A More Pragmatic Left?

History: The US backed the right-winged dictatorships in Latin America in the 70’s and 80’s to halt the growing left, born of Cuban-Soviet influence.

Socialism: a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are controlled by the people. This control may be either direct, exercised through popular collectives such as workers' councils, or it may be indirect, exercised through a State. A primary concern of socialism (and, according to some, its defining feature) is social equality and an equitable distribution of wealth that would serve the interests of society as a whole. (from wikipedia)

Latin-American Socialism: Greater state control (which in Latin America tends to lead to a more concentrated grip on government). But while Cuba, Venezuela and Chile all claim some form of socialism, they really enact their policies quite differently.

The left has a lot of appeal to it. Marketable appeal that is and for many of the younger FMLN kids that run around in their red shirts baring their fallen leader Shafik screaming yo quiero mi colón (I want my colon [their former unit of currency until they converted to the dollar in 2001]) hating on the States and all that goes with it, one wonders if this is a real political statement that they fully understand or just something that’s in among the young. I was in an urban bus in San Salvador and I noticed a youth passing by wearing a t-shirt that bore the image of Sub-Comandante Marcos, or Delegante Zero I suppose he wants to be called now (he was recently in the news, check out Newsweek International 16/3/06). I wondered if he wore it for a political reason, was it sympathy for left, indigenousness right (I’m 99% sure it wasn’t that) or just because it looked cool.

Hmmm, and I also wondered, “where can I get my hands on one of those”.

In El Salvador, remesas (readmitances) amount to a large about of their GDP and that percentage went up this year. Basically, state bound Latinos who sent money to El Salvador are single handedly keeping El Salvador from economic ruin. Do they (being the hard left) really understand the gravity of the situation and what would happen to their country under communist rule? I think the romantic idea of it has swept many of the young while the hardliner guerillas of the past still hold on to the anti-globalization anti-American sentiment of our past mistakes in, well, setting up really nasty dictatorships…eh, I’d still be pissed too I suppose.

Now, the only reason I write this is because I am one of these kids that tote the red and occasionally raise my left hand showing the victory sign, hell my myspace quote is a direct quote from the hard left. But for me, it is simply “the black” that I couldn’t wear as a kid, a romantic idea that has no bearing on my political reality. But what I do like is that fact that these people have a left and a strong one at that as does the Western European world. El Salvador has a moderate left, I’m hoping one day they’ll realize that too, hmmm, maybe I should be wearing yellow instead (the color of the center left party), kinda hard since it isn’t my color, you know, my skin tone, etc. doesn't match well :)

Okay, old habits die hard, forgive me.

During my time here I have educated myself on the history of this country and their political parties now reading up on Nicaragua and the Sandinistas and the whole Iran-Contra scandal. Though far from an expert I have learned a great deal about the far left and what that really means. I suspect many do not and to quote Alain de Janvry are really no more than “armchair revolutionaries”.

So, even though I wear red I just do because it looks cool and it gets a rise out of people. Speaking of which, I'm shopping for a red shirt (collared, long sleeve, of a cotton, nylon blend of a matte color) for swearing in. This would be so much easier in the states...but not as fun.

Hasta La Victoria…

Your Affectionate Volunteer,

Scrutape