Mad World

So- if you are interested in international news/South America… then you probably heard some rumblings about Argentina's current fight over taxes between the government and farmers. Since I was a bad student/traveler and did not catch up on the happenings in the city before coming down here, it was a pleasant surprise to find people protesting in the street. During my first week here, while my mom and I were wandering around el Centro at night in search of my Spanish school (it was much harder to find than it should have been)… we saw someone hanging out of their apartment window banging pots and pans. This was about the same time that it was common to hear drivers honking their horns excessively; and then there was that evening when we were in the taxi and we had to be redirected since there were (peaceful) protesters walking up the street. By this point I understood that something was up but I still didn't completely understand the conflict and if this sort of constant display of opinion was a common occurrence in the city - the country's capital.

It got more interesting once my mom left and I moved to the Monserrat barrio - more commonly referred to as Congreso due to it's proximity to the Palacio del Congreso (where Congress/Parliament? meets) and the Plaza del Congreso. Once there, it was interesting to be much closer to the heart of the debates. Many protesters had set up camp in the Plaza with massive tents -hosting daily rallies with speakers and videos… But besides this - things seemed to cool down a bit… By then though, my interest in the conflict was peaked and I sought clarification. One day, I attempted reading a popular newspaper in Spanish - first, it took forever and I was not overwhelmingly successful due to the complexity of the issue and the sort of assumed knowledge the reporters wrote with. But the main thing I gathered from the paper was how crucial this issue is to the stability/economy of Argentina. Within this one daily paper, there were at least 12 pages dedicated to 'el campo' (the country(side)… it's how they refer to the group of farmers - which is also complicated because the people who are fighting the government aren't necessarily the field workers but are the farm owners who are making the money). From there I went on to talk about the issues with my Spanish teacher and to read articles in English about the issue.

Here are a few articles I found very helpful in clarifying the situation:
Q&A: Argentina Farm Protests
Argentine Farmers, Government Rally over Farm Taxes
Argentine Tax Plan Defeated by Vice President's Vote

Now. Fast forward to the past few days. Things have reached a boiling point as the date of the congress' critical vote approached. The day before (Tuesday, July 19) the critical vote in Congress to determine if they agree or disagree with President Christina's actions, the streets sounded a bit like a war zone; because, the two opposing fronts for and against the tax hike hosted massive competing rallies in different sections of the city. Sitting in class about 5 blocks away from the Plaza del Congreso, I was constantly distracted by the drums and loud banging noises coming from the streets as supporters of the government made their opinions known by disrupting the streets. But while I was sitting there attempting to learn the subjunctive for the umpteenth time… Closer to my apartment in Palermo, another rally was being held by the pro-campo/anti-government side in Plaza Italia.

The noise and slight chaos in Congreso went on for the entire week. And even though the Congress finally made their decision late Wednesday night, people were out on the streets in Congreso on Thursday letting it be known that they do not agree with the way Congress voted.

Now that it is over, things have returned back to what I assume is normal. But it was very intense to witness this political issue engulf the city. I'm sure I have tons more to say about how bizarre this experience has been… For instance, the government pays - and at times ships people in to the city - to be protesters in their favor. It's still hard for me to believe, but I've talked to numerous porteños who explain that this was a common occurrence. Or the intense tie-breaking vote casted by the Vice President Julio Cobos that had him positioned against his President with the country's economic and social future in his hands… as he casted his vote against the taxes, he said: "...Let history judge me, I ask for forgiveness if I'm wrong."

But this is it for now on this subject and hopefully I'll get another post in soon before I leave!

Photo of the Post:

A picture that Chi Chi took of the tents and people in Plaza de Congreso...This doesn't even fully convey the number of protesters who were camped out there along with (what seemed like) a permanent group of news reporters...