Bus 174- Week 9

          The film, Bus 174 focuses on the issue of street kids and particularly one street kid that involved himself in a hostage situation on Bus 174. The issue of street kids in Latin American cities is a social problem that has significant effects on future generations of children. There are many reasons these children revert to living on the street. Either they have no one to care for them, something happens to their family caregivers, or they do not get along with their families. For these children the only viable option is to turn to the streets to live and beg for money and food. The children have no other options, and become a liability to the future of the cities they occupy. The treatment of these children is obscure, instead of trying to reform these street kids to better the future of these countries like Brazil, the government and policy beat and kill these children. The children represent a meek existence that further prevents them from being rehabilitated into society. They are desperate for a social existence and their invisibility is what hinders them. This invisibility is thrust upon them from the social stigma society places on their existence. It is a harsh reality to be faced with, and one that children shouldn’t have to embrace. The invisibility they feel is unbearable and leads to behaviors that are an attempt to cope with the desperation they feel. These children revert to drug use, through the film we see street kids mention the use of marijuana and cocaine especially. They also use glue sniffing as a means to get high, this proves to be a inexpensive means to escape from the realities they face. The repercussion of the lives street children have not only effects them, but the rest of society as well. The street children must beg and steal in order to survive, and this has negative effects for surrounding people. It creates a very dangerous type of city, where there is a constant threat of robbery that must invoke fear amongst civilians. The “Drive-By Victim” in Citizens of Fear: Urban Violence in Latin America is an example of the kind of fear that occurs in these Latin American cities and the types of violence that occur. The man is simply trying to take a taxi home, however the driver turns out to be part of the hold-up along with two other men. They take the code to his savings account, and make him give his address to invoke further fear that if he talks to police they will come hurt his family. The  interesting part of the story is the reaction the man has after being let go. He says, “And I thought that we were so screwed in this country that the only option left to us in the end is thanking the thieves” (Ramos 4). This statement shows that the crime and violence that takes place occurs and is so bad that the only thing the victims can do is thank the thieves for not taking their lives. The way Latin American cities are viewed today has not always been the way the operated historically. “Latin Americans have historically imagined the city in positive ways, that is, they have recognized it as a locus of a particular type of civilization that endows its members with a more comprehensive existence” (Szuchman 24). Through the existence that street kids have in society, it is evident that Latin American cities do not hold the same type of positivism that they previously had. “The weight and power of municipal authorities have been weakened significantly in cities where crime and overcrowding have made human life a cheap-and disposable- commodity” (Szuchman 24). 

Che Part 1: The Argentine

         Che, Part 1: The Argentine follows the Cuban Revolution from the beginning of fighting market by Castro and Guevara’s presence in Cuba through the guerrilla warfare that led the revolutionary forces of the July 26th movement to prevail through winning Santa Clara and ultimately taking down Fulgencio Batista. The film focuses on the actions the July 26th movement took, and gives an extra emphasis on the roles Fidel Castro and Che Guevara played in bringing victory to that movement. Through their actions they were able to bring the different revolutionary forces together and unite them under a common cause. The film is important for the way it follows the events, using an overall timeline of the events that occurred during the Cuban Revolution with intersected moments of Fidel Castro’s involvement against American imperialism. 

The beginning of the film find the leaders and important figures of the revolution together in Mexico City. This is where Guevara meets Fidel Castro and agrees to join him in the fight. The film does not included the impact that the beginning of this movement starting in Mexico had on many Mexican people. However the reading demonstrates that there was a definite effect on the Mexican people. “For Mexican youth, in contrast, pride in the fact that Mexico had served as a final staging ground for the Cuban Revolutionary movement and was the place where the mythic due of ‘Fidel and Che’ joined forces helped forge a special connection with Guevara as a revolutionary icon, one whose feats seemed equal to heroic- if not more so- and held greater resonance than the feats of Mexico’s earlier, long-buried revolutionary heroes” (Zolov 247). Before the fighting had even begun Che was already becoming the an important icon for people as a revolutionary symbol, and especially for Mexican people during this time. Once the plan was solidified Fidel, Che, and the other revolutionary characters moved to Cuba in the Sierra Maestra Mountains where the engaged the enemy and gained soldiers. The film specifically focuses on this segment of the fighting, and gives detailed accounts of the events that occurred for the guerrilla forces during this time. Finally, they decided to bring their cause down from the mountains and the fighting was brought to Las Villas. They won this battle, and then moved on to the most significant battle included in the film. The Battle of Santa clara shows the fighting that took place as the revolutionaries tried to take the town of Santa Clara. Through street-to-street fighting they were able to secure the town and received information that Batista had fled the country. As Che is walking into the town center, one of the soldiers approaches him and asks if he can go home since they have won, Che responds by saying, “we have won the war, the Revolution starts now”. This statement marks a pivotal moment in the Cuban Revolution, where they have gained the high ground and will now move on the keep that ground secure.  

            The Cuban Revolution was significant for the way people across the world understood Revolutions in the 20th century. “We consider that the Cuban Revolution made three fundamental contributions to the laws of the revolutionary movement in the current situation in America. First, people’s forces can win a war against an enemy. Second, it is not always necessary to wait for all conditions favorable for a revolution to be present; the insurrection itself can create them. Third, in the underdeveloped parts of America, the battle ground for armed struggle should be in the main be the countryside” (Che Guevara 1). 

Motorcycle Diaries

         Ernesto Che Guevara became an important historical figure for his involvement in the Cuban Revolution. However, before he was became second in command there were events from his life that formed him into the person he was. During his travels across South America he was exposed to the realities many different types of people faced, these encounters solidified his beliefs and led him to ultimately playing a pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution and overthrowing the Batista regime. 

The film, The Motorcycle Diaries follows Guevara’s travels throughout South America and gives a depiction of the situations and people he met along the way, that all played a role in shaping him into the person he would become. The trip is extremely significant for the role it played in shaping Guevara’s life, because without those experiences he would probably not have formed the beliefs and opinions about society that he did. “There are a number of obstacles to examining Guevara and his travels in this manner one relies by necessity on a critical reading of Guevara’s own writings, yet they reflect the priorities of a youth seeking adventure in foreign lands, rather than meditations on his homeland” (Elena 23). This statement is very interesting because it brings to light the idea that Guevara was just a normal guy in his twenties, and it was simply through restlessness and adventure seeking that he was thrown into a life changing experience. The film focuses specific encounters he and his fellow traveling companion Alberto Granado had. “ Guevara took pains to distinguish himself from his contemporaries and embraced a different paradigm of travel, shaped by readings of explorer accounts, conversations with political refugees, and youthful adventures on a shoestring budget” (Elena 24). The film depicts the two as funny, spontaneous, and full of energy. However, at the same time the viewers get a sense of a deeper level of compassion that the two share for humanity. They are both troubled, especially Guevara, by the examples of poverty and despair they witness. 

After his travels were over and he became involved in his political and revolutionist career, we see examples that show how important his travels were to his ideology. “While critical of the attitudes of many of the leaders of the new Bolivian government toward the country’s indigenous majority, he himself tended to see Indians as long suffering and impervious to contemporary political realities” (Zulawski 192). This is a perfect example of the kind of observation Guevara possessed, one that is shown through the film. This opinion about the suffering of the Bolivian poor, stemmed from the knowledge he gained during his travels and the film shows a foreshadowing of future opinions Guevara would have of people across South America. The film shows an important segment of Guevara’s life that is essential to who he became as a revolutionist, and gives an understanding of the experiences that led him to his ideology and beliefs. As an important historical figure in South American history in the 1950’s it is crucial to understand his background, and the reasons that drew him to such extreme measures and involvement in the Cuban Revolution.