Sorry, the politics of race in Argentine are BIZARRE and I mistranslated the caption under our picture in the newspaper. It's SLIGHTLY less racist now, but not by much. It's actually kind of hair colorist.
The REAL translation is: At Bar Sugar, in Palermo Soho, red-heads, dark haired people, and black people unite in a demonstration of Obamamania.
So I didn't realize that the word "colorado" in Argentine is "red-haired" because, well, unlike Andrew, I don't get it shouted at me in the street. And "morrocho" has two meanings, one means dark-skinned and is commonly used for Bolivian immigrants, etc. OR someone who has really dark hair (me). I've actually only been called morrocha one other time, because usually people base the phrase on skin tone, not hair color. Anyway, sorry for the bad translation, I'm learning Spanish I SWEAR.
I'll post soon on Uruguay and my recently acquired sunburn. For those who knew me in high school, it's not at all reminiscent of that one I got senior year. Promise. As in, no chance that I'll be permanently scarred this time :) Gosh, good times.
Love, Liz
Monday, November 10, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
So one time, when I was in an Argentine newspaper...
So, I've been told by some (and by some I mean Talia, who claims she doesn't read blogs anyway) that they don't want to hear about politics, but rather about "Spain, or wherever you are!"
Fine. So let's summarize my opinions on last night with this: liberal mandate, anyone? Anyone?
Ok, now to talk about the unique experience of being an American in BA during the most important election in the last century.
One popular aspect of life here for Americans abroad are the super-involved ex-pat groups. Argentina has a huge number of America-abandoning liberals just waiting to throw a party celebrating the last moments of Sarah Palin and her Axis of Idiocy. Democrats abroad in Argentina, an offshoot of the international group Democrats Abroad, rented out a bar called Sacramento. (For those with good memories, it's the same bar that hosted parties for all 3 presidential debates and the Biden-Palin debate.) Ex-pat Connections, another group, rented out a largely ex-pat bar called Sugar, which had much better food but a much worse view of the television screen.
Both bars were filled with Americans drinking, laughing, dancing around, clapping on tables, and yelling out for their favorite moments or screen shots. The hologram on CNN was a big hit.
That sounds great, right?
Well, in concept it was. Until you take into account that there were several hundred people in each bar, little to no air conditioning, too much alcohol, and a heat wave hit Buenos Aires this week. Hanging out in Sacramento reminded me a lot of Pike parties freshman year: there are so many people packed in you can't move, you're covered in sweat, and the last thing you want to do is make out with anyone.
Also, my dress (my new, pretty, dress!) broke, leaving my chest kind of pouring out for the rest of the night. Which is fun...in a room full of hot, sweaty, drunk Americans. Right.
In a little bit of foreshadowing, at one point my friend Andrew and I (Andrew is super pale and red haired/freckled) and two African American friends were photographed by some girl with an expensive looking camera. Keep this in mind.
So after around 2 and a half hours of watching the bar get fuller and fuller and sweatier and sweatier, Charlotte and I left for a minute to go get some air. At which point we start planning our escape. We find this bar 5to, which is literally completely empty. There's a flat screen tv, some leather couches, a ton of tables, and a bored looking bartender. After flirting our way into getting him to turn on CNN in English (which I'm sure bored the shit out of him for the next 6 hours or so, since he didn't speak a word) we went back to the bar and liberated our purses and the friends who had been watching them.
By the time we got back to the bar another group of Americans had already sniffed out the presence of the liberally biased liberal elitism of CNN, and we made quite the party of it in the MUCH better smelling (though slightly more expensive) bar. As the night played out the bartender got about as excited about the whole thing as we did, and when CNN called the election he opened a super expensive bottle of champagne which we then symbolically passed around, each of us sipping in turn as everyone else group hugged and screamed.
We then spent the next hour or so wandering drunkenly (drunk on Obama, not alcohol) around Buenos Aires, turning to one another every once in a while and saying "President Barrack Obama. President Obama." I got in about 5 30 and was up till after 6 reading the New York Times article on the election.
So, skip to this deliriously happy morning when I walk into my internship. Another American, who works full time for Idealistas, pulls down this newspaper tacked to a bulletin board. And there I am! For serious, this is why you look cute when you go to elect the new president. Me, in my brand new dress, with Andrew in his Obama shirt, and two African American friends, all of us holding up the two Obama/Biden signs the reporter gave us. Awesome, right?
The caption reads: En el Bar Sugar, en Palermo Soho, negros, morochos, y colorados unidos, una muestra de la Obamamanía.
For those who can't read Argentine Spanish, this means: Sugar Bar, in Palermo Soho, blacks, dark skinned people, and colored people all unite, a demonstration of Obamamania.
...
Welcome to Argentina.
I think it's funny that at this point I'm so pale it's actually being used by newspapers to demonstrate racial lines. I think I need a beach day or 459338.
Yay President-elect Barrack Hussein Obama!!!!
Fine. So let's summarize my opinions on last night with this: liberal mandate, anyone? Anyone?
Ok, now to talk about the unique experience of being an American in BA during the most important election in the last century.
One popular aspect of life here for Americans abroad are the super-involved ex-pat groups. Argentina has a huge number of America-abandoning liberals just waiting to throw a party celebrating the last moments of Sarah Palin and her Axis of Idiocy. Democrats abroad in Argentina, an offshoot of the international group Democrats Abroad, rented out a bar called Sacramento. (For those with good memories, it's the same bar that hosted parties for all 3 presidential debates and the Biden-Palin debate.) Ex-pat Connections, another group, rented out a largely ex-pat bar called Sugar, which had much better food but a much worse view of the television screen.
Both bars were filled with Americans drinking, laughing, dancing around, clapping on tables, and yelling out for their favorite moments or screen shots. The hologram on CNN was a big hit.
That sounds great, right?
Well, in concept it was. Until you take into account that there were several hundred people in each bar, little to no air conditioning, too much alcohol, and a heat wave hit Buenos Aires this week. Hanging out in Sacramento reminded me a lot of Pike parties freshman year: there are so many people packed in you can't move, you're covered in sweat, and the last thing you want to do is make out with anyone.
Also, my dress (my new, pretty, dress!) broke, leaving my chest kind of pouring out for the rest of the night. Which is fun...in a room full of hot, sweaty, drunk Americans. Right.
In a little bit of foreshadowing, at one point my friend Andrew and I (Andrew is super pale and red haired/freckled) and two African American friends were photographed by some girl with an expensive looking camera. Keep this in mind.
So after around 2 and a half hours of watching the bar get fuller and fuller and sweatier and sweatier, Charlotte and I left for a minute to go get some air. At which point we start planning our escape. We find this bar 5to, which is literally completely empty. There's a flat screen tv, some leather couches, a ton of tables, and a bored looking bartender. After flirting our way into getting him to turn on CNN in English (which I'm sure bored the shit out of him for the next 6 hours or so, since he didn't speak a word) we went back to the bar and liberated our purses and the friends who had been watching them.
By the time we got back to the bar another group of Americans had already sniffed out the presence of the liberally biased liberal elitism of CNN, and we made quite the party of it in the MUCH better smelling (though slightly more expensive) bar. As the night played out the bartender got about as excited about the whole thing as we did, and when CNN called the election he opened a super expensive bottle of champagne which we then symbolically passed around, each of us sipping in turn as everyone else group hugged and screamed.
We then spent the next hour or so wandering drunkenly (drunk on Obama, not alcohol) around Buenos Aires, turning to one another every once in a while and saying "President Barrack Obama. President Obama." I got in about 5 30 and was up till after 6 reading the New York Times article on the election.
So, skip to this deliriously happy morning when I walk into my internship. Another American, who works full time for Idealistas, pulls down this newspaper tacked to a bulletin board. And there I am! For serious, this is why you look cute when you go to elect the new president. Me, in my brand new dress, with Andrew in his Obama shirt, and two African American friends, all of us holding up the two Obama/Biden signs the reporter gave us. Awesome, right?
The caption reads: En el Bar Sugar, en Palermo Soho, negros, morochos, y colorados unidos, una muestra de la Obamamanía.
For those who can't read Argentine Spanish, this means: Sugar Bar, in Palermo Soho, blacks, dark skinned people, and colored people all unite, a demonstration of Obamamania.
...
Welcome to Argentina.
I think it's funny that at this point I'm so pale it's actually being used by newspapers to demonstrate racial lines. I think I need a beach day or 459338.
Yay President-elect Barrack Hussein Obama!!!!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Thank you Fox News?
In a really excellent phone interview recently broadcast on Fox News, Shepard Smith made Joe the Plumber, this year's electoral equivalent of gay marriage and partial birth abortions, look frighteningly stupid and incredibly dangerous.
Here's the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eSJuWgZGYo
And here's the link to what is probably the first NY Times article EVER praising political coverage by Fox News: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/opinion/01sat4.html?em
Here's the thing. At a Republican National Campaign rally Mr. Plumber publicly agreed that a vote for Obama is a vote for the "Death of Israel." In the interview Mr Smith attacks his interviewee on this position, asking the man for a shred of evidence to back up this claim.
"Obama's offered to meet with Israel's enemies...he's actually letting them dictate terms to him. Looking at past associations, people you talk to," said Joe. "I just want to push it back on your listeners to find out why I would agree to something like that."
I'm sorry, what? You literally can't back up your own words, so as proof you use the fact that other people know how to GOOGLE?
"Trust me, I've gotten the email. There are a lot of people who agree with you. What I can't figure out is why," Smith responds. "Joe, do you know Barrack Obama's positions on Israel?"
How embarrassing is a campaign race that has devolved to the point where FOX NEWS is calling a spokesman for the Republican campaign on being dangerously conservative?
Maybe it's just proof of the liberal bias of the media elite. However, I personally believe that when Fox News is actually being objective, it's either the end of days or literally EVERYONE can see how dangerous statements like that are and how extensive the wrongness of our country's path is.
In probably the only positive shout out I give to anyone, ever (except Julia's daddy), on Fox News: Shepard Smith I salute you.
Here's the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eSJuWgZGYo
And here's the link to what is probably the first NY Times article EVER praising political coverage by Fox News: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/opinion/01sat4.html?em
Here's the thing. At a Republican National Campaign rally Mr. Plumber publicly agreed that a vote for Obama is a vote for the "Death of Israel." In the interview Mr Smith attacks his interviewee on this position, asking the man for a shred of evidence to back up this claim.
"Obama's offered to meet with Israel's enemies...he's actually letting them dictate terms to him. Looking at past associations, people you talk to," said Joe. "I just want to push it back on your listeners to find out why I would agree to something like that."
I'm sorry, what? You literally can't back up your own words, so as proof you use the fact that other people know how to GOOGLE?
"Trust me, I've gotten the email. There are a lot of people who agree with you. What I can't figure out is why," Smith responds. "Joe, do you know Barrack Obama's positions on Israel?"
How embarrassing is a campaign race that has devolved to the point where FOX NEWS is calling a spokesman for the Republican campaign on being dangerously conservative?
Maybe it's just proof of the liberal bias of the media elite. However, I personally believe that when Fox News is actually being objective, it's either the end of days or literally EVERYONE can see how dangerous statements like that are and how extensive the wrongness of our country's path is.
In probably the only positive shout out I give to anyone, ever (except Julia's daddy), on Fox News: Shepard Smith I salute you.
Flip flops + mosh pit= Fuck, that hurts
So last night two friends and I went to PersonalFest, a music festival held by one of the 3 major cell phone companies here. Headlining the Saturday round (Friday featured the Offspring) was R.E.M., playing with Bloc Party, Mars Volta, and the Kaiser Chiefs.
Ginny and I got to the festival at about 7 30, having spent most of the day sleeping after getting home at 7 am due to Halloween festivities. About Halloween, for those interested: I went as a garden, have some hot pictures, and will never again take public transportation by myself in full costume. I still can't figure out why the colectivo (bus) driver gave me a free ride; could it have had something to do with the flowered fishnet stockings I was wearing? Mmm, probably not. It might have been all the fake flowers covering me, though. Or the bright green shirt made of fringe. I love Argentine fashion. I didn't go to one costume store.
Anyway, so we got to the concert at 7 30, catching the end of Mars Volta, who sounded as if they sucked BIG TIME. This observation was later confirmed by friends who saw the whole act, severely decreasing my guilt about sleeping the day through. We then saw Bloc Party, randomly running into the friend we were supposed to be meeting there. I kind of liked Bloc Party, who to be honest I'd never heard of before. According to Ginny, who is a concert goddess, Block Party's kind of a "pretentious indie band."
Anyway, they put on a good show and their British accents made the "muchos, muchos, gracia" sound even funnier than it already did. Ever band kind of forgot they weren't in an English speaking country, and would ask questions like "Are you ready to dance?!?!" which got...absolutely no response.
Argentines have bizarre concert etiquette, by the way. There is no cat calling, no yelling, but sometimes they start chanting like they would at a futbol game. They don't dance, rarely jump up and down, and have no qualms about smoking a joint or, like the CREEPY ASS guy behind us, doing a line or two of cocaine. There was also NO festival security evident, which became a serious problem later on. Foreshadowing: I should have worn closed toed shoes and not brought an expensive purse.
Anyway, so once Bloc Party was over Kaiser Chiefs (who I had also never heard of, sorry all) started on the stage opposite ours. Instead of going to watch them, since we could hear perfectly well from where we were and it was projected on the screens of our stage for better enjoyment purposes, we decide to push up to the front so when REM comes on we'll be really close to the stage. This works really well, and while it's crowded and we're SEVERELY sweaty and gross, we have a great view for when an hour and a half later REM takes the stage.
This, by the way, was incredibly stupid and badly thought out. Just saying.
So after quite a while of waiting and chatting while listening to Kaiser Chiefs in the background (not my fave, btw) and making the acquaintance of our cocaine-snorting friend, at 10:10 REM takes the stage. And people start pushing. A lot.
It gets really violent really suddenly, people start trying to rush the stage, pushing, punching, going nuts. Thank god the festival wasn't selling alcohol and didn't let anyone in with any, someone might have died. I'm in flip flops, they're basically getting torn of my feet, I've got my camera in one had and am trying desperately to hold on to my purse with the other. Ginny and Slava and I are shocked; there was really no warning of this before the whole crowd went insane. Apparently it's an Argentine thing.
So after me almost falling in the press of people, Ginny bolting out of the crowd like a bunny rabbit, and Slava literally pulling me back onto my feet, we reached the outer limits of the crowd, completely missing whatever the first song was and "What's the Frecuency, Kenneth?"
However, once we took stock of ourselves and decided nothing was actually broken, the concert full on rocked. R.E.M members may be aging, but their voices and instruments rock, and the stage had a really cool set up. At one point the lead singer went crowd surfing, and it was hilarious watching on the big screen as the security guard had to repeatedly swat away some idiot intent on rubbing Michael Stipe's balding head.
Even though we weren't in the first four rows we were still decently close to the stage, with enough room to both dance around and breathe. Favorite moment of the night? 3rd song Stipe opens with "We are openly and unapologetically from the United States, and this very old song is about how we are going in the wrong direction. However, that could all change in the next 3 days!" The big screens fill with HUGE pictures of Obama, and the Americans in the crowd go wild. The Argentines have no idea what's going on, but happily chant "Raym! Raym! Raym!"
They played all the greats, which was a huge relief since one of my friends here told me that her boyfriend had seen them a couple times live, and they usually played really abstract stuff instead of their standard set. However, they literally got through every one of their best songs, and I knew the lyrics to all but three that they played. They were so note-perfect for a few songs that we wondered if they could be lip-synching, but then came this one I didn't know that involved a lot of octave jumps, which Stipe was just not making. While the experience was mildly painful, at least we knew we were watching a live show. :)
The concert lasted about 2 hours, ending with "Man on the Moon" as the 4th or 5th encore. Stipe then jerked around on the guitar for a couple minutes, and we left. After a ridiculously long 1 am walk to the Barrio Chino, we finished the night with some satisfyingly greasy Chinese food. Great Saturday, and best of all the concert was in Belgrano, meaning for the first time EVER we finished the night close to my house and I walked home at 3 am.
Coming soon: homelessness in Buenos Aires, and if someone tells me how to put them in a blog, pictures?
Ginny and I got to the festival at about 7 30, having spent most of the day sleeping after getting home at 7 am due to Halloween festivities. About Halloween, for those interested: I went as a garden, have some hot pictures, and will never again take public transportation by myself in full costume. I still can't figure out why the colectivo (bus) driver gave me a free ride; could it have had something to do with the flowered fishnet stockings I was wearing? Mmm, probably not. It might have been all the fake flowers covering me, though. Or the bright green shirt made of fringe. I love Argentine fashion. I didn't go to one costume store.
Anyway, so we got to the concert at 7 30, catching the end of Mars Volta, who sounded as if they sucked BIG TIME. This observation was later confirmed by friends who saw the whole act, severely decreasing my guilt about sleeping the day through. We then saw Bloc Party, randomly running into the friend we were supposed to be meeting there. I kind of liked Bloc Party, who to be honest I'd never heard of before. According to Ginny, who is a concert goddess, Block Party's kind of a "pretentious indie band."
Anyway, they put on a good show and their British accents made the "muchos, muchos, gracia" sound even funnier than it already did. Ever band kind of forgot they weren't in an English speaking country, and would ask questions like "Are you ready to dance?!?!" which got...absolutely no response.
Argentines have bizarre concert etiquette, by the way. There is no cat calling, no yelling, but sometimes they start chanting like they would at a futbol game. They don't dance, rarely jump up and down, and have no qualms about smoking a joint or, like the CREEPY ASS guy behind us, doing a line or two of cocaine. There was also NO festival security evident, which became a serious problem later on. Foreshadowing: I should have worn closed toed shoes and not brought an expensive purse.
Anyway, so once Bloc Party was over Kaiser Chiefs (who I had also never heard of, sorry all) started on the stage opposite ours. Instead of going to watch them, since we could hear perfectly well from where we were and it was projected on the screens of our stage for better enjoyment purposes, we decide to push up to the front so when REM comes on we'll be really close to the stage. This works really well, and while it's crowded and we're SEVERELY sweaty and gross, we have a great view for when an hour and a half later REM takes the stage.
This, by the way, was incredibly stupid and badly thought out. Just saying.
So after quite a while of waiting and chatting while listening to Kaiser Chiefs in the background (not my fave, btw) and making the acquaintance of our cocaine-snorting friend, at 10:10 REM takes the stage. And people start pushing. A lot.
It gets really violent really suddenly, people start trying to rush the stage, pushing, punching, going nuts. Thank god the festival wasn't selling alcohol and didn't let anyone in with any, someone might have died. I'm in flip flops, they're basically getting torn of my feet, I've got my camera in one had and am trying desperately to hold on to my purse with the other. Ginny and Slava and I are shocked; there was really no warning of this before the whole crowd went insane. Apparently it's an Argentine thing.
So after me almost falling in the press of people, Ginny bolting out of the crowd like a bunny rabbit, and Slava literally pulling me back onto my feet, we reached the outer limits of the crowd, completely missing whatever the first song was and "What's the Frecuency, Kenneth?"
However, once we took stock of ourselves and decided nothing was actually broken, the concert full on rocked. R.E.M members may be aging, but their voices and instruments rock, and the stage had a really cool set up. At one point the lead singer went crowd surfing, and it was hilarious watching on the big screen as the security guard had to repeatedly swat away some idiot intent on rubbing Michael Stipe's balding head.
Even though we weren't in the first four rows we were still decently close to the stage, with enough room to both dance around and breathe. Favorite moment of the night? 3rd song Stipe opens with "We are openly and unapologetically from the United States, and this very old song is about how we are going in the wrong direction. However, that could all change in the next 3 days!" The big screens fill with HUGE pictures of Obama, and the Americans in the crowd go wild. The Argentines have no idea what's going on, but happily chant "Raym! Raym! Raym!"
They played all the greats, which was a huge relief since one of my friends here told me that her boyfriend had seen them a couple times live, and they usually played really abstract stuff instead of their standard set. However, they literally got through every one of their best songs, and I knew the lyrics to all but three that they played. They were so note-perfect for a few songs that we wondered if they could be lip-synching, but then came this one I didn't know that involved a lot of octave jumps, which Stipe was just not making. While the experience was mildly painful, at least we knew we were watching a live show. :)
The concert lasted about 2 hours, ending with "Man on the Moon" as the 4th or 5th encore. Stipe then jerked around on the guitar for a couple minutes, and we left. After a ridiculously long 1 am walk to the Barrio Chino, we finished the night with some satisfyingly greasy Chinese food. Great Saturday, and best of all the concert was in Belgrano, meaning for the first time EVER we finished the night close to my house and I walked home at 3 am.
Coming soon: homelessness in Buenos Aires, and if someone tells me how to put them in a blog, pictures?
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