FSG – A critical evaluation.

To compete with top teams nowadays, a team needs financial backing; they need top dollars coming from someone or somewhere other than the club itself regardless of history. Liverpool FC is a club renowned for its history, culture and tradition. We rely on it so much that we still believe that it is enough to get us to high places, however in the past 10 years Liverpool have only won 5 trophies. One of them being the amazing Champions League in 2005 but still missing that elusive Premiership title that every fan craves. On the 6th February 2007 two American, Hicks and Gillett bought Liverpool FC. For three years the fans heard promises come and go, stadiums, players, managers come and go. Fortunately that reign came to an end, with court battles included and on the 15th October 2010 NESV (New England Sports Venture) now known as FSG (Fenway Sports Group) and their owner John W. Henry bought Liverpool Football Club.

Football as we know it has changed. It is no longer a city, town or suburb attraction. It has become a worldwide, global fascination. The main cause of this phenomenon is media and globalization. We have witnessed a fine display of the globalization of Liverpool during the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia where fans flocked by the thousands to catch a glimpse of their favourite team and players. This commercial asset is one LFC and their owners must and will take advantage of.

After the tumultuous time with Hicks and Gillett most of us thought we were going down the same road with Henry and FSG and they didn’t fully start off on the right foot. Even though words can be soothing and hearing quotes from the Chairman of FSG saying: “We recognize that Liverpool Football Club is a historic institution ultimately grounded in the community and the fans. Our first step as new owners will be to listen”, is all very nice but Liverpool fans needed to see actions and for the owners to put money where their mouth is.

One of FSG’s first moves was to get rid of Hodgson only after 6 months in charge and appoint Kenny Dalglish. A very bold move that went down extremely well with Liverpool fans who now had “The King” back where he belonged. Following this came a string of sales, new signings, record fees and positivism. The likes of Suarez, Carroll, Downing, Adam, Enrique, Coates, Bellamy, Henderson, Doni all come into the re-shaping of the LFC team, with the “help” of Liverpool’s new Director of Football, Damien Comolli. However things quickly began to change. Their “moneyball’ stance of finance and how to buy and sell players is a very American way of doing things, whether this works only time will tell, many are very skeptical. Of the new players that came in 2011, today, we see that Luis Suarez is the only one who has lived up to the price tag. Jordan Henderson has had his ups and downs and seems to be a much more mature player nowadays, the rest have faded off to below-mid table teams, leading to the understandable sacking of Comolli. This affected Dalglish’s team and never got going. Although winning the Carling Cup in 2012 after 6 years of no trophies the results in the Premiership were not as expected and FSG parted ways with Dalglish. Tom Werner, chairman of FSG, said: “Kenny came into the Club as Manager at our request at a time when Liverpool Football Club really needed him. He didn't ask to be Manager; he was asked to assume the role. He did so because he knew the Club needed him. He did more than anyone else to stabilize Liverpool over the past year-and-a-half and to get us once again looking forward.”

Rodgers is appointed as manager, a young manager without experience managing a top team but with a view of football that could give anyone goose bumps when played with perfection. FSG have taken a gamble with Rodgers, but I consider it to be an important step forward and hopefully we will allow him to develop and show us what he can do. Rodgers transfer policy seems to adapt quite well to the style of FSG and although we lost an irreplaceable leader in Jamie Carragher we seem to have a good player in Kolo Toure, a player with the necessary experience to talk and boss people about. Young players are coming in for reasonable prices, fringe players are being let go and exciting times lie ahead. FSG has promised the redevelopment of Anfield, an amazing item on the to-do list and plans have begun with the purchase of housing around the grounds.

Liverpool fans are still very incredulous to what the future holds and only time will tell but rest assure, FSG are in for the long run, and rest assure, Liverpool FC will once again become great.

Ellerstina takes Polo Open 14-13 vs. La Dolfina.

A majestic performance by the Pieres Bros., Facundo and Gonzalo, and man of the match Juan Martin Nero, helped Ellerstina take the coveted Triple Crown, the first team to do so since 2003.

The 117th final of the Argentine Polo Open at the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo, Buenos Aires saw Ellerstina beat La Dolfina 14-13. It also meant Adolfo Cambiaso, considered the greatest Polo player of all times, was left trophy-less. 


The lead changed throughout the match and coming into the final chukkas everything seemed to show it was heading for an extra chukka being tied 13-13 with little time to go. However Facundo Pieres scored the decisive final goal with a perfectly hit 30-yard penalty. It was the first time in six years this tournament was not decided with a supplementary chukka.

Although La Dolfina did everything they could to get a goal back, Ellerstina’s resilient defence and Juan Martin Nero’s controlling of Adolfo Cambiaso made it impossible for them to come back into the game. Cambiaso, La Dolfina’s highest goal-scorer, could only score seven goals in the final, marking this his worst tally in a Palermo final. Gonzalo Pieres was also very important for the champions. He fought hard and won the duel in the midfield and added six goals to the score-line, helping Ellerstina win the match. 

It was another typical December day at the Polo grounds for the crowds: heat, hats and high class galore, but not another typical day for Ellerstina, who can feel very proud of themselves after achieving what many have not.

Chukka by chukka: First chukka: Ellerstina 2- La Dolfina 3; Second: Ellerstina 5- La Dolfina 4; Third: Ellerstina 7- La Dolfina 5; Fourth: Ellerstina 7-La Dolfina 7; Fifth: Ellerstina 8 – La Dolfina 10; Sixth: Ellerstina 12- La Dolfina 10; Seventh: Ellerstina 13 – La Dolfina 13; Eighth: Ellerstina 14 – La Dolfina 13.
Ellerstina scorers: Facundo Pieres (6), Gonzalo Pieres(5), Pablo Mac Donough (1), Juan Martín Nero (2)
La Dolfina scorers: Adolfo Cambiaso (7), David Stirling (5), Bartolomé Castagnola (1).

Javier Manquillo Gaitan - Replacement for Glen Johnson or starlet for the future?

Manquillo at Atletico de Madrid

A young, 20 year-old, right back born in Spain in 1994, began in Real Madrid's youth system with his brother and then moved on to city rivals Atletico de Madrid's youth team. In 2012 he was promoted to Atletico's senior team playing 42 matches for their B team and six for their A team. He also featured for Spain at every youth stage possible: Under 16's, U-17's, U-18-s, U-19's and U-20's. Manquillo won La Liga in 2013/14, the Copa Del Rey in 2012/13, Under 19’s Eurocup 2012, European SuperCup 2012

Nicknamed "the red and white gazelle", he is known for his speed and long stride, being able to outrun any opponent down the sideline. Manquillo is considered to be the future right back of the Spanish National team.

He has been compared to Toulouse’s Serge Aurier due to his market value and similar footballing traits.

With Glen Johnson's time at Liverpool running out, not being a fan favourite and not having had a very good season in 2013/14, Manquillo could be a perfect replacement. Johnson's wages and the fact that he disappears throughout large portions of matches could see LFC offload him soon. Unfortunately Manquillo does not have a lot of experience playing 1st team football, but with the most successful club in England back in the Champions League they will be needing quality and quantity, squad rotation being a must. Rodgers has certainly made a point in getting at least two players per position. Flanagan, Johnson and Manquillo may all be fighting for one or it may just be rotation between Flanagan and Manquillo with Johnson being left out. Whatever happens, and only time will tell, Liverpool will hopefully have a little gem.

Sources: http://clubatleticodemadrid.com/jugadores/javier-manquillo-gaitan-2013-2014

              http://www.transfermarkt.com/javier-manquillo/profil/spieler/162029

Lighting of Olympic Cauldron - Comparison between London 2012 and Sochi 2014

Fire and flames have been considered through time as divine elements. The Ancient Greeks kept fires burning constantly at their temples. As stated in the IOC Factsheet Opening Ceremony Of The Games Of The Olympiad: “A flame burned permanently on the altar of the goddess Hestia, and such fires were also lit on the altars of Zeus and Hera, in front of whose temple the Olympic flame is lit today”, this was at the sanctuary of Olympia where the first games took place. The Olympic flame is a symbol of the Olympic Games. It commemorates the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The flame was lit by sun rays in ancient times to ensure its purity. Although the way the Olympic flame and lighting of the cauldron has changed the concept has stayed the same from the Ancient Games to the Modern Olympic Games. The official website for the Olympic Games gives us an explanation of the origin of the torch relay and its values: “In the context of the modern Games, the Olympic flame represents the positive values that Man has always associated with fire” (http://www.olympic.org/olympic-torch-relay-origin-values-ceremony). The flame travels, still today, from Olympia to the host city connecting the Ancient and the Modern Games.

The lighting of the cauldron has been a unique and unforgettable experience at each and every one of the Olympic Games. From the Ancient Relay in Rome 1960, the Relay to the New World in Mexico 1968, the Korean “Harmony and Progress” Relay in 1988, to the “Down Under” Relay in Sydney 2000. They are all special and all celebrate an entertaining spectacle with cultural elements from the hosting city and country. The two most recent Olympic Games, London 2012 Summer Games and Sochi 2014 Winter Games had a very different approach to the torch relay and lighting of the cauldron which we will analyse and compare here.

The London 2012 Summer Olympic Games bared witness to 8000 enthusiastic torchbearers who carried the Olympic flame from Ancient Olympia in Greece to London, England after 70 days of travelling. When the torch arrives at the stadium a final athlete is chosen to light the cauldron that will stay lit for the entirety of the Games, however, in the case of London and the extreme complexity of the cauldron, 7 aspiring young athletes were needed to torch the final flame. The 7 were sailing, rowing, athletics athletes and the young Ambassador for London 2012. The cauldron was designed by Thomas Heatherwick and was one of the best maintained secrets of the history of the Olympics. The cauldron was made up of 204 copper petals in the shape of a dandelion flower, representing each of the countries taking part of the Olympics, and would be lit up and the petals would then close together forming one. It was an intriguing and difficult task considering the number of petals that had to be lit and for the cauldron, as a whole, to come together. The Cauldron’s long, elegant stems gently rise towards each other and converge to form one great Flame of unity – a symbol of the peaceful coming together of nations that is the Olympic Games. The star of the Opening Ceremony of the London Games was the cauldron itself differing from all other ceremonies where the final athlete is the common star. It traditionally flames continuously from the opening until the closing ceremony was temporarily extinguished and transferred to a lantern. The cauldron was not visible to the public outside the stadium and became a matter of large controversy.  The Olympic Charter in force from the fourth of July 2003 said, regarding the Olympic Flame in its article 68.2 that the Olympic flame must be placed in a prominent position, clearly visible and, where the structure of the stadium permits, visible also from outside the stadium (IOC, 2003: 98). However, the article 54 of the last edition of the Olympic Charter, in force from September 9, 2013, does not specify the position of the Olympic flame (IOC, 2013). Monitors had been placed throughout the Olympic Park showing the public live footage of the flame. Dan Landry wrote, in an article The Eh Game, for Yahoo Sports Canada: “They can't see the thing, apparently. Not unless they have a ticket to an event. It's sequestered in Olympic Stadium, and will be moved from its place of honour at the centre of the action during the opening ceremonies, to one end of it. It will be perched inside the stadium but low down and so will be out of sight - and out of the range of photo ops for Olympic Park passers-by”.

In the case of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games there were a record 14000 torchbearers who carried the flame from Ancient Olympia to Sochi, passing through Moscow and visiting 2900 towns on a 123 day journey, covering 65000 kilometres. The Olympic Cauldron was located in the heart of the Olympic Park, with light shows, music and an enchanted fountain. The inspiration for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Cauldron was the Firebird, a character from a Russian fairy tale. The designers of the project depicted her with outstretched wings and a soaring head, crowned by the Olympic flame. The wings of the bird are in a circle with a diameter of almost 100 meters, where the fountain is located. The total height of the structure was almost 50 meters. The plumage of the bird was white opaque plastic, and special lighting effects covered the body of the birds' coloured "feathers", which were lit in the colours of different flags. The cauldron and fountain was the centerpiece of the Olympic Park and were located in the Medals Plaza, where awards ceremony for the Olympic champions took place every night. The cauldron was lit by former gold medalists Irina Rodnina and Vladislav Tretiak. It was situated directly outside Fisht Olympic Stadium, the ceremonial venue for the Games. After the torch's lap around the stadium, Tretiak and Rodnina carried the torch outside the stadium to light a larger version of the "celebration cauldron" used in the main torch relay at the center of the Olympic Park.

According to Owens and Millerson “The camera interprets the scene for the audience. How the camera is used affects the audience’s responses. Whenever a camera is pointed at action, you have to make a series of fundamental decisions, such as: Which features of the scene need to be emphasized at this moment. Do you want the audience to concentrate on a specific aspect of the action?”

At London 2012 the broadcasting of the arrival of the Olympic flame began in pitch black with an aerial long-shot of the inside of the stadium and pans out to the entrance. The shot moves into the corridors of the stadium entrance with the torchbearer running into the stadium, the camera shot with a close-up of the bearer following him from behind. Once inside the stadium the camera returns to a long-shot to capture the moment the torchbearer enters and finally does a close-up while he delivers the torch to one of the 7 athletes who will be the final torchbearers. We then see an extreme close-up of the new torchbearer and the camera moves out for a long-shot before the 7 athletes begin the lap of honour. During the lap of honour the torch is passed from one athlete to another while the camera follows the bearers with constant close-ups, using rail cameras, and long-shots, showing the excitement of the youngsters holding the torch and the full image of the expectant stadium. As the athletes approach the hill point of the stadium we see the camera use a long-shot to show the choir and band as we see the bearers run towards the shot. We see several close-ups of the band and choir to then move to an extreme close-up of the torch itself. The camera pans out to an extreme aerial long-shot of the stadium showing the magnificent lighting from above and then goes to a close-up of the athletes once again and an extreme close-up of the torch. They continue the lap of honour with various close-ups, medium-shots and long-shots. Close-ups of the band continue until they finish the lap of honour. The 7 athletes are presented with 7 torches, one each, with a close-up and the camera moves away for a medium-shot. There are various close-ups of important people and the 7 athletes proceed to light their torches, the camera, again switching from close-ups to medium-shots. Extreme close-ups of the audience show their emotion and delight. Extreme close-ups of the 7 torches are shown while presented to the audience. We see long-shots and close-ups of the musicians before the athletes begin their final run towards the cauldron. A long-shot changes to a close-up of the athletes as they get nearer. A medium-shot shows the 7 torchbearers as they prepare to light the cauldron and the camera moves into an extreme close-up of the torches. A long-shot presents the petals of the cauldron unlit. An extreme close-up shows the lighting of the petals and a long-shot shows the amazing moment when all the petals light up. The camera then goes around the circular cauldron and shows an aerial view as the petals continue to flame up. The camera goes back and forth from extreme close-ups of the flaming petals to long-shots showing the cauldron as a whole. A camera inside the cauldron show it coming together and we have medium-shot from the outside. Finally, we see an amazing camera shot from inside the cauldron as the petals rise forming one. The last shot is the camera moving away from the cauldron, to a long-shot, showing the remarkable formed flower.

At Sochi 2014 the broadcasting begins with a long-shot of the inside of the stadium where we see the Russian flag and Olympic flag, the camera closes into the torchbearer, Sharapova (tennis player) as she runs into the stadium. There is a close-up of her and a rail camera is used to follow her as she hands the torch over to Isinbayeva (pole-vault gold medalist). A close-up is shown of her and the rail camera follows both of them as they salute the crowds. Isinbayeva, hands the torch over to the 1st male bearer (wrestling Olympic champion). There is a close-up of him and the torch. The rail camera pans out to a long-shot showing the 3 torchbearers, the flags and the spectators in the background still pitch black. A medium-shot is shown as the torch is passed on to rhythmic gymnastics medalist as she waves to the crowd. Close-ups of the torch and athlete are used, we then move to a long-shot and back to a close-up and medium-shot of the torchbearers. The torch is finally passed on to Rodnina and Tretiak with close-ups showing their emotion. The athletes salute the spectators and Rodnina and Tretiak begin their run towards the cauldron, the rail camera follows them with close-ups. The camera continues to follow the final torchbearers from behind as they leave the stadium. A medium-shot is used as they approach the cauldron and we see the stadium entrance in the background. They come to a stop to light the flame; the camera does a close-up as the light the Olympic Cauldron. Flames soar up the “fire-bird” and fireworks go off, we see a medium-shot that fades to a long-shot to witness the tremendous fire-bird lit surrounding the fountain and the fireworks lighting up the Russian sky. A close-up is shown of the flame with the pyrotechnics continuously going off. An aerial extreme long-shot shows the cauldron lit, the fireworks exploding and the majestic stadium in the background. The camera shot moves to the inside of the stadium for a blast of fireworks and moves back to the outdoor extreme long-shot. The ceremony continues with a long-shot inside the stadium showing the Olympic rings forming in the centre and back to the outdoor extreme long-shot where the fireworks continue. We see a close-up of the flame with the stadium in the background and the camera pans out to another extreme long-shot. A medium-shot of the fire-bird cauldron is shown as a whole and moves back to the extreme long-shot. The pyrotechnic show continues and we see a long shot of the cauldron and the camera moves back out for a final extreme long-shot. The last shot we see is a medium-shot of the lit fire-bird.

The different cauldrons at London 2012 and Sochi 2014

Both the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games and the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games showed us state-of-the-art ways of representing the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron. They were both spectacular and mind-blowing. They were also very different, London 2012 showed the world that something different can be done, not having the sole flame lighter, or the cauldron visible to everyone. It gave us a view from the inside, all centre-staged, not being enormous, trying to give us the sense of ground-breaking creativity without the need of being gigantic, a more cultural ceremony. Sochi 2014 may not have been as creative as London and followed the more common rules of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. The lighting of the flame was external to the stadium and because of that they made it as huge as possible. It showed us that as we progress and as time goes by everything is becoming bigger, magnitude above all. Celebrations may show that: the more, the merrier and in this case the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic games excelled, but if we focus on creativity and innovation the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games blew us all away.

International Olympic Committee Social Media Guidelines

The Olympic Games have started using social media platforms as a means of communicating with their audience, supporters and athletes. However, there are certain rules and guidelines that must be taken into account. Here is a short article on whether athletes should be allowed to use social media platforms during the Games.

Social media, blogging and the internet as a whole has grown amazingly over the past years. The 21^st century has seen the uproar of social media, being Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Each and every one of these platforms can be used for research purposes, journalistic purposes or just for mere fun. They are used by the general public, politicians, sport figures, entertainment icons. Fame brings followers and these followers await the latest news from their adored “players”.

As pointed out in the “IOC Social Media, Blogging and Internet Guidelines”, (IOC_Social_Media_Blogging_and_Internet_Guidelines-English.pdf) the IOC encourages Participants to post comments on social media platforms and tweet during the Olympic Games, and it is entirely acceptable for any Participant to do a personal posting, blog or tweet. However there are a number of rules and guidelines that they must comply, they must always be dignified and in good taste, and should not be discriminatory, offensive, hateful, defamatory or otherwise illegal and shall not contain vulgar or obscene words or images, and finally must always conform to the Olympic spirit and main principles of Olympism: Friendship, excellence and respect.

The main problem is Freedom of Speech and how free one can be. The athletes, who are constantly in the public eye, are people we look up to, peers that have moral and ethical values for following youngsters, consequently they must be very careful how and what they post. The tone of a tweet is difficult to determine, sarcasm can be understood as disrespect therefore rules are essential.

Athletes must continue their professional behaviour on and off the field of play. Thus, allowing athletes to criticize other athletes and referees, give personal or political opinions on social media may be very harmful to a mega-event, seen by billions worldwide, that stands by respect upon every level.

Zeitgeist of the Modern Olympic Games

Although we are all enjoying ourselves thoroughly with the Football World Cup Brasil 2014, I find myself in the middle of an amazing online course on Coursera.org called The Olympics and The Media. Here's a short essay I recently wrote about the factors that made the Modern Olympics a worldwide success:

Zeitgeist can be understood as the general intellectual, moral and cultural climate of an era (Merriam-Webster Online), the spirit of age and time that affects the way creations come together. The Modern Olympic Games needed various factors to fall into place for it to become a reality. Changes in modern society seen towards the end of the XIX century contributed and made the Modern Olympic Games become what they are today. Here are the important factors that helped with its success.

Firstly, the world was becoming a more globalized place due to new means of transportation. Trains and faster steamboats meant that communication between two points was easier and swifter.

Secondly, a growing interest in international expos, the three most important ones held in Paris towards the end of the XIX century, brought information about science, electricity and transportation to many people.

Thirdly, there is an intellectual link between Deep Psychology (Freud wrote “The Interpretation of Dreams” in July 1895) and The Olympics, they both a combine the scientific approach of enlightenment and presence in their imagery of myths, religion, sacred traditions and rituals. Psychology uses these to study the unconscious and the Olympics to acquire transcendence, entity and spirit.

Finally, in terms of communication there were two fundamental innovations, the invention of the Cinematograph by the Lumiere brothers which was a very important in wide-spreading global sport, and the telecommunication systems. The first telephone call was made in 1887 and was to become a cultural milestone.

If these changes hadn't happened we may not have had the chance to watch this amazing spectacle every two years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating. Fortunately, for all sport-lovers, these changes occurred at the right place and at the right time.

Lost in Translation and Losing the Game.

As an avid football fan I could watch the game 24/7, unfortunately there is sleeping, eating, working and the occasional going to the bathroom. Luckily I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina a nation that oozes football. Not only do I have the possibility of watching the Argentine league, but I also have the chance to see matches from all over the globe including England, Italy, France, Spain, The Netherlands and others. The passion for the game here is mind-blowing, one of the greatest derbies in the world is played at least four times a year, if we include the not important but nonetheless passionate Summer Cups, being River vs. Boca. It’s at the height of the Everton vs. Liverpool, Roma vs. Lazio, Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Rangers vs. Celtic, Panathinaikos vs Olympiakos, PSG vs. Marseille, Ajax vs. Feyenoord derbies. The build-up to the match weeks before, the colour, the flags, the drums, the singing and the outrageous racist chants are all part of this “Superclasico”.

Suarez and Evra go head to head.

Racist chants are very common in Latin countries, unlike in the UK where everything is being done to abolish racism on and off the pitch. Here, however, little is being done. Only recently, while watching a River vs. Boca Summer Cup match, one could hear the River Plate supporters chanting “They are all from Bolivia and Paraguay”. It is extremely degrading, in Argentina, to call someone a Bolivian or Paraguayan, due to economic limitations, skin colour. The referee, when hearing these chants, decides to stop the match until the chanting ceases, when the chanting ceases the match restarts, when the match restarts so do the chants. Here’s when a typical trait of an Argentine is seen. The referee, instead of ending or stopping the match again says to the players and people in charge: “There’s nothing I can do about it, let’s carry on.” So the match goes on, the flags wave, the drums beat and the outrageous racist chants continue, all for the love of the game. It is part of the culture and something that will take time, if ever, to change.

Handshake incident.

The English Football League now has more foreigners than ever before, players come and go from different countries across the globe and not only have to adapt to a different style of play but also have to adapt to a different style of life, with the cultural and traditional ideologies that come with it. This takes time, sometimes quite a while. The fans have also had to adapt and that is also taking time - who can forget the banana peels thrown at John Barnes in 1987 - we seemed to have moved so far on since then, but it is still something very difficult to abolish.  Recently, in the UK, there have been two on-field racist incidents: the Suarez-Evra and the Terry-Ferdinand affairs both in October 2011. And though these were both similar they were both very different too. In the Terry-Ferdinand affair both players were English, they both know what was said and what wasn’t and in what context the words were used, therefore being a much easier case to study. On the other hand we have a Uruguayan and a Frenchman. I know, by fact, that the word “negrito” used by Suarez to Evra, in Latin countries means “mate”, not always in a friendly way, but nothing more than that. Suarez comes from a background of controversial incidents which made it all the more easy to punish him. Suarez has had dark-skinned teammates, dark-skinned family and friends. It is very hard to believe he would use the word in a derogatory sense. Moreover, when "El Pistolero's" ban came to an end and Liverpool played against Manchester United with Suarez on one side and Evra on the other there was the hand-shake incident. Now, I wonder, if I were the victim of racial abuse I would never want to shake hands with the perpetrator of such offense and, if, let’s say, I was falsely accused of racially abusing someone I definitely wouldn’t shake hands with the person accusing me of it. Finally, on this matter, I have often been called “negrito” by people in the streets in Argentina and I’m extremely white, should I take this as an offense? Should I consider it an ironic joke? Or should I take it as it is, part of the culture.