Maggie's Farm

The World Is in Love with America
Back in the day [70s, '80s], lefties told us that people in Latin America hated us in the USA/America, for our supporting dictators, economic imperialism, what have you. My experience as a tourist and worker in Latin America was, on the contrary, that being an American was an asset, a door opener. Very much so.

Granted, my speaking Spanish helped. I doubt that someone who didn't speak Spanish would have gotten invited into so many homes, because a conversation would never have commenced.

What did Latin Americans like about the US? Economic opportunity, compared to their home countries, was definitely a big part of it. I knew Guatemalans who walked 20 miles on jungle roads to apply for a job at a drilling rig in the jungle. But it wasn't just that. Because my wardrobe identified me as a furriner, several times in Argentina someone would come up to me to denounce the military regime.

What did they like about the US? The music. (Though I wonder what they now think of rap...) The literature- a friend told me he liked Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Our capacity for self-criticism. Our initiative.

I met a lot of Latin Americans who had lived in the US, in addition to those who were tourists. One Argentine Jew told me that he had gone to a professional conference in the US. He told someone at the conference that he was Jewish. So what, was the response. Whereas in Argentina, a lot of people had a strong dislike of Jews, and didn't hesitate to express that dislike.

After working in Latin America, what did I like about the US? Private enterprise in the US- government owned telephone companies, railroads, or oil companies were, for the most part, disasters in Latin America. In the US, companies, for the most part, kept their word, and honored contracts. In Latin America, a business contract was just a piece of paper, to be followed or ignored at one's discretion.


What did I like about US government, compared to Latin America? Efficient government. Police that don't solicit bribes. A country where the small guy had more of an even chance than in Latin America.

My time in Latin America turned me into a flag waver.

In response to Zach's comment about super-long naked links, I have looked at other comment sections
that do not have a super-long naked link. Without a super-long comment link, the page is of normal dimensions.

Good analysis, Zach. In addition to tiny URL, you can embed the link using the More tips here link
which you see at the bottom of a comment before you post it.