WW, I enjoy reading your editorials regarding the variety of topics/forums in this group as they appear well thought out and researched. Thanks for sharing. My opinion is that many of the expats who left the United States to settle in European or Latin American countries have done so for the exact same reasons we are discussing. Most are fed up with our national norms which include family values, (which by the way seems to be a major platform for every politician running for office), health care system, and worker bee/army ant mentality. Think about this... in general everything that has been said to "criticize" and/or "support" the differences in our cultural norms really describes a society with a mentality for production and perhaps even an obsessive desire for efficiency similar to that found in slave labor. (Think Mayans and Egyptians)
Instead of building pyramids, we build credit; and instead of paying our check to the company store, we pay it to Master Card, Visa, and the bank who holds the deed to "our" (yeah, right) house and title for "our" car(s). Bitter? In some ways yes. But I think a better word would be disappointed. Both parents must work and in turn 'raise' latch-key children, usually raised by somebody else, while accumulating debt up to our ears. Is this the American Dream? Or is it the foreshadowing of the new world order and the objective of globalization?I do miss the clean, manicured streets as well as the active law enforcement found in the USA, police who actually pull cars over because they exceed emission standards or don't meet safety requirements, or for tailgating, or speeding, or throwing trash on the street. In most cities and towns, we can actually see our tax dollars (most of them anyway) at work building a better community to live in. Of course there is corruption, but there is also production. Police Officers are generally respected and laws are respected/followed by the majority of people.
Here, taxes go into the politicians pockets and rarely do you see the tax dollars at work in the community unless it is an election year (like now). Hence, many people work under the table and/or don't pay taxes and therefor, there is no "left over" money to put back into the community after the corruption. Laws are not adhered to by the majority of people and police do not actively enforce the law.
One more thought before I go (little off topic)... Let's compare and contrast the education system here.
In the USA children go to school for between 6 and 8 hours a day. There are "school buses" available for children in the public school system, and meals are served in the school cafeteria. Here, in the province of Buenos Aires, children go to school for approximately 4 hours a day and simply don't show up at the state schools because either the heaters don't work or because it is raining. There are no school buses for children in the state school nor are there cafeterias to serve nutritional meals. Most schools are run down and badly in need of repair. But that is in the province of Buenos Aires (Partido de Escobar, to be exact). I now live in the partido de Tigre and have noticed a slight improvement. I have also seen beautiful schools in the northern province of Misiones.
While Argentines may be more family oriented than Americans, they are not necessarily community oriented. Americans usually think about others first and are, in my opinion, more community oriented. For example, we use turn signals to let people know our intention. We pull over to the side of the road so people can pass when we are stopped. We drive in our own lane (not straddling) so not to be a hazard for other drivers. Etc.. etc...
So, what's my point? While Argentina may be more family oriented then the USA, it's societal norms also has it's drawbacks. The theme of this forum is Argentines are warm; Americans are cold, but it could just as easily read Argentines are divided, corrupt, and under productive while Americans are united, law abiding, and over productive. Balance is key!
I think in NYC, people weren't unfriendly but everyone was just so busy that people might perceive it as unfriendliness. I'm still trying to get used to the slower pace here and the fact that people will meet for lunch during the work day with friends or acquaintances - something very foreign to me...
