Young people, our voice is important
Criticism is part of this new generation, and with it, change comes.
Have you been mocked for the fact that you are young and you talk about politics? Have you been called ignorant for not agreeing with ideologies that are not part of your values? Why do these attacks usually come from those who call themselves defenders of democracy?
During these times of presidential elections, the debates expand; with this, a few's egos come out, who believe that because they believe that everything they say or believe is true, they also feel with the criterion of evaluating what it is. True and not, which is curious because no matter what conclusion they reach, they always defend their interests, ignoring the rest of the picture. And not being enough, there are numerous cases in which many “defenders of democracy” (mostly adults and with the idea of knowing it all) are upset at the courage of those who decide to show and face social realities that for years have accepted without further analysis. Realities such as Social inequality, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and many more have created social and economic gaps that have left devastating results.
Since I arrived in the United States, I have come across people who deny the xenophobic, racist, sexist, and homophobic behaviors of President Donald Trump. Those who deny such harmful behaviors also argue that everything is invented by the media, ignoring the fact that there are videos that support what has been said by various media and that it has been reaffirmed during four years in office.
There have been several occasions in which I have raised my voice before the attempt of many to minimize the destructive acts of Mr. Trump against Latinos, women, and their political opponents. They have been the same occasions in which I have been classified as promoters of an economic and political system that has left devastating results, such as those that the Venezuelan population lives today. No, I am not defending socialism; I am defending the transformation of a society that has normalized the suppression of minorities by cycles. As a gay person from a low-income family and fortunate to have completed my career in journalism, I can speak directly about what characters like Trump promote: Social and economic gaps that end up destroying the weakest in a society that the unknown terrifies him.
The above, beyond coming from my passions, also have a historical basis, taking into account that I come from Colombia, the unequal country in Latin America, according to the report of the Regional Development Index for Latin America (IDERE LATAM) and in The one that for years, characters with the same ideologies and behaviors of Trump have governed our Republic, leading it to what we have today: Social gaps that have led thousands of people to live in inhuman situations. Also, it is known that in Colombia, the drug fight is lost, so much so that the bosses no longer resemble Pablo Escobar; on the contrary, they are tied in the upper echelons of power, promoting the idea of ” families of good ”and Catholic ideologies that are not respected from the first moment in which they decide to enrich themselves with public goods and the sale of narcotics.
There are several cases in which drug traffickers have financially supported presidential campaigns of politicians from both the right and the left, as has been demonstrated in the investigations of two Colombian journalists, who revealed how the current president of Colombia and an ally of Mr. Trump, was financed by the drug trafficker “El ñeñe Hernandez” who is seen very happy posing with characters such as former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, “the great Colombian” who has achieved a strong political party very similar to that of Mr. Trump, in which he criticizes. The questions are not well received; on the contrary, they are a threat because they and their dogmatic followers know that analysis puts their governments in check; we build based on lies and fear.
As in politics, we also encounter many situations in which people seek to minimize our opinions and justify theirs, using arguments that “the new generations want to destroy our values,” no matter how strong our arguments are.
Remember that these people seek our silence and the same conformism in which they have lived for years that can be translated as complacency before authoritarian governments and promoters of hatred. That is why I invite you to express your discomfort, investigate, do analysis, and above all: Do not remain silent.
