The most emblematic site of the protests that swept Chile during the 2019 social outbreak was Plaza Baquedano. Those who took part in the revolt began calling it Plaza Dignidad. At the time, many thought his name would change forever. In the middle of this square, which is actually a roundabout, was a monument to General Manuel Baquedano, a figure who was neither loved nor hated, but whose sculpture ultimately directed the cheers and anger of the demonstrators. He was climbed on, painted, dressed, and at the height of his drunkenness a gang in white overalls tried to bring him down by sawing off his horse's shins. To prevent it from being destroyed, it was rescued from there one night by army personnel and its base has been empty ever since. Only last Monday, December 18th, a day after the referendum in which a proposal for a new constitution was rejected for the second time, a furtive work of art appeared on the pedestal (it remained for a few hours) on which the long, thin map was visible. from Chile turned into an Ouroboros. According to the etymological dictionary, the uroboro is “a snake that bites its tail, but “It never stops eating itself because as it eats, its tail regenerates and it's a never-ending story.”
It is assumed that we would be ending a political cycle in our country, that the arrival of a new generation in government would be accompanied by a new social compact that takes into account the profound changes that we have experienced on a global scale since the end of the cold War: the emergence of a virtual world in which innovation occurs in a dizzying and ceaseless manner, an ecological crisis of apocalyptic proportions, the feminist revolution, the recognition and multiplication of gender identities and much more. It is assumed that we would build a comprehensive agreement that is interested in other people's ideas, not a government program, but a general framework that everyone should adhere to and that can ensure the freedom of each individual in the realization of their vital projects. Therefore I feel alone and abandoned. It is considered that we have been faced with the challenge of creating a political system capable of ensuring governability in these scattered and turbulent times, in which the parties of the 20th century no longer represent the vast majority. Only a fool could expect that such a treaty would suddenly solve people's problems. Its purpose was to create a common horizon without excessively drawn contours, because reality surprises us as it happens and it would be excessive arrogance to limit it to the criteria of a moment and to the various proposed solutions that exist in a democratic society coexisting can bring your arguments into play.
But none of this happened, and the confrontational logic of Twitter, of the opposing sides, of the oppression of the other, prevailed. First the left did it, then the right, while these categories seem alien to ever larger parts of the population, more like a costume than their everyday clothing.
Instead of finding ourselves in an important alliance for the future, Chile's history is stalling after fifty years since the coup. With the desire to leave behind the constitution born in the dictatorship, we are returning to the starting point after two failed electoral efforts. The same constitution that 80% of Chileans declared dead in 2020 is being revived by default. It's not that I like it now; It happened that it was impossible for us to give birth to a child to replace her. In all parts of the world it is very difficult to reach agreements. It's easier to unite against it than for it. Quite the opposite of what was assumed at birth: social networks have become segmented rather than interconnected. They combine similarities and their immediacy leaves little room for collective reflection. Degrading your opponent requires much less effort than weighing his arguments, and political logic usually prioritizes winning votes at all costs. The immediate in the long term. Exactly the opposite of what a formation agreement requires. Everything indicates that although very rapid changes are taking place in our coexistence, the political implementation of these changes must at best be channeled into a slow and gradual channel if we want to protect democracy.
Sailors speak of “silly waters” when the waves collide and there is no clear current in the sea. A new stage in Chilean politics was supposed to begin with Gabriel Boric, but Michelle Bachelet is already re-emerging as a possible presidential candidate and anyone looking under the water suspects that Sebastián Piñera is secretly waiting for the current leaders of his sector to bleed to death before we get to the Taking the stage The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the coup did not end with shared insights and commitments regarding the defense and maintenance of democracy and human rights, but rather sparked renewed discussions about the past, the personality of Salvador Allende and his government. Not a few dared to do so even claiming Pinochet's dictatorship as their own.
As everything changes around us, confusion reigns. The different blocks are divided internally. In parliament, every politician seems to be thinking first and foremost about their own re-election. The parties, for their part, no longer represent the social worlds for which they once spoke. Since the end of the pandemic, the topic of security has displaced all those who gave rise to the constitutive discussion. The progressive world does not seem to suggest a desirable and reliable path. Rather, the environment appears to be conducive to authoritarian offers. Speed, perhaps the most typical condition of our time, does not always move us forward. When it threatens to spiral out of control, it's scary. Then on the pedestal appears this surplus, which has been emptied of everything by willing, the ouroboros.
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