Racism Towards People From The States?

[Silvie]

Ditto.

 

[nyer4ever]

99.9% of Argentines think I'm Brasilian. I've had some people make warranted comments about the US gov't policy, but never anything offensive.

The "family painter" came to our house to give us an estimate. I say "family painter" because almost everyone in my husband's family has used him. He's an older gentleman and a "cheito communist." All pro Fidel, but lives in San Isidro and has a house on the coast...you get the picture.

So he's in MY kitchen and I'm making coffee for him and my husband. As I pass him a cup of coffee he asks, "You're Brasilian?" And I replied no, but I have a strange accent because I speak Portuguese as well. I'm from NY. He takes the coffee and raises his hand and says "I can't stand North Americans." My thought was wow, this is a master at "truco," he wins at the Argie dark humor.

But it wasn't a joke. He continued to give his over priced estimate and my husband and I were too stunned by his rudeness to really let him have it. Sat in MY house, drinking MY coffee and said in my face I can't stand you people ... not your government, but you people.

The funniest is - HOW bad is his geography ... he can't stand Mexicans, Cubans, Dominicans, etc.

As far as RACISM goes, I am of African descent and unfortunately it's WAY more lax here than in the US...clocks are going backwards quickly up there.

 

[Crema Americana]

^ That is awful. Que sinverguenza infeliz.



Never experienced "racism" towards my individual person.... but I'll be damned if I haven't heard "esos Yanquis...." dozens of times.

There's some disdain for the Spanish as well, so I have double opportunity to get offended. Usually that is more in the form of mocking.
Normally it just rolls off my back, but some really wrong-headed statements can make me clench my teeth.... and it's almost always family members. For instance, my brother-in-law apparently got sick when he went to Spain 20 years ago, and now all Spanish doctors are bad and much worse than the doctors here.

As far as anti-Americanism goes, it doesn't help when the state supports it. The other day I had the TV on in the background and some panel was discussing human rights abuses of Cuba vs the US and it was just so over the top I was getting annoyed. Until I realized it was TV Publica and I changed the channel. Not to mention Cristina and all her rhetoric.
A lot of Argentines blame the US for the whole IMF/currency collapse of 2001... which at least is based on something.

I don't mind or really care how Argentines feel about the US, the only thing that bothers me is when there is a lack of respect for the individual, which thankfully I haven't run into.

 

[CaliCoco]

I find this topic fascinating because generally speaking, the Argentine attitude towards Yankis is complicated. It truly is a "love-hate" contradiction. It goes along with what I heard described as "an inferiority complex wrapped up in a superiority complex".
I never felt that being an American was a disadvantage while living in Argentina, but every now and then I was suprised at the stereotyping and prejudice. Argentines often tell me "Sos muy macanudo para ser un Yanki", also "I normally don't get along with Yankis, but you seem menos frio". I like to take these comments as compliment but in reality they're also a slam to my nationality.
I've walked by protests downtown BA where American flags were being burned however I feel that the people doing this really have little idea why they were doing this.
One of my favorite "Argentine vs US" conspiracy theories is that the US has plans to invade and steal Argentina's water. I must say that now that I'm currently living in Southen California in one of the worst droughts in history it doesn't seem like a such a bad idea.....

 

[camberiu]

When the ghost of the Argentine military threat faded back in the 80s, the Brazilian brass had to come up with a justification for its own existence. So they concocted a complex global conspiracy, led by the United States of course, to steal the Amazon from Brazil under the guise of saving the environment.
This conspiracy theory was all the rage until the late 90s, and then it died out.
But these kind of crazy stories is not just an Argentine thing.

 

[Noesdeayer]

I have commented on this before but I will again.There is plenty of anti-USism in Argentina as " an inferiority complex wrapped in a superiority complex" as CaliCoco says.I have lived here since 1979,speak fluent Spanish and operated a business.Years ago I had several instances that almost came to blows..As a result I NEVER enter into conversations with strangers in Argentna.However,I do in all other countries in Latin America including Cuba.Of course,I realize that it is only some of them.Nonetheless,I must admit to gloatng when I am in visiting other latin countries and hear how the locals lambast the Argies.