"To kill a cannibal"

Three weeks ago there was a relevant event that riveted the attention of everybody. A thief stole a butchery and the butcher chased him back, ran over him and then an angry mob hit the thief several times. An ambulance drove the thief to the hospital but there he died because of inner hemorrhage.

The topics of these past three weeks until now have been "Would death penalty be a solution for this?", "It's okay to deal out justice with our own hands?", "Who is the victim in the end?", etc. These topics and the vast yellow press have been boosted by more events like "the butcher's" on all over the country.

So, my idea for this entry was to express some thoughts that are running through my brain. I'm going to analyse three topics that are different but related in some way, that construct a whole idea.







(Click here or the image to watch the news about the butcher, in case you live isolated from this "civilization")

A matter of taking sides?

As we all know, our country has the bad habit of divide into groups whatsoever. This is nothing new and historically, we have lots of examples that confirm that it has always been like that: : Unitarianos vs. Federales, Radicales vs. Peronistas, Peronistas vs. Peronistas, Boca Junior vs. River Plate, Caramelito vs. Panam, and so on. We have the habit of creating a conflict or a situation in order to clash. This may have to do with identity, our identity, which is diverse and confusing, but that's another issue that I will talk about some other time.

Currently, there seem to be a side which defends thieves argumenting that they do it because they need to do it, because they can't find a job and there's no other way out for them. So this seems to be a justification, a circumstance and a reason to steal from other with the risk of killing or dying while trying.





The other side state that, giving the chance, we should kill the thief because he can kill us first while he's stealing our possesions.

The thing is that if you believe in death penalty or justice by our own hands you "belong" to the "right wing" and you're a neo-nazi, fascist, pro-military, etc. but if you defend the thief and justify him, because material things are no worthy, you're from the center left/ left wing and you're thinking the right way because you're in favor of human rights and the right to live, yadda yadda, yadda.

Considering these sides, my question is: Is it a matter of taking sides? Can't we just talk objectively and stop thinking the way some groups are wanting us to think? It's a total shame that we have to condition ourselves, our way of thinking and even the reality that surrounds us and the way we see it and live it, because of a reduced group of people with power who wants it to be that way.

Media trivializes the issue.

As we also know, media is profiting from this kind of events and from the fact that it is aware of how much shock can cause in people expecting on the other side. So media just take it as a massive income based on rating and a constant bombardment of questionable information while people are worrying more and more about what to think and what to do.

Channels like TN, C5N, Crónica, etc., webpages like minutouno.com, infobae, etc., "journalists" like Nelson Castro, Victor Hugo Morales, Gustavo Navarro, all they just intend to make money with controversial news and predictable opinions -from one side or the other- underestimating people's capacity to think by themselves and to tell what's right from wrong.

As a result, I guess you have three options: you avoid getting involved on issues like this one, ignoring completely "what is happening in the world"; you resign to fall in the clishés of the informations and opinions and conform with that mediocrity or else you absorve content from the media and opt for a cartesian doubt and a critical thought. I prefer to stick to the third one, if you ask me.

Death penalty is not the way.

It's impossible for me to justify a thief in any case -and I can't believe people justify thievery- because I've know plenty of poor people that never occur to them to go out and steal because they couldn't cope economically with their basic needs. In my opinion, a beggar has dignity but not a thief.

We cannot ignore the reality that surrounds us: there is a latent danger and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Without being paranoical, you can feel the danger every time you go for a walk and you realize you are a walking target but you have to live your life with and without fear anyway.

Although it's a fact that people are evidently not protected by the Estate, death penalty is not the solution to an issue like this. Why do I think so? Let's take EEUU. There are a lot of cases where a person was sentenced to death and years later authorities realized they've judged him wrongly and he was actually innocent. So just take OUR country, our slow and flawed justice and all the corrupt people on high positions who have the power to do what they will: it would be a chaos, worse than this one we have now. And even if we were a "clean" or "tidy" country, the fact of sentence someone to death would turn us in the same monster we want to beat. As Friedrich Nietzsche stated:

“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.”

As a conclusion, I would like to say that the best way of dealing with issues is debating them objectively. We should stop thinking that there's someone who's right or wrong about things or a group of people that is going to lead us to come to fruition and we should try to be more democratics. Democracy is not led by politicians or by the media but by ourselves: the people.


-Jorge Vallejos

The Importance of Being Cordera

A month ago or so, a lot of people including media were scandalized by an audio made public which contained some statements by a famous singer. The audio was about him, Gustavo Cordera (ex-former singer of Bersuit Vergarabat), who was talking to some students of Journalism from a private university. This "interview/class" was, according to the Headmistress Ingrid Beck, who authorized the interview, meant for the students to have an interview with a famous star in order to feel motivated with their carreer and this, "by no means", was made to be public because of a privacy deal they, Cordera, the institution and the students, had made beforehand. (Yep, that was a long sentence...)

You can listen to the interview clicking the link below, BUT FIRST!, you must be warned that the following content is extremely explicit:

Cordera's thoughts about rape. Luckily, I think that this is the shortened version.

I imagine that, if you have heard it or you just heard it here, you must be nodding or facepalming yourself in disgust, but let me ask you something: did you even care what he had to say about "rape" and everything before this came out? I don't think so. Well, I didn't. However most people were surprised over his words and feminists and other groups wanted to crucify him or wanted him to be punished..

Before I continue -and before you possibly freak out beforehand- let me tell you that I won't be defending him or what he said but only writing what I think about him, his statements and the reactions they caused.

I want to analyse some different points so here are some attractive subtitles to introduce them.

1: We (most of us) already know Cordera

2: People wanting to punish him?

3: Who cared? Who cares? Who will?


First of all, most of us have listened to Cordera's band and most of us have sung at least one of their songs without even thinking about  the real meaning behind them. Among other genres, I listen to rock music -I don't mean that this kind of issue happens only with this genre- and I sometimes go to gigs and I know some rumors about him and some of the artists named in the audio and there's a high percentage that what he says about them is probably true. In his live shows with "La Bersuit", Cordera used to invite girls -I couldn't specify their age- from the audience up to the stage and made them -not against their will- go topless or nude and sometimes he kissed them, touched them and viceversa. Although this doesn't justify what he states, this is already known by the community so it's nothing new. Nevertheless when this audio came out everyone went nuts and couldn't tollerate his statements.


Here are some words from Erica García, a female rock singer who uses to make apology of infidelity, drugs, easy sex and other cute stuff and seems to believe she has enough moral authority to share with us some thoughts against -in some parts- Cordera AND to take advantage of such a controversial issue TO ADVERTISE HER NEW WORK. Coincidence?


Secondly, Cordera's interview with the students from TEA was supposed to be PRIVATE. They signed an agreement that everything they talked was meant to be OFF THE RECORD there wasn't going to be edited -as it was- and/or published -as it was, indeed-.

Here's Headmistress from TEA talking about the agreement, denying it at the same time, and talking about "being professional" when the student that made this public wasn't and she, as the highest in hierarchy, never took responsibility but washed her hands and took profit from the scandal. Coincidence?

Our Constitution is VERY clear about this: Our moral acts are reserved to ourselves. So, why punish him? Why not only ignore him? Indifference may be the best of the solutions in cases like this.

(Here's the words and an analysis of our almighty and wise National Constitution. I recommend you to click here and give it a read)

What is more, he wasn't making an apology of rape or violating the laws, he was just criticizing the law -like it or not, correct or incorrect- and this is not illegal at all. Each one of us has he's own thoughts -and the right to talk- about lots of things and yet we're not making it public for obvious reasons. We might share it with a friend or relative -though there's no need to sign a contract... So far, hopefully.

So this level of conversation he had PRIVATELY with the teachers and students is totally comparable with the level of a simple chat of two drunk guys wasting away and talking about life in the backyard at 3 am. with nobody else around listening. I insist, I'm not saying that I agree with him or defending him, because I don't need to. I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT HE HAS TO SAY ABOUT ANYTHING AT ALL. I'm just worried about hipocrisy and contradiction inside our society and how stupid we might be to listen and pay attention to a person like him.

To conclude my point I have to say: If you never cared about Cordera's thoughts, why would you care now? Does it make any difference? Does he say or represent what all men think, are and/or should think? As I said, I don't. But of course that I really care if something illegal is being done in front of my eyes and I would report it to respective authorities.

PLEASE, Don't pretend this society is respecting the laws, rights and moral at its best. Not even education in general, family, schools, etc., is taking care on matters like "rape culture", "chauvinism", "patriarcal society", or else, and they -WE- should be. But when something like this happens, when an audio of an ordinary man "that is famous" comes out we go crazy.

My simple message, and to conclude with the question "Who will?", I want to say that YOU should. If you're interested on making a change in this "macho" biased society, if you hate women being treated as inferiors than men, if you're triggered by some statements from a mediocre thinker with a big mouth like Cordera, then educate people. Talk to children, adolescents and adults about respecting each other, no matter what sex they are. TAKE CARE. Because if you don't, nobody will.

I hope I have made my point clear. But if you consider that I'm being offensive, obnoxious or trespassing the thin line of legality... whatever you do... (don't tell anyone!)

Jorge Vallejos

"What kind of people is TED bringing in now?"

                Disclaimer:

Before reading this piece of mediocre psycological essay about some neurotic guy being totally honest and self-aware of his inner, deepest and darkest thoughts, PLEASE!, be aware that you'll encounter some unpleasant statements about people and some cold auto-annalysis that you may not feel identified or even enjoy. So if you suffer from socio-cultural susceptibility I warn you that this is not something for you to read. Thank you!



           Every person judges according to their senses and how these have been molded by family, society, culture, etc. The way how we've been rised and learned how to know a person before hand, the social retina made of compliments and mockings that our relatives, friends and classmates are some of the possible reasons why we put on practice everytime we meet, see and talk about a person. We cannot avoid judging or pre-judging even if -even when- we want to. It's a natural -or naturalized- condition that is complex to annalyze by us and even more, to be annalyzed by others.



           When I started to watch the TED talk, that old woman wearing that funny dress, the weird way she spoke and the slight movements she made, honestly, I thought to myself "What kind of people is TED bringing to their talks now?" Yes, I know, it's a terrible and violent statement that I suddenly auto-corrected as I also thought "C'mon, you haven't watched a single minute of the clip, just pay attention!" As I said before, and as a matter of justification -if I can even do that-, we all have our judgements naturalized and -that's why- we all need to chill out before opening our mind/mouth.


Then, little by little, I started to feel pitty for her. Lidia Yuknavitch's stories seemed to be taken from a cheap short-film made by a desperate youtuber looking for its view number 100, but you could tell in her glary eyes that it was all true: she had gone through serious struggle along the years. The apparent result that we percieve as 'funny', 'weird', 'dissastrous' was right there, in front of our eyes, in her soft gesticulations, in her difficulty to pronounce simple words, in her nervous manners.

I must admit that her experiences didn't impress me much. As I mention before, they were 'normal' events in which most people are involved every day and still we never notice. What riveted my attention was the way she stood tall amongst them after all the constant pain and vehement agony and how she managed somehow to achieve her dreams.

What I admired in this woman is how she admits and recognizes herself as a misfit. Despite dealing with some outrageous events, she didn't have to change her attitude and appearance towards life and society but went on immutably strong and determined.

I'd like to finish this entry by stating that the huge value on accepting who we are is proportional to how much are we willing to analyse and reconfigure our own naturalized judgements towards ourselves and everyone else.


Jorge Vallejos