The fine folks at my Brazilian publisher, Pipoca & Nanquin, have posted an interview I did with the amazing Alexandre Callari at CCXP—and you can watch it below. Enjoy and, once again, happiest of holidays to you all!
Monday, December 22, 2025
A LITTLE MORE FROM BRAZIL
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Well Dematteis, since SOuth America seemed to have such a lasting efect on you... even if just becuse was a convetion someplace warm during a Northeast winter... I will give you something to "groove on" from a friendof mine.
ReplyDeleteBefore I tell you, here are her credentials...
This friend of mine is from Latin America. I say Latin America because she was born in Aruba and spenft her erliesy uears there, them in her teens moved to Argentina where her mother was from, and then went to college in Mexico where her father was from, then after working there for a while lived in COlombia for a while.
She has family that lives in Queens(New York), whocih is awhere her parents retired to, lived in Toledo long enough for it to be her favorite city, spent decent stretches in Seattle and Atlanta, as well having travelled to verious places.
So... she has a pretty good understanding of the larger cultures of both.
Anyway, she has a lot of interesting insights on America, like that AMericans will often talk themselves out of starting businesses, where as those in Latin America are less liely. She also has views on the nature of families that differ, and once noted how strange it was that Americans have so much prosperity but always seem so sad.
But all of this is background to her larger point. She observed that in Latina AMerica a person may want to make money, but the larger societal emphasis is on family, friends and community. Where as in America an individual may prioritize family or community, but the larger cultural emphasis is on the pursuit of money. Those larger cultural emhasises influence how you interact with your personal goals and society as a whole. And that this is notable to outsiders, even if they don'w know why.
As an adult, she lived in international cities in Latin AMerica, where many people from other countries moe to or do businesses. Several of her friends married American men that were there on Business, and moved to various parts of the U.S. (this is at of how she was able to travel to so many places).
She got curious, and asked many of these men why they were marrting women form other countries, you know culture shock and what have you. The men usually answered that they liked the women's openness to life, how much family means to them and embraces them (the latter actually sounds like my grandfather talking about his Polish in-laws), and how they pull htem out of thmselves. All fo which gels with her observeation.
These women were not on track to become stay-at-home wives, her firends included a nurse, a tattoo artist, and a lawyer, all of whom it was important to be able to continue their career in America. All of whom loved living in ALtin America, with no desire to move out, until they met their husbands.
JUst an intersting cultural observation that is worth mulling over, and at least looking through the filter of every once in a while.
Jack
Fascinating. Thanks for sharing that, Jack, and Happy New Year.
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