Home to some of the world’s highest quality beef, the study also found that over one third of Argentines polled are spending less on meat. A cultural staple in the country, meat consumption is expected to fall to its lowest levels in the past 110 years, according to the Chamber of Commerce of Rosario, a city in Santa Fe, a major meat producing province. Experts attribute the drop in meat consumption to both tough economic conditions, as well as shifts in consumer preferences.

"staple"? I don't think that means what you think it means. Meat is a luxury. I've been saying for years that the future is plant-based regardless of what people want; this is a big part of why.

I understand that it's popular, and here's a better chart: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/meat-loving-argentines-eat-less-beef-inflation-bites-2024-06-22/

Something popularly desired does not make it a staple. A staple is something that gets the job done, that you settle for, that is cheap enough to get regularly. A staple is underestimated, underappreciated, undervalued, and when it disappears people riot.

For younger Argentines, the situation isn’t much better. One third of people aged 16 to 29 have either gambled or considered gambling to pay off debt or earn additional income, the poll stated. (The rate increases to 40% when considering only male respondents, and young males make up a considerable part of Milei’s core political base).

Do not gamble. This is a tax on optimism, the house always wins on average.

When asked if these feelings of emotional unrest could lead to wider outrage and protest, Vanoli said that it is possible, “but it might also lead to more depression and anomie.” He said it depends on future decisions. “I don’t see a scenario of fury in the near future,” Vanoli noted. “But if the government makes many mistakes, it could fuel the fire.”

Feel free to study Austerity policies in on other countries. It's most of what caused the 1989 drama in Romania, Eastern Europe. Despite what "brave defenders of Western capitalism" want to draw it as, the large protests weren't about some abstract Freedom, they were about food, electricity, heating. As the regime was caught by surprise, it could be noted that the there was a social tipping point for it, hardly requiring organizing or propaganda.

When you're more concerned about finding food and staying warm tomorrow than what the police or army will do to you, and that's a mass phenomenon, that's the end of the regime. Of course, with a modicum of bravery, that can happen earlier.

After glancing at some news from MENA, I think that another Arab Spring is coming, and it's going to be much uglier as the former 'winners' of the first one are the ones who failed.

Of course, the country’s crisis isn’t seen through the same lens across the political spectrum. “Those who voted for Milei in the runoff believe everything is half as bad as everyone else,” claimed Vanoli.

“If 65% have cut back on dining out, among those who voted against Milei it’s 80%, while those who voted for him can go as low as 40%. The perception of the deterioration is filtered by ideology,” he added.

Eh, it's more complicated than "rational selfish man is afflicted with ideological distortions".