All 2 entries tagged South America

WHAT DO WE WANT?..err free bus fares apparantly..

Student riots in Chile are on to their second day, with police using tear gas to quell the 'violence'. The fact this shows yet another example of over–zealous policing I will leave for another day..

The three demands that the students have are, curriculum reform, no exam fees and yes.. free bus passes. A country wide demonstration, with a third of their demands being subsidised public transport.. For some reason it doesn't seem like it should catch on…

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these aren't legitimate greivences. My point is that it's startling in comparison to the apathy in the UK, where the prospect of tuition fees barely raised an eyebrow from the brunt of the student body, which almost wholeheartedly opposes them..

The fact that the majority of these students are secondary school age even further reinforces the point.

Has the UK 'developed' past the need for demonstration? I think not. So why do citizens not feel the need to go out and defend their rights/beliefs? If I were a socialist, I'd say the individualistic consumerism–driven capitalist dictatorship was to blame. On the other hand, if I weren't I'd tell me to shut up, we've never had it so good…

: 01 Jun 2006 10:32 |  Tags: Chile South America |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

"THIS REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

Writing about web page http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5832390545689805144

Here's a link to a (pretty long) documentary on google, about the failed coup in Venezuela in 2002.

The interesting thing is that it started as just a documentary simply on Hugo Chavez and his 'Bolivar' revolution. The result is fantastic access to the presidential palace, where the film makers are present throughout the mililary threat, the arrest of Chavez, the installation of the new 'government' and the subsequant return of Chavez (to the cheers of his adoring public).

However, the main point of this film is suggested in the title. It is about the manipulation of the event by the privately owned media companies. The filmakers have the somewhat unique perspective of actually being there, and at the same time showing what was being televised at the time. The contradictions are unbelievable..

Whatever you think about the CIA's involvement, which the film picks up on throughout, the warnings it gives of corporate media, and its supporting of the powerful minority interests, makes the film very worthwhile to watch.

Here's the film in 4 parts if you can't watch the whole thing in one:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

: 30 May 2006 10:19 |  Tags: South America Venezuela |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem