how people live?

[Misscarolina]

I have Argentine friends who have a 42" HD LED TV and pay DirecTV for the HD service. They don't have enough money to pay for the patentes for their late model car, but the car is not for sale.

They recently asked me to loan them $3000 pesos to replace a plate glass window in the local in front of their house so they could start a business.

The also asked me if I wanted to "consign" my art collection so they would have something to sell (in a town where there's no market for fine art).





Of course "consumerism" is higher in countries where individuals have greater disposable income: countries where the economic controls (regulations) and bloodsucking (taxation) by the governments are less than in Argentina (though the US is trying hard to follow the Argentine model with 6000 new regulations so far this year re: health care/prescription drugs).

There are cases like those in every country. I don't live in a high-class area nor in a "country", where people may feel more in need to show off, and they are ready to do anything in order to represent a high class status. I have met people like those, too. But they are seen as rare cases here, not the usual thing.

Consumerism does not necessarily happen where people are better off, but where people consider it important to prove they are better off than their neighbours, or more up-to-date than the rest. If you have just bought one of the best cellphone models, there is no need to change it in a month. It is nice to buy new clothes every two days, but is it really necessary? That's more what I mean. But I do see a bit more of consumerism tendency in new generations.

What I do see in more consumist countries is that all classes have a need to show off, in a higher level than here.

 

[John.St]

... What I do see in more consumist countries is that all classes have a need to show off, in a higher level than here.

As in: To spend money you don't have, to buy things you don't need in order to impress people who couldn't care less.

 

[Misscarolina]

I don't know, I was quite surprised that almost everywhere you go, they ask if you want to pay in cuotas! They sell something for $50 pesos, and have the 6 cuotas price right under it. It's pretty clear people are buying on credit and many indeed are living beyond their means and are in the red. Few seriously save. At least their properties usually aren't on credit....]

LOL! Yes, there are "cuotas", but salesmen will check how much your credit card covers, according to your salary. And that was not the case in the US, the income-credit card cover was not checked (was told that by people who have been living there).

About lining up, you're right! But camping, that's something you will do for the sake of a football match or for a rockstar (not my case), or to protest against the Government .

There's a very special situation right now: we sense that inflation will have a sudden rise, and in such a case, buying in cuotas is cheaper than saving in pesos for something that is expensive when you will see your pesos loosing value. You see, we are always expecting a change in economy every 8-10 years, this is not new to us. Many are actually using money... to save it!

Let's say, you want to buy something that costs 2000 pesos, so you ask for 18 installments - if inflation rises, you will be actually paying less, as most have no-interest installments. Now, if inflation rises as much as we fear, 2000 pesos may become 2/3 or half the price of what you want to buy 18 months later.

 

[citygirl]

What I do see in more consumist countries is that all classes have a need to show off, in a higher level than here.

People don't show off here b/c of security issues, not because of some higher ideal. But rest assured, they are buying the latest toys and gadgets, they're just not using them on the street or wearing their expensive jewelry except at private functions.

 

[steveinbsas]

There are cases like those in every country. I don't live in a high-class area nor in a "country", where people may feel more in need to show off, and they are ready to do anything in order to represent a high class status. I have met people like those, too. But they are seen as rare cases here, not the usual thing.

There's no one like that where I live now.

I don't live in a country, I live in the country.

A couple months ago I was standing in line to use an ATM in Bahia Blance (pop 300,000) and an Argentine gentleman came up and asked me if I was in line to use the cajero or waiting for the bank to open.

He instantly recognized my accent (as foreign) when I answered and asked where I was from.

Instead of saying "Chicago" (and knowing how he would probably react), I answered with the name of the villa on the outskirts of the nearby town where I live, though I'm actually almost one KM outside the villa...in the country.

He instantly burst into laughter.

He could not beliveve a yanqui would live in a such a place...and there aren't any yanquis in the nearby town of 75,000, either.

I'm the only North American here...in one of the nicest houses and on the one of the most beautiful properties in the area. The couple that built the house lived here for over 30 years, operating several succesful businesses and gradually expanding the house along with their family.

I found the house on the ReMax webiste, listed with an agent in Rosario, and Perry helped my buy it. There weren't any locals here who could afford to buy it, even though I paid less for it than the price I received for my one bedroom PH in Nunez.

 

[Misscarolina]

...... I don't pretend to know it it all. Argentina's trade relationship status with the rest of the world: "It's Complicated."

Well, there was something economists used to say:

There are 4 kinds of economies:

- Capitalism, private and based on the market and investments
- Comunism, run by the state
- The Japanesse model,
- The Argentine model, which is impossible to explain!

And the first time I heard it I was in High School.

Can you understand it better now?

 

[Misscarolina]

thank you very much for your comments, everybody!

I am figuring out... rent is too expensive and the quality of products are so poor.... Any good point of Argentine life?

I remember that when I first came to Argentina I have asked my Argentine friends where to find apartment, and nobody knows... no wonder, they are living with their family.

Well, actually, the main reason why few people know about renting is because most of us prefer to remain in our childhood homes until we save money to move to a small apartment, as rents are terribly expensive to us, and that money can be used to pay for a place to live in installments.

 

[steveinbsas]

- The Japanesse model,

Is there more to the Japanese model than a comma?

 

[Misscarolina]

There's no one like that where I live now.

I don't live in a country, I live in the country.ccc.

Nobody here caresccc.

Good nobody cares, that's the way it should be. My grandma was Hungarian and nobody ever cared either ... you see, half the country has at least one foreign grandparent.

BTW, I never thought you lived in "a country" - a closed neighbourhood with generally costly houses- I mentioned a country (as well as rich areas) just because some of them are very trendy and some people there may feel obliged to show off, which was what we were speaking about before.

 

[Misscarolina]

Is there more to the Japanese model than a comma?

LOL! I cannot remember what on Earth they used to say about the Japanese model!!! But there was something they said about it.