Job Discussion Forums

[robertokun]

Like the title says, I was just wondering what the most liberal country or place in Latin America is, in your opinion. I only have experience in Mexico, (mainly Guadalajara) and although I liked certain aspects, I felt that it was too conservative there, ie. very traditional, macho, religious, closed society, etc.

I was thinking that Buenos Aires had to be up there with the whole "European feel" that it's supposed to be famous for. Then I was thinking about laid-back vacation/retirement destinations like Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, but wonder what life is like outside of tourist zones.

There are a lot of things that I like about Latin America and Hispanic culture, but I find myself attracted to the cosmopolitan nature of the cities that I have lived in in Europe, Asia, and the States.

[wildnfree]

Hola
Being a bit "liberal" myself this is a huge consideration when choosing a place to live. Out of all the latin countries I've been to I have to say Brazil seemed the most modern, most liberal and open -minded in regards to everything - race, sex/sexuality, religion. I guess this is because it is very diverse and has a long history of migration and it is a huge country

I've been to Argentina, but only to the areas close to the border with brazil (Igaz�) and it seemed like it was stuck in the 1980s (i.e not very open )

I've never been to Colombia but I know several colombians here and they seem very open-minded in regards to sexuality and religion (they assure me its because they are from Medellin !?!)

For sure I would say Brazil.
Saludo

[wildnfree]

Opps, with the Medillin comment, I wanted to say that another factor not just is the country but what PART of the country...

[naturegirl321]

NOt Peru, I'd agree that it would have to be Argentina or Brasil.

[kingkristopher]

It's definitely NOT Panama. Look somewhere else.

[john_n_carolina]

....this again, is a bit vague of a question. it's nearly impossible to define "liberalism" as it pertains to a country. what is a 'liberal' society, anyways? one could write an MA on this subject.

if you are going to take an example from the US/Canada, one could say that in general, taking into account all of the cultural norms, policies, laws, unwritten laws, societal pressures, history, traditions, SanFransisco / LA have to be more 'liberal' than Topeka, Kansas.

If we are talking about just 'lifestyle' there are many many different pockets of existential living in L.America. of course, Brazil would probably have the most.

as the saying goes, "asi es la vida", or "no preocupes de manana".

the history and traditions still exist in many of these countries. Therefore, you would have to vote for Brazil since it is such a quasimix of traditions, people, craziness, cultures, and it's distant location from N.America and Europe.

but, there are many parts of S.America that I have been to and have seen/witnessed the cultures, and believe me - many of these things could/should not be repeated on this board. (since Google picks it up very high now)

[john_n_carolina]

i always go back to Art to find clues about a society (even though i'm about the worse artist North of Alabama) . take a look at these 2 paintings: which is Bolivia and which is from Brazil?

[Phil_K]

[Phil_K]

[robertokun]

Thanks for the replies so far. I wasn't thinking about Brasil when I made my post for some reason, although I can see now how it would rank near the top, when giving it a second thought and some added support from Wildnfree (who was on the right page with his/her description of the liberal aspects a country/place.)

As far as Mexico goes, I have been very interested in the D.F. and it's various barrios like Coyoac�n and the surrounding cities like Puebla and Cuernavaca, etc. I've had some exposure to the Muralist movement (Rivera, Siqueros, Orozco, 20's, 30's, Communism) lately and have been looking at a lot of the history of Mexico city. I definitely like to know more about what it's like there.

It's also interesting to hear about that places that you don't think are liberal, as has been pointed out. I was actually at one point getting psyched up about Per� and then I watched the GlobeTrekker DVD and it ruined everything for me, anyway. I look forward to hearing more opinions.

[matttheboy]

Buenos Aires is pretty liberal when it comes to sexuality, not so much when it comes to race (but not too bad).

Mendoza (Argentina) is quite laid back about these things.

Santiago de Chile is not very liberal when it comes to anything, although Chileans can be liberally racist and homophobic.

Brazilian cities are probably the most liberal cities on the continent (Rio and Salvador de Bahia for example).

[john_n_carolina]

...following the rule of basic sociology and population migration / immigration....

anywhere on the coast is more liberal than the middle or central part of the country - in general.

of course, there are pockets here and pockets there (Las Vegas)...but this rule holds steady basically since the Industrial Revolution.

[Tiger Beer]

[jillford64]

[john_n_carolina]

....you're probably right about that one. i was thinking about Austin also, but wasn't sure if it was 'inland' enough from the coast.

are you still teaching in Las Vegas?