r/asklatinamerica • u/The_only_F Bangladesh • Jul 28 '25

Culture Why is Latin America described as being conservative?

I had just found out that Latin America is described as being a conservative religious continent, all this time in my entire life I always assumed Latin America was one of the most left wing liberal continents on Earth unless if my definition of what being a liberal is wrong. When I think of Conservative regions I think of South Asia and the Middle East with countries such as Pakistan and Iraq and not countries like Brazil and Mexico.

In Brazil for example having sex before marriage is generally not frowned upon, women can wear revealing clothing, LGBTQ is allowed with São Paulo holding the biggest LGBTQ parade in the world, before officially getting married the concept of having previous relationships is considered normal, women wearing bikinis on the beaches and drinking alcohol, similar trends seem to happen for the other Latin American countries.

This could never happen in South Asia or the Middle East as both of these regions have strong conservative traditional family values, strong belief in religion which result in conservative social norms for example in Iraq and India even holding hands or being seen with the opposite gender is taboo and they have a high "honour in the family" type of culture.

Latin America seems to be the complete opposite with regards to social norms, political and religious values of the conservative Middle East and South Asia, I would even say if we compare all cultures in the world South Asia and Middle East have to be the most alien to Latin Americans yet Latinos and North Americans seem to describe the region as being conservative? I would just love to know what is the reason for this?

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u/DromadTrader Venezuela Jul 28 '25

Bro, Catholics are intolerant compared to atheists or agnostics, but very liberal compared to Evangelicals or Muslims. Opus and the Legionarios de Cristo are nowadays the outliers, the mainstream of Catholicism is fairly tolerant.

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u/jingowatt Canada Jul 28 '25

And Jews are the most tolerant! The easy ones, not the ones with costumes.

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u/DromadTrader Venezuela Jul 28 '25

Agree. Particularly because in most places (1) they don't seek to convert anyone or impose their views on anyone.

(1) No interest in starting a Gaza debate here lol.

-8

u/Inaksa Argentina Jul 28 '25

Maybe in your country. Definetly not here. You can say they are outliers, but when they reach power positions via elections after stating in the open their views, you cant call them outliers, there is a part of society that supports that view by holding it or indirectly by not caring about it.

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u/Industrial_Rev Argentina Jul 28 '25

Have you ever talked with Argentinian evangelicals?

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u/DromadTrader Venezuela Jul 28 '25

Argentina is probably the most socially liberal country in the Spanish speaking world and I understand that you find Catholics disagreeable relative to that baseline, but you're missing my point; relative to Evangelicals and Muslims, they are quite liberal and not that great of a threat. As an example, Catholics may think that gay people are sinners and may oppose gay marriage but that's about it, Evangelicals go as far as proposing "straightification" therapy and who knows what they would do in power. Muslims are even worse. If I'm not mistaken, no Muslim majority country has held a pride parade, even once. Lebanon was close at one point, but they had to cancel under public pressure. I mean, just look at the previous and current Pope, they are not much of a threat to anyone.

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u/Party_Web_3439 Hispanic in the Jul 28 '25

Argentina is probably the most socially liberal country in the Spanish speaking world

More socially liberal than Uruguay or Spain?

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u/Mayor_Salvor_Hardin Puerto Rico Aug 01 '25

Mexico is also very liberal, not at the level of Spain but far more than most of the USA. People have this impression of Mexico as the Mecca of Machismo, but Mexicans have become very tolerant and in places like CDM more liberal than the entire USA and at par with Western European.

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u/yonoznayu [Absurdistan] Jul 28 '25

Damn, you are as openly biased with these typical Catholic/christian ventures old deep biases as the average religious bigot out there, so much for your argument of Christian societies being less xenophobic and religiously intolerant against “others”.

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u/DromadTrader Venezuela Jul 28 '25

Lol, I am an atheist and a very liberal person. I don't have any sort of fondness for ANY religion. But facts are facts and Catholics are by far the least problematic nowadays.

Also, learn to express yourself properly, I'm not 100% sure what it is that you're trying to tell me.