A Post-Pinochet Generation, Born Without Fear

A series of demonstrations for structural education reforms and the waiving of fees became a national movement of high school students. In late May, nearly eight hundred thousand students observed a national student strike. Socialist President Michele Bachelet formed a Presidential Advisory Committee to address the demands, but the slow pace of reform led to large militant demonstrations in August. "This eruption of a new social actors has laid low a number of sociological myths," says Professor Patricia Munoz Salazar, Director of Sociology at Playa Ancha University. "First, the assumption that school children can't speak for themselves or articulate clear coherent demands is evidently incorrect." The second myth to be overturned, she adds, is that young people are not interested in politics. The third, and perhaps most striking conclusion, is that the emerging generation is far less individualistic. "They have to a point restored our faith in humankind," laughed Salazar. "The level of solidarity has been amazing. The movement's organizers all come from the better-off municipal schools and have largely acted on behalf of the poorer kids. Furthermore, all these children are in their last years of school, any changes in educational policy are not going to benefit them directly." Support from private school students is further evidence of the new camaraderie. "This is clearly a post-Pinochet generation born without fear," says Salazar. "They openly declare their party affiliations. They are aware of their rights and are not afraid of criticizing the establishment."