South America lies close to us physically(but we should keep in mind that the eastern tip of Brazil is nearer Africathan it is to Miami or New York), but most North Americans do not know it well.It has prodigious importance to the United States in politics, strategy, trade,investment, what not, but it does not he close to us emotionally. Many in theUnited States still think of South America as an alien continent; some view itwith a vague—or even active—distaste. We do not, by and large, feel the samecommunity of interest and affection that we have for Europe. And—let me addquickly— the distrust felt by North Americans toward South Americans is fullyreciprocated by plenty of them in their attitude to us. They think thatwe are often juvenile, materialistic, crude in manners, uncultured, politicallycapricious, and overbearing.
Ignorance plays a large role in this on bothsides. What we do know we are apt to know wrong. To many in the United States the concept "South America" still prominently includes generals inwhite sombreros on mangy horses picking their teeth and shooting peasants atrandom, love in the hot sun, polo ponies, a peculiar capacity for disorganization,the philosophy of mahana, llamas, cha-cha-cha, excessive edgy pride andsensitiveness, gigolos drenched in eau de cologne, the overemotionalism ofpersonal contacts, Indians squatting over dark pots of beans, gauchos, andfragile young women in black lace dresses with large red roses in their hairleaning over grilled balconies within range of a serenading guitar.
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