If you believe in capitalism and have talked about the Hong Kong protests at all, it’s almost certain you’ve heard socialists respond by talking about the recent protests in Chile. According to the Left, this is a classic example of manufacturing consent (as Noam Chomsky put it) in favor of the evil capitalist class. It could not possibly have anything to do with the differences in the groups being protested, what the protesters want, or the effects each would have on the global economy.
Here’s what left-wing political commentator Jimmy Dore said on the subject:
“What does 30 years of Neo-Liberalism get you? 820,000 people in the streets protesting against it.”
Neo-Liberalism, to these people, basically means capitalism. However, while Chile currently does have a right-leaning President, the previous one–a woman named Michelle Bachelet–was a socialist and a member of the most popular socialist party of the country. There have been four political parties that have held the Chilean Presidency, and two have been either avowedly socialist or social democrats. This idea that people like Dore have, that the fault lies with capitalism, is the exact opposite of reality.
By the way, don’t forget that Chile is also a representative Democracy. In 2017, the evil neo-liberal Sebastian Pinera somehow managed to get 3,795,896 votes. The last time a socialist won, it was with only 3,470,379 votes.
Yes, in the 1970’s the United States very likely entangled itself in a coup against the socialist leader of Chile and replace him with a fascist. However, that was then, and this is now. Chile has been under left-wing rule for the better part of the past three decades. As such, any revolution in Chile is a response to capitalism as much as it’s a response to fairies.
Ephrom Josine is a libertarian political blogger/commentator. You can find him on Twitter @EphromJosine1, writing near-daily on Medium @ephromjosine or weekly on Freedom First Blog.
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