Waxing and politics in Buenos Aires

As I mentioned in a previous post, the economic situation is quickly deteriorating in Argentina. As a result, the "cacerolazos" (pot and pan banging as a form of protest) have made a comeback. So far, they are isolated and have taken place in upper and upper middle class neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. It is never very clear what they are exactly protesting about. And while so far a majority of those participating in the protests are well-off neighbors, it would be a mistake to dismiss the phenomenon and the discontent with Kirchner's government to a wealthy right-wing minority. A lot of people from very different social classes are angry against the government. A case in point is what happened to me Friday afternoon.

The "cacerolazos" started again last Thursday night. Many people participated in the neighborhood my parents live (Palermo). On Friday afternoon, I went to a spa salon near their apartment to wax my legs (it's incredibly cheap in Buenos Aires, $10 for full-legs). The lady who was waxing my legs started talking, and asked me if I knew whether there was going to be another "cacerolazo" in the neighborhood that Friday night. I didn't know. So she goes on:

"Because I want to take part in the protests, because we are heading in the wrong direction, but in my neighborhood, La Paternal (a middle and lower-middle class neighborhood), nobody is protesting. So I brought along with me the lid of my pan. If there is another "cacerolazo", I'll wait around and participate"

As soon as she says that, she stops working on my leg, grabs her purse and opens it. Sure enough, there was the lid of a pan inside it. I was fascinated. The situation was bizarre and surreal, but also kind of refreshing. Although I absolutely disagree with those "cacerolazos", I couldn't help but notice that Argentina is a society where people will look for and find opportunities to express their discontent every day. This woman had brought the lid of a pan with her to work so she could manifest her anger with the situation in a public protest after she finished working. When you think about the apathy in the United States, I couldn't help but admire her.

PS: She did go back to work and finish waxing my legs. She did a good job. There was another "cacerolazo" that night, so she got her chance too.