From: ccadeff@sadeff.vislab.olemiss.edu (Sergio Adeff)
Subject: Re: Mafalda (para el que escribio en anglo)
Organization: Mississippi State University
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 19:12:45 GMT


I'll write in English to include not-Spanish (Castellano, para ser mas preciso)
speakers.  I am Argentinean, born in the north of Patagonia, and lived most of
my grown-ip years in Buenos Aires, where I was an avid Mafalda follower on her
prime.  It pleases me that so many people from different Latin-American countri
es talk of Mafalda as one of their own.  We Argentinean are often guilty of
regarding ourselves as Europeans in South America, but there are many instances
that prove that we indeed pertain to the continent not only by physical presence
but by culture as well.  You read the guy dismissing children wearing uniforms,
and implied was a dismissal of the whole Latin-American culture, a xenophobic
reaction to which we leaving in USA have become weary about, but which also
shows a deep misunderstunding of other people circumstances.  The use of a
uniform in Argentina and other Latin-American countries does not obey to a
militaristic impulse.  It is not to put another burden on poor people as some
other people missguidely interpret.  The fact is that there was a time when
there was one and only one school in many places, to which all students, rich
and poor will concurr, and dressing up was a way of displaying different social
status, and somewhat influence teachers to discriminate among students.  The
uniform ("guardapolvo" as it is called, for it also served the purpose of
keeping the underneath clothes out from dirt,) was a way, and still is a way
of remarking the equality of students, a sort of democratic symbol.  I do
remember as a child of the upper middle class in my little town, taught by my
parents to respect everybody up and down the social stair the same way, seeing
children of very poor families treating me in school as an equal but shying
away out of school, and I do remember thinking then that the guardapolvo had
a lot to do with their open behavior at school, and the regular clothing with
their resentful behavior off the school.  I had no idea that Mafalda was popular
out of Argentina.  As she and the others in the plot were so much transpiring
the feelings, prejudices, street-wiseness, politics, humor, annoyances, and 
else of the Argentinean, and more so of the Porte~o (Buenos Aires' people) I
even expected some rejection from other Latinamericans.  (So much for my own
prejudices.)  The fact is that each of the Latinamerican countries is different
in its own way and also all share much in common, as much as to not being able
to include the other American countries (USA & Canada.)  I recently visited
Buenos Aires, where I saw more Latinamericans as well as people than elsewhere
than ever, and a City also more charming and welcoming than ever.  I also saw
the old Mafalda books still hanging for sale on the streets, next the photo of
Gardel.  Piazzola has died to leave for ever.  Mafalda dead ?.  Never !

-- 
Regards, Sergio.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sergio E. Adeff, Ph.D., Professor & Consultant           Phone: 601-232-7206
The University of Mississippi                            FAX:   601-232-7180