Some of the people I most trust are Argentines. At the same time, as a group I have almost no trust in Argentines, just suspicion. I base this on decades of experience in the country and many attempts to cheat me in small and major ways. There is a lot I don't like about the US (and Americans are not my favorite nationality) however the system in the US is more transparent and the day-to-day mentality is much more aboveboard than in Argentina. I have almost never been cheated in everyday transactions in the US and when there is a mistake (especially with credit cards) the error is quickly rectified in my favor. The US is far too litigious but the upside is that the mere threat of a lawsuit is taken seriously because people know that the court system is mostly fair. I say this knowing very well the weaknesses of the US, especially in foreign policy, the lack of a universal health care system, and in the growing power of corporations and ever more concentrated wealth in the hands of a small minority. Despite all of this life is a great deal easier in the US because there is infinitely less corruption on the everyday level - and there are some protections to prevent abuse. I find it ironic that Argentines refer to the US as having "savage capitalism" when in fact that is precisely what I see in Argentina -- people so desperate they have to sell junk on trains and on the street to survive. Then there is a pension system that for most people is totally inadequate and that makes retirement impossible for many people, including many professionals. There are many basics that go neglected in Argentina that lead to people taking devious measures to get through life. But there is also a culture of deceit that goes beyond economic need. Cardinal Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) frequently ranted against the Kirchner government for its corruption and neglect of the poor but he failed to see a fundamental flaw in too many of the people: a tendency to do things in an illicit way, a disregard for rules and a lack of consideration for their fellow citizens. In this sense Argentina is a dog-eat-dog, savage capitalist society encompassing not just corporations but ordinary citizens. After having said all this, I return to my original comment that some of the people I most trust in life are Argentine. They, however, don't consider themselves typical Argentines and wish that their society could have greater solidarity, greater respect for the rights or others and less selfishness.
