Last Thursday, the girls and I were driving to Isabel's therapy when traffic on the main boulevard began to slow and change lanes. As we got closer, I realized we were all swerving to avoid a pile of burning tires in front of a local university. Out the window, I could see several students with terrorist-style masks over their heads (colored pieces of cloth with only eye holes visible.)
My reaction to this was the same as it is every time: complete and utter disgust.
Because you see, these are not terrorists (at least in the traditional interpretation of the word) but simply students who are trying to get attention because they are mad about something. In addition to burning tires in the streets they have also taken over the university, posting handmade signs and locking themselves inside through the use of chairs and tables as barricades.
In Chile, when this happens (as it does every year) the school is said to be "en toma" (literally, "taken over.") The pictures above are from last year in Santiago, when the high school directly across from the missionary kids' school was taken over. The story is always the same, kids who think that it is their right to protest some perceived wrong in the system when in reality all it becomes is an orgy of drinking, sex and partying behind locked doors in an institution they do not own with damage to property that they do not pay for.
The neighbors also suffer. In the event that the police attempt to control the situation with tear gas, for instance, those who live in nearby apartments experience the fallout. A friend whose sister lives next door to the university said that each year the windows of the parking garage are smashed by protesting students and the university's insurance no longer cover the costs of replacing them.
While personally I can't understand why destroying private property isn't grounds for criminal prosecution (this practice may be frowned upon by some but is generally accepted as inevitable and as free speech on the part of the students) what really makes me angry is that parents stand by and let their children be involved in this. A few years ago, a high school student fell from the roof of the school several stories to the pavement below while the school was "en toma" and the students were partying. It was a miracle she survived. Often health services will try to intervene by distributing condoms and birth control among the students. My question is, why in the world would a parent even allow their child to be there?
As my daughters gawked at the masked students and the flaming tires, their obvious and innocent question was simply: Why?? Are those bad people, Mommy?? The best answer I could come up with was that these are people who simply never learned to control their emotions. I reminded the girls of how important it is not to let being angry or being sad push you to do stupid things which often result in others being hurt. Since "stupid" is a word not usually allowed in our house, when Mommy uses it the kids really listen! The girls were wide-eyed and wholeheartedly agreed, but the truth is that without my saying a word they could already see for themselves how foolish and harmful this behavior is.
My reaction to this was the same as it is every time: complete and utter disgust.
Because you see, these are not terrorists (at least in the traditional interpretation of the word) but simply students who are trying to get attention because they are mad about something. In addition to burning tires in the streets they have also taken over the university, posting handmade signs and locking themselves inside through the use of chairs and tables as barricades.
In Chile, when this happens (as it does every year) the school is said to be "en toma" (literally, "taken over.") The pictures above are from last year in Santiago, when the high school directly across from the missionary kids' school was taken over. The story is always the same, kids who think that it is their right to protest some perceived wrong in the system when in reality all it becomes is an orgy of drinking, sex and partying behind locked doors in an institution they do not own with damage to property that they do not pay for.
The neighbors also suffer. In the event that the police attempt to control the situation with tear gas, for instance, those who live in nearby apartments experience the fallout. A friend whose sister lives next door to the university said that each year the windows of the parking garage are smashed by protesting students and the university's insurance no longer cover the costs of replacing them.
While personally I can't understand why destroying private property isn't grounds for criminal prosecution (this practice may be frowned upon by some but is generally accepted as inevitable and as free speech on the part of the students) what really makes me angry is that parents stand by and let their children be involved in this. A few years ago, a high school student fell from the roof of the school several stories to the pavement below while the school was "en toma" and the students were partying. It was a miracle she survived. Often health services will try to intervene by distributing condoms and birth control among the students. My question is, why in the world would a parent even allow their child to be there?
As my daughters gawked at the masked students and the flaming tires, their obvious and innocent question was simply: Why?? Are those bad people, Mommy?? The best answer I could come up with was that these are people who simply never learned to control their emotions. I reminded the girls of how important it is not to let being angry or being sad push you to do stupid things which often result in others being hurt. Since "stupid" is a word not usually allowed in our house, when Mommy uses it the kids really listen! The girls were wide-eyed and wholeheartedly agreed, but the truth is that without my saying a word they could already see for themselves how foolish and harmful this behavior is.
1 comment:
WOW, that is just insane! I can't even imagine...
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