How the argentinians are seen in U.S.A.???

I was surfing the web for information to share in regards to how Argentinians are viewed currently in the U.S.A.

I know this is not a highly regarded educational resource or website but I did find it interesting because the questions I was researching came up at yahoo answers, which I think displays true responses of people in our society in U.S.A . which gives us a pulse of some the feelings and understanding of how some people view Argentinians in the U.S.A. , currently. These definitely are not very culturally competant answers.


Here are some of the answers people posted:


1. they are highly respected for their successful national soccer program. But other than that, there really isn't any positive feedback. The Argentinians I know, tend to look more European than Latin American. Perhaps in the United States this will come to your advantage.

2. Well, I don't know much about Argentinians specifically, but most Americans are a little biased when it comes to people from Mexico and South America, mainly because of all the media hype about illegal immigrants and stuff.

3.No, seriously they look like white ppl and most don't know they are hispanic until they talk to them. Most argentinians I know have been light skinned with blonde hair and blue eyes

4. This was considered the BEST answer,
When I attended university, I met a number of Argentinians, both students and professors (one of which was a deseparacida..one of the "disappeared" from the so-called "Dirty War" in the 70s-80s)....and none of them seemed to be exceptionally biased...at least they didn't act that way in front of me...and sometimes a black American person in a Latin American studies class is not taken all that seriously for some reason. Of the people from Argentina that I know, they would sometimes get upset about being mistaken for Mexican because they spoke Spanish...but then a number of people from South America and the Caribbean feel that way. Not because they don't like Mexicans, but because they're proud of their specific heritage and want to be known for that. A number of Argentinians also have Italian, German and British heritage in addition to the Spanish, so some of them are more likely to see themselves as European rather than Hispanic American, despite the US government labeling them as such. There are black Argentinians but very, very few. From what I've been told by my professions, it is considered a no-no to ask Argentinians about any Indigenous/Indian background. Because most appear white, they tend to fit into American society more so than say, someone from Mexico. Brazil or Colombia.How are Argentinians seen in the mainstream USA?I would say apart from the Tango (dance and music), beef, yerba mate, soccer and the musical/movie Evita, the average American knows little to nothing about Argentinian culture. Indeed they know little about MOST of the diverse cultures of Latin America...or even Canada. Instead, they know more about the countries of the former Soviet Union (Russia, Chechnya, Belarus, etc) or the Middle East (particularly Iraq, Iran, Egypt and Israel) because that is what dominates the news headlines in the USA. Unless something very unusual occurs most Latin America headlines are ignored, except in Spanish language newspapers in Los Angeles, Miami, NYC or perhaps cities in the Southwestern United States. I get most of my Latin American info from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and various mailing lists.
Source(s):
degree in international studies (emphasis on Latin America)