Rantings And Ravings.

[nlaruccia]

I think ranting to strangers is driven by 2 things.
1) a general disconnectedness, we don't readily have people around us that we can rant to when the need arises.
2) we know at some level the rant is out of line so its a lot better to rant at some stranger we will never see again that risk a friendship by ranting.

There are more psychologists here per capita than anywhere else in the world. Can't they tell it to their shrink? Take their bitterness there.

 

[Gringoboy]

There are more psychologists here per capita than anywhere else in the world. Can't they tell it to their shrink? Take their bitterness there.

Maybe it's because all Argentines are drama queens, bar none.
It's the oxygen that fuels their lives.
Have you listened to a couple of locals talking to each other about something seemingly trivial? And have you noticed that, if you can't escape from the situation they make it so you have to listen and watch their arms flailing all over the place as if they're going to knock ten bells out of each other?
Then they grab each other with luscious kisses and move on.
Bless em!

 

[nlaruccia]

Maybe it's because all Argentines are drama queens, bar none.
It's the oxygen that fuels their lives.
Have you listened to a couple of locals talking to each other about something seemingly trivial? And have you noticed that, if you can't escape from the situation they make it so you have to listen and watch their arms flailing all over the place as if they're going to knock ten bells out of each other?
Then they grab each other with luscious kisses and move on.
Bless em!

Ditto. Sometimes I just want to put a muzzle on them.

 

[nlaruccia]

Ditto. Sometimes I just want to put a muzzle on them.

Or for that matter, a muzzle on my own Argentine family members sometimes. Love them to death, though.

 

[gpop]

This behavior is manifested in different ways in different countries. Case-in-point:
Winnipeg, Canada. February, -45 Degrees Celsius. Waiting for a bus, watching your breath come out of your mouth and fall to the ground as ice crystals. First person to arrive at the bus stop to wait with you will inevitably remark "Is it cold enough for you?" with a smile and laugh, while the frozen snot in your nose is forming icicles.
People are looking for consensus even for the obvious, or someone to share the experience with. So that fact that you are even opened this topic in the forum, you are doing the same thing as the woman you are complaining about. no?

There are more psychologists here per capita than anywhere else in the world. Can't they tell it to their shrink? Take their bitterness there.

people that go into psychology do so because they themselves have deep mental issues ... my wife, the psychologist told me so .

 

[studiodio]

After years of being a social worker, where my job was to "listen," i now think i have been so slow to really embrace being fluent in spanish is cause i can still get on a bus, and let all the talking/complaining/ sound like great musical tones....

 

[mc kenna]

Here's a little experience of my own
Tired of situations like the one mentioned ,where you are gonna be sucked into an argument that you have nothing to do with nor care about,i opted for the making eye contact and say ''i don't care''80 % of the time ends there .I think that must feel like a slap on the face when you are in shock,,,,,
Now the 20% that keep on going insisting to make you part of their ''crusade'' ,i then use the classic.yeah you are right they should all be shot... including you... but not me.... well after that 100% of the times everyone starts laughing including innocent by standers
In spanish sounds something like this
Blabllala blabla blaaah y la puta que que lo pario
me> que me importa
pero blaaaahh blaa h bllaaah recontra blaaah
me> tenes razon hay que fusilarlos a todos.... y a vos tambien... menos a mi.

 

[AngelinBA]

After years of being a social worker, where my job was to "listen," i now think i have been so slow to really embrace being fluent in spanish is cause i can still get on a bus, and let all the talking/complaining/ sound like great musical tones....

My mum, who is a psychologist, says her best holidays are when she comes here to visit because her whole being gets a chance to relax. She couldn't listen even if she wanted to.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

There are more psychologists here per capita than anywhere else in the world. Can't they tell it to their shrink? Take their bitterness there.

Actually, it's more Freudian than that: http://tinyurl.com/m6c7ofs

 

[Sockhopper]

Outside North America, people relate to strangers in public. I prefer societies that do. Their social fabric is stronger. Had I been the OP, I would have heard the woman out once fully. I certainly would never tell a person that his problem doesn't interest me unless he were hassling me for money or represented a threat to my safety.

There are so many ways available to express empathy that take no time. Usually, people only need from you some signal - a physical gesture, a facial exp<b></b>ression, or a few words - some response to show that you recognize their predicament (or even just their presence in other situations). Anything that expresses a little warmth and understanding works. If the person still goes on after you've done that, i's fine to interrupt him squarely by saying that you must leave now, ask to finish your business with him, say goodbye with a smile and leave. Portenos do this. Here in France where we now live, the same level of care and sociability is also expected of every demographic and of every age from 7 to 90 in public whenever you happen to come into direct contact with anybody. They almost all do it. It's just normal good manners, very important and lets everyone know they belong to something larger than only themselves. Just as in BA, doing this here is grounded in the premise that nobody can be too busy as an individual to be gracious to any other if a society wants to remain one.