The stereotypes are out there. People from Buenos Aires have a long reputation abroad, and even in their own country for being arrogant, and at times a bit cocky and rude. According to  blogger Christie Pashby of Patagonia Living, this is why Porteños get a bad rap from the rest of the country, or in her case, from people in the interior of Patagonia.

Pashby, who lives and writes from Patagonia, labels Porteños as “arrogant, self-absorbed, lofty-headed, shallow people who smoke and who take anti-depressants…” Though these criticisms are harsh, and used to prove a point, they capture an all too common sentiment of many Argentines outside of the capital. The problem is, with around 14 million people living in the Gran Buenos Aires area, it’s nearly impossible to categorize the population as anything.

For all of its prejudged flaws, Buenos Aires contributes many more positives to the nation’s reputation than cited in Pashby’s article. Buenos Aires has the nation’s top doctors, is the most gay-tolerant city on the continent, has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, and trickles down millions of dollars in tourist-based revenue to the rest of the country. Buenos Aires is a big city. In fact it’s the world’s 10th largest. Bad reputation or not, the city adds more to the general welfare of the country than it takes away. Reputation is merely a matter of taste, and for many Porteños, life tastes pretty good.