“Nice” Sign

On my latest trip to Valparaiso this week I ran across one of the most offensive signs I’ve found in Chile.  Along with the anarchy sign, it reads [in poor grammar]: “Bin Laden had cause against gringo killers”

I was not happy to see this sign.  Furthermore, I noticed right away in Santiago and Valpo that I see about 1-2 swastikas every couple of days as grafitti on the outside of buildings, on the sidewalk, or sometimes scratched into the glass on the metro.  However, most of the time someone has spray painted one and then someone else spray paints over it.  Still, it makes me sick.  Who does this?  Even though anti-semitism doesn’t target me, I am deeply offended, especially when it’s common to see through the city. 

Here’s a far more serious case in point.  In Buenos Aires (BA) in 2005 I distinctly remember seeing a whole line of swastikas painted across a sidewalk with police tape nearby, which really stuck with me.  I think that was one of the first times I remember seeing a big string of swastikas like that in public, since it is generally not tolerated in the US.  In BA in 1994 there was a terrorist attack against a Jewish center, which killed 80+ people and injured hundreds more.  Ultimately the government linked Hezbollah and the Iranian government to the attack.  Also in BA in 1992 a suicide bomber linked to Hezbollah drove a truck full of explosives against the Israeli embassy, killing nearly 30 people and wounding hunreds as the embassy and a nearby Catholic church were destroyed. 

Why are people so hateful?  Haven’t they learned the lessons of history and morality?  And the Iranian government that is linked to these killings?

Protesters fill Tehran this week. You should be reading about this in the press.

As a disclaimer, in Chile I have felt very little discrimination by being a foreigner.  When I was in South America last in 2005, there were scores of anti-American graffiti in Argentina and Paraguay, mostly anti-Bush signs or messages on the walls or buildings saying, “yankee go home.”  It wasn’t ever directed toward me as an individual, but still was not a pleasant thing to be seeing often.  In contrast, this time I came with my Barack Obama shirt and people love Obama and are pro-US. 

Sportin' the Obama shirt

In fact, I’ve found that most people are really interested in me and the reasons why I came to Chile.  The only real disadvantage I’ve encountered, other than having to constantly watch my pockets on public transport, is that you need a national ID number–which I can’t get during my time here–for nearly everything, including getting a grocery store discount card, cell phone, order many products online, etc.  Also, I speak proper Spanish, so it can be hard for Chileans to understand me (zing!).