The myth of white Argentina still shapes the nation

[elhombresinnombre]

(The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.)

The myth of white Argentina still shapes the nation

Milei is deepening a state tradition that has equated whiteness with civilisation since its inception.

www.aljazeera.com

Milei is carrying forward a state tradition that has long equated whiteness with progress.

 

[ben]

...do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance

One would assume not, AJ being the state organ of a nation which almost entirely funded by a state which - by the metrics advanced in the article - is orders of magnitude more backwards than any Western state has been for an awfully long time.

Foreign migrant workers are said to comprise 90-95% of the population, their sponsors are able to block their exit from the country, and their conditions have long been held to be tantamount to slavery. Many thousands of workers are reported to have died in the preparation for the last World Cup before this years’. It beggars belief for them to lecture Argentines on human rights, racism or really anything. Unless we recognize this kind of “journalism” for the propaganda it is.

 

[Mondongo]

(The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.)

The myth of white Argentina still shapes the nation

Milei is deepening a state tradition that has equated whiteness with civilisation since its inception.

www.aljazeera.com

Milei is carrying forward a state tradition that has long equated whiteness with progress.

...do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance

One would assume not, AJ being the state organ of a nation which almost entirely funded by a state which - by the metrics advanced in the article - is orders of magnitude more backwards than any Western state has been for an awfully long time.

Foreign migrant workers are said to comprise 90-95% of the population, their sponsors are able to block their exit from the country, and their conditions have long been held to be tantamount to slavery. Many thousands of workers are reported to have died in the preparation for the last World Cup before this years’. It beggars belief for them to lecture Argentines on human rights, racism or really anything. Unless we recognize this kind of “journalism” for the propaganda it is.

Unfortunately, it seems that any negative news about Argentina, regardless of the source, is good for those who want to denigrate it.

 

[mageesa]

Unfortunately, it seems that any negative news about Argentina, regardless of the source, is good for those who want to denigrate it.

If Argentina is somehow (mysteriously) racially homogeneous, that's *positive* news to some folks. Eric Weinstein is a Peter Thiel crony, currently visiting Argentina. He gushed in an interview that it's "more European than Europe", after their recent waves of migration.
Wink wink

 

[Rich One]

Google

"The Argentinian state continues to act through a tradition that equates the nation with whiteness and renders its racialised majorities invisible. This is the deeper logic of Argentinian racial denial: a form of power that continues to speak in the name of a European Argentina that exists far more strongly in the state’s imagination than in the social reality of its people"

.
A group called Marrones associates Argentinos, (of mestizo origin), with light brown skin, this group represents between 15 % to 30% of the Argentinian population. No exact data.
Few (or no) brown skinned persons can be seen in BA, on TV , National Congress, Justice or the Executive ?

"Somos marrones, ¿y qué?"

Identidad Marrón: así se denomina un colectivo argentino antirracista, compuesto por descendientes de pueblos originarios. Estos revelan en un libro por qué la supremacía blanca también impera en Sudamérica.

www.clarin.com

Composición étnica de Argentina - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

es.wikipedia.org

 

[MarshallE]

Google

"The Argentinian state continues to act through a tradition that equates the nation with whiteness and renders its racialised majorities invisible. This is the deeper logic of Argentinian racial denial: a form of power that continues to speak in the name of a European Argentina that exists far more strongly in the state’s imagination than in the social reality of its people"

.
A group called Marrones associates Argentinos, (of mestizo origin), with light brown skin, this group represents between 15 % to 30% of the Argentinian population. No exact data.
Few (or no) brown skinned persons can be seen in BA, on TV , National Congress, Justice or the Executive ?

"Somos marrones, ¿y qué?"

Identidad Marrón: así se denomina un colectivo argentino antirracista, compuesto por descendientes de pueblos originarios. Estos revelan en un libro por qué la supremacía blanca también impera en Sudamérica.

www.clarin.com

Composición étnica de Argentina - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

es.wikipedia.org

Indeed, if you venture out of the Palermo gringo bubble Argentina is in fact a heavily mestizo society. I'd say it's more akin to "inverted Mexico", where in lieu of Mexico's small European/White Mexican population and much larger indigenous population, Argentina has a larger European descent population and a smaller number of Native Americans/Indigenous folks. In both countries the largest proportion of society is mestizo/mixed however.

 

[Alby]

We think we value diversity and seemingly consider Argentina would benefit from more of it. Yet how many of us REALLY engage with the diversity that exists even in our home countries? If we were to ask ourselves to name top 50 lists, let's say of cultural figures (e.g., writers, journalists or broadcasters) operating in, let's say, the US, since, let's say, 2000, how many of us would think to consider candidates from, let's say, the Hispanic component of US society performing their craft in Spanish language for the Hispanic part of society? How many could we even name?

 

[zensailor]

good point ... but ... I don't think it is a matter of being overly familiar or immersed with different cultures ... it is simply a matter of respect and tolerance ... with the election and embracing of the current administration, the US has shown its true colors ... the KKK without the hoods ... to this point, I have not observed anything close to that level in the Argentine population ... Milei, his sister, their lackeys, and various opportunists are riding a wave and stuffing their pockets ... I don't see this as a part of the Argentine culture ... hopefully, just a short-term aberration ... I, for one, look forward to Argentina returning to its respectful and enjoyable culture

 

[Rich One]

...do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance

One would assume not, AJ being the state organ of a nation which almost entirely funded by a state which - by the metrics advanced in the article - is orders of magnitude more backwards than any Western state has been for an awfully long time.

Foreign migrant workers are said to comprise 90-95% of the population, their sponsors are able to block their exit from the country, and their conditions have long been held to be tantamount to slavery. Many thousands of workers are reported to have died in the preparation for the last World Cup before this years’. It beggars belief for them to lecture Argentines on human rights, racism or really anything. Unless we recognize this kind of “journalism” for the propaganda it is.

A case of the pot calling the kettle black, or seeing the speck on someone else's eye.
All your claims about the Qatar's Foreign Worker situation is true, so you imply, AJ can't throw the first stone, you throw the ball out of the court a case of "whataboutism"

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Unfortunately, it seems that any negative news about Argentina, regardless of the source, is good for those who want to denigrate it.

Federico Pita is a well-known Buenos Aires academic, writer and polemicist. His views have often been aired by publications such as The Guardian in the UK and The Week in the USA. He regularly writes for Pagina/12 so his views won't come as much of a surprise.

Whether I agree with any content or not and whether or not a publication suits my style, whenever I come across anything about Argentina that I deem interesting, I link to it here so that BAExpats can read it if they choose to and then make up their own minds.