Chile
My compliments
to Duncan
Green [“The First Latin
American Tiger?” July/August,
1994] for an excellent analysis of
the Chilean economic process.
Chile’s program of “economic sta-
bility in the transition to democra-
cy” has meant continuity with
Pinochet’s economic policies, at
great cost to most poor Chileans.
As a Catholic lay missioner jour-
nalist living and working in south-
ern Chile amongst peasant commu-
nities, I have seen the effects of this
phenomenon firsthand. Green
rightly points to the change in com-
munity life, values and relation-
ships among Chileans, and how
money has taken priority over
human relations. It seems, on the
surface, that the sense of solidarity
that blossomed during the most dif-
ficult years of the dictatorship has
been replaced by a self-centered
consumerist mentality.
Alternatives to this economic
model need to emerge to tap levels
of Chilean identity where human
solidarity and ecological sustain-
ability, as variables in economic
decisions, take greater precedence
over individualistic values. That
the present model is socially and
environmentally unsustainable
seems obvious, yet Chile is being
marketed as an economic standard
for Latin America to emulate. In
this context, the need for viable
alternatives is all the more urgent.
Bill Jordan
Maryknoll Missioners
Colbun, Chile
Children
Y our report, “Disposable
Children” [May/June 1994],
was important since for many
years the scary and scandalous way
many children in Latin America
are treated has been ignored. Little
mention was made, however, of the
work that many non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) have under-
taken to address the pain that these
children suffer at the hands of
adults. Child Hope, for example,
with offices in Guatemala and Rio
de Janeiro, sponsors a number of
programs that give many children
new hope for the future. Our
offices in London and New York
have managed to secure funds from
the British and U.S. governments,
as well as the European Union, for
a number of imaginative programs.
Of course, our work is the prover-
bial drop in the ocean, but every
drop is a human being.
It is also important to point out
that the picture you painted of chil-
dren in Latin America is mirrored
in many of the countries of Africa,
Southeast Asia, India, and Central
and Eastern Europe. It is almost as
if the Dickensian scenes of
Victorian London have been
exported through time and space,
but in an even more exaggerated
fashion. Even here in fair London,
we don’t have to look far to find
our own “disposable children.”
Nicolas Fenton
Director, Child Hope
London, England
The Far Left
appreciate the information you
provide, but have been disap-
pointed with your slide towards
liberalism and away from a revolu-
tionary viewpoint. Over the years,
your coverage has come to neglect
the far Left in favor of reformist
“left” electoral formations. Whe-
ther or not you agree with a far-left
viewpoint, I would appreciate your
covering its activities as well as the
goings-on of the reformists.
Bob Kutchko
Merriam, KS
