Blog 4

On Monday February 12th 2007, I saw the lecture entitled War, Gangs and Migration: The Legacy of the US involvement in El Salvador. The two speakers, Erin Yost Garcia and Patty Adams, explained the trails and tribulations that plague El Salvador. The war there started in 1981 and lasted until 1992 and was funded by the US. Although I was very young when this took place I never heard about this. Already my interest was sparked in this topic I had never heard about. There were 70,000 to 80,000 deaths and the US spent about 6 billion dollars in foreign aid there. As a result, the United States has left an imprint in the heart of El Salvador. Violence is now an acceptable way of punishment and control in the country.
To put how difference that nation is from ours, we were told some chilling facts and figures. In 2004 out 100,000 people in the US there were 6 people killed by homicide. In El Salvador there were 59. The gangs in El Salvador run the country. Bus drivers must pay “taxes” to the gangs in order to pass through streets. The government and the people are manipulated by fear. As a result the United States acts as an “economic escape valve” to where possibly more than 700 people attempt to illegally immagrate to the United States each day.
Living in Baltimore now I always feel as though I now remarkably witness some sort of “lower quality of life”. At summer orientation we were shown a map of the area and shown with a laser light where not to go. We were told that we had the second most crime infested city. Each day when I look at my email, I see letters warning us to beware of the streets, or announcements about the most recent homicide. After hearing about El Salvador I now realize that although the United States is far from perfect, we are no where near the disparity that is in other countries. All I knew about El Salvador was that it was a Spanish speaking country. Little did I know that the United States’ involvement has now shaped the country to what it is today. I don’t know if I feel guilt or responsibility because I personally was not aware of this, and yet I felt that the speakers wanted us to feel that way. Although I thought their words and information was very relevant the way they presented it made me feel uncomfortable to the point where I felt like I was personally and soley responsible.
But who is responsible? It got me thinking about what we blame people for and more importantly who we blame. Whose fault is it? Is it my parents fault for paying the taxes? Former President George Bush? I don’t know. And more importantly I don’t think that’s what is important. Change and moving to help this country is the most imperative thing to do. I realize I do not have a lot of pull in this area, being I don’t frequently go to El Salvador, but I do have the ability to help Baltimore. As previously stated, Baltimore is clearly not at the level that El Salvador is in. However it needs change. Whenever I contemplate about “what can I do” I always end up doing nothing because how could I possibly make a difference? After hearing the El Salvador lecture I know the little things could make a world of difference. Having positive influence is equally important to anything else.