Our Wars
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As Chilean protestors fight against an oppressive government who has driven them into mass economic inequality and forced them to give every penny they make to the international corporations that have bought the politicians, their neighbor, Bolivia, fights a different type of battle. Although both of the protest groups use the same tactics, their motives are completely polar.
While the spark that lit Chile’s unrest was metro fares, the Bolivian protests were sparked by the recent elections and the contested win by Evo Morales from the Movement For Socialism part against Carlos Mesa from the Revolutionary Leftist Front party. This would be his fourth presidential term, during his past 3 terms he has redistributed unused land from absent owners to the poor, nationalized Bolivia’s gas fields and oil businesses, changed the constitution in favor of the once colonized natives. Under his presidency, public work projects were heavily invested and the poverty rate dropped from 38% in 2006 to 17% in 2018. While many criticisms about him are valid, such as him not addressing political corruption, his opposition, Carlos Mesa, can only be described as a corporate shill. Having resigned 8 months into his first presidency for being unable to address the Bolivian Gas War, he also has ties to Washington D.C. which has a history of shoving their greedy noses into South America, a prime example are the Guatemalan banana wars were american hired death squads murdered and suppressed the workers uprise against the international companies that exploited them and their lands. Carlo Mesas supporters have taken to the streets to protest against the president elect, Evo Morales. The supporters have received endorsements and encouragements from Carlos Mesas himself, this has led the protests to light government buildings on fire and to attack counter protesters. The police response has been more peaceful and light than that of Chile, of course, this doesn’t help the narrative of the protestors who would give anything for one of their boys to get shot for the cause. Luckily, Evo Morales has not yielded and will continue with his presidency hopefully making an example for every other leftist politician in the world.
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With the media attention the Hong Kong protestors are gathering, it would seem as if the greatest battle for personal liberty is carrying on in the peninsula. After all, how else could you explain it becoming one of the most discussed topics in the western hemisphere? It surely couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that the protestors wave american flags and idolize the government that makes multi billion dollar deals with the government that shoves its boots into their necks.
But contrary to what the media would have you believe, Hong Kong isn’t the only nation were civilians are standing up against their governments. Chile is currently in the midst of a civilian revolt, what started as a student protest for free public transit quickly transitioned into a battle against economic inequality and poor public healthcare. Sadly, our Chilean revolutionaries represent all of what the corporate western media fears the most, a united civilian uprise against their lies and economic nihilism. Of course, their pets in the Chilean government are doing their best to keep the common citizen under the soles of their boots. With Chile being one of the biggest South American military forces, they are proving that the purpose of an over bloated military is to eliminate any sort of danger to the ruling class, even if it comes from those that buy their rifles and tanks. Police brutality has been overshadowed with soldiers opening fire on protestors and using their superior firepower to send a message to anyone who thinks of fighting for a better future for themselves and their children. This, when compared to Hong Kong which has only seen police brutality, shows how the western media doesn’t care about how violent the situation is but instead how at risk good coverage of the event puts them in. It is still up in the air if the Chile situation will receive any coverage at all, or even if it will be positive or honest. One can still support the Hong Kong protests while also admitting that the Chilean protests are under a lot more pressure and risk. After all, it is not a resistance from a foreign force, but an uprising against an oppressive neoliberal failed state. |
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