Ashley- Church, politics, and sex.

Last night I accompanied Joyce to Mass at a Catholic church a few blocks away because I was curious to see what an Argentinian service was like. It was an interesting experience. I think it was very laid-back for a Catholic church. The priest played guitar and even told some jokes en his sermon, and I didn't get told that I couldn't commune because I'm not Catholic. And it was teeming with the most adorable young children. I may or may not have paid more attention to the kids than to the actual service. One thing I found very distinct was that they spent about twenty minutes discussing political issues, pretty much declaring the ruling government a crime against the common person, saying the country hadn't come to reach any of its goals in the past two centuries, etc. Whoa. If anything, I would have intuitively expected the church to keep its sentiments quiet or to side with the more conservative ruling government, but it seems like even the Catholics here are more supportive of some sort of socialism or communalism than the current trend. This could have to do with the fact that I live in one of the poorer barrios of the city; it seems like the people with the money are the only pro-Kirchner (Cristina or Nestor) groups...probably also the reason that Cristina won the last presidential elections. At any rate, it seems like there are so many anti-K groups that they must all be fragmented, leaving not a single one with enough support to single-handedly beat out kirchnerismo.

Leaving that digression behind, on the walk back from the church, I learned something very, eh, interesting. As we passed by an unmarked building with some funky-colored lights outside, Joyce asked me, "Do you know what that is?". "Not a clue". She continued to tell me that it was a playa privada (private beach), a building where (generally young) couples go and pay to have a room for a couple of hours so they can have sex. Like a cheap motel for a few hours instead of a whole night. I guess it sort of makes sense that they would exist here, because it seems like adults continue living with their parents well into their 20's, but it's still a highly frowned upon institution.

Semi-ironically, in the time that I've been writing this, Joyce and I have managed to start arguing about the rules, fundamentals, and other nuances of organized religion (mostly about the general restrictiveness of many religions). For me, the only function of those "rules" (i.e. Priests not being allowed to marry) is to taint the fact that pretty much everyone who believes in a deity or any kind of spiritual force probably could agree on a few basic moral principles, but instead have decided to give it a different name, create different absurd customs, and even start bloody wars in the said names. Apparently, my opinion is not a very popular one. For some, the labels matter more than the basics. At any rate, I think Buddha had the right idea.