Hah! This thread could be useful for people thinking of heading to Argentina for the first time in that they can witness a bit of the Argentine mindset before they get there (and maybe think twice about whether they want to deal with it).
I wrote in another thread that anyone heading to Argentina should expect a lot of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect
The problem in Argentina is not arrogance or ignorance alone; it's the way that those two qualities feed one another. I think most people don't mind a bit of arrogance when it's earned (someone who accomplishes something great is allowed to pat themselves on the back a bit) and ignorance can often be remedied through learning. When one allows themselves to fall victim to the Dunning–Kruger effect, however, they can't move forward. They arrogantly assume they know more than they do and, thus, don't learn anything new and maintain their ignorance.
That Wikipedia article mentions how studies done on East Asian subjects found the exact opposite of the Dunning–Kruger effect; they often underestimate themselves and look to continually improve. So culture plays a part. And Argentine culture, for whatever reasons, produces know-it-alls like no place else.
Imagine this for a second: an Argentine flag on the moon or on the side of a go-kart on Mars. It's almost laughable. There's no way in hell that Argentina could ever accomplish something like that. But it's not too difficult to imagine other flags up there, including Brazil's (Brazil is currently the only country in Latin America that contributes to the international space station; they are also selling Argentina an entire new fleet of Embraer jets for Aerolineas Argentinas).
With the exception of a handful of accomplishments, Argentines don't innovate. They import stuff and learn just enough to operate their foreign toys. Buenos Aires itself is a sycophantic copy of European things. The glory days of Argentina were made possible by the British who considered Argentina an informal part of their empire. They built Argentina's infrastructure and got sweetheart deals on resources in return.
Brigadier, some advice: Stop. Don't type, don't speak, don't output anything at all. Breathe. Now, acknowledge that you don't know all that much about the world. It's okay, most people don't. Accepting your own ignorance might sting a bit at first but you can't grow without doing it. Once you've completed these painful first steps, go learn! Read, study, travel, keep your eyes and ears open, have interesting conversations with foreigners, try all sorts of new things! It's a big and fascinating world. It really is. So damn amazing. Don't get stuck (physically and/or mentally) in a tiny little corner of it.
And, Lee, get the hell out of there. Stop dealing with those idiots and get yourself over to Colombia or Brazil already.
I wrote in another thread that anyone heading to Argentina should expect a lot of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect
The problem in Argentina is not arrogance or ignorance alone; it's the way that those two qualities feed one another. I think most people don't mind a bit of arrogance when it's earned (someone who accomplishes something great is allowed to pat themselves on the back a bit) and ignorance can often be remedied through learning. When one allows themselves to fall victim to the Dunning–Kruger effect, however, they can't move forward. They arrogantly assume they know more than they do and, thus, don't learn anything new and maintain their ignorance.
That Wikipedia article mentions how studies done on East Asian subjects found the exact opposite of the Dunning–Kruger effect; they often underestimate themselves and look to continually improve. So culture plays a part. And Argentine culture, for whatever reasons, produces know-it-alls like no place else.
Imagine this for a second: an Argentine flag on the moon or on the side of a go-kart on Mars. It's almost laughable. There's no way in hell that Argentina could ever accomplish something like that. But it's not too difficult to imagine other flags up there, including Brazil's (Brazil is currently the only country in Latin America that contributes to the international space station; they are also selling Argentina an entire new fleet of Embraer jets for Aerolineas Argentinas).
With the exception of a handful of accomplishments, Argentines don't innovate. They import stuff and learn just enough to operate their foreign toys. Buenos Aires itself is a sycophantic copy of European things. The glory days of Argentina were made possible by the British who considered Argentina an informal part of their empire. They built Argentina's infrastructure and got sweetheart deals on resources in return.
Brigadier, some advice: Stop. Don't type, don't speak, don't output anything at all. Breathe. Now, acknowledge that you don't know all that much about the world. It's okay, most people don't. Accepting your own ignorance might sting a bit at first but you can't grow without doing it. Once you've completed these painful first steps, go learn! Read, study, travel, keep your eyes and ears open, have interesting conversations with foreigners, try all sorts of new things! It's a big and fascinating world. It really is. So damn amazing. Don't get stuck (physically and/or mentally) in a tiny little corner of it.
And, Lee, get the hell out of there. Stop dealing with those idiots and get yourself over to Colombia or Brazil already.
