The Errors Hardest to Condone in Other Countries are One's Own

Hey blockies!

So first off, the common quote upon which I based my title is apparently attributed to Piet Hein, a 20th century Danish poet (and mathematician, inventor, scientist, author, and designer) - thank you, internet.

Anyway, I'm having a really good time, and at some point I'll update you about normal things like my internship, places we've been (a lot lately! Uruguay last weekend and Iguazú Falls up north in the rainforest this weekend!), etc.

But for now...

There are certainly many aspects of Buenos Aires that are novel for me. But for a place that is thousands of miles away from home, I am perhaps most struck by the similarities between Argentina and the US - although maybe after going to India last summer, of course this seems similar by comparison.

The Argentine and American systems of government are nearly identical; a few of us visited a constitutional law class at the University of Buenos Aires (at 8:30 am...before work! I was proud of myself), and they even talked about the commerce clause. There is a heavy immigrant influence, particularly from a bunch of different European countries, and about 2% of the country is Jewish, just like in the US.

However, many of the similarities remind me strongly of some of the worst aspects of the US: genocide against the Native Americans in the past and the commodification of indigenous culture in the present; denial of the racism that permeates society; high income inequality (the Gini Coefficient here is really similar to that of the United States); objectification of women in practically all forms of media; I could go on. I think for me, the experience of being in a foreign country, where nothing is "the default," makes all of the societal flaws that I typically view as a part of life stick out like sore thumbs.

It is somewhat ironic that I'm writing these criticisms of America on July 4th, perhaps...but to quote Howard Zinn, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." And there's plenty of dissent here; people are super politically active, and there are protests all the time, sometimes even stopping large portions of the city.

I miss you all! Maya, you should post something before you leave! At this point...I will have to buy a plant in Buenos Aires and name it after you.

Sending love from the southern hemisphere <3