feminism update

i was speaking with someone a while ago who felt quite strongly about domestic violence in chile. his argument was that only low-class chileans actually go so far as to kill women. it was hard to convince him that factors such as financial, emotional and verbal abuse existed in relationships alone (where no physical abuse was present). it was further suggested that only serious physical physical abuse existed in low-class relationships.

this echoes a pretty entrenched belief in social/economic class in chile. class is something you can never escape here. owning land, cars, multiple homes does not change your status. good or upper class in chile means good blood line and that's all there is to it.

there are many of the same beliefs in the united states as well. ideas that only black or poor people are violent (domestically and otherwise) are historically racist as well as very pervasive. even progressive minded-thinkers catch themselves asking "wait, is it really true? are poor people more violent that rich? blacks more than whites?" we have to remember where our attention is focused, whose lives are controlled and monitored more readily by the government. if it is true that low-class are people are the ones committing the femicides in chile, what are rich people doing?

here is another one of those posters from int'l women's day just hanging around valparaíso...