Please Explain Piquetas....

[gouchobob]

A lot of these protesters are professionals paid by the government in case some of newer members are unaware. I think this is highly irresponsible regardless if you believe this is a good use of public funds or not. What are these people going to do when the current government is gone? Are they going to go home and say the money was good while it lasted or hit the streets causing all kinds of problems to get their lost incomes restored by any means? What's the potential for violence and unrest?

 

[jazrgz]

Regarding why people put up with it: My guess is that a long, long history of state terrorism and repression (anywhere from "dogs and water cannons" to public beatings and shootings to mass disappearances) makes people a little hesitant to crack down on political protests. The Argentines have fought for decades for the right to protest freely and attempts to limit this right aren't looked upon to kindly.

People put up with it because if you dare to confront them, they´ll pretty much beat the crap out of you (without any legal consequencies whatsoever).
Polititians put up with it because it´s politically incorrect to interrupt a protest, regardless the cause is fair or not, legal or not, real or not and regardless who and how many are being disturbed because of this protest, if they try to stop it there will be two direct outcomes:
1 - the protesters, being for the most part of a violent nature (most of them have been specifically "hired" to be there and most likely have no idea what they are protesting for) will switch to violent mode in a split second and everything will go to hell. When this occurs, they know, and the cops know, and everyone knows that they have permission to injure, wound, beat, cut, and some times shoot whever they want and they will face no consequences, so, huge egos, violant nature, good money behind it.....one little sparkle they are ON !!
2) Derechos Humanos lawyers will start suing cops and or civilians involved while defending the protesters for whatever damage they made and also will start using the sole ownership they have on goodness and rightfullness in order to accuse the non-protesters of being asesinos and they right hand of the dictatorship and so on...
This is in general what happens with piquetes. Now adays, with the K´s in power, is pretty much the same but the only protesters to be defended are the pro K ones. If you are protesting against the regime, you´re on you´r own. A para-official group of thugs will go there, and beat the protesters down with lots of violance ! a couple of examples...Mariano Ferreyra being killed in this fashion and a group of teachers in Santa Cruz provincia being beat to a near death.

 

[citygirl]

What else can you do?

Take a ride in your don't-have-car, watch your don't-have-TV, listen to your don't-have-radio, whatever in your don't-have-XX?

Anticoncepción cost don't-have-money.

- oh, and you may not even know what anticoncepción is.

Pretty sure that you can get contraception for free. But as you mention, that is assuming that you have received information that tells you how to use it/where to get it/etc which probably is not the case.

 

[Hellek]

Like jazrgz said. By the way, there are tons of information in english wikipedia, for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piqueteros
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_parties_in_Argentina
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirchnerism

 

[PhilipDT]

Pretty sure that you can get contraception for free. But as you mention, that is assuming that you have received information that tells you how to use it/where to get it/etc which probably is not the case.

All over the villas in any of the "comedors" there are free condoms.

 

[PabloAriel]

Where can I study to be a PIQUETERO? It sounds very profitable.

 

[ReemsterCARP]

I would like to report that we now have another protest...this one at Colegio Pellegrini, BUT they're protesting in front of their school and prohibiting the Director from entering the School. NOW THIS IS THE WAY TO PROTEST!! That grabs the attention of the person making the decision and doesn't effect the others around them.

WAY TO GO ALUMNOS!!!

Living in Argentina = "How to Piqueta 101"

A Colegio is not a democratic institute. Use institutional means to protest, or go and look for another school.

 

[Gringoboy]

I admit this was stupid of me.
Doing some tramites one day on 9 Julio and there was a huge 'manifestacion', hundreds of people, banners etc.
Traffic gridlocked, very angry motorists trapped and going nowhere. One solitary policeman and thugs physically leaning against the cars to stop them moving. The policeman had a word with the thugs but then quickly disappeared.
Mob rule.
I foolishly decided to take some pictures of the scene with my phone and was spotted by the ringleaders who started to point at me.
I decided not to move away as that would have provoked them to follow me. They asked for my phone and asked if I was a reporter.
I played dumb saying I was a tourist in my best English, then they buggered off. So did I.
Lesson learned by me.
I sometimes think this country is ungovernable in the sense that most Argentine governments are more than happy to set citizen upon citizen.
Frankly, it's barbaric and if she gets in again, God help us all!

 

[Guillo]

Where can I study to be a PIQUETERO? It sounds very profitable.

I thought you already were trained as one. Didn't you work for an union?

 

[clooz]

.. By the end of the day, you must bring some money home or the numerous offspring you brought into this world because (and this is something that really puzzles me) you can't stop making babies, may go to bed (assuming they have one) on an empty stomach. ...

Having a small family is a successful economic strategy when you as a parent can find and pay for a school and then find a job for at least one of those children. Having a large family, typically 14 children is Europe, is a successful economic strategy when your income alone can not pay for education or medical care for children. If you have say 7 children, some of the older children will be healthy enough to work, and over several generations and with luck, the income from the eldest say 3 can help fund the education of the brightest younger one. The remaining siblings need to be able to defend themselves and care for each other while working, so having 4 or 5 siblings around is important for survival of the family. Starting with 14 children is prudent since 3 or 4 will typically die at birth or before the age of 2.