Bicentennial as ideology

This year is very special because Chile is turning 200 years old. Chileans should be proud of our history and our heroes that dedicate their lives to build a better country. Also, Chileans should be proud of, TV and political class say, the strong and prosperous country we have today. We have been blessed; we have a good present, but a better future.

This bicentennial year is a special opportunity to analyze our history, what we did right and know about what things we made mistakes. The first paragraph of this essay could be read as a abstract of the point of view that political class, mass media and common people have about the bicentennial and our history. I want to write from an alternative point of view that many times is forgotten.

First of all, we cannot deny the technological progress and the improvement of the live conditions of the majority of the Chilean population. For example, today in Chile there are just a few ‘campamentos’ compare whit the decade of ’50 or ’60. For the other hand, we have achievement to reduce mortality rates and increase life expectancy. Throughout the Chilean history there has been material progress, in the sense of all the basic conditions of live.

As a correlate of this history of progress there is another history, many times deny or many times forgotten. This history tells us about the underdevelopment Chile, but not in the economic sense, because we are just a few steps from the final goal: the economic development. When I say underdevelopment I mean in the social dimension. Throughout the Chilean history there has been a tendency to deny all the social injustices and the antagonism between social groups. This 200 years of history must be, I argue, read as a constantly effort of the dominant class (in the XIX century was de oligarchy, during the XX century was the industrial bourgeoisie, today is the financial and commercial capital) to expand their business and their earns. And, in the other hand, there have been efforts to stop his social project, in the sense of social interest development, by the social movements in many times of the Chilean history.

What I want to express in this essay is that Chile has been always divide, has been always a under conflict –explicit or implicit. The Chilean history is about social projects in conflict, there has been always an antagonism between social groups. Ideology is the cultural representation or discourse that tries to hide the social antagonism under the veil of reconciliation. Today, we are in presence of the more sophisticated kind of ideology: for most parts of Chilean population the history of Chile is about a lineal progress and democratic constitution, although, in the other hand, the Chilean history is about exploitation, social struggles and antagonism.

Just a little bit green

First of all, I have to say that I do not have a green style of live. But I really think that it is a very important topic that we must, as society, develop in the next years. The environmental problems are, in the present context, very serious and urgent topic.

Anyway, my opinion about how to solve this problem about global warming or the pollution has a contradiction between two elements: the care of the environmental and the development of the technology and industrial production.

First, is very important to have a harmonic relation between the mankind and the environment. I mean, specifically, do not destroy all the nature resources, the ancient forests or biosphere reserves. The central argument is that the nature is finite, so we must think before we over-exploit the natural resources, or damage the natural habitat of some species, especially the ones that are in extinction.

But, we must give the same importance to the development of the industrial production or technology, because so many things depend on this development, for example the development of medical technology or food production.

So, the contradiction is how to reconcile the development of technology and production whit the care about the environment. I do not have the response, but I believe that the notion of sustainable development is an interesting way to achieve this balance.

Anyway, beyond these structural and political discussions we can change few things about our lives and help to the care of environment. For example, I have planned to buy bike and travel to my Faculty in this mean of transport. In the future maybe I will have a recycling ‘system’ in my home, and help to the environmental problem.

But, despite this individual acts I believe that the central problem is the environmental policies and the pollution that greatest companies in the world do. So, we must change our everyday practices but, in the same time, we have to do a political discussion and actions.

Wild Party!

First of all, I have to say that I'm not a guy who constantly goes to great parties or wild parties. But, anyway I have one or two stories of great parties that I remember.

One of the best parties of my live was the trip that I made to Parque Inglés the summer of 2008. Parque Inglés is a locality near to the Andes in the 7th Región, and have a nice landscape. One of the most interesting thing of Parque Inglés is that have a river, a very cold river that health any hangover.

But, this story is not about a party, in the strict sense of what means have a party, but, it was very fun and I have a great hangover the day after.

I went to Parque Inglés because my ex-girlfriend invite me whit her friends that, at the time, were my friends too. We were a group of seven people: Ignacio, Cristian, Sebatian, Pamela, Jaime, Javiera and me.

The thing is: we have many bottles of pisco and started to drink. In a moment, we were too drunk and without Coca-cola0 (necessary to make ‘piscolas’) that we started to drink pisco whit river water. It was very strong but healthy (lol). After that we started to hear a scary stories about the ‘mono-pajaro’ a strange animal that scare the campers of Parque Inglés. So, the mix between strange sounds of the forest, river water’s ‘piscolas’ and the story of ‘mono-pajaro’ had funny consequences.

Every now and then we remember that trip, and laugh of the things we made.

Calle 13

First of all, I believe that we cannot have just one band, genre of music or song we like or that is our favorite. I think we have very bands or songs that are our favorites, so is hard to choose one among others.
Today I will write about a band I knew just some weeks ago, but I heard their music since then every day so far and I enjoy it a lot. The band I am talking about is Calle 13, a Puerto Rican band that exists since 2005.
This band is composed by the vocalist, composer and song writer called “Residente” (René Pérez) and his stepbrother “Visitante” (Eduardo Cabra) who performance the vocals and chorus, and play the piano too. Finally, the sister of Residente, also known as PG-13, makes the chorus’s vocals in some songs.
Calle 13 has three albums. The first album was homonym (“Calle 13”) and the singles of this album was “Atreteve te”, “Se vale to-to” and the polemic “Querido FBI”. The second album was called “Residente o Visitante” and the third was called “Los de atrás vienen conmigo” released in 2008.
The reason why I like very much his music is because, first of all, they mix very genres, especially Latin American’s music whit alternative regueton or rap music. And, the second reason because I like this band very much is that the lyrics are very good. Some lyrics are political centered; others are just extremely ironic or violent; or others are just fun.

Go to Parque Ingles

I think one of the most interesting activities, in my opinion, to do in long weekends or any time of the year is go to camping somwhere far far away of the civilization. Specially in places near to the Andes or far away in the south of Chile. Some years ago I went to a place called “Parque Inglés” and I had a very good time there.
Parque Inglés is located near to the Andes in the 7th Region, and I enjoy it a lot ‘cause I get drunk whit friends and ‘cause we were near to the nature. And every morning after parting we go to the river: the most cold wáter I ever knew. That is the secret key against the hungover.
I been in Parque Ingles twice, the first time was in 2008 and it was a small group (6 or 7 friends) but we have a nice time. And the second time the group of friends was bigger (like 12 or 13 friends) and that was a great summer.
Anyway, i’d like to go this summer some place far away of the city and have some days of rial camping, I mean like whitout cellphones, whitout, kitchen, just having a knife and materials to do a bonfire, doing some treking and some fishing if the place is able to.
Finally, if you are looking for some place to go camping this summer of any time of the year (except in winter ‘cause Parque Ingles is full snow at that time and maybe you meet a puma) go to Parque Ingles, I recommend it.

Public University?

I believe that in the past two or three decades has been made a process or privatisation of the eductional system in Chile. This phenomenon of privatisation isn’t new at all, begun whit the laws made in dictatorship and continues whit the governements of the “Concertación”.

But, in the last weeks we heard in the news to the new Director of the Division of Universitary Education of MINEDUC explayning the “new” reforms that will radicalize the process of privatisation. But, for the student’s movement this reforms isn’t new: the performance agreements (Convenios de Desempeño), the unification in the credit’s system and the funding to privates universitys are tendences we all heard since some years ago.

But, What’s new? And why we must go to the street to defend the impoverished public university we have? This governement is more radical and sincere to uncover their interests and projects.

I believe that today we don’t have an state university system: we pay an exorbitant amount of money (excluding to a great portion of the population to access to the University) and the knowledge made in the universitys isn’t oriented to the development of the society, but made for those can pay for it. Today there isn’t public university, that’s why we must build it.

The only solution I see is the struggle and proposes that the social’s movements can make, specially the student’s movement. Struggles oriented to build "una universidad del pueblo y para el pueblo".

Caribbean countries or First World?

If I could go anywhere in the world for vacations I would go to Brasil or any caribbean country. Because there are many beachs and places to have a party or get a drink and have a good time hanging around whit old and new friends. Also, I would like go to these countries ‘cause the weather: must be very cool have more than 25ºC average by year.

But, if I must to choose some country to live for some years I would like to go to England or France, ‘cause I want to study some postgraduate’s program on sociology in that countries. Specifically, I want to study in the Warwick University (England) or the l’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, EHESS, in France.

I don’t know if I would go whit someone to these countries, it depends. If there are vacations I’ll go whit some friends, but, if I’ll go to study somewhere in another country maybe I’ll go by my own.

Anyway, I don’t have any money saved, so maybe I would never go to these countries, but, it’s very enjoyable to dream.