Am I the only person in Argentina that finds the term "chinito" offensive?

[nanu]

chino or china has been used in Argentina over 200 years to describe natives with eyes which seem chinese but are obviously native "americans" of South America especially Argentina where this term has been used long before different asian inmogration from different asiatic countries which have arrived recently more or less mid last century and this one. Nobody takes it adls an offense or discrimination.

 

[London2Baires]

I was not talking about you in particular, but if you go through the post, you will get a sense of how superior some people feel because they come from a certain background, when in reality their countries just enforce political correctness to avoid dealing their own current discrimination problems. We can all talk about anything, but have to acknowledge where we are coming from or it turns into hypocritical nonsense conversation.

No offence, but that doesn't wash with me. I am bi-cultural and make no excuses for my Argentine culture, nor my European. Again, this sounds like whataboutism.

"We can't talk about this because its outsiders who are hypocrites anyway". To me, this just sounds like the same old nationalist excuses for 'cultural' terms that 'the outsiders' couldn't possibly understand.

Again, this is just what used to be said about words like "faggot", "bitch", "Paki", "Ni***r" etc, etc. Each and every time the, usual nationalist, members of the culture say what Nikad is saying now.

I don't agree.

Now, I AM NOT SAYING that Nikad is a racist. And also, AGAIN, these terms can be used from a subjectively 'nice' "cariñoso" way. I'm sure that's the case when Nikad calls her cleaner "Negrita" or when Bajo calls his wife "Chinita". These are almost certainly well intentioned utterances. But this DOES NOT make it ok, and does not mean that its not socially damaging.

A progressive would want to progress on these issues, as cultures often do.

The naysayers will always find excuses why not, as will many from within the very discriminated communities. Nothing new here, sadly.

Many expats on this forum may not realise that the Argentine cultural zeitgiest has a strong fachista vein running through it.

The messy historical realities of how the black population were treated historically, and the zeal with which a rosey eyed version of this history is recounted, have been alluded to in this thread.

The old excuse of 'but we've called indigenous women chinita for centuries" only goes to show how other racialised vocabulary, inherited from the colonial times, have been around for even longer than the current instance we are discussing in this thread. The old version is just as abhorrent, and also widely excused because it has historical social backing.

Playing fast and loose with pejorative terms and excusing everything with nationalist type arguments is a longstanding tradition here, for some.

Other Argentines, such as myself, chose a different path.

(you can be an Argentine and an Expat at the same time, though I won't go into the ven diagram here!)

 

[nanu]

No one has talked about censorship. This is a straw man argument which is often made in this debate.

What people are suggesting is raising public consciounce of the origins and negative societal implications of this type of language.

As has happened many times historically by the way. We can always improve ourselves and society if we are prepared to look at the data, research, and reality behind these issues.

By the way, one can also hear LA RUBIA TARADA (there's a very famous rock song by a famous rock band) la bienuda, barrio norte, los chetos, la cheta, etc.etc. when referring to higher, uppercrust class people.
Well yes I can consider it offensive or simply accept not everybody is as polite and educated as I would like but should I accept that such unkind uneducated resentful people exist or should I continue criticizing and banning everything I don't agree with?

 

[Idois]

Again, this sounds like whataboutism.

You got it.
It is a very clear ("textbook") example of psychological reactance (to perceived threat, loss of autonomy, choice or freedom, etc).
It is a fascinating, naturally-occurring, psychological mechanism aimed at attempting to restore freedom. It is easily observed in children, but some carry it into adulthood. It gets really interesting when the perceived threat comes from what is perceived to be an in-group source as opposed to out-group source. And if you go through the entire thread you will see a real life example of the mechanism in action. Absolutely fascinating!
(P.S. Whataboutism is just one method of reactance with specific characteristics, which you have mentioned earlier).

 

[MatameBA]

You got it.
It is a very clear ("textbook") example of psychological reactance (to perceived threat, loss of autonomy, choice or freedom, etc).
It is a fascinating, naturally-occurring, psychological mechanism aimed at attempting to restore freedom. It is easily observed in children, but some carry it into adulthood.

I'd change that to say...

"It is easily observed in children, but everyone carries it into adulthood... we all just manifest it differently and under different circumstances."

 

[Ries]

I can, and do, listen to La Rubia Tarada, and enjoy it, and still realize that times change, and even Luca probably would not use the same words today he did in 1983.
I have heard similar defenses, many times, from old white southern men in the USA- "nobody" is offended.
Well, most likely, some people are, but they know that their complaints of offense go unheard and unrecognized by old conservatives.

I know a lot of young Argentines who actually consider the words they use- of course, they are people who routinely spend time with gay, trans, queer, native, asian, black, and all kinds of immigrants and mixed race people. Some of these people are recent immigrants, others have been here for generations. Many younger argentines have spent time abroad, and come back reconsidering "tradition".

 

[perry]

They do (in fact wasn't Argy Bargy a headline during the war?). If you head to any comments section on an English newspaper for a story regarding Argentina, you'll find Argie being used left, right, and center.

Argie and argy bargy is used to belittle and d

I was not talking about you in particular, but if you go through the post, you will get a sense of how superior some people feel because they come from a certain background, when in reality their countries just enforce political correctness to avoid dealing their own current discrimination problems. We can all talk about anything, but have to acknowledge where we are coming from or it turns into hypocritical nonsense conversation.

In the west in the USA and Australia just 50 years ago people of a different skin color had to travel on different buses , had seperate toilets like cattle, and were lucky if they had a job Argentina with all its problems had a much more socially cohesive racial policy and many people of indian and african background advanced to high positions . This certainly was not the case in Australia who had a brutal white australia policy up to the 1960s . Is argentina perfect no it can be rascist and classist but I find that there is much more rascism towards peruvians , bolivians , and chileans than towards asians who seem to live very well in Argentina

 

[semigoodlookin]

Argie and argy bargy is used to belittle and d

I know.

 

[deadOA]

Lots of purists deeply offended by Argentina racism.

I yet have to see a single post of a single purist concerned of offended or speaking out about ANY shortcomings of his/her own country.

I´ll believe you when I read your posts.

Till then, it is just hypocrisy!

 

[camel]

It's just classic whataboutism. Originally a well designed propaganda structure. It's a logical fallacy but effective at persuasion nevertheless.

Originally it was asosiated and best known as a soviet developed methodology, though in contemporary times is most seen with the alt right and current US leader.

But what about the straw man arguments?