Racism Towards People From The States?

[Joe]

Not taunting me on the road or pulling my clothes in the disgusting way, cos if they do indeed try that - then I would beat the shit out of them in my reply to them.

Not "English" speaking whites ( cos Australians, British, New Zealanders are aboslutely normal)

--

But when we have social get togethers or house parties ( I am a big fan of house parties and love socializing) where I come across American expats, they do say racial things and make racial comments and behave as if they are superior, just because they have a fairer color or because they have a American passport or they speak like a American etc. or as if the world is USA and rest of us on the planet are aliens.

You didn't include Canadians in your list. I hope you aren't lumping us with the Americans because then we would be truly offended!

 

[ARbound]

Well, I wouldn't call it racism, xenophobia I'd say is a more accurate term, and as I'm sure
many of you will remember my rant about how Argentina is the most xenophobic country
I've been to, at least openly about it.

But I digress, I've experienced it, it sucks. I'm Canadian and American, and I love the United
States, but I sympathize with Argies complaints about our governments past and present.

My main response when someone would begin pissing all over Americans was:

Have you ever been to the United States?

A lot of Argentine people have an opinion about a country and it's people that they've never been
to, let alone lived in. I've also asked them how they'd feel if Americans all assumed that Argentina
was dangerous and if they visited a motochorro would rob them, and begrudgingly the answer is
the wouldn't like it.

Don't get me wrong, almost every country tries to force feed its children the notion that it's the greatest
place on Earth, and that it's people have never done anything wrong. Argentina just continues to have
this weird nationalist-isolationist worldview amongst the older generations, tied in with delusions of grandeur
and the glory days of being the 7th richest place on Earth. Younger generations, like my own, seem to be
less anti-American/British and call out the propaganda. One of my best friends is a Kirchnerite, but the Pakapaka
cartoon about the Falklands War made his blood boil, as it's propaganda and lies being fed to children as fact.

Almost every country has an animosity towards the United States, and some for valid reason. The issue is Argentines,
from my experience, will project that on to citizens of it and the UK simply because it affirms their world view.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Well, I wouldn't call it racism, xenophobia I'd say is a more accurate term, and as I'm sure
many of you will remember my rant about how Argentina is the most xenophobic country
I've been to, at least openly about it.

A lot of Argentine people have an opinion about a country and it's people that they've never been
to, let alone lived in. I've also asked them how they'd feel if Americans all assumed that Argentina
was dangerous and if they visited a motochorro would rob them, and begrudgingly the answer is
the wouldn't like it.

Don't get me wrong, almost every country tries to force feed its children the notion that it's the greatest
place on Earth, and that it's people have never done anything wrong. Argentina just continues to have
this weird nationalist-isolationist worldview amongst the older generations, tied in with delusions of grandeur
and the glory days of being the 7th richest place on Earth.

Almost every country has an animosity towards the United States, and some for valid reason. The issue is Argentines,
from my experience, will project that on to citizens of it and the UK simply because it affirms their world view.

Argentine exceptionalism in action.

 

[Napoleon]

Don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but being from the U.S. is not a "race".

"Prejudice" against people from the U.S.

That is all, now back to your regularly scheduled whining.

 

[Girino]

Don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but being from the U.S. is not a "race".

"Prejudice" against people from the U.S.

That is all, now back to your regularly scheduled whining.

8 pages of thread and here you are someone coming with the obvious of the obvious stated on page #1. Thanks for not reading. What's so compelling in saying one's own opinion on a public forum if he/she doesn't bother to read the others'?!

Save your time for something better!

 

[semigoodlookin]

My experience has always been that animosity towards the British (or English, because even Scottish, Welsh, and Irish as English in Argentina) is worse. I am British and the most common complaints from Argentines about people from USA are:

They are ignorant
Arrogant
Stupid
Rude
Uncultured
And lastly, not Americans, because Americans are people from the whole two continents, so people from the USA must be defined as North Americans.

I find all of these points to be wildly generalizing and a bit rich really.

British have it far worse though. Stole the Falklands from Argentina (not true), should give them back, the opinion of those living on the islands is pointless, and any other by now cliche bullshit about Malvinas. My step-son actually came home from school being taught that Britain did not win that war. We pay for him to go to that school. Regarding English people as a whole, ignorant, arrogant, stupid, rude, uncultured,

 

[mikic007]

British have it far worse though. Stole the Falklands from Argentina (not true), should give them back, the opinion of those living on the islands is pointless, and any other by now cliche bullshit about Malvinas.

Since "stealing" depends on the point of view in this case, you can't really say, it's not true. Argentinian claim is of course pointless and it's obvious Falklands will stay in British hands, but history is not really favoring any side's story. Since colonising countries never really gave a damn about opinion of people living in some area, is quite funny, how important this is now for them

Anyway, world change in between a bit and Argentina would make itself a favor, to start managing the rest of what it has, instead to whine about 1% that doesn't have. However, what they teach about malvinas is irrelevant, since no sane employer will ever ask your kid on this topic. Math, physics... Is other case and I see some lack in general knowledge around here.

 

[bobg]

... ... almost every country tries to force feed its children the notion that it's the greatest
place on Earth, ...

This may be true of the US but I think less so than in many other countries. Certainly in the US we at least openly admit and discuss our past sins. We all know about our terrible mistreatment of Native Americans, our slavery/segregationist/racist history, our fire bombing of Dresden and Tokyo in WWII, our use of atomic weapons in WWII. And I know that this list can be easily extended. I am not suggesting that such sins should be forgiven, just that, unlike in some countries, they are freely discussed in the US.

Bob

 

[ajoknoblauch]

This may be true of the US but I think less so than in many other countries. Certainly in the US we at least openly admit and discuss our past sins. We all know about our terrible mistreatment of Native Americans, our slavery/segregationist/racist history, our fire bombing of Dresden and Tokyo in WWII, our use of atomic weapons in WWII. And I know that this list can be easily extended. I am not suggesting that such sins should be forgiven, just that, unlike in some countries, they are freely discussed in the US.

Bob

However, if you're flying a Confederate flag - or flaunting one on your gunrack or tattooing one on your arm - you are not openly admitting and freely discussing the issues.

 

[Girino]

My step-son actually came home from school being taught that Britain did not win that war. We pay for him to go to that school.

Argentines are in full denials about Falklands. I went with my husband to visit a temporary "Museum of the Malvinas war" next to Teatro Colon (it was like a giant inflatable balloon, one room only). My husband was keeping in hand a jumper by Lonsdale, and on the sleeve of the jumper the British flag was stitched (not the UK one, just the British one). A small patch the size of a thumb.

One of the veteran who was guarding the exposition deliberately tried to step over him when he was trying to exit the temporary museum. My husband stepped left, he stepped left. My husband stepped right, he stepped right, and so on.

My husband finally understood that the man (in his 60's) was doing this on purpose, so he asked him if there was a problem. [My husband is Argentine.] The veteran said "Don't you think it is inappropriate to come in here with that?", my husband still didn't understood. So the veteran pointed at the flag on his jumper and my husband understood. He simply said he didn't care about his clothes and about the war, and that was it.

Anyway, I found it quite disturbing. This adds up to: school notebooks parading the blank map of the Falklands, DNIs with Malvinas pictured the size of a crumb, passports that on the very first page have portrayed the Falklands only, various silly claims Argentina makes now and then (last: Now Argentina accuses Falkland Islands fishermen of stealing their FISH), the Malvinas day on Feb 2, the new 50 pesos bill note honouring the Malvinas, etc.