Again, excellent points made by Mr Ludwig--nothing but net this time Alexis. We are so glad you ended this piece with the cautionary point about our own disaffected masses. Luis Linares' story below brings into the light the potential endgame, which is the violent uprising of one, or both sides of our increasingly polarized nation. Please say it isn't so! Your point that our Democracy is something worth desparately fighting for-- echoed by Linares-- is the key to a sane future.
More to your serious point, highly recommend reviewing Danielle Allen’s and others’ proposed commonsense solutions to resolve the dysfunction of our political institutions, or at least relieve some of the built-up pressure and tension.
Thank you Mr. Harlen for your note. It is important that I bag one with nothing but net, as the bank shot (unless called out in advance) and the lucky “shooter’s bounce” off an old outside iron rim shouldn’t count. Of course, I’m not even sure what game it is we are supposed to be playing, which I suppose is part of the problem. Here’s to a sane future, for us, for our children, and for our childrens’ children.
This is a great piece, Alexis! I have the perspective of being born in the U.S. and moving to Colombia in 1972 when I was two. We returned to the United States in 1980. In my academic, professional, and leisure experiences, I have been very fortunate to have visited 95 counties and learned five languages on top of my native Spanish.
My dad was attending boarding school in Bogotá on April 9, 1948 when decades simmering bad blood between conservatives and liberal finally exploded that day with the assassination of Partido Liberal presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. My father was about to turn eight and has horrific stories of having to step over many dead bodies as he sought shelter. There are also the anecdotes of George Marshall being there attending the Pan-American Conference, as well as a visiting Cuban lawyer who was in awe of how quickly a population could rise up in anger. That lawyer was Fidel Castro.
The legacy of El Bogotazo resulted in 200,000 deaths over the next decade, the formation of the FARC and other illegal armed groups, a military dictatorship, and an agreement between both parties to alternate the presidency from 1958 to 1974, which helped deescalate the hatred between both parties but did not end the civil war, which took another 40 years to partially solve with the Colombian government and FARC peace accords, keeping in mind paramilitaries and the ELN continue to operate to this day.
My recent tour in Bangladesh showed me many parallels to Colombia considering that country’s bitter post-independence history between the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and I hope the recent toppling of Sheikh Hassina can lead to something better.
I mention all this because I often find myself thinking how so many of our fellow citizens fail to realize how good we have it, despite our system being far from perfect. That said, I also don’t play the “both sides” game. My personal, academic, and professional experiences with the Latin American region have without a doubt made me adverse to populism – left or right. I also insist that if Americans traveled more and/or studied languages, they might get a similar sense of gratitude for what we have.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Luis. Yes, you and I have similar experiences in that sense, with yours possibly deeper than mine. As I’m sure you do, I find having lived and worked and traveled in so many countries (and learned several languages) gives you a multiple perspective on our situation here at home. It’s a clear benefit and a possible curse, but why not make the best of it? I’m trying to make these brief essays as readable and fun as possible. If they’re a chore, then I’ve failed. I’m also hoping (over time) to reach younger people who may interested in doing what you do and I did. So feel free to send around. Thanks again for weighing in.
Again, excellent points made by Mr Ludwig--nothing but net this time Alexis. We are so glad you ended this piece with the cautionary point about our own disaffected masses. Luis Linares' story below brings into the light the potential endgame, which is the violent uprising of one, or both sides of our increasingly polarized nation. Please say it isn't so! Your point that our Democracy is something worth desparately fighting for-- echoed by Linares-- is the key to a sane future.
More to your serious point, highly recommend reviewing Danielle Allen’s and others’ proposed commonsense solutions to resolve the dysfunction of our political institutions, or at least relieve some of the built-up pressure and tension.
Thank you Mr. Harlen for your note. It is important that I bag one with nothing but net, as the bank shot (unless called out in advance) and the lucky “shooter’s bounce” off an old outside iron rim shouldn’t count. Of course, I’m not even sure what game it is we are supposed to be playing, which I suppose is part of the problem. Here’s to a sane future, for us, for our children, and for our childrens’ children.
This is a great piece, Alexis! I have the perspective of being born in the U.S. and moving to Colombia in 1972 when I was two. We returned to the United States in 1980. In my academic, professional, and leisure experiences, I have been very fortunate to have visited 95 counties and learned five languages on top of my native Spanish.
My dad was attending boarding school in Bogotá on April 9, 1948 when decades simmering bad blood between conservatives and liberal finally exploded that day with the assassination of Partido Liberal presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán. My father was about to turn eight and has horrific stories of having to step over many dead bodies as he sought shelter. There are also the anecdotes of George Marshall being there attending the Pan-American Conference, as well as a visiting Cuban lawyer who was in awe of how quickly a population could rise up in anger. That lawyer was Fidel Castro.
The legacy of El Bogotazo resulted in 200,000 deaths over the next decade, the formation of the FARC and other illegal armed groups, a military dictatorship, and an agreement between both parties to alternate the presidency from 1958 to 1974, which helped deescalate the hatred between both parties but did not end the civil war, which took another 40 years to partially solve with the Colombian government and FARC peace accords, keeping in mind paramilitaries and the ELN continue to operate to this day.
My recent tour in Bangladesh showed me many parallels to Colombia considering that country’s bitter post-independence history between the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and I hope the recent toppling of Sheikh Hassina can lead to something better.
I mention all this because I often find myself thinking how so many of our fellow citizens fail to realize how good we have it, despite our system being far from perfect. That said, I also don’t play the “both sides” game. My personal, academic, and professional experiences with the Latin American region have without a doubt made me adverse to populism – left or right. I also insist that if Americans traveled more and/or studied languages, they might get a similar sense of gratitude for what we have.
I am really enjoying your Substack pieces.
Best regards,
Luis
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Luis. Yes, you and I have similar experiences in that sense, with yours possibly deeper than mine. As I’m sure you do, I find having lived and worked and traveled in so many countries (and learned several languages) gives you a multiple perspective on our situation here at home. It’s a clear benefit and a possible curse, but why not make the best of it? I’m trying to make these brief essays as readable and fun as possible. If they’re a chore, then I’ve failed. I’m also hoping (over time) to reach younger people who may interested in doing what you do and I did. So feel free to send around. Thanks again for weighing in.