Mercedes is on a roll again: this time about the dep in c/dep... comments en castellano only, please.
...currently discussing the US presidential election campaign until Inauguration Day.
...currently discussing the US presidential election campaign until Inauguration Day.
33 comments:
Just to clear that up: Yanqui Mike accepts comments in ANY language... that's OUR mission.
But Mercedes' mission is to bring the mysterious montón of foreign language blogs to Argentines that may not speak those other languages.
She's VERY upfront about it: "Los "expats" que viven en Argentina critican bastante y la mayoría lo hace en inglés. Este blog le dará a los argentinos la oportunidad de responder en su propio idioma y a los extranjeros, el punto de vista de los locales."
I dont understand you Mike. Why you are supporting a person that believes in attacking others then does not allow them any chance to reply
Is that your form of free press?
I don't see understand how you can even access her site. I can't, because I just get redirected. I assumed the site has been hacked, something to do with Fibertel servers perhaps (since my sister in the US can get to the site). Or am I being blocked personally for some reason? Doesn't make sense!
Hi Mike,
I liked your comment and started writing one myself. After I saw that it was just as long as yours, I also realized that I was not adding much to the conversation so I nixed it.
Very well put on your part.
I also understand her mission so no I don´t think it is a problem of freedom of speech. Her target audience is Argentines who do not understand English. Very simple and easy to understand.
Does her site get loaded with USA bashers? Absolutely, but they are just reacting to those comments that she has translated that when you look at them out of context you can see why they would generate some hatred or negative response.
Some of those comments do get a little boring but then many of those people fall into the same trap of generalizations and blanket hatred towards all things gringo.
I realized also that you get to the see the USA in a different light from the outside. Things are not so rosy at home. We should realize this about our home country. There is nothing evil in realizing this, in fact it would be pretty healthy if you ask me.
>Or am I being blocked personally for some reason?
Looks like they are using a third-party IP blocking script. Maybe they banned someone else who was on the same IP from Fibertel.
Try disabling javascript on your browser when browsing the site and see if that works ;)
Personally I believe that site is pulling double standards to some extent but that's just me. I think the idea is great but could be handled a lot better imho.
Barbara, I don´t have any problem in accesing that site from Fibertel.
AsadoArg, what do you mean by double standards? I´m lost in the translation of those words... (BTW did you eat your "baby" habanero?)
Los habaneritos are doing fine. They're still enjoying their view by the window but for how long who knows ha!
Double standard basically means that it is ok for us to do or say something but not for you. Like we can complain about the dog shit on the streets but you can't. (I just used that example because everyone likes to complain about dog shit hehe :) ) Like hipocresía
But seriously, I just find it funny that some of the allowed comments on that site are no different than the original criticisms of the offending blogs. Saying that is not ok for someone to generalize their people, country, or culture yet in return firing off generalizations of another's people, country, or culture is a double standard.
Haha even Pablo from D for Disorientation is getting double standardized treatment and he's from Argentina! Man, that place is brutal.
Actually it isn't funny, quite sad if you think about it. Just makes those who allow such comments to ruin the perceived goal of which they were trying to create and thus make themselves look idiotic. Or maybe that is their goal
That's the point of my saying that the site's founding idea is great but handled improperly.
I just ran a test by making a lame comment to see if it would be deleted. That way I could see what the owner allows and what gets tossed. Also to see if perhaps the owner was away and didn't have a chance to moderate. Well my comment disappeared within minutes of this post here and this still remains:
Pablo Flores said...
Ya se ha dicho de todo acá, así que lo único que tengo para sugerir es: en vez de decir "Este yanqui no entiende nada y habla como si en EEUU no hubiera racismo y clasismo" se podría haber dicho "En EEUU hay clasismo y racismo pero funciona distinto, me parece que a Will le cuesta entender esa diferencia". Cada cual tiene que ocuparse de lo suyo. Aunque en EEUU fueran todos más racistas que Hitler y Bush juntos, eso no quita que acá lo seamos también. ¿Como es que los argentinos decimos que éste es un país de mierda (con razón) al menos una vez al día, pero nos molesta cuando alguien de afuera nos critica?
11:14
Mia said...
Mercedes, vos hablas del troll de una de cal y una de arena, no?
Casi un milagro encontrar un gringo como Mike, se ve que es inmune a la indoctrinación o será que sus padres se preocuparon por hacerle ver la realidad cuando se estaba formando como persona.
Che, Pablo, ahora también te ocupas de vigilantear como se expresa la gente en otros blogs? Pabletiquette??? Jajaja. Dejate de joder, che.
13:42
SW2 said...
Pablo Flores:
En tu comentario dice: "...cada cual tiene que ocuparse de lo suyo..."
¿En qué quedamos? ¿Will se ocupó de lo suyo o de lo nuestro sin mencionar cómo era lo suyo?
14:38
Anonymous said...
"¿Como es que los argentinos decimos que éste es un país de mierda (con razón) al menos una vez al día, pero nos molesta cuando alguien de afuera nos critica?"
Porque aunque tu hermana se acuesta con todo el barrio le rompes la cara al que la llame puta. Por eso boludo. Y este no es un pais de mierda asi que nada de "con razon" y si no te gusta ¿que haces vos para mejorarlo?.
15:18
Pablo Flores said...
Perdón, éste no es un país de mierda... es un país con muchos ciudadanos de mierda. Por ejemplo, esos que mientras están dentro del país se la pasan coimeando a la policía y votando con el bolsillo, y cuando emigran dicen que Argentina está perdida porque hay mucha corrupción y porque los políticos son todos ladrones. O los que acá dentro basurean a los inmigrantes de países limítrofes y cuando se van afuera trabajan de ayudantes de cocina y se resignan a ser sudacas para siempre.
Cuando digo que cada uno se tiene que ocupar de lo suyo, no me refiero a denunciarlo en su blog, sino a hacerse cargo. No sé por qué causa tanto problema que Will diga que los argentinos somos racistas y clasistas cuando es obvio que lo somos. De eso nos tenemos que preocupar, y no de que alguien de afuera lo haga notar.
Mia, no tengo idea de quién sos o de lo que estás queriendo decir, pero me doy una idea. Como bien decías, trolls hay de todas las nacionalidades. Estoy seguro de que quien escribe este blog sabrá decirme si le molesta lo que digo sin recurrir al insulto, como vos lo has venido haciendo regularmente.
17:09
Mia said...
Y si vos los decis (lo de que Argentina está llena de gente de mierda), Pablo, debe ser asi... It takes one to know one, you know...
Quién soy? Una argentina que, a diferencia tuya, ha vivido y conocido lo suficiente allá y acá, para poder opinar de cosas que vos sólo sabés de oídas.
Qué quise decir con lo de Pabletiquette? Exactamente lo que dije: que no sos nadie para venir a decirnos a los que estamos comentando como debemos enunciar nuestros comentarios. Yo leí tu blog en tres oportunidades y como cada vez me fui pensando lo mismo, decidi que no me interesaba volver a leerlo no por los temas que tratas sino por como los tratas. Sos un tipo insoportablemente petulante cosa que hoy tambien demostraste en este blog.
Thank you asadoarg for putting into words so eloquently the feelings I wish to express about that site and others that have shocking double standards.
She apparently started this site in her own words because she wasnt allowed to post her comments on a australian cooking site based in Argentina La otra cocina.
I personally know this woman and can state that she is a very fair and generous soul and by the way she has an argentine husband so that says a lot as well.
This Mercedes women who ironically lives in the United States has stated that she does not like negative comments about Argentina to be posted and then in her posts she makes 10 times more rascist remarks and allows comments from her Argentine fans that would be prosecuted in most international courts for rascism especially the first one against La otra cocina.
If you read those comments they are terribly rascist and they go by unchecked by this so called lover of democracy.
I have noticed that she has started a campaign as well against the founder of this blogsite Matt and Deby from tango spam as well as Will Bonner from discovering Buenos Aires.
Her blog is the worst kind of psuedo nationalism that there is and anyone associated with here must have rocks in their heads
Peter
Wow, I stop reading the blogs for a day and come back to this? I did not know that Mercedes was so strict about the comments that she allows on her blog.
Thanks for letting us on to this Asado and Pablo.
I casually read her blog every once in a while and even posted in defence of Miss Cupcake once because I felt she was baited and the subsequent comments were so generalized and racist that I just mostly gave up on them.
I still stand by what Mike had written on her blog. I can also understand why those posts that Mercedes chooses to translate would bring some heat since standing on their own, and without any knowledge of what it is like living in those foreign countries, can be taken for racism and classism.
If you read Mike´s answer he has a pretty good explanation as to why that would happen. And actually, can be applied to Argentines as well receiving comments about them from foreigners.
Asado and Pablo have uncovered something else in her blog that is probably what never sat too well with me but I never thought about it too much before.
At least we know that Mike here isn´t afraid of posting not only what is on his mind but what others think.
Thanks Mike!
Wow, I didn't realize how that thread had blown up!
I didn't want to continue commenting there because of the personal and vague attack-nature of some of the comments...
But it's amazing how stimulated it becomes... all over some naive new-comers little post...
I ended that post with a sweeping generalization that may or may not be true and probably wasn't fair... but I don't regret it, that's what I felt at the time.
Will
"Peter", mascarade is over, IPs don´t lie. A very fair and generous soul quotes argentines as having nazi genes
This is just one of the collection insults. I can show a lot more of these even personal aggravations against myself and people I know. Do you really want more exposition and shame?
I can make them public at anybody´s convenience.
As we say on the Sout' Side of Chicago, "You can't make an omelette wit'out openin' a can a worms."
Man, do I love Mercedes' Blog!
She brings the non-castellano writings of extranjeros to an Argentine public that is/was largely unaware of the tremendous amount of commentary coming from these recent arrivals.
This is generating heat! And how could it be otherwise.
Argentines are continually amazed at the increasing numbers of foreigners they hear and see in the street everyday... now they find out that we have been writing volumes about their country and capital!
Many extranjeros as well are surprised when they learn the opinions of the Argentines that could not previously take part in this great bloggy brouhaha.
(Some foreigners are even surprised that Argentines don't all agree with everything they say everytime they write.)
Right now, Mercedes' gift to us all is very new to both groups. Everyone's excited. I hope it calms down... without getting boring.
I would like to comment on the meme of "double standards."
A double standard is bad and wrong and unfair, of course. But let's be clear on what exactly is a double standard.
If porteños can critize dogshit without being called anti-baires and foreigners cannot, that's clearly a double standard.
However, if foreigners critize dogshit on the streets of BsAs as if the best neighborhoods of NYC and Chicago don't have the same problem... well, someone's going to jump down your throat and should.
Keep choosing great blogposts, Ms. Stuart! After we all calm down from shock of what others say, I think it brings us closer together.
Mike,
You know now that you bring up the subject of dog shit on the streets. There is a blog by the auther of "Freakonomics" and he wrote an article on dog shit in New York.
I wasn´t aware of how big a problem it was until I read this.
I am not saying that I was under the impression that there is no dog shit in the streets of USA just that I was surprised by the information of how much there was in New York City (specifically Central Park).
Anyway, I will dig around for the article and post it once I find it.
I think Pablo was trying to say the same thing as you but turned around on the locals.
As one of the most blasted blogs on Mercedes site, I feel honored. She chooses only my blogs where I have been in her opinion critical. She has never once translated any of my blogs where I write of how much I love Argentina, of how much I love my friends here, nor any of my blogs about tango and the history of the dance.
I can always tell when she translates one of my blogs because I receive many hits from her blog to mine AND emails from people who tell me they posted in my defense to her blog and were deleted.
I find it humorous that this woman who does not even live in Argentina copies other blogs to create her own blog. I also feel that she is racist and reactionary. Her blog in the US would be considered a "Hate" blog. As far as I am concerned it spews hate rather than to promote understanding.
I also agree that there is a double standard. She can post whatever nasty arrogant things she likes, but we are supposed to love everything. Hello...I love Argentines, but GOD! They love to complain. It is like a national sport. So, they can complain but we cannot? Whatever...
Believe me, I do not like the foreigners wherever they come from that live in a 3to1 economy (or 4 to 1 from Europe) and demand that here be just like where they came from. I get sick of hearing about no decent peanut butter and all the other inane stuff.
However after 33 years in California I heard plenty of complaints from every ethnic group you can imagine about how -take your pick country- was better than the U.S.
Changing your country is a big step. Part of that is adapting. Part of adapting is complaining. It is only if you continue to miserable and complain, that it gets to be boring.
Well said Tangospam that explained it in a nutshell what many others are feeling about this most reactionary blog .
It does not promote understanding nor does it show anyone in a positive light.Many comments on her posts are very agressive and they seem to be encouraged by the blogowner herself.
I do not for the life understand how that you can critisize people like Un Año sin primavera which to me seems to be a very sweet blog that more or less portrays a American couples life in Buenos Aires . They have given up 6 months of their lives to be here and write their experiences here as a journal and do they get any encouragement from the blog holder who has turned a very nieve post of theirs into an episode of anti american bashing.
I beleive that only through mutual understanding will we have understanding between races.
Lionel
Easy. Easy.
MS' blog has something to do and say... just like anybody's blog.
Is it impartial, no. Is anybody impartial, I don't think so.
I don't believe in impartial...if you strive for impartial you just end up giving equal time for every falsehood that counters every truth.
Can any of us know the truth? Well, maybe. But it ain't easy.
I agree with TangoSpam that it's an honor to get blasted on MS' blog and I'm waiting to run afoul of her personal selection of English language blogs to be revealed to the castellanoparlante public.
She puts a small intro to her translations... then a small summary. Otherwise, she lets the "sample" speak for itself. Is it fair that MS gets to choose which posts get translated? I gotta say, yes... just like it is for me... and just like it is for Debi... just like it is for Ken&Helen... and just like it would be for "Lionel", who ever the hell he/she might be.
When you have a blog... you put your ass on the line. You take the heat. You open yourself to criticism.
That previous paragraph was directed toward the trolls... TangoSpam is one of the bravest and most honest of us all, she doesn't need any advice from me.
These anonymous trolls are gutless wonders...(most of them are actually the same person...Lionel) and nobody really takes them seriously. Let 'em put a blog out every day (or almost everyday) and let 'em stand by it...like we do.
TangoSpam is a real brand. It was built up by a courageous person that isn't afraid to stand by what she says... and if a few inconsistencies show up in her humanity, that doesn't and shouldn't stop her and it doesn't stop me either.
And she ain't afraid of nuthin, Lionel. So don't try and co-opt her bravery with your piss-ant meanderings about "mutual understanding will we have understanding between races."
You suck. And the only reason we even let you into our humble "comments sections" is because we aren't afraid of the likes of you and your little dishonest campaigns.
If you can't stand by your "real" blog, "Lionel"... just give the gaddamn thing up.
Mike, I wrote a comment yesterday and I'm almost sure I saved it, but I'm trying again. I'm not against MS's blog, even though I think it's not a good idea (it sounds OK in principle, but it's already turned into a major expat bash attractor). I'm not bothered by MS's partiality; she has every right to criticize or censor as she pleases.
A couple of days ago I answered for the last time to the paranoid insults that a commenter, Mia, had left about me. I said I won't be reading QDE anymore because of Mia, hoping Mercedes would intervene at that point, but noting "I guess she doesn't care". Mercedes replied: "You guess well" and sent me off.
It's not a good blog when someone cannot post respectful criticism without being insulted.
Ah, is "Lionel" the one who copy & pastes the same message on everyone's site? The one who blames you for making things disappear by just looking at them? LMAO
Looking a bit more into that site and the comments of some of the bloggers on this site you get a pretty good global picture of Lo Que Dicen Ellos.
As far as I can tell, it has turned into an expat bashing site just for the sake of bashing.
I feel similar to some of the comments that have been made here, for example, Asado stated that he thought it was a good idea handled improperly.
Pablo Flores gets attacked when all he tries is to be constructive. All he wanted to say was that they could have given the blogger the benefit of the doubt.
Debi gets blasted and insulted and a lot of traffic from that site. Although she said it was an honor I don´t know if Debbie really likes attention from that site or it´s comentors.
If her aim was to uncover people with a gripe against Americans or expats in general then her site is doing a fantastic job.
I don´t see her site trying to understand or learn anything about what the expat blogging comunity is doing in Buenos Aires. She seems to want to sum it up as if all of us are just moaning and complaining. And to make matters worse we do it coming from that evil place that is the USA.
With of course some notable exceptions like um... Mike here.
Just messin´ with you with that last comment.
Pablo, I suggest you read her tag "El rincon del desquiciado" and tell us what you think about what she calls "la flia fruitcake". We would really like your input on that.
Well, when I said the following about LQDE "It just doesn't have to breed ignorance, hatred, intolerance (not that all the comments are like that but there is a tendency that I am talking about)." I didn't realize just to what extent I would be right.
People, Trolling is just so wrong. Why...?
To 99: What kind of input do you want me to provide? Mercedes is just getting a lot of trolling. I received some of that too, some time ago. I didn't make a display out of it; after a few attempts at reasoning, I just deleted it and set up comment moderation. I think Mercedes needs to learn a lot about dealing with people who are not 100% in agreement with her ideas. Other than that, I couldn't care less what Mercedes thinks, and since the feeling is reciprocal, there should be no problem...
Hey Pablo,
Don't get me wrong, you are probably my favorite blog.
Your blog should be in the top three blogs for any angloparlante in BsAs... or elsewhere for that matter.
...but you have a serious troll spammer that you even LINK to.
Hey, man. I don't care. Me da lo mismo. You're posts are THE BEST... and I can't get what you publish anywhere else on internet! No exaggeration.
And it's none of your concern, of course, what your own fans do in their spare time...
...but you're going to have to come to terms with this.
Your biggest fan,
Mike
p.s. You and 99 fight it out on your own blogs. You hear me, 99?
Sir, yessir!
Mike, please explain clearly, since I have no clear evidence of who this troll is. I'm sure I'm looking very stupid to you right now, but I haven't been checking IPs or the like. And I find blogger politics utterly uninteresting.
I only commented on this post because there was a discussion about Mercedes and I was (I still am) enraged by her way of treating me. I wouldn't have come to you with complaints about the bloggers you support; that's what the troll has been doing. Maybe MS has the idea that I secretly support the troll. When you customarily assume the worst, that happens. As I said before, by now I don't care.
You're free to delete my reply to 99, now that she's read it, as well as this comment. You and 99 can reach me through my profile if you need to tell me something.
Take a look here.
...and maybe here.
I find it interesting that you are talking about trolls when you and your wife 99 are famous for inventing anonymous comments all around Buenos Aires.
You have created a very bad image for yourselves with your campaign of hate and personal attack on others.
LEAVE US ALONE
Yes, Mike, I read those. I'm not that stupid. I still fail to see why some other people's ridiculous fight forces me to justify that (or apologize for the fact that) I have a link to a blog allegedly written by one of those people, and makes me fair game for insults if I don't. I'll remove the link, though, since that blog doesn't really work for me anymore. But I don't like this at all, and I don't think I'll let it pass.
Pablo´s experience is one of those reasons why I don´t like that site. I didn´t see his comments being incorrect at all and the comments directed at him were, in my personal view, too aggressive and even childish in some cases.
I know that blogs are not democracies. Every blogger runs his or her blog the way they see fit. That blog seems like it´s a free for all as long as you jump on the bandwagon and criticize the post of the week.
There is also nothing wrong with that if it´s their main intent and noted as well, which is not noted by the way.
As for me, it will be one of those blogs in which I will go and look at and see who was picked on next but I can´t really rely on any worthwile exchanges with anyone there. It´s just very predictable, like watching the same movie over and over again.
I just want to make it clear though. If she finds someone who is being racist, stupid, what have you, then yeah, she can call you on it. What is wrong is the mindless hoopla that is stirred up without any interest in getting to know how that person could have made those comments to begin with. Sorry Pablo, I need to use you as an example again. Pablo was just trying to mention that maybe the blog post in question was not really looking down on anyone and was actually trying to be complementary in a way that maybe did not come off quite right.
The way they just attacked him as if he had just spit in their eye is what really rubs me the wrong way. It just doesn´t do it for me.
Yeah, I guess that comments are not what I really like about blogs... I like posts. I don't read Pablo for his comments, I read him for his posts and I think everyone should.
To me, comments are just comments... and anonymous comments are even less so.
I've never left an anonymous comment since yanqui mike was registered over a year ago... probably never in my life. I like who I am and I like people to know that it was me that left the comment.
If anybody has any examples from "all over Buenos Aires"... I'd love to see them. What a dope. "Bad reputation"... hee hee. And who the hell is "US"? Anon trolls? Sorry but I loves me some bothering trolls.
Ms Mercedes does not even live in Argentina, she lives in the EEUU!
This woman has no credibility to critisize people who critisize Argentina. Her actions speak VOLUMES.
Actions speak louder than words do they not?
Heh. You are a bright one, Anon.
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