#why couldn't i have been born into a family that owns a gas station

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

Well, one of my worst fears has come to light. Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration. But my brain is like "You want to what? You want to write something? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Oh, whew! Please. Please, my kidneys hurt from laughing so hard. You'll write when you're done with your training in about 10.5 weeks. In the meantime, dumbass, enjoy your friend's stuff."

[containatrocity]

duck to phoenix cause i had to

Nicky.

So this is a hell of a letter to receive- and if my timing's right, I'm not gonna be alive to answer for it. Maybe that's the best thing for me, to go out the same way I lived. Like a coward who won't face his family. Robin's been talking. And normally, you know, I don't listen to his talk, kid has more imagination than sense. But… I don't know. I think part of me believes him, this time. Maybe I'm finally just crazy enough to go for it. Maybe I always have been and I've spent most of my life running from it- in any case. You've got this letter.

And I'm dead.

I don't think I ever told you, really, why I joined the Marines quick as I did. I didn't feel like I needed to- that you and Falco and Cass and Robbie had already borne the cross of my mistakes- I was the 'freak' the 'crazy older brother' that they held you four up to- Hawk was a brute, of course, he'd sooner knock somebody's block off than have a conversation, but I was crazy. Spent all my time in the woods, got in fight after fight after fight, and where Hawk solved things with his fists I worked them out by biting. Can't imagine the shit you all got when I got suspended for nearly taking off Turk Murphy's cheek in the lunchroom. But at the end of the day? Me getting the hell out of Huntsville laid entirely with that. It's stupid to say it now. That I signed up to get shot at in the desert time and again because I thought that my being home would have done more harm than good? That instead of answering for the way my childhood impacted yours, I packed up and left. Modeled myself a war hero instead of the black sheep. I joined up because 'my brother's a marine' sounds better than 'my brother's a violent freak just like our mom.'

I left because I couldn't handle the thought that everything I'd done for our family was a blight. That I was this black spot on everyone's reputation and childhood. 'Oh, you're Duck Romero's brother. you hear he pulled a gun on a guy outside the gas station when he was your age?' 'Yeah your brother was crazy, I remember he beat the brakes off my cousin- he had to get his jaw wired shut, what a freak' my actions were my own but it's a name that connects us like blood, trauma that spit me out all wrong- and the military didn't exactly help me with that. And then to see you… Okay, after you left- after I left… Proved me right.

You and Bradley always seemed like you got each other- me and Geanie were having screaming matches while Wren slept a room away. We'd put on a smile and bear it- because reputation mattered more than anything back then. I spent… way too long. Caring about the way other people saw me. So I cleaned up- settled down, had a baby, climbed the ranks. and every time I saw you- you just looked happier for getting out of here. I never did, no matter how much I talked about it when we were kids- I always came back to a town that needed us but would have sooner eaten us alive if it served the means to their ends, crawled back to it like a dog beaten bloody still loyally finds his place at the foot of a cruel master… But Robin's been talking.

And I think I believe him this time.

So I'll be a curse on the family name one more time. And I don't want you to forgive me. I'll say hello to the folk we left on other side. Whichever one I happen to find tonight- I'll see you again, somewhere. Give Jay my love. Give our brothers my apologies, look after the kids- and tell our mom I always thought she was a bitch and I'm glad I didn't turn out just like her.

Under a different sky, or burning underfoot.

Mal.

[skamenglishsubs]

Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 1, Episode 2

Episode 2 picks up the morning day after the initiation party, the girls are having breakfast lunch at their dorm, the boys at theirs, and everyone wants the juicy details about what happened at the party...

Culture: Tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far? Although, it's pretty funny how the roles are reversed, Maddie is all "meh" about it, while Nils tells a different story. Then again, since when do you get together after a blowjob?

Culture: I actually have no idea why Simon is having breakfast at Skogsbacken, since regular schools only cover lunch for students, everyone eats breakfast at home, and then goes to school. Then again, it allows a scene where (Never mind, they're having lunch, thanks @kamand !) Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm casts some nervous glances at Simon after having been called out for disappearing at the party and almost forced to confess to making out with someone.

Culture: I know Felice is trying to put August down, but don't knock a proper Swedish pizza! As much as I like living in the US, they can't fucking make pizzas here, and the first thing I eat every time I go back to Sweden is always a real pizza. With pineapple and shrimp as God intended pizza to be made!

Culture: August is namedropping ski resorts in the Alps, which is where you go skiing in Europe if you have money, although Saint-Martin-de-Belleville is actually near Val Thorens in France, while Verbier is in Switzerland. It does have a three-star restaurant, though. Sweden and Norway have a couple of decent ski resorts, but the Scandinavian mountain chain is simply not as impressive as the Alps.

Subtext: Remember Wilhelm getting up and hurrying to math class in the beginning of the scene? It was so he could grab the other seat next to Simon, because he knows Simon is gonna sit next to Sara, since no-one else does.

Culture: Formally greeting your teacher before class is very uncommon in Sweden, but since Hillerska is all about discipline and tradition, of course they do it. Note that they're again using the formal Swedish title for male teachers, Magister, which in a regular school would be kind of a joke, since teachers and students are on a first-name basis with each other.

Subtext: Wilhelm is exposing how the world works if you have money. At Simon's old school, studying alone would result in good grades, but Hillerska is slightly corrupt and almost expects the students to essentially pay for getting a good grade.

Subtext: Simon is lying to his teacher, he absolutely hasn't talked to his parents about paying for private lessons.

Subtext: No, Sara absolutely does care about what other people think about her, and when she directly tells Felice that she would actually like some friends, that's when Felice gets it and starts making an effort to become real friends with her.

Culture: They're all bilingual at Simon's home, they're all speaking Spanish and Swedish, although Linda has a very noticeable accent to her Swedish. Based on demographics and statistics, the most likely scenario is that Linda immigrated to Sweden from Chile, met Micke, and started a family. In real life, Omar Rudberg was born in Venezuela and grew up in Sweden, while Carmen Gloria Pérez was born in New York, and grew up in Puerto Rico.

Subtext: Remember how I talked in the intro post about how distant social classes know nothing of each other? Ayub and Rosh are either working class or lower middle class like Simon, and since rowing is a typical upper class sport, they know nothing of it, they don't even think of it as a real sport. Unlike football, which is a proper working class sport, they know all about that!

Subtext: Scandinavia has Jantelagen, and everyone there thinks it's uniquely Scandinavian, but all countries have some form of Tall Poppy Syndrome. In this scene, Simon is starting to make a class journey, he started rowing, he started trying to fit in with the other upper-class kids, and getting into a relationship with someone as upper-class as Wilhelm would definitely move him all the way. But going on a journey means leaving things behind, which is why Rosh and Ayub are cutting him down and literally turning their backs on him. They like it in the small town of Bjärstad, why can't he be happy there too? Why is he betraying his roots?

Subtext: This comment from August nicely foreshadows a later episode when August does something traceable on a School computer...

Subtext: What August means is that he's not sure Wilhelm has the same desire to be accultured into the upper class, to play the part of a proper prince, in the same way that he and Erik have accepted their roles and are even enjoying them.

Culture: Although it's impossible to read the name of the medicine, the paper tag on the bottle indicates that it's some kind of prescription medicine. From the conversation with Vincent, we learn that it's some kind of ADHD medication, probably some kind of Dextroamphetamine since those improve athletic ability and cognitive functions in healthy people.

Culture: Birkenstock sandals are associated with hippies in Sweden as well as in many parts of the world, so August is actually saying that the school counselor isn't really part of the same upper-class society as the rest of the staff. And again, his use of the word sosse drives the point home.

Subtext: Consequently, the counselor sees right through August and refuses to immediately prescribe him the medication that he wants...

Subtext: ...even though August tries to both bribe him and threaten him into giving him the medication he wants.

Subtext: A big theme of this episode is class journeys, and in this scene and a previous exercise scene, August gushes about how good a thing that is, how proud he is of Simon for going on one, and spouts some crap about how everyone can make it if they really want to.

Subtext: Thankfully, Madison says what we're all thinking: August is full of shit, life isn't fair, and they're only at the school because they were born into privilege.

Blink and you miss it: After Wilhelm has nervously texted his crush for the first time, he starts to bite his fingernails, but quickly stops himself, because why would he be nervous? He's just texting another boy about rowing practice, there's nothing more to it!

Subtext: Simon's texting game is on point though, he knows exactly what he should write to get Wilhelm to go on a totally-not-a-date with him.

Subtext: In the same way that August couldn't convince the counselor about being sick, I don't think Wilhelm's atrocious acting here convinces August that he's sick either.

Culture: Public transport in the greater Stockholm area - or wherever we're supposed to be - is of course cash-less, and you pay by either charging a special card, or by signing up in their app and buying tickets through there. The point of this scene though is to drive home how Wilhelm has never ever had to take the bus before in his life, and therefore has no idea how it works.

Culture: The totally-not-a-date starts at a Circle K, which in Sweden is just another gas station, but it is actually a Canadian multi-national convenience store corporation. The price of gas is of course posted in kr/l, and 13.98kr/l corresponds to roughly $6/gal.

Subtext: Throughout the totally-not-a-date, Wilhelm is trying to reach for common ground with Simon, trying to show him how he's just a regular guy...

Subtext: ...but then real life intrudes, Wilhelm is recognized by some local girls, who call out to him and run away giggling, which shows how he's not a regular guy, he's going to get recognized wherever he goes.

Culture: Kokt eller grillat, boiled or grilled, are the two ways you can get your hot-dog at pretty much any hot-dog place in Sweden, and ketchup and mustard is always offered. The correct answer to this question is of course grilled, with ketchup and mustard, and this just shows that Wilhelm is a man of culture and good taste. Unfortunately, they were out grilled ones, so they all got boring soggy boiled hot-dogs instead. Is there a metaphor here? I don't know.

Subtext: Again, the show drives home the point that absolutely no-one has a problem with people being gay. Simon is clearly out to Ayub and the rest of his friends, and Ayub immediately picks up on the fact that this is totally a date.

Blink and you miss it: Ayub nudges Simon with his elbow to tell him that he should make a move on Wilhelm.

Culture: What we're looking at is just the local junior/high school football team, Bjärstad, playing a match against some other unnamed junior football team. Since the stakes are super low, the audience basically consists of whichever parents and friends of the players that could be bothered showing up.

Culture: Driving age is 18 in Sweden, and even then getting your own car at that age is extremely uncommon. However, you can easily get a license for a moped when you turn 15, so these are the vehicles of choice for teenagers to get around.

Subtext: August found out about Wilhelm's trip to town, but his main problem with it is that he wants Wilhelm to stop slumming it with lower class people, and to start hanging out with everyone at school instead, so that he can be properly accultured into the upper class. Again, sosse in this context means working class, not socialist.

Subtext: Although Simon felt really great about his first date with Wilhelm, the text message reminds him that Wilhelm isn't a regular person, and that even this innocent little trip generates interest and scrutiny, and can't be posted publicly.

Culture: As everyone should have noticed by now, Madison keeps speaking English, while everyone speaks to her in Swedish, so clearly she understands it. But here she gives her motivation for sticking to English, and that is that she doesn't feel she's good enough at speaking Swedish. Boarding schools like Hillerska attracts international students that have some kind of connection to the country, so a likely scenario is that Madison grew up in the US with a Swedish parent, and she's being sent here to experience Swedish culture and get immersed in the language to learn it better.

Cinematography: This shot of August drives really home all the pressure he is under, he's out of drugs, the headmistress just hinted that he's out of money, and he's literally being weighed down by books and work-out weights.

Subtext: Simon has kept his visits to Micke a secret from Sara, so here he has to intervene to make sure August doesn't accidentally reveal this to her. He also wants to protect his sister, so he's redirecting August's search for drugs onto himself.

Subtext: And on the flipside, Simon isn't really telling his dad that Sara still hates him and really doesn't want to see him, so he's vague when Micke asks about Sara and Linda.

Culture: Finally a bottle of medicine where we can read the label! Unfortunately for Simon, this is Tramadol, an opiate prescribed for pain relief, which is the complete opposite of the kind of drugs August wants.

Subtext: If you haven't figured out yet that this episode is about class journeys, August spells it out for us here. However, the reason he's "congratulating" Simon in front of everybody is because Simon just supplied him with more drugs, so this is his way of thanking him, since he can't really pay him.

Blink and you miss it: For a split second, Wilhelm grabs Simon's leg during the scary scene.

Subtext: The entire dialogue of the movie works as subtext for what's actually going on between Wilhelm and Simon at this point, and Wilhelm is getting a little freaked out by this sneaky display of affection.

Subtext: The movie also puts words on the implications of Wilhelm getting together with a boy, what about having kids in the future? Can you carry on your family name and traditions, or will they die with you?

Lost in translation: The plaque actually says "FEEL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE HERITAGE". Even though the plaque means the heritage and legacy of the school itself, Wilhelm is thinking about his legacy, his heritage, and how getting together with Simon would threaten that.

Lost in translation: Wilhelm actually says "jag är inte en..." - "I'm not a..." before he stops himself. So it's not possible that he was trying to say "I'm not gay", because that doesn't work grammatically in Swedish either. He could be trying to say "I'm not a guy like that" or "I'm not a guy who likes guys", that would work.

Cinematography: The framing and silhouetting of this shot is just chef's kiss. The outline of their hair allows us to see who is who, and we can see from their poses that Simon is welcoming a kiss, while Wilhelm is still hesitating.

[liibrii]

Kita Shinsuke x gn!Reader

Synopsis: Hitchhiking through the countryside you catch a ride from a handsome stranger, which just might turn out to be the greatest decision of your life – or your greatest mistake.

wc: 2k || thriller-ish, mystery-ish

a/n: heavily inspired by one of my all time favourite songs; The Count of Tuscany. tbh this fic was just an excuse for me to listen to it on repeat for several hours :P as always feedback is greatly appreciated!

In the bathroom of the roadside gas station you change into your best clothes and brush through the tangles in your hair, wash your face, scrub your hands to make sure there's no dirt beneath your nails. No one in their right mind would pick up a scruffy looking hitchhiker.

You decide to stand outside where everyone who drives in to fill their gas tanks will notice you. On a small chalkboard you bought for a few hundred yen in a convenience store you write the name of your destination with the prettiest writing you manage and even add a smiley face. That should do the trick of gaining attention.

You've almost reached your destination already. The western sea of Japan. Being born on the eastern coast you have watched the sun rise above the ocean your entire life. At least once in your life you want to see it sink in the vastness of the sea hugging your homeland.

Would a train or a bus bring you to your destination faster? They would, sadly your wallet disagreed with that option. Hitchhiking really was the best option even if you often waited for hours with no luck. Still it wasn't all bad; one time an elderly lady stoped to give you a lift. You sat in the back as the front sit was occupied by her dog who excitedly turned to sniffle and lick your face, begging for scratches. She made you stay for dinner and even prepared a futon for you to sleep. “All my children and grandchildren moved to the big cities.“ She scratched behind the ears of her dozing four legged companion as you drank tea while sun slowly set behind the hilltops. “Slowly but surely we are bein' left behind. Seein' someone so young come 'round makes these old bones incredibly happy.“

Following morning she wished you good luck on your journey. Her name and address are written in your dairy. When new year comes in a few months you mustn't forget to send her a gift. You watched her stroll away, one slow step after another, dog trailing behind, her back bent under the weight of years. Is that what the future holds for you?

You try to keep a positive outlook, at least you get to see the beauty of the countryside. The green hills and vast fields of rice swaying in the wind are a sight that takes your breath away. Summer's coming to an end. It will soon be harvest season.

Your legs are starting to hurt. Hours have passed and nobody pays you even a second glance. Under the hat your hair sticks to your skin, droplets of sweat trickle down your back. You're all but ready to give up and start looking for a place to stay the night when a man about your age approaches.

He has caught your eye before. Something about his overalls and silvery hair glimmering in the sun made him stand out from the others. He kept glancing over at you while filling his tank.

“I'm not goin' as far as ya want,“ his eyes glance over the chalkboard you're holding. “But if ya want I can give ya a ride to the next town over.“

You eagerly nod. “That would be great!“ You offer him a hand. “You can call me y/n!“

His hand is calloused. Hand of someone working outside. “Kita.“

Ride is comfortable. Kita is more on the quiet side but once you mention how pretty the landscape looks with all the swaying fields he laughs . It's a bright sound that makes your heart skip a beat. He tells you he works the fields, not all you see, but many of them. Talking to him quickly becomes easy. To your surprise you find you have a lot in common. When you arrive to the town and he stops by a small inn offering rooms you're almost reluctant to leave his company. He hesitates when taking your backpack from the back seats. “I know we just met,“ he softly says, “but could I take you out for dinner? Maybe tonight?“

How could you possibly say no? You've been travelling on your own for the past two weeks and the loneliness is starting to get to you. And he's cute.

When he picks you up a few hours later he's wearing a nice button down. He combed his hair though you preferred it when it was all messy. “I'm not late am I?“

“No, I'm just a bit early.“

“Here,“ he shyly averts his eyes when he hands you a small bouquet of spider lilies that have yet to open in full bloom.

Your cheeks flush. It has been a long time since anyone gifted you flowers. “Thank you,“ you say, sincerely.

Kita takes you to a small family owned restaurant down the street. He opens the door for you and pours you tea while you skim through the menu. Talking to him is so easy. He mentions he used to play volleyball back in high school, that many of his old teammates went on to play professionally. Embarrassed you have to tell him you know very little about volleyball. As you speak his eyes linger on your face. Sports have never been your strong suit, you admit.

“Don't feel bad over it,“ he reassuringly smiles. “So how come yer travellin' these parts?“

Your dream of seeing the sunset over the sea seems so simple when you tell him but Kita nods. There's wisdom in his eyes you don't usually see in your peers. Why are you so relieved he doesn't find your dream childish? “I just want to see the country, get to know the land and the history,“ you eagerly continue.

“There's an old castle ruin not far from the town. Tourists often visit it. If ya want I can show ya 'round,“ he offers.

A trip to ruins does sound nice. Even a little bit romantic. One more day staying around couldn't hurt, right?

Kita's smile widens when you agree. “I'll pick ya up tomorrow. Would around midday be alright?“

For the rest of the night you're all giddy on the inside. You can't wait for tomorrow to arrive. Kita walks you back to the inn and waits till you're inside before heading his own way. What a gentleman, you think to yourself. Meeting someone like him was the last thing you expected.

Whatever road lead to the castle in its days of glory has long since been claimed by the nature. Kita walks with steps of someone who has walked this path a thousand times before. You trail behind him, your clothes getting caught in branches all the time. When he sees you struggling he slows down and even offers to carry your small backpack for you.

“This castle used to be really important back in the days,“ he explains while you catch your breath. “It's strategic position is really important. There's a legend my grannie used to tell me. Durin' the Sengoku period the youngest son of a shogun fortified himself in this castle and defended it for months. Then his enemies dug tunnels beneath.“ He offers you a hand to help you climb over a pile of rubble marking what once were the castle walls. “Filled them with wood soaked in fat and set it aflame. Castle crumbled and buried hundreds of soldiers beneath it. Some say the son of the shogun still haunts this place.“

“An interesting story,“ you say, ignoring how every hair on your body stands up.

By the time you reach the ruins you're drenched in sweat and yet once the view of the valley beneath opens up you forget all about the fatigue. You step closer to the ledge and peek over it. The side of the hill plunges straight down. Deep below you see tree tops. If you slipped -

A hand grabs your shoulder. “Careful. The stones 'round here often crumble.“

You murmur an apology. Kita's hand lingers on yours, his eyes following when you walk away to have a closer look at the ruins. They're covered with grass and small trees sprouting from the crack between stones. Funny, you can't see any tables with information about this place. Having a map would surely help with orientation. You can't be the only tourist with a knack of getting lost.

Kita approaches you with a smile. “Wanna see somethin' really cool?“

You follow him inside the ruins. “Watch yer step,“ he holds the branches of a lonely tree so they don't smack you as you walk by, “it's easy to trip 'round here.“

Walls here are better preserved, higher. The shadows they cast seem longer. You follow Kita inside the labyrinth of crumbled stone. An uneasy feeling of being watched grows inside you as your approach scares off a flock of birds.

Kita pushes away a curtain of poison ivy to reveal a gaping hole where the walls lean on the cliff towering above. Cold gust of wind makes you shudder. “Here,“ Kita offers you a torchlight. Your hands are cold. Fingers barely capable of wrapping around the black plastic.

He turns to you, his eyes carefully examining your face before he enters. “Ya comin'? Be careful where ya step, the stairs are slippery.“ He offers you his hand. It's warm.

“There's a natural cave beneath the castle.“ His calm voice echoes through the winding staircase. “Apparently it used to have a small pool for the nobles to cool in durin' summer. It's filled with rubble now.“

Light of the torches casts eerie shadows on the walls. Stone surface under your fingers is cold and damp. You follow Kita through a narrow hallway and soon enough you reach a small cave. It probably used to be bigger but a part of the ceiling caved in.

Rubble crunches under the soles of your shoes. In the eerie silence all you hear is your breathing and unsteady thumping in your chest. Somewhere in the distance perhaps a ghost of a long deceased soldier- you curse yourself in your head. Why are you trying to scare yourself?

You look up to see stalactites growing from the ceiling. How many thousands of years old must they be?

“They only grow about a millimetre per year. Must be tens of thousands of years old.“ Kita's voice makes you jump. How did he know exactly what you were thinking?

Only now you notice he's standing between you and the exit to the hallway. His eyes are fixed on you. He's closing off the only exit. Pounding in your chest quickens. This place is starting to suffocate you. 

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

You really did follow a complete stranger into a cave beneath an abandoned castle. What an idiot. Naive, trusting idiot.

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

Slowly, like water dripping from the ceiling it sinks in you may not make it out of here.

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

Ah, don't be stupid! You still have years to live! A boring office job to take on! When was the last time you spoke to your friends?

Kita's eyes never leave yours as he steps closer. In the dim light it all seems so- Kita wouldn't- But you don't know him, do you? Torch rolls from your shaking fingers.

Is this really how it ends? Hidden from the sunlight, caught like a mouse in a trap of stone and cold cutting to your bones? You can't breathe. Will they ever find you? Tears well up in your eyes. Why? What have you done to deserve this?

You're shaking. Will you ever see the sunset over the vastness of the sea? Will you lay beside the unfortunate soldiers from centuries ago till you become only clean, nameless bones?

A shaky plea for your life is all you manage to stammer. Through the tears his face is just muddled colours. Is this really how you die?

Warm touch of his hands cupping your face, thumbs wiping away tears, his soft, gentle voice, paralyse you. “Hey, why are ya cryin'?“

[milenenestarkrogers]

How can a country move on when its people turn against their own?

Chile is not at war. The People has awoken and we will never close our eyes again!

If you haven’t read or heard about the difficult situation going on in Chile, please take a moment to read this, and then go and search for info on your own.

Chile has been qualified as the economical oasis of Latin America. But we couldn't be so further away from that.

Yes. There’s money... But it’s only for the rich. The minimum wage is $301.000 CLP, about 414 USD for today's conversion (Oct. 23.2019)  where 1 USD costs about 727 Chilean pesos. (Out lowest bill is a $1.000 and out lowest coin is $10)

I’ll put my family as an example. My parents work in the streets markets (Feria) My Dad sells fruits to make a living (tangerines, avocados, lemons and oranges). My Mom sells used items of clothing and house stuff (curtains, bed sheets, etc.) I’m unemployed because I haven’t graduated officially and I take care of my bedridden grandmother. We have enough to live, not a penny less, not one penny more.  My Father is the one who carries the weight of most of the house expenses and he, like many others, does not earn the same amount of money each month. So let me break it down for you:

4 people household:

Basic food items, 2 each: pasta, rice, vegetable oil, tuna cans, mayo, milk, paper towels, toilet paper, salt, sugar, beans and some miscellaneous items: comes to an amount of at least $80.000 CLP (110.19 USD)

Light bills: $36.000 CLP  (49.69 USD)

Water bills: $25.000 (34.44 USD) to $28.000 CLP (38.57 USD)

Internet bill (no land phone): $17.000 (23.42 USD)

Celphones: $27.000 (37.19 USD)

Gas (petrol) for the trucks: $50.000 (68.87 USD)

Gas for shower and kitchen (It’s sold in cans, we buy the 15kl cans): $45.000 (61.98 USD)

This list gives us the whooping amount of $283.000 CLP (389.81 USD). Remember, the minimum wage is $301.000 and I’m not including, public transport (where I live we don’t have Metro (subway/tube), medical bills (which are fucking high because public health sucks ass), medicines, and extra expenses for when you care for an old person and my college bill, which I don’t want to even think about because it’s millions of pesos that I’ll have to pay for the rest of my life because I studied with the CAE (Credito con aval del estado) a deal where the government pays for my college ed until I graduate and then two years later I have to start paying all the money back with interest.

Now that you have this picture in your head, imagine how others live, when there are families of five or more living with less than the minimum wage. My family manages to live like this, but there are others that are not as lucky.

The elderly people have to live with pensions as low as $84.000 CLP (115.7 USD) I’ve seen old people after the street markets hours trying to find scraps of fruit and vegetables so they have something to eat in the daily.

People need to understand that what is happening in Chile is not only about an increase on the public transport prices. Its so much more than that! But I’ll get there, I promise.

This year we’ve seen news like:

- A 4 month-old baby died because a “loose bullet” was shot God knows where and it broke the roof of a house and hit the kid in the head while he slept on its crib!

-A congressman that wants to enter the senate said “I don’t care if they call me lazy”

-The government wanted to increase the electricity bills by 9.2 percent.

-The robbery of the century: Police embezzlement reaches 26.700.000 million pesos. (36751.55 USD)

-Military forces stole 200 million dollars through the Reserved Copper Law doing duplicated invoices.

-Students in Quinteros closed the scholar year early due to contamination in the air and severe health issues.

We’ve seen collusion in supermarket prices, pharmacies, toilet papers, diapers, military, police and politicians tax evasion... What else do we have to endure?!

(Source in Spanish: Sigrid.pe)

And so the 6th of October of 2019 we wake up to the breaking news: “The government announces the increase of the public transport prices”

With everything I’ve told you already... Wouldn’t you be pissed to hell and back as well?? And I haven’t even told you about how shitty the public health is, how our education system favors the rich and forgets the poor. That our drinkable water is owned by privates, so is the energy and the mineral resources. Our highways belong to Spain... We have to pay money to travel from region to region, and the money doesn’t even stay in the country. This neoliberal model is broke us.

Chile has the most expensive subway rates in Latin America, and this is how it was supposed to be starting the October 6, 2019:

(I did my best at translating)

You can do the math with this numbers two or three times a day at least five days a week... 

The richest 10 percent of the Chilean people have an income 19 times higher than the poorest 10 percent... Here in Chile the parliamentarians earn the highest amounts of net income! The most well paid parliamentarians in Latin America and possibly the world. $9.500.000CLP (13076.39USD).  Look at this numbers, don’t even bother with the position of the politicians, just look at the numbers.

And so, high school students decided to take this upon themselves. The “Evasion” movement began, where thousands of underage students refused to pay to take the subway. This quickly escalated as college students and workers of various areas started to jump over the subway’s validation doors. What started as a passive-aggressive movement took a turn as the Chilean police went to the Subway( METRO) stations and started throwing teargas bombs at our under age students who had nothing to defend themselves with. The subway shut down services.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd0d7iFZOB8 (You don’t need to know Spanish to understand what’s going on)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8acIrtYbb-c

This sparked a flame sleeping inside every citizen in this country. More and more people started to come out to the streets armed with nothing but cooking pots, pans and wooden spoons. But when the people rises, so does the government. Hundreds of police men went against the protestors. They started throwing teargas bombs at the people, careless of the children, the old, the innocent. Yes, there were people doing dumb shit like robbing shops, but still, many were innocent.

  After 2 or 3 days of violent clashes, of supermarkets being ransacked, of young people being arrested or killed in the streets, the young still stood their ground and kept protesting, kept evading, we kept rising our voices and pots, and the president had his best idea: For the first time since the end of the Pinochet’s dictatorship the Military forces where released onto the streets. Now it wasn’t only police men beating and shooting, it was soldiers. The president declared State of Emergency for the capital Santiago, for two other regions (Valparaíso and Concepción), and he declared those cities to be under curfew. After that, more regions where added to this list: Antofagasta, La Serena/Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Concepción and Santiago all under curfew.

But the biggest catalyst to this was that President Sebastián Piñera said: WE ARE AT WAR.

War... War? It may seem like it (just look at this), but is it really a war when we have pots and wooden spoons, and he has armed soldiers doing coke and other drugs in the streets before going to beat the hell out of people.

We are supposed to be living under a democracy and yet the president decided to pass the torch to General Javier Iturriaga del Campo, the one in charge of the state of emergency. Thanks to that decision we have soldiers and police men following and running people over with their cars, shooting to kill, people are being tortured in subway stations. People are being terrorized as if we where in a dictatorship once again. look at this image and tell me this is justice. Students are disappearing after being arrested. We are under curfew from 8p.m or 10p.m to 6a.m. But what happens to those who have no home to go back to? those who live under bridges? The soldiers beat the crap out of them. Police invading houses to arrest people, there where children there. Soldiers pointing their guns at firemen, firemen in Chile are volunteers, they don’t get paid, soldiers get paid at least $500.000 CLP.  In the last 24 hours the Chilean Army has spent $50 million pesos (68823.15 USD) to buy 56.725 anti-riot ammo. link.

We haven’t had any national transmissions with the president addressing this situation, only conferences. We’ve had congressmen say that games are plotting attacks while they play... Can ya’ll believe this shit?!

The biggest problem in all of this is that national channels censored everything, we where watching videos of soldiers hitting people, running people over, but the tv showed nothing. Just yesterday soldiers attacked a journalist even when he’d showed his safeguard to be on the street after curfew. News were being staged for outside countries: look at this video, the protestants are far away from where the cameras were rolling. Since last night there some sort of campaing to clean the image of the military men, showing them crying, dancing, and doing “silly” stuff with the people. And yes, there might be good cops/soldiers out there, but it does not erase the fact that two girls where raped by soldiers and that they still are killing and abusing people with brute force. Many civilians have plastic bullets in their bodies because soldier are shooting at close ranges. A young man lost an eye today in the morning after hours of surgery.

Many may be asking themselves: Why? Why haven’t they stopped if the president said he wouldn’t increase the public transport price?

Well, as someone said: They took so much from us, they even took our fear. It isn’t about public transport anymore. Its about the inequality of our economic system.

As a generation, from the kids born in the late 90′s to now, we have nothing. Most of us have absolutely nothing to loose but our lives.

We have no money. We can’t find jobs. We don’t have houses or cars. Those who do, either quit college to work or have almost no life because they work and study. Some are renting spaces smaller than tuna cans for the price of a kidney.

We own nothing, everything is under our parents names. People are in debt just to have something to eat. So of course we are not afraid of fighting against a system that favors the rich, a system that allows the already wealthy people to keep stealing what little is left in the pockets of the poor. We are fighting for the old, for the middle aged, for the ones who are yet to come. We don’t want to have children and eventually have to tell them “Find a job. ‘Cuz I can’t pay your education, I’m still paying mine”

Chile needs a change from the very core! we don’t need short term solutions. First of all the the government needs to be changed completely, every single parliamentarian. How much they earn needs to change. and because I read it, the major change that must be made is the constitution of Chile. A constitution that was written in times were the internet and technology was hard to come by, the Chilean constitution has not changed since the 80′s... A time when the dirty laundry of politicians could be easily brushed under the rug. The economic model need to change drastically.

Right now economic classes live segregated from one another. But for the first time in the history of Chile, every region has come together, there are no politic parties in the marches, there are no football teams, there’s no north or south or capitol, it’s just people fighting for their rights, marching to be heard, banging on pots and pans so the lies of the government can’t reach us anymore. Even with all the violence, all the oppression, there’s still hope, there are happy things going on in the protests. Soldiers playing with the protestants.

Please, inform yourselves on this, if you live in a capitalism model of economics, this could happen in your country too. 

Search for these hashtags: #estadodeemergencia #chile #milicos #pacos #carabinerosdechile #evasion #toquedequeda #santiago #laserena #concepcion #antofagasta #valparaiso . watch the videos, share them. Be the our voice outside our frontiers. 

WE ARE CALLING TO A WORLD WIDE MARCH THIS OCTOBER 24  AT 12.pm CHILEAN HOUR. HELP US, A BILLION VOICES UNITED FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE.

Feel free to add more videos, more proof.