Is Buenos Aires a Third World City?

[HotYogaTeacher]

I don't know where you get the idea that there isn't a black market for currency here...

 

[soulskier]

I always thought readily available high speed internet, well behaved (not scary dogs) and drinkable water were all traits not associated with the 3rd world.

 

[michal1047]

I live 6months in Ajijic Mexico and 6months in Buenos Aires in the San Telmo area. Quite frankly, BsAs. has Mexico beat by miles.....And the biggest plus for BsAs. is safety. USA´s neighbor to the south has eons to go before it catches up with Argentina. Yes in the surrounding areas of Argentina...one can be hard pressed to find paved roads....But the people, the culture and the safety issue makes Argentina a gem of a third world country...

 

[jvwh3b]

Bribes, pollution, fragile infrastructure? Those words could be used to describe New York City, the capital of the "First World!" So then, while BA, (and Argentina) is suffering (or rather experiencing) some difficulties, it doesn't approach the status of a "Third World" or even "Second World" city. What's with these designations anyway, people should be doing something to improve the quality-of-life in BA rather than spend foolish time trying to define it.

Among all else, BA is a World Class city!

 

[steveinbsas]

I live 6months in Ajijic Mexico and 6months in Buenos Aires in the San Telmo area. Quite frankly, BsAs. has Mexico beat by miles.....And the biggest plus for BsAs. is safety. USA´s neighbor to the south has eons to go before it catches up with Argentina. Yes in the surrounding areas of Argentina...one can be hard pressed to find paved roads....But the people, the culture and the safety issue makes Argentina a gem of a third world country...

I lived in Sayulita, Mexico for five years prior to deciding to "move" to in BA (after a two month visit in 2006). Sayulita is a gem of a Mexican beach town (as a result of a lot of Gringos who have poured millions of dollars into homes there), but I have no plans to set foot in Mexcio again (except to connect at MEX as I use up the last of my FF miles on Mexicana).

When it comes to being an expat living SOTB, Argentina is vastly superior to Mexico in so many ways, though the resident visa process requires a lot more paperwork...and much more time waiting in line. It's also nice not to be "identified" on the basis of skin color on a daily basis

 

[ssr]

I have to agree with Wilson above. After living here for a couple of years and traveling around South America, it does seem that every country I've been to has the resources to be a fully "developed" country but that some combination of corruption, greed, racism and just downright stupidity will forever threaten their stability.

Corruption is widespread here in Argentina. My friends who have businesses here tell me some pretty crazy stories about the petty thievery that they have to deal with from police and government officials. Bribing police and officials is a good indicator of "developing" country status. Also, having to check for counterfeit currency every time a taxi driver gives you change. Also, children running around at night, high on cheap drugs, begging and picking out of garbage cans. Also, villas full of people just barely scraping by with little hope for a better life.

Those with some money in Argentina enjoy a decent standard of living, and there are some nice replicas of Parisian buildings in Recoleta, but Argentina certainly still has some "developing" to do.

 

[perry]

Developing is such a interesting word and it many cases the countries that we call developed are just fantasies built on credit and more credit . How many people in the USA and most of Europe would be living in Villas if there was no social security systems or credit . Many USA families are one paycheck from living on the streets. Argentina today will be the future for many countries soon that are so called developed with widening gaps of lifestyle and education. It does sadden me that Education is being degraded in Argentina and now with the drug invasion ripping apart Buenos Aires we are all heading for bad times.

Stronger government is paramount here as if you do not fix a pane of glass the house will come crashing down. I believe that respect for others is a learned behaviour that the family and government must encourage .
Discipline is seriously lacking in Argentine society and people are encouraged to be too individualistic with no thought of others . If you look at the drivers in Buenos Aires they are a mirror to a sick society that has one of the highest road deaths per capita per annum.

Now we talk about swine Flu when every week over 140 die on Argentinian roads. This is a national disgrace and could so easilly be halved with a efficient traffic police.

 

[BlahBlah]

I agree with Pericles, I think that soon many families of the USA, Canada, Spain, Germany and Engeland will be headed to Argentina because of the good shape the country is in

 

[sergio]

I don't think many Porteños would enjoy hearing how their country is a lot better than Mexico! They tend to compare themselves to Europe rather than any other place in Latin America.

The sad fact is that things were a lot better a few decades ago. Argentina had a substantial middle class with a good standard of living, far better than countries like Spain and Italy. That can not be said to be true today. I have to agree with the poster who said that Argentina has the peculiar distinction of being a country that turned from relatively developed to less developed.

 

[TomAtAlki]

From Pericles:
"Stronger government is paramount here as if you do not fix a pane of glass the house will come crashing down."

Not sure what this means. Could you please elaborate.

Thanks, Tom