The White Line

Regardless of skin color, I have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to associate their movement with Falabella's shitty-ass merchandise.

Ripley is somewhat passable, I bought some kitchenware which I cherish to this day, a couple T-Fall Teflon frying pans and a Fantuzzi coffee maker. And a towel too, and a bamboo carpet at one point, and I'm actually pretty happy with everything from there.

But Falabella?

Anyway, it's about marketing more than anything, and Cuerazos Peruanos have taken on Ripley and Falabella, two Chilean superstores that now confidently extend their tentacles into neighboring countries, approximating a strange Bolivarianism by slathering not just white, but really fucking white blond imagery onto dream fabric of the mestizo masses.

Interestingly, it's the Peruvians who react, while for years Chile had swallowed hard. After all, Chile ain't so white itself. In reference to the Cuerazos Peruanos movement, Chilean newspaper "The Clinic" writes that the Peruvians are "much more awake than us in this regard" and that "neither is there an abundance of blonds here [in Chile]".


We are reassured, however, by the cab driver who tells me that Chile is a warm and affectionate country, but that the Peruvians are a lot of dirty, dangerous, drunks. And the organic goods merchant downtown who sells whole-wheat bread and informs me that Peruvians are intrinsically lazy. Nothing to learn from them.

Chile, Peru - the human rights issues touched on by Cuerazos Peruanos go on include rampantly casual racial and sexual job profiling in Peru, something which is cumbersome, denigrating and ever present in Chile as well. Job postings here habitually list "good appearance" as a requirement for employment.

Even during my year abroad in Spain, American girl classmates braving the local job market complained about having to attach a photo to their résumés. At the time I wrote them off as air-headed Americans, insensitive to the local culture, the visceral Mediterranean feeling. Which is bullshit, because a photo is sexual profiling and it allows for preclusion if the girl is ugly, potential sleaziness if she's hot.

Here in Chile, I initially accepted the way of driving as okay because that's how they do it here, and who am I to judge. Sure, it bugs me that cars roll into busy crosswalks, but who am I - until I saw a Chilean schoolgirl scream in protest at a car doing just that. It was apparent that her only reality had been Chile, but nevertheless she knew that what the car was doing was wrong. I felt so vindicated.

It's a question of civilization. Speaking out for what you know is right, criticizing, attempting to construct a new and better reality. In Chile, people need very little provocation to hit the streets, and that's awesome. But on so many institutional and psychological levels Chile tilts toward glossing over and covering up, rather than confronting issues head on. Orwellian hacks are commonplace, from "reduced poverty" (if the poverty line is USD $90/month) to "good smog levels" (if you consider 3x other nations' emergency levels to be "good").

I know nothing about Peru, but let's assume for a second (because I have a hunch it's the case) that Chile is advancing more rapidly in terms of rule of law and the ability for citizens to seek and obtain legal recourse. In that sense, you could argue that Chile is a more developed society.

But on the level of social awareness, and education, Chile seems to be severely behind. I may have over-reached with that sweeping generalization, but I'll keep it in place simply to illustrate what a fucking breath of fresh air it is to see the Peruvians manipulate imagery so powerfully and intelligently, and for such a good cause.

In Chile, reality is relentlessly attacked by confounding narratives of oppression and lies. Reproductive rights, workers' conditions, the incarcelation of indigenous people - all are governed by a set of laws worthy of a Banana Republic, but the same laws (specifically, reproductive rights) don't apply to the creamy white creme de la creme, which continues to construct a narrative of Chile. White Chile. Rich White, Clean, Women's Rights, Sweden, Sparkling, White Chile.

Meanwhile, there are a good portion of cab drivers I can't even have a conversation with. It's not just my accent, it's that oftentimes working class, poor Chileans simply can't access certain words they need to use. This has been confirmed by Chileans of my educational level, too. There are some forms of expression which are simply out of reach of the poor and uneducated.

Am I saying that "Chileans are naturally stupid"? No. Am I saying perhaps that one of the most unequal, classist societies in the world might have conditioned a subordinate class so thoroughly that it's difficult for them to raise their heads and cry out against institutional racism in an intelligent, non-violent manner?

I'd argue that it's a possibility.

Anyway, Chile does have an undeniable warmth and tenderness, even when job profiling for a daycare position, it is indispensable that the applicant be driven, willing to work, and sweet.

Indispensable tener vocación, ganas de trabajar y dulzura.

How sweet.