The readings this week were very disheartening.  After last week’s grim readings, I was hoping for a more positive outcome to the decades following the Terror.  Instead, I was bombarded with overwhelmingly complex issues that continue to plague Latin America today, namely the war on drugs and the prospect of reconciling nations after the atrocities of the Terror.

Throughout the course, we have studied the reasons that people and movements become popular, with a strong and large support network.  We attributed the success caudillos had in gaining support to their affective nature – their ability to appeal to people’s personal needs and emotions.  Later, we determined that politicians and activists who spoke to the people, such as the Perons, grew successful bases of support because of their direct appeal to the masses’ needs.  Now, looking at the effectiveness of the Madres de la Playa de Mayo, I can’t help but agree that once again, the affective nature of this group, which works by appealing to others’ sympathy and emotions, greatly contributed to the success of the movement.  While the truth of the fates of many of these women’s children is still unknown, the group still managed to successfully facilitate the downfall of a dictatorship, at the same time telling the world the truth about the tragedies occurring in Argentina.  Clearly, the impact of emotion and affect on any person or movement’s campaign is extremely important – it can be the difference between success and failure.

For instance, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a well-known and well-supported organization, helps raise awareness of the consequences of driving under the influence by appeaing to people’s sympathy.  Another example is anti-cigarette/smoking campaigns, which constantly appeal to the emotion by telling individuals’ stories of cancer and addiction; in Australia, the government has even passed a law that requires every pack of cigarettes to have pictures of brutalized faces and bodies that result from regular smoking, to act as a deterrent.  These campaigns owe much of their success to their explicitly affective nature.

Earlier this year, I went to a presentation/play called “Antigonas: A Women’s Tribunal”.  Like the Madres in Argentina and the women in Chile, the nine women who put on this performance suffered the loss of their sons, husbands, brothers and friends due to the government’s horrific actions.  Throught drama and storytelling, the women explained the situation in Colombia, which only recently began to improve due to an accord being signed at the end of September 2016; basically, the government has been orchestrating the abduction and possible torture and killing of its actual and suspected political opponents, as well as anyone who may be even slightly associated with these parties.  Clearly, this situation is akin to that of the disappeared in Argentina, except for the timeline (since it is still an issue).  By sharing their stories, bringing forth their disappeared loved ones’ clothing, pictures, and other relics, these women effectively appealed to the emotions and sympathy of an international audience to spread the truth and raise awareness of issues in Colombia.  At the same time, the women can find comfort and can alleviate some of their greivances through productions like Antigonas.  This production was a powerful example of the impact of an affective campaign – I don’t think I can forget it anytime soon.