Alex posted this videodocumenting a small slice of an Argentine man's day. It somehow contrasts rather sharply with the media coverage of Buenos Aires: New York Times
There is a lot of juicy news about buying buildings, making your money go three times as far, living the good life on top of the ruins of Argentine life. Making a life of the pastime of tango. It all sounds good. A case could be made that Carlos Pineyro, in the video could have a better life enjoying the influx of dollars. But how does he benefit? I know nothing about economics, but I know what I have seen here in Seattle for ordinary people priced out of their homes, of the decline of real on-the-ground culture, of the disconnect between human life and need, and the powerful forces of big money.
Prices in Argentina are going up, for all things. An elderly man on a pension will probably not benefit in any way, and could lose his building to the rabid development that outsiders are bringing. He will find higher prices at his market, for transportation, for goods and services of all kinds. If he were a young man, he might find work around the building sites, or be able to sell something to the newcomers.
And moving to Argentina? I get it, that the heart knows no logic, cares nothing for the facts. When you have to do something you have to do it, the emotions of sensitive beings can and do lead them to the sweet spot in life, can bring them to a true home, to a true love, to life. I see it with my friends, and I honor it. I just consider the stories of horror that I heard there, the stories of administrative ineptitude and bureaucratic control over innocent people. America is losing freedoms fast, and anything that can happen a a result of abuse of power is happening. But in Argentina, these abuses are a way of life, and people are beat down from this.
We have energies, pioneering spirit, skill, and dollars. If we take these things to Argentina, then we need to bring all that to the table, to risk it, and to see and to accept what Argentina brings to the table to share with us.
Monday, March 17, 2008
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7 comments:
Nice comparison & contrast...
I like your play on words..."rabid development"... versus "rapid development"...
It reminds me of the Looney Tunes cartoon character "The Tasmanian Devil"... isn't that perfect picture of the typical developer...
Thanks Alex, I did mean rabid, and wondered if it would be seen as a typo. I say this as I sit in my once quiet little house listening to the sounds of "progress" next door! Those devils.
Elizabeth, I really appreciate that you wrote this, and that you included that video. That article in the New York Times disturbed me (as the rest of those articles do) and I didn't know what to say about it. I'm glad you said something.
I think it's wonderful when people move somewhere because they truly love a place and the way they feel inside when they are there. On the other hand, I become frustrated at the people the Times article speaks of - they revel in the fact that it's so "cheap" and they pretend they are rich, yet they have no sense of Argentine history or culture and don't even seem to care what impact they do or don't have on this country. It's interesting to see it from here.
Thanks Tina, it is hard to keep my language toned down given what I see, and have seen in Buenos Aires. I know you know what I am talking about. Wish I could meet you at a sidewalk cafe to watch that world go by, those beautiful people. E
Amen, sister!
Thanks for checking in on my blog Cherie. The more I think about the NYT, the whole damn institutionalized yuppiness, the more pissed off I get. It is just the arrogance, so clueless! I know you see it pretty clearly from where to stand, and I have to say, you handle it with such grace.
"palermo soho"? "palermo brooklyn"?? are they serious? it's sickening....
i've never been to buenos aires, but i feel that again, it's happening. yet another city is going to get gutted and ruined and trampled on until it looks like a big huge mall... or worse, like a disneyland version of the MoMA...
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