Racism in BA, am I alone?

[mhenna11]

I have encountered racism, someone made fun of the fact that my child has playdates with the daughter of the Chinese couple who run the mini-mart next door. There were some nasty comments, even though the little girl is Argentinian by birth.

Is this true, I am so sorry to hear that. I love the Chinese families here, I have become friends with quite a few, and they are so welcoming and warm to me. I wonder what that poor little girl goes through on a daily basis.

 

[Cookie]

Sorry about your experience! It must have been terrible.

You must understand though that Buenos Aires isn't like the US. It's not just paranoia, things do happen. Where I work a man was shot in the stomach by robbers and a co-worker was mugged at gunpoint on the sidewalk. My sister and brother in law have both been robbed/mugged. It happens and people are scared.

There's a lot of dark skinned Argies so I don't think it's skin color racism. They certainly are less PC than in the States, but I have found little racially motivated violence.

 

[mhenna11]

Sorry about your experience! It must have been terrible.

You must understand though that Buenos Aires isn't like the US. It's not just paranoia, things do happen. Where I work a man was shot in the stomach by robbers and a co-worker was mugged at gunpoint on the sidewalk. My sister and brother in law have both been robbed/mugged. It happens and people are scared.

There's a lot of dark skinned Argies so I don't think it's skin color racism. They certainly are less PC than in the States, but I have found little racially motivated violence.[/QUOTE

Is this true?I don't pay attention to the news anymore because I felt they were making people feel scared. But I guess this is reality. I lived in a country that is considered by people from ther dangerous, El Salvador, which really it wasn't dangerous when you got inside and met the people, but the locals themselves didn't go out at night. It was dangerous, but isn't every place? When we arrived in Argentina we did feel safe here, traveling on a colectivo is a relief compared to traveling on a bus to San Salvador. But the people in El Salvador handled their fear with grace. These people never ran away from anyone no matter how scared they were.

 

[AngelinBA]

I have to say that in this cold weather I have seen so many young guys with hoodies on loitering around and looking like they were up to no good, then when I get up close I see that they're just private school kids with the hoods on their sweatshirts up to keep their ears warm. I've also been guilty of putting my own hood up when walking to work in the morning and have seen people glance back, take a second glance and then get out of my way. I look like your average Argentine middle class female, ie completely harmless.

 

[mhenna11]

I have to say that in this cold weather I have seen so many young guys with hoodies on loitering around and looking like they were up to no good, then when I get up close I see that they're just private school kids with the hoods on their sweatshirts up to keep their ears warm. I've also been guilty of putting my own hood up when walking to work in the morning and have seen people glance back, take a second glance and then get out of my way. I look like your average Argentine middle class female, ie completely harmless.

It's the hoody! jajaj They are racist not against me but my hoody. Okay, no more hats, hoods, let the ears freeze! Thank you. This made me smile.

 

[ellbee]

don't feel bad.....they are the uncivilized human beings making a fool of themselves acting like crazy racist paranoid idiots.
i would have laughed out loud.

its funny how Argentinians behave so well when they are in another country but in their own, they are racist and rude.

i tell this to my friends back home and they can't believe it...i used to think this way as well before i stepped foot in BA but oh well, it takes all kinds of people to make the world. I know there are really nice Argentinians...they are just a rare specie here.

My advice: laugh about it. That lady is the crazy one and she is probably on meds.

 

[ellbee]

things do happen in the US as well...horrible things, just like everywhere in the world.

but we can't live in paranoia.....but we do need to be careful.

Sorry about your experience! It must have been terrible.

You must understand though that Buenos Aires isn't like the US. It's not just paranoia, things do happen. Where I work a man was shot in the stomach by robbers and a co-worker was mugged at gunpoint on the sidewalk. My sister and brother in law have both been robbed/mugged. It happens and people are scared.

There's a lot of dark skinned Argies so I don't think it's skin color racism. They certainly are less PC than in the States, but I have found little racially motivated violence.

 

[PhilipDT]

I completely disagree with everyone saying there isn't much racism here. This is one of the most racist places I've ever been in. Do you guys remember the Independiente Boca game from last year where they were throwing bread to the bolitos y paraguitos and telling them to go back to their own countries. Every argument I witness seems to descend into "grone de mierda!" or "indio hijo de puta" or something like that.

 

[MizzMarr]

I have to agree with Philip that this place is very racist, particularly against dark skinned people.

I think a lot of it comes from plain ignorance, and that the average argentine isn't used to seeing a variety of people (and unfortunately white = european = acceptable). That said, I spent 1.5 years living in a shared apartment with an older argentine fellow and through exposure to him, his friends and family I saw and heard quite a lot of pretty shocking opinions about people of other ethnicities, particularly those with dark skin. I don't think that this family/group of argentines were exceptional in their collectively held viewpoints, though I certainly have met Argentines with more "evolved" perspectives, too. Of course, some of it could certainly be paranoia, but I'm inclined to think that it's more of a mix of things.

I don't necessarily agree that the U.S. in general can be compared directly to Buenos Aires as the populations and land mass is so different. There is surely racism in the States, but I think that your average person is more acclimated to a melting pot of ethnicities and has no issue with it than your average person here.

As to the OP, sorry for your experience! I hope that nothing like that ever happens again.

 

[mini]

we even once got an entire elevator to ourselves because a tenant had chosen the stairs instead of sharing an elevator with me. Anyway, thank you. I will try to be more understanding.

I agree that there can be quite a lot of racism especially against the indigenous people.

However, this above is not racism and has nothing to do with not wanting to take the elevator with you in particular. This is a privacy issue or a custom. It happens all every day in my building. They let people use the elevators separately like if I'm waiting they will let me go by myself then they will take the next one. Or if my neighbor and her husband are there we let them go first and take the next one, etc. They don't share elevators for some reason.