CENSORED

---

Perceptions in Latin America and the United States

I saw a film at LASA about censorship in Cuba that actually talked very little about censorship in Cuba. Instead it explored the very nature of censorship, including the idea of self-censorship. This corresponded quite nicely with a conversation I had with Jake over dinner the night before about perceptions. I believe overall the film, Jake and I agreed that some degree of self-censorship occurs and should occur to maintain a balance within society. What we didn’t discuss was that perceptions are very much culturally based and therefore the degree and manner of the self-censorship is going to be dependant on the culture in question.
The stereotypical perception of Americans is that we are loud and have a tendency to blunder around, especially abroad, not knowing how to behave. Certainly this is not always the case but a few of our group dinners support this perception. But if Americans fail to self-censor their volume or identity as foreigners, other cultures are equally as guilty if only in a different area.
For example, allowing your pet to defecate on the sidewalk and not clean it up would generally be viewed as inconsiderate and socially unacceptable in the United States. However this is a very common practice in Buenos Aires. Because of their city’s perception of this behavior the Portenos do not feel the need to “censor’ this kind of behavior. Likewise in Rio de Janeiro, society’s perspective of modesty differs from both the United Stats and Argentina. While from my observations the U.S. and Argentina follow similar ranges of coverage, it is not for a Brazilian to wear a bathing suit of very littler material. What makes this a truly cultural perception and not a trend is that this standard applies to men and women of all ages and body types.
Latin America (Brazil and Argentina) in turn differs from the United States in their censorship of language. Never at any sporting event that I have attended in the U.S. has the use of Foul language been so prevalent or more importantly socially acceptable. At both the Boca Game and the Gremio game I heard not just fans but specifically children using words that to this day I wouldn’t sue in front of my parents. Certainly there are language difference and so different associations with worlds. But what has been the most striking to me is how yes self-censorship is a necessary part of a functioning and productive society; however, it is the society that dictates the self-censorship even in a modern world where so much is the same.

---