Alcohol and Sensitivity in Latin America
A Facebook friend currently in Buenos Aires shared this:
Movie “Hangover” is titled / advertised in Argentina: “Que Paso Ayer?” which literally means, “What happened yesterday?” Subtle difference.
I commented on his update:
The word for ‘hangover’ is different in almost every Spanish-speaking country.
Mexico: estar crudo
Peru: tener resaca / estar resaquiado
Colombia: tener guayabo / estar enguayabadoAnd those are just the regional variations that I’ve learned. Spanish is like that for a lot of words. Pain in the ass if you ask me.
And then some dude commented this:
Or it simply could be that they found the word “hangover” offensive as a title and changed it so that it still reflected the theme of the movie.
I’m not going to argue with some dude I don’t know on a friend’s Facebook update. But that comment indicated that there are some completely uninformed people about Latin culture out there. I thought of all the things I would say to him in explaining exactly how wrong he is. And I realized that these might be interesting stories for the blog. I hope so.
How many different ways is that dude wrong? Answer: two. First, alcohol is not a controversial or sensitive subject in Latin America. Second, Latin Americans’ brand of sensitivity is not oriented toward subjects like that.
First up, alcohol.
Latin America is not the only culture different from the States in this respect, but it’s probably extreme. Alcohol doesn’t have the negative stigma at all. There was never a prohibition. People are allowed to drink at a younger age – by the law and social norms.
People get real drunk. People get fucked up. Yes, people in the States also get fucked up. But since moving down here, I’ve seen some things you don’t often see back home.
My first month in Peru, I was riding in a taxi with somebody down some busy sidestreet. Traffic was slowed almost to a stop. Some drunk walked in front of our car and the driver hit the brakes. The drunk half-fell on the hood. Pushing up and balancing himself with his hands, he contined on. Nobody in the taxi said anything.
Another night my basketball coach was giving me a ride home. We were heading up Avenida Goyeneche or Venezuela when we saw, in the street, somebody trying to pick his drunk friend up and carry him to the sidewalk. The drunk had apparently passed out in the middle of a 3-lane, one-way thoroughfare where cars haul ass. Dude was laid out in the middle of Lanes 1 & 2. Coach easily swerved clear. And he continued whatever point he was trying to make, not even mentioning the sleeping drunk on the boulevard.
One weekday I was going to lunch near Plaza las Americas in Arequipa. This short, indigenous-looking drunk came up to me with an ear-to-ear grin. We shook hands. He had like three teeth. He held a clear, unlabelled bottle half-full of some clear liquid. I don’t remember the name of that stuff, but I’d heard it’s strong, cheap, harsh, disgusting bathtub gin they drink in Peru. We parted ways and he stumbled off to who knows where.
Aside from the street drunks, I’ve seen productive, industrious young people get drunk in ways I don’t see in the States. I’ve seen, on more than one occasion, dudes drink themselves to vomiting within an hour. That means entire glasses full of hard liquor – slamming it. And then doing it again. And their girlfriends shrug it off like, ‘Oh well. He got stupid drunk again. I’ll just wait it out for a while and put him to bed.’
Check out this video of a popular drinking song from the peasant mountains of Peru. This get-drunk song is sung by a 10 year-old girl! (I love this Peruvian folk music, but urban Peruvians HATE it)
“Cerveza, Cerveza” by Wendy Sulca
And in Colombia, it seems that degenerating into an all-day-every-day drunk is a profession a significant amount of men go into. They’re all over, usually leaning against a wall with their hand out. I’ve seen big piles of puke on the bus a few times.
Even when drunks are being particularly annoying, normal people don’t get mad about it. They dismiss him: “Es un borracho.” He’s a drunk – in the same tone as if saying it were raining outside.
Second point, Latin sensitivity. Before starting with examples of political correctness and sensitive subjects, here’s a case of a Latin title mis-translated to be less offensive in the gringo market (the other way around). Colombia’s own Gabriel Garcia Marquez chose Memoria de mis putas tristes for the name of his last novella. They released the English edition with the title Memories of My Melancholy Whores. “Melancholy” is a little more sophisticated and proper than the literal translation: Memories of My Sad Whores.
Ideas in general aren’t likely to offend Latinos. I haven’t thought about this aspect too much, so the way I say it may be a little inaccurate. But it seems to me that politically correct ideas or the content of messages aren’t offensive so much as a the way the messages are delivered. I offended Peruvians a couple times in the way I’d give them a pen or pencil, dropping it on the desk in front of them. Or people being very blunt without warm greeting can come off rude. But ideas? Not so much.
The first and most obvious example regards fat people. In the States, you’re not really supposed to call people fat or make them feel bad about their fatness. In Latin America, on the other hand, fat males are reminded of their fatness all their lives (not necessarily so for women). If you’re a fat male in Latin America, your nickname is ‘Gordo‘. This is fact. I’ve met so many Gordos that now when I meet a new group of guys, I already know the fat guy’s name. If you’re a fat Latino, you will not only be called Gordo (Fat Boy) as your nickname, but you will also be referred to in the third-person generic term el gordo (the fat boy).
One day I was talking to my Peruvian ex-girl Rosa about hooking her friend up with my old roommate. She replied something like “Creo que a ella no le gustan los gorditos.” I don’t think she likes FATTIES. She said it without a trace of malice or humor in her voice at all. Completely normal.
I went to Girardot, Colombia with my buddy Oscar, who’s really fat. If you’re really fat, you might get it worse than Gordo. We went swimming in a river and all his cousins and family called him ‘Free Willy’ or just ‘Willy’. They tried to get me to call him ‘Willy’ too.
Just before I moved to Colombia, there was a verbal spat between Peruvian president Alan Garcia and Bolivian president Evo Morales. In responding to a reporter’s question about some Peruvian policy, Morales explained how he thinks obesity is a mental illness. He thinks obese people are mentally ill. He explained that Alan Garcia is quite fat, and that his ideas are warped by this mental illness.
This is how their heads of state talk!
Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is famous for making statements with sexual innuendos. He once said to George W. Bush that they need to find the ‘g-spot in their negotiations’.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is my favorite to watch. He has a weekly, hours-long television show broadcasted in Venezuela. He often lambasts his cabinet, seated in the front row, on national television. You have to watch this Frontline documentary on Chavez, “The Hugo Chavez Show” (features video of some of his public hazing).
There’s also this video of Chavez insulting Bush for no less than 3 1/2 minutes:
Sexual harrassment is another PC subject in the States. Very sensitive, very taboo. In Peru and Colombia, I’ve seen office guys grab a hold of their female coworkers. With the female fighting and turning her head away, the male will force her head toward his and kiss her on the lips. No big deal. I’ve seen this a few times.
And finally, my last and most extreme example of how Latinos aren’t as sensitive about ideas and offensive topics as gringos are actually comes from the States. I worked as a server and bartender in college. Our kitchen, like all kitchens not charging double digit prices for a sandwich, was all Mexican. Illegal labor Mexicans. Mexicans born and raised in Mexico who took a 3-day hike to get to the States. Mexicans who don’t speak English. Not Hispanics born in America.
So our restaurant hired this little retarded guy to bus tables part-time. Some social service organization brought him by and asked management if they’d give him a job so he could learn how to do things, earn money, and have somewhere to go every day. Management agreed to the idea and we had a slightly handicapped busboy from the ghetto for a while.
The Mexicans started fucking with him the first day. They threw fries or wasted food at him. The dishwasher would spray him with the hose when he walked by. If he tried to confront them, they would square up to fight, picking up cutting knives and whatnot. All the while laughing their asses off. These were grown men – most of whom have a handful of kids.
In Latin culture, alcohol isn’t a sensitive subject. In fact, there aren’t many sensitive subjects at all.
Everyone feel free to disagree with me in the comments.
comments
9 Responses to “Alcohol and Sensitivity in Latin America”
Leave a Reply
I would think you’d not have much trouble adjusting… jaja “I love retards!” “isn’t that un-pc?” “sure, but they’re so cute!” name the movie.
I’m sorry, hhhhh.
But I can’t name it because that movie’s not worth naming. In fact, I hated almost every flick those guys did. Only two didn’t suck.
(however, that part was the one funny part)
yet i find it funny how latinos especially peruvians describe themselves as being so “conservative”. most the girls aren’t in my opinion… they all like sex just like a gringa and the men are far worse. Peruvians are conservative? Maybe they’re great-grandparents are. but times have changed long ago. I know people who were pregnant at 14, 15 and some of this occured 10 years ago… times have really changed and peru would rather keep their heads in their a**. lol anyways…
I have a girlfriend who is Peruvian. I think that people in Peru can be conservative with the traditions they follow, especially religious ones. I would argue that sex is a natural thing that will happen anywhere regardless. As for people keeping heads in their ass, it is rather the institutions like the Catholic Church that help keep people ignorant about sexual education and can help explain why a lot of young women end up pregnant. It seems that Matthew’s argument would encompass all Peruvian women, which is untrue. There is a subsection I’ve encountered, the bricheras, who are on the lookout for gringos and stuff like that would apply. Otherwise people have sex, we’ve got hormones and sexual organs for a reason. It’s just that education and machismo have been geared against women learning about the diverse options that contraceptives offer and that’s why many end up pregnant. My girlfriend’s family is “conservative” but they have no problem with the fact we live together with all of its corollaries. Next time such a criticism is made, it would be nice if it were more specific and not all-encompassing.
By the way, I used to be a sympathizer of Chavez. Now I think he’s an idiot personally with his suppression of the freedom of the press, but he sure can entertain and make jokes.
This post reminds me of two things pertaining to cultures’ sensitivities:
First, preceding the 2008 Olympics I was watching the Today show for some reason. They were making a big deal of a photo of Argentinian olympians grinning ear to ear while pulling the corners of their eyes back to immitate the oriental eye shape. I think maybe five minutes of air time was spent proclaiming how “horribly wrong” this was. I am guessing nobody in China or Argentina really cared.
Second involves a group of female mainland Chinese classmates of mine. One is a little overweight and is openly called “Hippo”. Somehow I don’t think that nickname would fly between American women.
I suspect that- besides Muslims who riot because of cartoons- Americans are more sensitive than most. Approval of the author’s thesis.
Wow. I’m the one who made that comment. I agree need to be a little more aware of cultures, especially before making statements like that. But anyway, thanks for sharing this; it was definitely insightful.
Thanks for writing out this post. I’ve been in Asia for a while now and have seen some really mind-boggling cultural differences, but once you get accustomed to them, it seems perfectly normal. Its going to be rather difficult returning to the States briefly without offending everyone about everything
almost all peruvians I have met say that americans are more liberal, and in our conversations they refer to the fact that we are more liberal in our sexual relations in how young we start, with how many women, if we are in love or not, etc etc. they generally make it all encompassing and generally say that they are catholic and because of that they are not like us gringos. Then when they are with they’re family they pretend to be angels. Sometimes the family will know the boyfriend but not often. They cannot usually bring boyfriends home. They end up in a hotel, a car or where ever they can get it on. They generally make it all encompassing from the conversations I’ve had.