Breathe
By Fátima Masse
Last week I listened with horror to Javier Milei's speech at Davos. Yes, horror.
I felt the same shock as I did when I saw the first season of the series The Handmaid's Tale. If you have not seen it, I recommend it. In the middle of the 21st century it is inconceivable to think of a 300 year social regression to "improve" a world that is considered decadent. I won't say more so as not to spoil the series for those who haven't seen it. However, that was exactly what I thought of Milei's vicious sentences.
The Argentine president spent 30 minutes on this global platform to reinforce an ideological and conservative fight against "wokism". He cared little about talking about economic progress during his administration and preferred to focus on saying that practically all social and environmental causes are a pretext to increase the size of the State. Something that, in turn, he considers to be the brake and the downfall of modern economies. He based his statements with harsh and categorical words, set on fire by isolated cases. As a good populist, he did not provide data or evidence.
Throughout the speech she raised false dilemmas around violence against women, the wage gap, gender ideology, inequality and climate change, among others. Without an ounce of awareness or sensitivity for the situation of various populations that have been historically violated. In their vision, and that of the ultra-right, nothing more than "equality before the law" is needed.
Really? In Mexico, the Constitution states that men and women are equal before the law. However, given that the Federal Labor Law grants them different periods of absence for maternity or paternity, there are companies that still perceive young women as a "risk", because they can be absent for at least three months, something that does not happen to men. Where did the equality stated in the Magna Carta end?
According to Milei, "Wokism" does not accept antagonistic positions or debate. Could it be? Because listening to him gave me the feeling of seeing the "bully" at school who raises his voice just to intimidate. Who would contradict him?
Defining what the "woke" current is could be the subject of another column, but I like to think that this concept refers to "dreaming with the idea that we can do something to make the world a better place" as delineated by Luis Mendoza Ovando in Reforma.
In that sense, I found Milei's speech outrageous, because he seeks to crush this hope in order to benefit a few who think like him. It was not only me who was outraged, it seems that several people left the room at Davos during his speech. several people left the room at Davos during his intervention y organizations took a stand against his vision..
In a world where there are more and more characters like Milei, it is up to us to be alert and avoid joining the ultra-right narratives. Social changes are born and maintained with smaller scale actions. Let's continue to question the public discourse and open opportunities for the people around us.
May the passing of Milei and his ilk not be the end of a social evolution in search of a more inclusive reality.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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