July 21, 2008

September 11

There is a main thoroughfare in Santiago called September 11 Avenue. It's not the September 11th you would expect. In fact, my host mother told me the U.S. stole the date.

On Sept. 11, 1973, Salvador Allende and his popularly-elected socialist government was overthrown in a golpe de estado (o sea, coup) and what followed were 15 years of the oppressive and violent dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Or at least that's how we were taught it in the States...

We spent the day (our first day of our Chile Contemporáneo class with CIEE) learning about the basic recent history of Chile from the coup to today. We began with a lecture from a Universidad de Católica profe on the Transition to Democracy, followed by a tour around La Moneda, the central government building where the coup all went down, followed by a documentary on the coup itself. (Obviously we had time for a cafecito and a few galletitas in between.) It was a great basic introduction, especially since I knew next to nothing except that Allende=socialist hero to the working masses and Pinochet=terrorist and asesino (an obviously limited and far far far too simplistic breakdown). It was fascinating to hear more about the political and social context behind the coup and I can't wait to learn more, especially about the involvement of the CIA (big surprise there that the U.S. dirtied its hands in the messy affair).

Our lecturer threw in some of his personal commentary while telling us about the coup, including that he had met Pinochet on several occasions and that the man himself was not exactly intelligent or bright at all. He didn't even know about the coup until it was already in progress. Pinochet was more of a puppet than a grand orchestrator. The profe told us that Pinochet barely knew how to hold conversations and had to read off of teleprompters every time he gave a speech. It's always surprising to learn about the personalities of characters who have become so canonized--whether negatively or positively--in popular culture. Even the infamous masterminds of human rights violations on such huge scales have their human faults.

After wandering the streets of Santiago in search of a librería to buy notebooks since I am here to study after all, I hopped on the metro (¡ya que soy experta!) to get home. Marta, my host mother, was off to her weekly Bible group (she has a photo of the Pope above her bed) but she made sure to make me a full dinner (I'm still getting used to the whole mothering thing...it's quite odd to me still). I sat down to a lonely table since the kids were all busy, but I was quickly joined by Miguel, my host father who is usually pretty quiet. And thus began one of the most interesting discussions I've ever had in my life.

I mentioned I spent the day learning about the coup and about the transition to democracy. To which Miguel responded: "¿Qué democracia?" To which I responded (in my head): "Uh oh...here we go...."

I'd heard tell of study abroad students living with upper-middle class families who supported Pinochet, but little did I know I'd be one of them. But before jumping to any conclusions I decided to investigate further. Besides, what do I know of Pinochet? I've really only had today's brief introduction. So Miguel definitely knows more than I do so I may as well hear what he has to say.

It turns out that Miguel, who grew up in Iquique, a saltpeter mining town in the North, despite his working class upbringing, is a clear supporter of La Derecha, the more conservative political line--literally The Right. I asked what he thought of the 3,000 dead and missing persons during Pinochet's reign and he said he didn't know anything about numbers or statistics but that he did know that there were dead people on both sides. He blamed a lot of deaths on the "terroristas" of La Izquierda (the left). I couldn't help but compare his statement to the denials of the Holocaust--which I know was completely unfair of me and it's a totally separate affair but still, I guess that's the lefty in me coming out. Anyway, so it turns out Miguel moved to Santiago in 1969, one year before Allende was elected to the presidency. Allende actually lived only a few blocks away from where we live now in Las Condes (oddly enough his home has been converted into a nursing home, not a museum as expected). Miguel saw the planes overhead on Sept. 11 as they headed to Allende's house and shot down at it.

He also showed me a book that was published by the Pinochet government about the "real" events that took place on that day. It was like holding a piece of history--a piece of pure propaganda that belongs in a museum as a historical relic and not on a bookshelf in an educated urban household. So that's my prejudice coming out again...

So I tried to understand him better...I asked him about more current affairs, like Los Pingüinos, a group of student protesters as young as 14 who have been fighting for better public education. They have completely interrupted daily life here, shutting down the universities for as much as a month and a half at a time. The recent scandal is that a 14-year-old girl threw a jug of water in the face of the Minister of Education. Miguel's response: the state of public education is a mess, it's true, but the solution is a stronger hand at home. Chile, he says, has lost its values and the fault lies with the parents at home. What these children need, he says, is someone to spank them and teach them right from wrong. I told him I believe that violence is never justified. He said that hitting a child once so that they learn is not violence. So that was quite a point of contention...He also blamed a lot of the protests on the delinquency of today's youth--they are always drinking and smoking, he says. This is going to be an interesting 5 months, I'm thinking all the while...

Then I asked him about the newspaper El Mecurio that we get every morning with our pancito and tecito and manjarcito (and as you can tell, everything is "cito," which is a diminutive suffix). He said that it leans more to the right so all of the Izquierdistas say it tells lies. And La Nacion, the newspaper of the left, I ask? Lies, Miguel says. And besides, the Izquierdistas don't even know how to read! WHAT?!?! I couldn't contain my surprise at that comment. Absurd.

When he made a comment about how "los negros" in the States are the cause of all urban problems because they are constantly smoking and drinking, I knew it was time to end the conversation for the night. I corrected him gently and then excused myself from the dinner table. Frustrating conversation overall, but also very very enlightening. I'm glad I put myself out there and ventured to argue with him on some points while still allowing him room to explain his views. I also learned it's much more difficult to hold an argument in a non-native language...

Luckily I found a different topic of conversation with Carmen Gloria, my host sister, who showed me photos of the two Yorkies as puppies and told me about her preparation to become an elementary school teacher. Much lighter fare.

So tomorrow I'm off for another lesson in Contemporary Chile...I hope it's as interesting as tonight has been...

8 comments:

judygrafik said...

Hmmm. just make sure not to alienate your host papa or it might be a very long 5 months. There is a reason people say not to discuss religion and politics- in this case perhaps both. I know that sounds like a middle age cop-out and maybe it is- but it might also be self preservation for the next 5 months.

Jody said...

no it wasn't confrontational at all! besides, i wouldn't even know how to be confrontational in spanish, anyway...It was a totally amiable conversation. He was just kind of telling me like he saw it and I was just kind of nodding and asking questions.

judygrafik said...

still, knowing how passionate you are in your political beliefs it must be difficult to self- censor.

Christina said...

Oye... muy interesante. Fascinating what kind of perspective can spill out over a cup of tea, isn't it?

I'm so fascinated by your ability to learn through conversation, in Spanish. It's brave; I was nervous just reading the account. But for the sake of us who are not in Chile and wouldn't have the nerve to keep pushing the envelope, keep at it. You're too bonita for anyone to really get mad at you for your curiosity. :-)

LOVE

davep said...

this is just a test from dad (actually mom)

davep said...

Really very interesting, Jody pi (not po)! Por favor keep an open mind -- the left is not always right (ha ha). I think if you consider Hugo
Chavez now you might get some sense of the polarization that can result from winner-take-all politics, in which neither side has a monopoly on justice or wisdom. Anyway, lots to think about. But now I have to walk Barley .... Much love, Dad

Elena said...

Wow, how interesting. Thanks for the history lesson Jody.

Do the right and left represent the same values and goals as our own right and left? Strange to me that they're called that — weren't those terms coined because of where people sat in Congress?

Anonymous said...

you know me jode...

KEEP PUSHING THE ENVELOPE!

i've seen you in so so so many discussions such as that, and I know personally that you are one of the best at discussing without being too confrontational. i don't think you alienate people, and i think you can open his mind just as much as he can open yours. it's gonna be an interesting 5 months, but to use a c@p-ism and a judy-ism, i would hope you continue such discussions when you have the time and energy and do NOT, in fact, cop out.
love love love
-joz who will write you a long email in a second