What's wrong with the city (set to music)
In the opening session of the city legislature, our new right-wing mayor, Mauricio Macri, presented seven and a half minutes of what's wrong with Buenos Aires... set to music. It's a scary video to watch. Sleeping dogs, stray cats, water damage--all set to techno. Not danceable at all. (Actually, about a minute or so in, I thought I heard "gay, gay, gay" repeated to the beat. See if you agree.)
I can't help thinking that this man HATES my beloved Buenos Aires. Can you imagine Bloomberg finding the worst of NYC to scare his constituents into action?
posted by cintra @ 3:12 PM
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6 Comments:
I don't understand your objection to the video or to Macri's "shock tactics" per se. Everything in the video IS part of your "beloved Buenos Aires" --- and the city does need to address each of the problems shown in the video. The question is what Macri proposes to do (and whether he has the power and resources to actually get anything done).
I don't understand your objection either. I was recently there for several months and family and friends would love to see all these problems addressed. They are lifelong portenos and would like to have their "beloved Buenos Aires" back. The Bs. As. of today is the Bs. As. of newcomers who think that filth makes it more romantic. Hopefully Mr. Macri can get the job done although I have my doubts. I wonder if the video would have been OK if he were a left wing mayor?
I guess my objection to the video itself is simply that it is so relentlessly negative. Using camera angles, pacing, music, etc., it's relentlessly negative and one-sided. Yes, garbage in the streets is a problem. Yes, broken sidewalks are too. The public hospital shots were no less than terrifying. But I guess I wish there were some glimmer of hope in the video presentation... For example, I don't think Macri should completely dismiss what Telerman managed to accomplish for BsAs. There are some beautifully restored parks, repaved roads... That said, point granted to the commenters: Macri has a lot of worthwhile work on his to-do list.
I TOTALLY heard "gay gay gay" too.
That aside, I think the problem with this video is that it provides no context or explanation - it's like what somebody would put together for some low-rent TV news magazine segment about Urban Blight. Loud hand-wringing, no matter how well-edited, doesn't do anything to solve problems or help people understand them. Also, except maybe for the animals in the hospital bits, you could pretty much make this video in any major world city - some things you wouldn't even have to go to a "bad" neighborhood for; the bike ride from Park Slope to Fort Greene is riddled with potholes, if we want to nit pick, and I bet you could make a video making those two neighborhoods look rife with social ills too if you were so inclined. I'm not saying that BsAs (and New York and every other city) shouldn't be addressing its ills, I'm just saying I hope for a higher level of discourse than the "scary video" tactic might allow for. 'Course I didn't sit in on Macri's meeting, maybe the rest of it was awesome.
On a personal note, it was nice to meet you and Ian at our party a few weeks back - though by the time you had arrived, as you may have noticed, I was deep into the bourbon and probably didn't say anything to you besides "hi! you're pretty" and try desperately to stay upright. We're back in New York now. It's cold, but I guess the hospitals are refreshingly dog-free.
xx
emily
emily AT eflakeagogo DOT com
I'm sure Macri loves your beloved Buenos Aires much more than you do and in a deeper way since he's Argentine and we all are merely temporary residents, no matter how long we have lived here and we intend to stay.
Comparing Bloomberg with Macri is like comparing the States with Argentina and cocacola with mate, nothing in common hence nothing to share, and maybe out of the box of political biases.
To try to understand Argentina you have to try to think like them, not like a newyorker.
THERE IS A MATTER OF REINVENTING BS,AS, I AM A PORTEN~O LIVING IN LAS VEGAS NOW FOR 30 YEARS. I SEE BAIRES TRANSFORMING ITS SELF ,THERE IS ALOT OF GOOD GOING ON COMPARE TO YESTERYEARS, THE CITY HAS GROWN QUITE FAST,AND YOU GET THE GOOD ,THE BAD, AND THE HUGLY ALL ROLL INTO ONE, I BELIVE WHAT MACRI IS TRYING TO DO FROM THE BEGINNING ITS PUT A FOOT FORWARD,TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER, IN ORDER TO DO THIS ,IN A COUNTRY THAT HAS A HISTORY OF NEGLECT,AND PASIVENESS,LEAVING FOR TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY,THATS HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT, IT'S ''TODAY'' THE DAY FOR CHANGE, AND ONLY BRINGING THE DIRT OUT IT'S HOW YOU CAN CLEAN HOUSE...I JUST HOPE HE(MACRI)HAS THE STAMINA,AND A BIG BROOM TO DO JUST THAT...
''IMPACTING'' IN THE NEGATIVE,TO DISPLACE IT, AND BRING THE POSITIVE. LETS NOT FORGET THAT MAURICIO MADE WONDERS WITH CLUB BOCA JR, BRINGING IT OUT OF BANKRUPCY IN VERY DIFFICULT TIMES,TO PUT IT IN ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES IN THE WORLD,I THINK HE WAS WARMING UP TO JUST THIS MOMENT, I WISH HIM MY VERY BEST,THE GUY IS A SURVIVOR,HI'S BEEN THRU ALOT IN HIS LIFE,CHECK HIS HISTORY,BEEN KIDNAP,MARGINADO ,ECT...
BIG CITY, BIG TASK,BIG EXPECTATIONS...
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