The bicentenary: A Big Performance

This year marks 200 years since the “independence” of Chile. The Chilean historian Gabriel Salazar expressed about this topic: “Se ha construido una verdad mitologizada, una memoria y discurso oficial acerca de estos doscientos años, que oculta las profundas dificultades que ha tenido el desarrollo de este país y los conflictos profundos que no han aflorado a la superficie.” (http://saladehistoria.com/wp/2010/09/14/gabriel-salazar-y-el-bicentenario/) The word Independence means not-dependent; that is a person, or people who can decide by herself or by common consent, without subordination, his own life. So, I think it’s necessary stop and think… what are we celebrating? Is our society independent?

In the present essay I argue that we are not independent yet on the most important account of our life. Why? First of all democracy system is not working. The sociologist Manuel Antonio Garretón called it “formal democracy”. That is the democratic system is not real, is something like “dead letter”. There are many obstacles to practice citizenship. For example there have always been many topics we are not deciding, starting by the constitution. That’s the fundamental tool for decide how we want to live. And we don’t decide it!

Following this, the second reason why I think we are not an independence society is because there are many powers in fact restricting our life like big conglomerates of power with economical interests. One of these conglomerates is related with means of communication like radio, TV, newspapers. These means, more than help us to know what’s happening in Chile has made an excellent work of disinformation. They cover up the lots of social problems and social fights that are happening.

Finally, these social problems placed the Chile of the bicentenary next to Chile 100 year ago. Problems like poverty, insecure jobs, ghetto neighborhoods, social exclusion, and poor education for example make me question the real sense of this celebration.

In this bicentenary there is all a performance, and there is all contradictory. Someone can explain me how it’s possible that in the 18, we suppose celebrate the “roto chileno”, the popular world, and in the 19 (one day after) we are celebrating the arm forces. The institution who has massacred in many opportunities popular groups?

Summing up, there is nothing to celebrate. We are not independent. We are a society with a false democracy system, with many powers in fact restricting our life, an injustice society with many social inequalities. The bicentenary is, like Salazar said a myth, a construction. And this celebration is hiding the historical and profound conflicts of our society.

Money, money, money...

Talk about money usually it’s inconvenient. All people want money, need money and use money for accede to the majority of activities, hobbies and practices we do: but especially for people who have money, like most of people in this faculty, that’s a secret! And it’s not very nice talk about it: so people develop many practices in base of different types of capitals but don’t’ talk about it.

Our society it’s full of an economical thought; It’s a practice which has become a pattern, It’s a type of rationality who it’s part of many of the interactions in the occidental society. Even people who denies de economical thought, or the importance of money is playing the economical game. For example “are crishna” in Chile: they live with a few things, and they consider negative have a lot of money, but most of they have had money in their pass, and until they are moving related with a economical logic denying the importance of money or things.

One of the principal problems of the topic is not the money by itself; it’s the sense, which people have, that they need have every time more, and more and consumer for be socially valuated like people they want to be.

Ok. But talking since my place, Who much money it’s important in my life?: today it’s very important, but no have money, or have things socially values (nice clothe, or expensive things), I really live with a little of money but today I don’t feel that need more. Today form me is very necessary and important save money, or generate capital for in a few years more can realize many projects: this projects are looking for become a contribution for the creation of a better world, but they need money for start!

Well how it been saying: money it’s important in our society, and we need change our mentality for down the money of the pedestal, and placed it in the right location.