I went to a porte�a friend’s house for dinner the other night. We’ll call her Estefan�a. (People from Buenos Aires are called “porte�os.” They’re called this because Buenos Aires is a port.)
She says that porte�os call those big blockbusters “movies from Yankeelandia.” Yankees is what they often call Americans. And those action fantasies take place in Yankeeland, where things blow up, etc.
It’s funny how much people don’t consider the U.S. here. They do in terms of capitalism and imperialism, at least the people I’ve talked to. This means their point of view isn’t very positive. I don’t get that they see us as a shining beacon of hope or whatever, a concept that exists commonly in the American imagination. I say I’m from the U.S. — “Oh, that’s nice” is the response I get.
And this is great. Buenos Aires is the place to be. Immigrants come here to work and find a better life. For them, the U.S. is nowhere on the radar. Maybe to visit. But that’s it. It’s kinda frivolous.
You know, kind of like Yankeelandia.
Location: Avenida Paraguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Before my study abroad semester began, I took a little trip to Egypt. Every time I told someone I was from America, they would say “Hi Ho Silver!” Haha.
Guess thats a little bit like “movies from Yankeelandia.”
Yeah, the influence is definitely there. In the politics. In the movies. In the music. I mean, they have TNT. My host mom sings old jazz tunes. Estafanía watches Independence Day on repeat. Another friend loves Radiohead.
I just meant that the U.S. isn’t a central part of the equation. The sense that, “Oh yeah. The states. They’re up there somewhere. And they like blowing things up. Silly America.”
Here, it’s not the land of opportunity, hopes and dreams. It’s where you get, you know, teenage love stories about vampires. For a school project once, I asked a guy from Germany over Second Life what he thought of America and he said, “Cheeseburger.” Same idea here.
So yeah. I think even the word “Yankeelandia” says a lot about the way people here consider the U.S. At least the people I’ve met so far.
I agree that in terms of politics it’s nowhere on their radar; however, in terms of influence, it’s everywhere. Tons of cafes play Jack Johnson, bookstores sell the Spanish versions of Twilight, and my host mom the other day sang a bunch of Nat King Cole songs, all the while telling me she had no idea what they meant, since she didn’t understand English. So, I agree with your post, but yet raise another contrary point. I don’t think the US is completely off their radar.