Orwell in Argentina
Dark clouds are gathering in Buenos Aires.
On September 1, a crowd gathered outside the Buenos Aires home of Argentina's vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (also known as CFK). They were there to signal support after a prosecutor asked for 12 years in prison for Kirchner following a corruption scandal that took place while she was president between 2007 and 2015. As CFK left her car and approached the building where she lives, a Brazilian man named Fernando André Sabag Montiel pointed a gun to her head. It misfired: Nobody was injured in the incident and crisis was averted. What came next, though, was deeply troubling.
Just as Argentines were recovering from the shocking news of the assassination attempt, the government decided to use it to go on the offensive against its political opponents. At midnight—despite the lack of any indication that the attack was politically motivated—President Alberto Fernández declared a national holiday for "reflection," contended that "hate" and "political violence" must be fought, and called for the masses to mobilize "in defense of democracy." In a message he forced all TV and radio stations in the country to broadcast, he accused the opposition, the media, and even the judiciary of being hateful. The implication was clear: Those who opposed him were at least partially responsible for the attempted assassination.
The day after the incident, Twitter users began reporting that public employees were being forced to sign declarations supporting the vice president and opposing "political violence." Supporters of the Fernández administration began harassing online influencers who do not generally comment on politics, attempting to bully them into joining the government narrative. Finally, and even more worryingly, officials began calling for the passage of a "law against hate" that would criminalize, among other things, "offensive" speech on social media.
But who is to define what hate is? And why the sudden focus on political violence allegedly perpetrated by Fernández and Kirchner's political opponents? The military today is not a player in national politics in Argentina, as it has been at times in the past; there are no politicians calling to overthrow the current government through force; and opposition-backed violent actions simply are not a part of daily life here. If anything, it is within kirchnerista circles that violent means have occasionally been praised. Only a few years ago, for example, a notorious Kirchner supporter suggested that Taser guns should be tried on the family of former president and now opposition leader Mauricio Macri before being used by the police. Some former government officials have even publicly demanded that Macri be hanged.
At this point, nobody can say why Sabag Montiel tried to shoot CFK. Though he was declared mentally fit to testify, he has refused to do so. All that is known is that Sabag Montiel, who routinely sought to be interviewed by journalists on the streets of Buenos Aires before the attack, has Nazi tattoos and appears to follow a number of occult beliefs on social media. He has shown no allegiance to any leaders or parties in the Argentine political landscape, and he has provided no indications that his actions were motivated by politics.
The sudden preoccupation with political violence comes at a convenient moment for the current administration. Recall that Kirchner stands accused of corruption; Argentina's economy is a mess; and opinion polls show that both the president and the vice president are deeply unpopular. To blame the opposition, sans evidence, for the assassination attempt against CFK reeks of a desperate attempt to change the subject. But it is also worrisome. Could the government be setting itself up for impunity? Sen. José Mayans, an ally of Fernández and Kirchner, is now demanding that corruption trials be suspended "in exchange for social peace"—an indirect threat to the judiciary.
The government's reaction to the assassination attempt is about more than distracting attention from corruption, however. The incident has provoked a resurgence for the relato—literally, a story or narrative, and the word commonly used to describe the Orwellian framing with which kirchneristas continuously seek to build an alternate reality where everything goes right or, if something does go wrong, their enemies are at fault. In 2015, that fairytale tried to convince Argentines that poverty was higher in Germany than at home. (In reality, even without taking into consideration purchasing power differences, during that time poverty was never below 27 percent in Argentina and above 15 percent in Germany). Today, the same fairytale blames businesses for the 100 percent annual inflation rate that Argentina is fast approaching. State truths, such as the one that says that opposition-driven "hateful" discourse is causing political violence, are not to be questioned: This seems to be the motto of the current regime.
In the past, Argentina has experienced authoritarian governments that made occasional turns toward totalitarianism. Juan Perón, for example, incarcerated political opponents and expropriated their assets even as he made himself out to be the "liberator" of the nation in school textbooks. Kirchneristas, who seek to vindicate Perón's legacy, are without any doubt headed in that direction. Whether they succeed or not will depend on many factors, particularly the state of a faltering economy that may cause the current administration to lose next year's presidential election. Nevertheless, dark clouds are gathering in Buenos Aires.
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post comments
Was the speech given in front of red lights?
Not Argentina
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/big-brother-may-put-an-end-to-speeding-in-new-york/ar-AA11AqFt?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=cffc7e741f744617ae02b2f564b6ddf9
Just take the train already.
You know who else made people take trains?
The WEF?
the government decided to use it to go on the offensive against its political opponents
Good thing that could never happen here.
President Alberto Fernández declared a national holiday for “reflection,” contended that “hate” and “political violence” must be fought, and called for the masses to mobilize “in defense of democracy.”
So Biden’s Red Sermon.
HE NEVER USED THE WORD “ENEMY”!!!!
— Mike Liarson
He is finally against lockdowns and pretending he never supported them!
President Alberto Fernández declared a national holiday for “reflection,” contended that “hate” and “political violence” must be fought, and called for the masses to mobilize “in defense of democracy.”
Does this sound familiar, Reason?
Sounds like normal business decisions all around. Again, Reason, sound familiar?
Credit card companies should spy on behalf of the governemnt.
Also not Argentina.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/elizabeth-warren-wants-your-credit-card-company-to-report-you-to-the-government/ar-AA11DUDG?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=f6f39ae0d4924beeb265e7e82a57349c
How in the hell did this get published at Reason? Someone asleep at the switch?
Yeah! Latin-American leftists are fair game, but ours are off limits? WTF?!
Nahhh, I’m just joking, this story is about the US.
— Marcose Falcone
The government’s reaction to the assassination attempt is about more than distracting attention from corruption, however. The incident has provoked a resurgence for the relato—literally, a story or narrative, and the word commonly used to describe the Orwellian framing with which kirchneristas continuously seek to build an alternate reality where everything goes right or, if something does go wrong, their enemies are at fault.
Well, duh. Obviously.
“Orwell in Argentina”
Never mind Argentina, dark clouds loom right here in the good ol’ US of A. STOP THE STEAL! Just say the opposite of truth over and over. It’s easy!
Shhh. Don’t give the Democrats any ideas. They might actually let someone cap Biden.
There is a pattern emerging. Left-wing politicians are gearing up for social credit scores. Tow the line or else.
“Recall that Kirchner stands accused of corruption; Argentina’s economy is a mess; and opinion polls show that both the president and the vice president are deeply unpopular. To blame the opposition, sans evidence, for the assassination attempt against CFK reeks of a desperate attempt to change the subject.”
Thank God for our stable North American institutions, so utterly unlike those crazy unstable Latin Americans.
“Misfired”
Just like a movie.
I also just love how he is playing the US democratic party strategy pretty much word for word but now in this case it’s suddenly sinister and a sign of a threat to democracy.
Reason can see Orwell in Argentina, but is blind to it in the USA.
20 Corrosive Liberal Beliefs That Are Destroying America
1) It’s acceptable to accuse people of racism without proof and with no consequences if you’re wrong.
2) That you can change gender just because you decide to do it and that, worse yet, everyone else must ignore science and biology and pretend you are whatever gender you claim to be even if it isn’t true.
3) That the correct way to deal with people that say things liberals disagree with is to censor them and prevent them from having their opinions heard at all.
4) That we can have a multi-cultural, multi-racial society, while liberals simultaneously encourage all these groups to separate themselves off and hate members of other groups.
6) That people shouldn’t try to learn from the rich and successful because those people must have cheated somehow to have gotten ahead.
7) That politics has to be part of EVERYTHING from entertainment, to pro-sports, to business, to education. Anywhere liberals get a foothold, the first thing they do is aggressively use it to shove radical liberal views in your face.
8) That it’s okay for college-age men to be tarred as rapists in a college kangaroo court that is stacked against them based on flimsy evidence.
9) That there is no difference between an immigrant who follows our laws and comes here legally and an illegal alien who comes here illegally, acquires forged documentation, and doesn’t even speak our language.
10) That socialism, which has proven to be an economic disaster all over the world is superior to capitalism, which has undeniably lifted more people out of poverty than any other economic system known to man.
11) That big government is the answer to every problem, even though we can never hold it responsible for its endless failures, poor performance, and out-of-control costs.
12) That we can borrow as much money as we want, forevermore, without consequence or without ever having to pay it back.
13) That the news media isn’t all about reporting facts or telling people what happened. On the contrary, to liberals, the news business is nothing more than a way to spread propaganda helpful to their cause and hurts the other side.
14) If you need a “safe space,” want “personal pronouns,” or think you’re a different sex than you were born as, liberals believe that’s everyone else’s problem, not your problem. They believe it’s everyone else’s responsibility to cater to your personal issues, weaknesses, and failings instead of your responsibility to deal with your own issues.
15) That despite the fact America is the most successful, prosperous nation in history, it’s actually a terrible, awful, hateful, unjust, racist country that needs to be changed from top to bottom.
16) That great American heroes of the past who changed this country for the better should be reviled because they held some beliefs that were normal for the times they lived in, but that we find repellant today.
17) That people who don’t agree with them on scientific issues, “don’t believe in science.”
18) That a police officer that kills a violent, armed black man that attacks them automatically went too far and is a racist if they happen to be white.
19) It’s okay for protesters to loot, riot, attack people they disagree with, and break the law, practically with impunity, as long as they’re protesting for a cause that liberals agree with.
20) That every good thing you’ve said, done, and accomplished is less important than one bad joke or offensive tweet, even if you said it years ago.
I am creating eighty North American nation greenbacks per-hr. to finish some web services from home. I actually have not ever thought adore it would even realisable but (aof-13) my friend mate got $27k solely in four weeks simply doing this best assignment and conjointly she convinced Maine to avail. Look further details going this web-page.
.
———->>> https://cashprofit99.netlify.app/