How a Dumb Blonde Started a National Crisis

In the last 6 weeks or so the news has been making a killing (attempting to anyway) with stories about "inseguridad" (insecurity) in the country, mainly in Buenos Aires but other cities as well. Every day I see a different, so-called "expert" on the TV talking about why the country has spun out of control. These rotten kids do drugs, have random sex and then start murdering and stealing to pay for their immoral lifestyle. It's not only the experts who are talking - everyone has an opinion about why this is happening and what has to be done. Two Argentineans, three opinions. It has gotten to the point where some people are hoping that the military regime comes back to power and that the death penalty is used (Argentina has no capital punishment as of now). Yesterday a riot broke out in a Buenos Aires neighborhood - in the middle of which, a district attorney was physically attacked.

But what struck me was the sudden rise in news stories, more than the stories of violence themselves. I racked my brain to figure out why all of a sudden the country descended into Hell. And then the answer finally clicked: the true chaos culprit is its most popular critic, Susana Gimenez.

First, a little background on Susana.

Forget Cristina Kirchner, Susana is the country's real leading lady. She is well into her sixties but she makes the plastic surgery work. She started out as a model/actress (just like the other famous Argentine woman, Evita), but ended up most successful as a TV show host. She is Oprah, Ellen, and Dr. Phil all put into one. Her show is mandatory dinner time entertainment (in the Colombero household at least) and her magazine is the go-to guide for what-not-to-wear. When Susana Gimenez speaks, people listen (even though they all know she's really just a dumb blonde).

Now here's the story.

Susana Gimenez's close friend was murdered and robbed by ruthless thugs in Buenos Aires one night. Susana was obviously furious. She announced in a fit of rage, frenzy, anger and mournful pain that those who kill should be killed and that the country needs to clean up its crime problem. As much as Susana's fall line, being pro-capital punishment became in vogue.

So it goes that insecurity replaced the financial crisis as Argentina's story of the season.

And stories they had: San Isidro, Buenos Aires' Upper East Side (complete with Carlos Basso), sought to build a wall separating itself from the nearby villa. Then there was the riot in another Buenos Aires neighborhood. Every random homocide became part of this larger story that had (apparently) been developing under-wraps for years and suddenly exploded these last couple months. Susana Gimenez is a perfect example of Malcolm Gladwell's tipping point: one incident that starts a trend; in this case, indignation about crime.

Personally, I don't doubt insecurity is a huge problem. In fact, I know it is. Everyone has a tale of a friend of a friend who had a gun to his head, a knife to the stomach, etc. Crime is definitely a huge issue in this country. Exaggerated fear or politics blinded by fear, however, will never lead to good policy. I hope the result of all this anger doesn't resemble the American response to terrorism, but when people in San Vicente start wishing for a totalitarian regime (that did stuff way worse than Guantanamo), things are not looking so good.