"Money and Fear Were Never our Thing": Economic Crisis and Social Movements in Argentina Today

"Money and fear were never our thing" [“Plata y miedo nunca tuvimos”] was one of the many popular quotes printed on Argentinian flags and shared on social media during the recent World Cup. This punchline resonates with Argentinians at least in two ways: referencing on the country's recurring economic and political crises and the capacity of its people to face adversity. 

The idea of "knowing suffering" (the phrase is part of a well-known tango) was also associated with the performance of the national football team as a particular feature of Argentinian culture: "We were born to suffer, but it's worth it", said one of the players after the last match. This reference also appeared in Argentinian newspapers and elsewhere in the world to account for the team's performance: El Gráfico, Página 12, ABC Deportes, El Litoral, Sputnik, Infobae, among others.

Although this perception is more of a myth than a reality, its wide use in popular culture has an empirical basis. During the last quarter of the 20th century, the country suffered many economic and political crises. A massive devaluation paired with hyperinflation in 1975 was followed by a military coup in 1976, that ruled for seven years through state terror. Three military attempts to overthrow democratic governments (1987, 1988, 1990); a second bout of hyperinflation in 1989 that forced President Alfonsín to bring national elections forward, and the 2001 crisis when the country defaulted on its foreign debt and went through a period of social unrest that lasted until 2003.

On 20 December 2022, when Argentina's streets were flooded with people celebrating in sheer happiness for winning the 2022 Fifa World Cup, it was hard to remember that twenty-one years earlier, thousands of protesters took to the same streets, prompted by economic hardship and discontent.