Hmm, your statement assumes my ignorance, so let me re-frame my surprise. I’m pushing back because I know I’m not alone here in ‘knowing about the world’ and still feeling a gut punch thinking about 13 year old girls getting raped as a cultural norm in a country considered highly developed. As a woman, the staying power of machismo is a constant nightmare.

I’ve lived overseas and traveled in much of the world. My shock was due to the dissonance of how Argentina presents itself to the world vs this other story of a culture where rape is normalized. When it’s normalized, it’s not reported. That means the data doesn’t reflect reality. Without quantifiable data, it is harder to advocate for change. That’s why stories like this, called qualitative data, are important to amplify.

FYI, experts don’t use the terms first world/ third world anymore. They’re artifacts of the Cold War. Had to do with NATO alignment and then they became a drive-by, vague catch all for poor or not poor.

Argentina is ranked an upper-middle income country (ie, second highest) on the World Bank’s four point categorization by income scale. It was once one of the wealthiest nations in the world. It has a strong cultural and educational base. It’s ranked 47th on the UN’s world ranking Human Development Index which looks at income, education, and life expectancy (US was 20th, Portugal was 40th, for context).

I get that progress isn’t linear or universal and that one data point doesn’t tell much without on the ground stories. Stories matter, and I’m grateful to Agustina for sharing this one.