What are the cultural aspects that make you stay in Argentina?

[LuckyLuke]

Howdy everyone,

I've had a post bouncing around in my head lately, that I wanted to put out there. I've seen plenty of discussions on navigating the various complexities here as well as tips on assimilating to the idiosyncrasies of daily life.

Each person has a personal reason for being in Argentina. Be it financial (e.g. retired/fixed income, low costs…), familial (e.g. married an Argentine), legal (fugitive from the law…jk). Etc.

There’s been a lot of heat on the forum recently regarding the excessive prioritization of cost over culture, but I’ve seen very little comments on the value of that culture.

So my question is, what are the cultural aspects that make you stay in Argentina?

I’ll start with one….waste. Something that always bothered me about the US was waste. The average garage was filled with mass consumed kitsch. Stand next to a Goodwill drop off center in Any Town, USA and you’ll witness some of the astronomical amounts of stuff that passes through an average household. It always pained me to know that many of these items with still a lot of useful life would most likely end up in a landfill. Objects representing countless hours of raw material extraction and factory worker’s time.

It was very refreshing to see the value that everything has down here. Many objects have second, third or fourth lives and are always of use to somebody. Some of that obviously is due to a lack of means of access financially and I don’t think poverty is endearing in that sense. There are plenty of villas that have hoarded piles of scrap just in case it has future value. But I’ve found a general respect for the value of things that I don't think is culturally shared in the US.

What are some of your cultural aspects that you enjoy down here?

 

[Rich One]

Calle Corrientes/Colon Shows
Gastronomia
Cosmopolitan City
Local Culture and Idiosyncrasy
Social Life

 

[newtraderoute]

the canopy of trees are priceless!
the literacy of the population in the city
the accessibility of culture of all types
that I can walk alone at night without fear

 

[Macanudo]

Tango. 'Because it's like this, the music goes Into your body, and little by little it invades you, and if the lady is tuned into the music in harmony with you, it's a miracle.' Sometimes you share a tanda with someone that is experiencing Argentina for the first time with eyes a glow of wonder and joy.

 

[jantango]

I came to live in this glorious city for the tango because it was my destiny. The cultural offerings are outstanding and likely unmatched by any city in the world. Free concerts are on my agenda every week.

I wouldn't be able to live on social security in Chicago, but I can in Buenos Aires.

 

[Alby]

I’ll start with one….waste. Something that always bothered me about the US was waste. The average garage was filled with mass consumed kitsch. Stand next to a Goodwill drop off center in Any Town, USA and you’ll witness some of the astronomical amounts of stuff that passes through an average household. It always pained me to know that many of these items with still a lot of useful life would most likely end up in a landfill. Objects representing countless hours of raw material extraction and factory worker’s time.

It was very refreshing to see the value that everything has down here. Many objects have second, third or fourth lives and are always of use to somebody. Some of that obviously is due to a lack of means of access financially and I don’t think poverty is endearing in that sense. There are plenty of villas that have hoarded piles of scrap just in case it has future value. But I’ve found a general respect for the value of things that I don't think is culturally shared in the US.

I couldn't agree more. My most recent two trips "home" (not the US) have left me thoroughly depressed about the consumption mentality and degree of accumulation amongst family and friends. Almost everybody I know lives in a large house that is now overwhelmed with belongings and junk accumulated over several decades, and worse, about to inherit similar accumulation from parents who also occupy large houses and accumulated their stuff over several more decades. On some level, I think some of them know they have a problem but are all getting on now and lack the energy and organizational skills to do anything about it. And it's expensive to do anything about it: municipal tip charges are prohibitively high, they are often too far away, and people don't have the necessary vehicles (a trailer and a car that can tow one). Charitable organizations won't take stuff because they, too, are overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, Amazon deliveries arrive almost every day, with nothing going out the door to free up space for the new. The result is surfaces piled high, inhabitants having to pick their way through the rooms to reach the other side and other rooms they can no longer even enter. Cleaning has become almost impossible.

I liken it to Cortazar's La Casa Tomada, where an anonymous intruder never identified gradually takes over the house of a brother and sister, forcing them into ever smaller rooms and eventually on to the street.

It's pervasive (I could find only one household that wasn't in the condition I described above) and feels like it's building to, or has already reached a crisis point.

When, with great relief, I make it back here, I fail completely to describe to friends what it's like. They can't comprehend it. Next time, I will take photographs.

 

[jbeas176]

its the culture, food, people, and not needing a car to get around.i agree with all the above reasons. just remember, the goodwill accepts donations and everything else and sells to the underprivileged. st mary’s food bank provides free food. st judes and the schriners provide free health care. just to name a few charities that work in the community.

when i moved out of my big house i donated alot to goodwill. going thru the hassel to pince pennies does not work for me. i gave to my maid and landscaper

i gave the washer and dryer, the refrigerator, the grill to the new owners

 

[Vagrant Violet]

When I occasionally return to the US for visits, I, too, am far more aware of the wasteful and consumerist nature. Additionally, it seems to me that people from the United States have an astonishingly low tolerance for any minor inconvenience - when waiting too long in line at a supermarket, if a barista accidently goofs up an order at Starbucks, etc. etc. etc. Karen mode: activated!

Argentines have their moments, too (as can anybody), but I find them are far more resilient in this regard.

Furthermore, as a mom of two special needs children, I am grateful for the general stance towards inclusion and tolerance. I'm not referring to "lengua inclusiva" (I can take it or leave it), but the fact that both of my kids are in academic and social environments in which they are not bullied for being neurodiverse. At least in my experience, the school-aged children I've encountered are made aware of differences and that people who are different should still be accepted for who they are.

... That, and then there's the way people the States bemoan "inflation." Pffft. Don't get me started.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

This is wonderful! A thread where I can agree wholeheartedly with everything that everyone has said before!

So for me it's all these things you've all mentioned plus the small traders who make such wonderful products in their small, family owned premises. Whether it's ice cream or pasta or bread or cakes or whether they offer the art and the craft to repair the broken things you don't want to throw away, it's like a latin version of how London used to be sixty years ago and I just love it for that.

 

[on the brink]

I love that in Argentina everything is "personal"

In the States, it is usual to defuse confrontations saying " It's not personal". Here, everything is intensely personal - down to developing personal relationships with the grocer, the plumber, and perfect strangers met on the street.

I also love the fact that many generations live and socialize together. People in different stages of life communicate and coexist, which enriches everyone.

(Badly put, but the best I can do)