What We Like About Argentina

Isadora said:
I like to live in a place where there are very little (recent) immigrants from the third world who cannot seem to integrate with the society
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I ve been in Mexico for the last month, Im actually now in Mexico while I write this, knowing mexican people, interacting with them, with their culture, I can say it has been an antropological trip in many senses. And one of the big differences I noted, is the social differences. Mexico is waaay more developed than Argentina, and in a lot of ways a better place to live, but social differences is just not one of the reasons to choose this country. Argentine society is much more compact, more integrated, social distances are amanzingly larger in Mexico than in Argentina.
Argentina inherited that from the wealthier years, we still have an open society.
In Argentina, apart from the argenchinos, the immigrant is a part of the society, in the entire sense of the word. We have a history of immigration. Paraguayans and bolivians live better than lots of argentines, and more importantly, Argentina is the number one country of Latin America where a worker has more chances to go to university. It is very easy for those immigrants and fr the lower strata in Argentina to become part of the lower middel class.
In Mexico the middle and upper classes are more developed, there are more opportunities, more facilities, life is easier than in Argentina, but the poor people is forgotten, clearly, theres a barrier that does not exist in Argentina and Uruguay.
 
So the *racist* thing you are all talking about is the false politeness and forced PC of some estadounitenses?
And I was thinking about the poor forgotten indios...

The US citizens I met were all very nice to me, however when I was alone in NYC and struggling to make friends, I started going to the same (small) cafeteria because I really hoped the people behind the counter would have engaged in some sort of conversation with me, or that at least would be curious enough to wonder about me. Instead every single morning it was like they had never seen me before. Any day was a groundhog day.

The fear of lawsuits is something that only in the US exists and that lead to grotesque rules and code and procedures, where you don't dare to do anything that are not clearly instructed to do.
And perhaps being given a paper instructing you to smile and to say the same 2/3 sentences all over takes away any joy/willingness to engage with the customer. What I call genuine curiosity/friendliness is what they call "protocol break".

US-centrism is self-evident if you visit the US.

You (expats) don't have to think about yourself as the average US man/woman. (this is a compliment, btw)
 
Redpossum said:
Americans do not have a god-given right to expect that all the world shall observe their American idea of Political Correctness.

Yes, I cringed a little bit too, because I am also American and I have been conditioned to cringe. But that doesn't mean we are right and the rest of the world is wrong. We only make up 5% of the population of planet Earth.
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Red possum, I'm not cringing because of PCism, I'm genuinely offended. Cringing would be me listening to my ever-the-looser-lipped mother in law and her comments about Bolivians and reminding myself she's nearing 70, has little education, and only made her first trip out of the country last year. However Isadora is in her 30s or younger, you would hope that someone of a younger generation and with some education would have a more open mind, apparently not. perhaps you are unaware of some of the recent history in Italy with immigrants coming from North Africa -- to me the moment I heard Isadora and her "assimilate" comment I thought of that. Redpossum you say you have been conditioned to cringe -- so what you're saying is that you harbour racist thoughts but have learnt to suppress them and cringe when someone says it out loud? Because that sounds like what you are saying-- not that you've learnt that racism is wrong, but that expressing out loud is wrong. Well eff that. I don't cringe because she's saying it out loud, I cringe because it's offensive to me.
 
syngirl said:
Red possum, I'm not cringing because of PCism, I'm genuinely offended. Cringing would be me listening to my ever-the-looser-lipped mother in law and her comments about Bolivians and reminding myself she's nearing 70, has little education, and only made her first trip out of the country last year. However Isadora is in her 30s or younger, you would hope that someone of a younger generation and with some education would have a more open mind, apparently not. perhaps you are unaware of some of the recent history in Italy with immigrants coming from North Africa -- to me the moment I heard Isadora and her "assimilate" comment I thought of that. Redpossum you say you have been conditioned to cringe -- so what you're saying is that you harbour racist thoughts but have learnt to suppress them and cringe when someone says it out loud? Because that sounds like what you are saying-- not that you've learnt that racism is wrong, but that expressing out loud is wrong. Well eff that. I don't cringe because she's saying it out loud, I cringe because it's offensive to me.
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You're making good comments and all, but I don't see why a critical point of view you don't agree with, seems to alter your positive view on her so abruptly. There's nothing wrong with disagreeing about political issues, but there is definitely something wrong if those differences are taken so personally and a controversial opinion suddenly disqualifies that forum member
 
This is what I'm talking about, if we stick with our tradition of b*tching about Argentina and Argentines, we expats can bond and live happily ever after.

If, however, we try and break that tradition, then we are playing with fire and risk a rampage like letting the lunatics out of the insane asylum.

Just like when Rantes entered the manicomio.
 
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