1568  Nice people don't...

Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 11:39:46 -0400
From: Sergio <cachafaz@ADELPHIA.NET>
Subject: Nice people don't...

"Is

> it perhaps that ladies from good families would be
> considered disreputable if they did so?" A look of
> relief spread across her face and she nodded, "Eso
> es!" >

Astrid added:

"From what I heard (and read right here), nice boys do not dance tango
either.
Now that tango has been declared a cultural heritage..."

It is a difficult subject to discuss.

I probed the opinion of several friends of mine in Buenos Aires. The general
feeling is that one of the most interesting characteristics of the milongas
is to see how easily people of quite different socio-economical condition
mix and relate to each other as equal.

The Milonga has the virtue of blurring all social differences. It is a
unique world where you are just another dancer.
Your rank is determined solely by your dancing skills.

I usually dance with a doctor in psychology, a lady physicist, a university
professor, a secretary, a divorced housewife and a bank clerk.

It seems that most people at the milongas, in the cities are middle class.
We used to have high, mid and low middle class but the economical crises
effected a massive downward spiral of this social stratum. Argentina
provided till recently an excellent public education system.

Education traditionally is free, from elementary to graduate school. This
causes that most people are fairly well educated independently of their
economical status. It is common to find people that are highly educated and
poor and others with poor education that are very rich.
In other places in the world exists a better correlation between education
and wealth.

To find "blue-collar" milongueros one has to travel to the periphery
townships, where the industrial park resides, places such as the one
described by Rick in Avellaneda.

There are some people, (they could belong to any social class ) that
consider Tango as something "very popular" not very distinguish.
Parents try to indoctrinate their children to stay away from the milongas,
as that is associated with spending the nights out, sleeping during the day,
romantic adventures, playing billiards, going to the horse races and perhaps
(God forbids) drinking alcohol, all "bad" habits that make you forget about
your studies. (Women, gambling, up all night, not studying, obviously not a
good combination to achieve a good level in life).
Ha! Ha! :)).

The good dancers spent lots of time at the milongas during their youth while
the mediocre ones were "wasting" :)) theirs at the university.

It is a feminine characteristic to be "modest" discrete about romance and
sex. A single woman, alone at the milongas could be perceived as going there
looking for men. An inclination not to brag about. We have previously
discussed how people of both sexes act in a silent complicity to hide this
aspect of their lives. Romantic interludes remain something private and
personal for a while and till the couple is certain that something important
and serious is developing, at that point they may choose to let their
friends know about their relationship.

In summary both women and men protect each others reputation.

Tango is the great social equalizer. A force that channels the energy of
our humanity and protects out intimacy.

Have a good day!