READERS WRITE
NO MORE FEAR
In education it is taken for granted that learning is a gender issue. Boys earn better grades in some subjects while girls are more successful in others. The same is true about the workforce where women excel in some areas while men are better in other domains. Our modern world, where both genders are equally important, would have been unthinkable in the past when society was ruled by man playing a dominating role in a patriarchal world. In Western civilisation women’ s rights began to take root long ago and now they are institionalised but, in the Middle East, there is so much oppresion against the fairer sex that nothing seems to help them out of the terrible predicament they find themselves in. However, we now hear that in Iran women are saying enough is enough by raising themselves in an unprecedented rebellion against an autocratic regime that has downtrodden them for centuries. What renders these women brave is their determination to rid themselves of the shackles of fear as a stepping stone to fight for their rights.
One of the talents that women have is to be able to plan ahead, which is precisely what the male rulers in Iran seem to lack. They should know that, if women are denied their rights, the country is doomed to make no progress and remain a backward nation.
Adrian Insaubralde, Santa Fe
RETURNING TO THE WORLD
Admittedly, I’m becoming a bit of a one-track mind. But I am obsessed by the fact that virtually all of our politicians, those in government and in opposition, are totally oblivious to what is going on in the world nowadays. Such are the flashpoints all over the planet that, possibly in only a few months time, the political and economic picture will have a very different look from the one we see today.
As a consequence, Argentina is nowadays virtually “outside,” and the certain influence we had in world matters is gone. Worst of all, our behaviour in international forums is totally inconsistent and, if we add to this our position as king of defaulters, by now we are seen as a perfectly nutty country.
So the bad news is that, if in the near future we don’t count on leaders who have a good amount of knowledge regarding worldwide affairs, we will be doomed to continue sliding down the drain to nowhere. In other words, before going to vote next time we should most definitely consider the cultural level and the open-mindedness of the candidates we select, not only his or her smile and charisma. We can’t continue to accept small-minded, sheer locally focused politicians, because “what is in play is the Republic, dammit”!
Harry Ingham, City
LOYAL TO WHOM?
Wikipedia tells me that ‘Loyalty Day’ (in Spanish: “Día de la lealtad”) is a commemoration day in Argentina. It refers to October 17, 1945, when a massive labour demonstration at Plaza de Mayo demanded the liberation of Juan Domingo Perón, who was jailed on Martín García island. It is considered the foundation day of Peronism.”
I also checked the meaning of “loyalty”: “Faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty.” Some synonyms: allegiance, devotion, fidelity. I wonder: to whom are the Peronists/ Kirchnerites loyal/devoted to? So far, three separate gathering locations have been confirmed: the “Estadio Ciudad de
Laferrere,” the “Estadio Obras Sanitarias”, and “Plaza de Mayo.”
Wait a minute. Are we talking about the same political party divided into three, each one loyal to itself? What a can of worms! (“bolsa de gatos” in Spanish). It’s what it is (“es lo que hay”) Sigh …
Irene Bianchi, Ringuelet, La Plata
BATTLE OF THE BULGE: PART 216
Dear Sirs,
The Fernandez (mis-)government continues to plough a crooked furrow, lurching from one extreme to the other as the economy cools and inflation raises its ugly head, now slated to exceed 100 percent before the present year expires. Super Minister Sergio Massa is doing his best to suppress excess spending by his cunning colleagues but he is not getting much support from this quarter, because populist politicians cannot thrive without a fast buck or three. The fact that the size of the State, in all its many manifestations, has just about doubled over the last 20 years of Kirchnerismo/ Peronismo, speaks volumes, or ought to. ‘L’etat, c’est moi?’
David Parsons, via email