This week, Her Campus focused on strong female role models, and speaking of which, … Yesterday morning, the UPR-RP’s Faculty of General Studies was the convergence point for five female intellectuals who had a little something to say about the current crisis (that’s the plural crisis, by the by). With an attendance that filled over 6 auditoriums, these ladies gave the lowdown on what’s what with the country and its socioeconomic climate. If, for some reason, you weren’t able to attend this insightful forum, then here are some key points. Hopefully this brief taste of what the forum was about will persuade you to get more informed about the alternatives of resistance that we, as citizens, have.
1. Manifestations of the “Shock Doctrine” (in Puerto Rico) and what you can do about it.
Naomi Klein
The first panelist was the renowned Canadian award-winning journalist, activist, author, and documentarist Naomi Klein. Klein, as a journalist, has had the opportunity to cover a wide range of disasters. So it comes as no surprise that she was able to spot a pattern in regards to the government’s response to natural disasters. This is where she introduces the “Shock Doctrine”, which is also the name of her book. In her own words, the “Shock Doctrine” describes the process of “exploitation of raging crisis to ram-through or smuggle-through policies that devour the public sphere and further enrich the small group of already wealthy elite”. Sound familiar?
She numbers two instances in which this process was observed: first with a tsunami in Asia and then with Hurricane Katrina in NOLA. She explains how the government and private sector, in both cases, took advantage of the situation to force migration and, once being rid of the public, seize properties (Asia) and privatize schools (NOLA).
Still with me? Alright, so this definitely sounds familiar, what with the recent announcement by governor Ricardo Rosselló of the AEE privatization. In addition to this, Klein further explains how many crisis are usually a manifestation of deeper, underlying issues, rather than isolated events. But that’s not all she has to say. In truth, she acknowledges that this is a conclusion many of us may have reached. However, she invites us to “dream in public” and get together to brainstorm solutions as a community. She reminds us that crisis has the ability to knock us down, but also to “catapult us forward”, and cites the victories of public housing and other initiatives in countries like Canada and London as a way of stimulating similar resistances.
“…moments of crisis do not need to go the shock doctrine way. They can also go the opposite way… Moments we find strength and focus… communities have come together… Disasters have this power to awaken something remarkable.”
2. Know thy enemy, as they say, but knowing your allies is also advised.
Elizabeth Yeampierre
The second panelist was the NuyoRícan Elizabeth Yeampierre. This lively lady, the co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance, opened her speech by asserting herself as a Spanglish speaker. This was more than fine with everyone, to be completely honest.
Yeampierre warns us that, in this time of crisis, the self-serving interest in Puerto Rico is not only from corporations but that there are also unions that claim to speak for us and represent us when in actuality they further their own agendas. The Diaspora, she says, is with us in this time of need. They have held meetings at town halls and have gotten the people mobilized on our behalf. More than anything, she advises us to “know who your allies are”. Because, as she points, Tesla may seem like a godsend solution, but the truth is that they come here with a self-serving agenda. And they’re not the only ones. Like Klein, Yeampierre encourages us to seek the solution(s) ourselves, instead of waiting for a major corporation to swoop in and “save the day”.
“A Puerto Rican recovery for Puerto Ricans.”
3. History has a habit of repeating itself. Let’s break the cycle. Keep informed.
Ruth “Tata” Santiago
The third panelist, Ruth Santiago, is an ambassador for Clean Air. Her forum took us through the history of the sugar cane plantations which then became our current power plants, such as the one in Aguirre. She details the fate of the sugar cane plantations after they were privatized: workers were let go and replaced by those willing to work for lower wages, for instance. Once again, we are warned of the effects of “attacking the public sphere”(Naomi Klein) and are urged to look for solutions within our own community.
“¡Que no se repita!”
4. Audit the debt. Just that. Just do it, for the love of…literally anything.
Eva Prados
(Photo Cred. Adriana De Jesús Salamán for Diálogo at a Press Conference )
The fourth panelist of the forum was Eva Prados, who is part of the Frente Ciudadano por la Auditoria de la Deuda (Citizen Front for the Debt Audit). More than anything, she questions the legitimacy of the so-called deuda pública. For this, she cites studies conducted in other countries in which there was a substantial public debt. The results revealed that the debt did NOT represent an investment in public welfare, but rather the exorbitant interest rates with which the money was lent. In other words, the vast majority of the debt is NOT money that we, the citizens, ever saw or used, but the money we need to pay to the financial institutions nonetheless, or so they claim. How do we know this isn’t some elaborate scheme to transfer funds from the public sector to the private one? Audit the debt.
“¿Quién responde? Los actores, privados y financieros. Para que compongan lo que han destruído.”( Who is held accountable? The protagonists, private financiers. So that they fix what they have destroyed.)
5. Waiting for “el estatus” to be defined is not an option.
Mariolga Reyes Cruz
Mariolga Reyes, from the University of Puerto Rico, was the fifth and final panelist of the forum. Reyes’ approach towards the crisis focused on the infamous estatus. She acknowledges the importance of having a defined political status, yet admonishes the tendency to use the undefined status as a way of ignoring or not dealing with the issues that assail the Island. Likewise, she calls out those who say that the status is irrelevant.The status IS relevant, of course, but though it is important, it is not essential to dealing with the crisis. And enloque se resuelve, we have to deal.
“En lo que se resuelve el estatus, hemos inventado países.”
If you wish to watch Pulso Estudiantil’s Livestream of the forum, you may click this link. It is not the complete conference but it has some of the key points discussed. Also, Naomi Klein is releasing a documentary based on her time in Puerto Rico, so be sure to look out for it. No doubt it will be a very insightful piece.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions exposed above do not represent those of HC or HCUPR. This article intends to cover the event and the discussion opened. Some quotes may not be exact (word-for-word) or completely accurate. I am not a speedy note taker and I apologize for that.