Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world with a population of 38 million of which nearly half live in Buenos Aires. It can be characterized as an urban population that has managed to coexist with the well-to-do and the working class in a state of “live and let live.”
Despite all the hardships, Argentineans have endured, they are incredibly friendly, calm, and carry on long conversations with strangers. They love to dance the Tango, and enjoy socializing for hours with friends in cafes. They are easy going with respect to timeliness and work obligations. American friends living in Argentina experienced endless frustration and delays remodeling their home, often faced with shoddy workmanship that had to be reworked. Perhaps there is more emphasis on the arts than on business efficiency. Many in Buenos Aires have university degrees that are not being applied in productive fields.
There is an impression that Argentina lacks a good dose of American business management and supervision.
Argentina is predominantly a Catholic country. Adoration of the Virgin is still a dominant part of life; a simple illustration is the number of times one will see taxi drivers cross themselves driving past a church. Unlike most other Latin American nations, European descendants make up the great majority of the population, which is primarily of Spanish and Italian heritage. As a result of disease, exploitation and attempts at racial purity by the military, the native population was decimated; and the blacks who had survived working in the fields chased out of the country by the mid 1800’s. At present the indigenous population of Argentina stands at approximately 1%.
Family relationships are important. Sundays are reserved for church or family gatherings and going to the numerous parks for recreation is a major part of their pleasures in life. The Rosedale in Buenos Aires is an impressive park of roses, lakes, boating and walk ways, while most other parks are comprised of monuments to heroes, trees and untended grass. The soil in Argentina is so rich in nutrients that one of the pleasures of walking in Argentina is seeing a variety of very old, large and awe inspiring trees in parks and lining residential streets.
One can not describe Buenos Aires without commenting on Argentineans love for dogs. There are few cats to be seen, but plenty of dog poop on sidewalks in most parts of Buenos Aires, to remind one that dogs reign supreme.
Buenos Aires boasts many unique buildings from the glory days of 1880 - 1916. Talented iron workers continue to produce beautiful works of art in gates, railings and fences. Particularly impressive is the Recoleta Cemetery with its large mausoleums which speak of architectural and sculptured talent that waits to be unleashed in the present era. Buildings in the tourist neighborhoods have been maintained, but many do not have the resources or talent to rehabilitate to their original condition. Shopping centers in the more affluent areas with wide tree lined boulevards and along the waterfront in Buenos Aires speak of European influence. It is a shoppers paradise. Although most restaurants offer menus at 1/3 to 1/2 the cost in the United States, the selection is mostly limited to beef, sometimes pork or chicken, and rarely fish. Argentineans are known to consume 140 lbs of beef annually per person.
The concept of the “caudillo” strong man is alive and well in Argentina. The President exerts enormous amount of power, influencing the legal system to change existing laws. This system of governance has no relevance to the American system of checks and balances. It results in an institution of bureaucrats who often disagree with each other as to which law is in effect and a maze that only the well to do with resources can maneuver. Hernando de Soto, a well known economist, describes in “The Mystery of Capital” how “extra legal” institutions become created among groups of people to avoid the legal labyrinth, which puts a damper on growth. It appears this state of affairs is symptomatic of Argentina as well. Equity that is not being recorded as capital can not be used as collateral for loans, and will remain a handicap to growth and economic prosperity for the entire population. Additionally, the economic fiasco of the early 1990’s with Argentina subsequently reneging on repayment of international loans makes them untrustworthy for international corporate investment.
Behind the facade of friendliness there is an element of distrust among strangers borne from experience. Insecurity pervades society both from financial and criminal elements. Enforcement and punishment of criminals is weak and borders on non-existent. A walk through most areas of Buenos Aires means hanging on to your wallet, purse, camera, etc. Women and men maintain a low profile, wearing modest clothes and the most basic of costume jewelry. There is a hope that catering to “personal freedom” as a reaction to the “military rule” of pre-Peronist era will find a happy balance to the criminals roaming the city of Buenos Aires. Needless to say, other parts of Argentina are much safer.
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