Why Does Everyone Here Seem To Hate Buenos Aires So Much?

Enough with the cultural difference baloney.

There's a cultural continuum of civilized behavior and we're all on it somewhere. Some human cultures are down there with New Guinea headhunters, Rwandan machete-swinging lip, nose, ear and amputators, and hand chopping, clit-cutting, bomb-throwing Muslim wackos.

Others are up there with the Scandinavians, the Canadians and the New Zealanders, for example, with their enlightened domestic and foreign policies and low levels of anti-social behavior in their populations.

And the rest of us are somewhere in between.

Pretending we don't have an issue (denial) is the best way I know to stay stuck behaving that way. The paralysis induced by political correctness is probably one of the greatest barriers to social progress in the world today.

Argentina's is in many ways an infantile culture. Consider: some of the behavior traits most characteristic of infants are an absence of awareness of or concern for others needs, an insistence on having one's own way, an unwillingness accept criticism or correction and perhaps most important an inability to be aware that they possess any of these traits.

Does this describe all Argentinos? Of course not. No more than all Americans were delusional supporters of George Bush's criminally violent and reckless foreign policies and are gun-toting mass murderers.

Does the fact that we did not all support George Bush and that we don't all shoot people mean that the U.S. didn't then and doesn't now have an obsession with guns and the use of violence? Of course not. The Canadians, Finlanders and Swiss all have tons of guns in their homes and they don't shoot each other wholesale or make unnecessary war on weaker foes like we do. We clearly have a problem. Pretending we don't won't help. It will make it worse.

It's the same for everybody. And the further down the continuum a culture is the less likely it is to recognize and admit and address it's own cultural foibles. Argentine infantile selfishness shows up in every one of its institutions and in every social context. They are masters of avoiding self-responsibility and justifying whatever they do. It isn't everybody in Argentina but it doesn't have to be everybody for a culture to be fairly categorized as generally possessing the trait. Same for the violent U.S., same for Argentina.....and for everyfrigginbody else. No exceptions.
 
I had a cold onion soup at Tipula in Martinez a summer or two ago. Mind blowingly good, actually that whole restaurant kicked a lot of butt, so sad to see it go

As soon as I posted that, I thought of the gaspatcho my girlfriend made here last week, and I realized I was lying for the sake of humor.
 
Careful, Argentineans don't like to be criticised, probably why their government never learns.

If you think argentinians dont like to be crticized you know nothing about this country. Either you ve never been here, or you been and learn NOTHING from it at all.
Argentinians are the first to crticize their country, most people when they see a tourist they dont even understand what a tourist is doing here when they could be in europe, australia, usa, their home countries, etc. Argentinians criticise their country all the time. And even i, when i opened this thread, said this city had many many flaws and i could go on forever at how bad things can be here.

One thing is criticism, wich argentinians not only appreciate, they exercise it all the time, and the other is plain bash and hate. Thats what i was complaining about. Its impossible that a place is ALL wrong, and trying to get some positive things out of an overall crappy city couldnt hurt anyone.
 
If you think argentinians dont like to be crticized you know nothing about this country. Either you ve never been here, or you been and learn NOTHING from it at all.
Argentinians are the first to crticize their country, most people when they see a tourist they dont even understand what a tourist is doing here when they could be in europe, australia, usa, their home countries, etc. Argentinians criticise their country all the time. And even i, when i opened this thread, said this city had many many flaws and i could go on forever at how bad things can be here.

One thing is criticism, wich argentinians not only appreciate, they exercise it all the time, and the other is plain bash and hate. Thats what i was complaining about. Its impossible that a place is ALL wrong, and trying to get some positive things out of an overall crappy city couldnt hurt anyone.

Argentines love to criticizes argentina but they don't really take it well from anyone else. Try and tell an Argentine that the best soccer player in the world is ronaldo or that the quality of their beef just can't compare to that from the cows across the river and wait for the outrage.
 
Argentines love to criticizes argentina but they don't really take it well from anyone else. Try and tell an Argentine that the best soccer player in the world is ronaldo or that the quality of their beef just can't compare to that from the cows across the river and wait for the outrage.

Argentinians have pride in very little things: one is clearly futbol. Dont tell argentinians that the best players in the world arent argentinians cause you will get major outrage. Thats completely true. Also, beef. Argentinians have the best beef in the world, or so we have been told since primary school. Probably wine and thats it.


Then, exclude those 3 things and tell an argentinian than Buenos Aires is a crappy city and cant be compared to New York or Paris, they will of course agree. Say something about our goverment, most people will agree. Talk about our crappy beaches. And i could go on forever. Yeah, argentinos take pride in VERY few things, mostly in futbol. In the rest of areas, they will be the first to admit they are crap. Actually TOO MUCH, in my opinion.

Try telling to any other nation all this things and see how they take it. Argentinians only take pride in very little non important stuff, while in the important stuff they look down on their country waaaay more than any other people from any other country.
 
Careful, Argentineans don't like to be criticised, probably why their government never learns.

If you think argentinians dont like to be crticized you know nothing about this country. Either you ve never been here, or you been and learn NOTHING from it at all.

That is nor what I read from robwerve original statement and if I do it correctly then your irate/childish reply only serves to prove his point.

He clearly typed "argentinean", referring to people permeability to unfavorable-unpleasant observations and criticism in general.
He did not say the country or other conceptual entities were not open to negative comments but that the folk reacted to it badly on a personal level, even when its not called for.

You might want to read slowly and take your time before formulating such passionate replies.

May I ask how old are you?
 
Argentinians have pride in very little things: one is clearly futbol. Dont tell argentinians that the best players in the world arent argentinians cause you will get major outrage. Thats completely true. Also, beef. Argentinians have the best beef in the world, or so we have been told since primary school. Probably wine and thats it.


Then, exclude those 3 things and tell an argentinian than Buenos Aires is a crappy city and cant be compared to New York or Paris, they will of course agree. Say something about our goverment, most people will agree. Talk about our crappy beaches. And i could go on forever. Yeah, argentinos take pride in VERY few things, mostly in futbol. In the rest of areas, they will be the first to admit they are crap. Actually TOO MUCH, in my opinion.

Try telling to any other nation all this things and see how they take it. Argentinians only take pride in very little non important stuff, while in the important stuff they look down on their country waaaay more than any other people from any other country.

I'm not having a go, but it's a little difficult for you to argue that Argentinians take criticism really well, when you seem to be having such a hard time with it in this thread... just a thought ^_^
 
My central point remains unchanged: People on this site are bewilderingly down on this country from my perspective. For every valid critique, there seem to be 5 others that are just boderline racist or otherwise offensive. If that's how you talk to Argentines about their country, I could see why you think they don't take criticism well: I'm not Argentinean and even I find it hard to read. I am often at a loss to describe this site to my Argentine friends as I think there is so much here that is counterproductive and just mean.

At first I thought this forum had so much negativity and so much political posturing as to render it almost useless, but I will admit that this thread HAS convinced me of something: there is a vibrant and active community associated with this forum and for that I am thankful. Even if it's 80% boludos (if not by members, definitely by posts), I would rather have that then a forum where posts go unanswered or there is a dearth of opinions (hard to imagine here, but I've heard it's true in other countries' expat forums).

So, Chicaargentina, I apologize for some of my fellow expats and their rude tone. I think the level of discussion here could be much better. But I am glad they exist and prefer their bashing to internet silence.

NB I am NOTsaying if they don't like it here, they should leave, nor that they should shut up. I'm saying if they spoke there minds and read others' posts in a more civilized and rational way, we'd all be better off. But hey, that's true for like 95% of the internet.

68% of statistics are made up on the spot. In this post, that number is 75%.
 
If you think argentinians dont like to be crticized you know nothing about this country. Either you ve never been here, or you been and learn NOTHING from it at all.
Argentinians are the first to crticize their country, most people when they see a tourist they dont even understand what a tourist is doing here when they could be in europe, australia, usa, their home countries, etc. Argentinians criticise their country all the time. And even i, when i opened this thread, said this city had many many flaws and i could go on forever at how bad things can be here.

One thing is criticism, wich argentinians not only appreciate, they exercise it all the time, and the other is plain bash and hate. Thats what i was complaining about. Its impossible that a place is ALL wrong, and trying to get some positive things out of an overall crappy city couldnt hurt anyone.

Hmmm, it seems you don't like criticism after all ;)

A lot could be learned in this country just opened up to the outside world a bit more.
 
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