 8:12 am

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I should clarify what i meant for it to be a “good” thing. One time one of my friends saw an old beater truck driver up Providencia with the word FLAITE painted on top. They were obviously proud to be “flaite”. Then, most of my students would call themselves “cuico” without problem and I could tell they enjoyed doing so.

The one no one really wanted to be called was pelo lais.

Comment by Sara — March 2, 2009 @ 8:16 am

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In my mind the definitions kinda are similar to sara’s translations (cuica snob yuppie, flaite ghetto). i’ve never heard of flaite being used in terms of anything with lots of money, to me that would seem kind of ironic or at least it would be clearly understood in its varied use. i’ve never heard it be generalized to someone poor just becasue they were without money.

cuico though… i found it weird that you and heather etc described gringos as cuico. i have never heard of anybody saying that. i’ve actually asked a number of times, i.e. would somebody ever assume i’m cuica? etc… to the response of heavy laughter. As explained to me cuica has a ton to do with the snobby “im better and rich” attitude.
but think… In Valparaiso, gringos are just tourists, and usually college aged. they don’t seem to be included in the classes system of chile. also the tourists people meet here are usualy willing to talk to anybody and everyone, etc… not displaying a snobby classist attitude. I wonder if it has something to do with that or maybe that there actually are lots of rich gringos living in Stgo, who add to and are included in the cuico aspect.

also, i spend a lot of time in maitencillo, where there are a lot of chilean blonde rich girls walking around. when we’ve talked about this there people usually explain that its just not the same… everybody knows a gringa has money, but money alone doesnt make a cuica. a gringa holds her head differently (i.e. doesnt have her chin high in the air)

interesting how different people have different views about it though, as mentioned in the post and exemplified in the comments already.

Comment by lydia — March 2, 2009 @ 8:44 am

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Sorry, no it’s “cuico” and “cuica”. I’ve become a terrible speller here in Chile. Now I spell things phonetically in English, but not in Spanish. All mixed up.

Personally, I associate the word “flaite” mostly with someone who looks like he might rob me or be a danger to me if (s)he had the chance, and perhaps smokes pasta base. The baby football sneakers are optional.

I don’t associate the word “flaite” with all poor people. I just use it to label the sketchy/dangerous ones. I don’t know if other Chileans classify all poor people as “flaite” though. I know they do use two euphemisms to talk about the poor people “la gente humilde” and “la gente popular.”

And, yes, on large world scales, I do think of gringos as rich people, cuicos. As we know, many of them aren’t “rich”. Unfortunately, many of them are in debt. Huge debt. And even still, I think of us as way better off than lower and middle class Chileans. Think of the public wealth in the US that everyone enjoys. Incredible libraries, grants for sooo many things, job opps (most years), lots of (not all) public schools are good, public bathrooms with toilet paper-usually anyway, Goodwill, secondhand places-if you have no money you can shop there and the list goes on.

Here I use the word cuico without the pretentiousness quality, because I find most gringos I know aren’t snobs or classist.

So the word has at least 2 meanings for me:
1 a wealthy person (if only in opportunity, or public material wealth)
2 a snob

Comment by Maeskizzle — March 2, 2009 @ 10:49 am

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Don’t know in America but in British English the following are the equivalents for flaite and cuico:

chav
A working-class youth, especially one associated with aggression, poor education, and a perceived “common” taste in clothing and lifestyle
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Chav

posh
Associated with the upper classes; Stylish, elegant, exclusive (expensive); an exclamation expressing derision
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/posh

Comment by Carlos — March 2, 2009 @ 2:47 pm

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I think the use of “cuica” might also depend on your racial or ethnic background as well.

I am black and most Chileans did not think would not refer to me as cuica at all, even though they knew I was from the US. However they did not hesitate to tell me that they usually referred to all Americans as cuicos.

I (and my fam and friends in Las Condes) use the word cuica to mean someone who is a snob, who has no idea how regular people live, and those who look down on other people who have less money than they do.

Flaite is a word I absolutely can’t stand because, unlike cuico, it is more often used to describe someone’s background, rather than their actions. It is so unfortunate, because many people think that only people of lesser means are flaite, when anyone from any background can act in an unbecoming way.

Comment by Miyaunna — March 3, 2009 @ 8:43 am

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Also, please pardon my horrible typos. It’s 12:45am right now!

Comment by Miyaunna — March 3, 2009 @ 8:45 am

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I agree that gringos aren’t always considered cuico because we as a culture tend to lack that “I’m upper class” attitude that goes along with being cuico – we just don’t think in terms of class the same way that Chileans do. That said, plenty of us fit into the category of cuico based on how and where we live.

I think for both words there almost are two definitions. One is less severe than the other. For example, you can use cuico in a pretty innocent way, just to refer to where someone lives/works/studies, etc. It’s basically saying that someone has money, and even cuicos can jokingly refer to each other this way. Also, because even within the upper class there are such huge differences in income and lifestyle, I’ve heard plenty of “cuicos” who live in Providencia and Las Condes refer to other even wealthier people as cuico without necessarily considering themselves as such. But then there’s the use of cuico to negatively highlight someone’s stuck up/entitled attitude and lack of consideration for anyone “beneath them” (ie. everyone who doesn’t go to their golf club).

The same goes with flaite. If an action is flaite, it’s like saying something is shady in English. Obviously the word comes from that association with poor people, but a lot of people use it without meaning to reference those origins (like the way people in the US say something is gay if it’s uncool but don’t mean it’s homosexual…which I hate, but that’s another story). Then there’s calling a person flaite, which to me isn’t just poor but rather has that added layer of being or acting like a criminal. And of course the baggy pants, jerseys and use of cell phone as personal boombox on Transantiago are all potential signs of a flaite.

Basically like everything in Chile, it all hugely depends on context. But I’d say that in a nutshell your definitions are pretty accurate.

Comment by Emily — March 3, 2009 @ 7:35 pm

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Palabras magistrales!!! Esta “gringa” ha llegado a tener un conocimiento sociolÃ³gico de Chile tan profundo, que este blog deberÃa ser estudiado por muchos profesionales de las ciencias sociales y especialmente por quienes intentan definir la idiosincracia chilena. Eres genial.

PD: Una pequeÃ±a correcciÃ³n, nop sÃ³lo hay gringos cuicos, tambiÃ©n hay gringos flaites, yo los he visto en algunos bares en ViÃ±a del Mar, gritando como cerdos y haciendo un escÃ¡ndalo insoportable.

Comment by Psicometodos — March 3, 2009 @ 9:03 pm

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I agree that there’s a great muddling of terms here in terms of money vs. class issues, thus how the expression “roto con plata” has come up.

I also love how you call where I live “barrio bajo” I do it all the time, especially when asked by a condescending cuico where I live. It’s hilarious! I live in Barrio Brasil thouh, so not particularly flaite in any case.

Comment by Eileen — March 5, 2009 @ 10:21 am

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Miyaunna, you bring up a very good point. I guess I have never thought much about the racial aspect of the words, mostly because there’s so little racial diversity here.

Psicometodos, jajaja, gracias pero no es para tanto…todas las gringas tendrian los mismos conocimientos del pais si lograran vivir tanto tiempo aca como yo Pero en general duran un ano o dos y se van…

Eileen, I think where you live is an area that confuses the Chileans, sort of like Bellas Artes…which was also once considered more of a barrio bajo. Now it’s all up and coming and they don’t know what to do with itself, since technically I think anything below Baquedano is “bajo” jaja

Comment by Mamacita Chilena — March 5, 2009 @ 8:47 pm

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Kyle (that’s your name, is it?)

Let me know something, why do you think, “gringas” leave the country? I know this is not like an european country, but is it so ugly and disgusting? (okay, men in Chile are completely ugly, but that’s the way it is ( )

And, are you living and remaining here just for love? Do you think it is the only one reason because a foreigner girl come here for to live (tolerate indeed)a new life?

Is this country completely unbearable?

Comment by Psicometodos — March 7, 2009 @ 10:35 am

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Psicometodos, si Kyle es mi nombre
Voy a responder en tu post porque es una pregunta bastante interesante.

Comment by Mamacita Chilena — March 10, 2009 @ 1:45 pm

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ok, im chilean, im completely middle class and id say your definition of flaite is a bit off.
flaite means more than anything else, “uneducated” as in, without manners or courtesy. Those girls that threw up in the bus and did not clean are flaite, wether theyre from puente alto or la dehesa, because what they did goes against all common courtesy. more than likely, had they been “pelo lais” the woman would have said the same to you.
like, for example, your nana would not be flaite, never. if you want, ask your students if they think of their nanas as “flaite” and they will more than likely be insulted you even thought of such a thing.
yes, there are tons of social class issues here, but youre making a big assumption with this word.
anyone who would use the word “flaite” to denominate lower social classes as a whole would be flaite. to most of us, anyway.

Comment by Cami — April 6, 2009 @ 11:30 pm

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Interesting topic, being chilean myself who has grown up in Britain. I have to say one thing I didn’t like about being in Chile is how the class divide is extremely noticable more than the uk. I really hate this , in the end of the day we all come to this world in the same way and we all die too. We should just accept people for who they are than what they are.

Comment by Chileana Chica — April 26, 2009 @ 12:30 pm

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One last thing, please don’t judge all chileans to be likeethis. There are some of us who are actually nice warm welcoming people.

Comment by chileana chica — April 26, 2009 @ 12:33 pm

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Chilean chica, no worries, I definitely don’t think all Chilean people are like that!

Comment by Mamacita Chilena — April 26, 2009 @ 12:40 pm

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