Jan
18
The People and Power
Posted by: Brian | January 18, 2009 | Comments Off on The People and Power
The concept of ‘the people’ is complex and may have very different meanings to different people. Like the concept of ‘culture’ it is something that may seem straightforward at first, but is multi layered and loaded with many different interpretations. In Eva Peron’s ‘My Message,’ she speaks to the people in a reflective manner looking back on her high profile time in the political world. She also looks to the future and explains her hopes and aspirations for her beloved people of Argentina. Peron paints a portrait of collective identity that is often defined by suffering, struggle, and the corruption of power. In this sense of collevtive identity, she aims to identify herself as one of ‘the people’ who understands their struggles, as opposed to an elite merely looking down upon them from a high position in society. She seems to be speaking most strongly to the people who are disenfranchised and pushed to the margins of society; a group that may be powerless individually but incredibly strong in numbers. Much of what Peron speaks about is a sort of power struggle, between the elite who have concentrated power and use it for furthering personal self interest, and the rest of society which falls victim to this power when it is flexed self serving ways. Her ideal of ‘the people’ is a mass of people who work collectively to further the good of society and together, and can become stronger than the individualistic and oppurtunist elite in control. She speaks idealistically about how power corrupts and how this power often comes at the expense of the better good of the collective ‘we’. Peron’s message is positive as it aims to empower the masses in a society that has been marked by extreme concentration and exploitation of power, however it is interesting that she is in fact writing this from the perspective of a person in a high-class position of great prestige. I do not know much about her, but from I what I do understand is that ironically, she was labelled by many as an oppurtunist or social climber, though this may also have to do with the fact that people were uncomfortable with a woman in a position of social power. It is also interesting, that as a women, she aims to empower other women and advocates for them, however constantly referes to herlsef in a subserviant role to her husband. Peron’s style of writing was very extreme, but I think that despire the controversy around her, her message was overall, very empowering. It is rare to find a politician or person in a position of social power who legitimatley advocates for ‘the people’ over serving themselves first. It is also rare that a person in this position would be so willing to discuss the dimensions and inequality of power and oppression that exist within society.
The second article was also interesting and offered a differing view of the people. I feel that I would take more away from this article if I had more knowledge about the political situation in Argentina during this time. I know that the Peron’s were populice leaders who were controversial and both loved and hated by the country, but without knowing much more beyond this, it was a little difficult for me to understand exactly the perspective of the person writing. I am also interesting in discussing further the symbolism of the Monster.
