While I can relate with my Chilean friends about current events issues that touch on economic inequality, gender, the environment, and more, I have to recognize the many of the different contexts and perspectives from which we see the world.
Allow me to elaborate on this a bit. A lot of people wonder why it wasn’t until now that these protests in Chile flared up with such strength. If people have held the same grievances for 30 years, why did the metro hike send millions into the streets only now, at this point in time? Well, a lot of it might have to do with the perspectives and experiences of those who began the march.
Pinochet’s military dictatorship ended in 1990. If I had been born in Chile, I would have missed living during the dictatorship by only four years. My parents, however, would have lived through it during much of their adult lives. During the dictatorship, their generation was scared to fight back for fear of being physically punished or worse (you can read more about this on your own if you’re interested, but just a warning, there is some dark history from this time). When Pinochet’s dictatorship came to an end as the result of a nation-wide vote, they were relieved to have democracy but were still hesitant to put trust into the government. Social uprisings remained infrequent.
Chileans of my age and your age (born after the dictatorship) never lived through the challenging times of the dictatorship and therefore grew up without the same trauma experienced by their parents.
