Government

I thought democracy in Chile was safe. Now I see America falling into the same trap | Ariel Dorfman | Opinion | The Guardian

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I thought democracy in Chile was safe. Now I see America falling into the same trap | Ariel Dorfman | Opinion | The Guardian

"Such deliberate savagery was only feasible and normalised because millions of Chileans who had felt threatened to their core by the Allende revolution accepted this war on their compatriots as necessary to save the nation from communism – even if there had been no human rights abuses by Allende’s government and absolute freedom of assembly and the press. Whipped into a frenzy by a campaign of hate-filled lies, the supporters of General Augusto Pinochet were persuaded, as in Franco’s Spain, that democracy was a cancer that had to be eradicated in the name of western civilisation."

"In time, enough Chileans came to their senses and, through popular mobilisations and at great cost in lives and pain, created a coalition that restored democratic rule in 1990. But the consequences of those traumatic events, the division of the country against itself, persist today, 45 years after the military takeover. We also, however, emerged from that tragedy with insights that might be relevant to this current moment in history, when democracy is under siege in the US and across the globe, with countless citizens enthralled by strongmen who manipulate their frustrations and resentments and play to their worst nativist instincts."

“Make the Economy Scream” Secret Documents Show Nixon, Kissinger Role Backing 1973 Chile Coup | Democracy Now!

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“Make the Economy Scream” Secret Documents Show Nixon, Kissinger Role Backing 1973 Chile Coup | Democracy Now!

"Today is the 45th anniversary of the CIA-backed military coup in Chile. On September 11, 1973, the U.S. helped the Chilean military bomb the presidential palace, overthrow democratically-elected president Salvador Allende and commit atrocities to cement its newfound rule. We're looking back at the U.S. role in the coup."

The Benefit of Having the Same Name as a Police Officer

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The Benefit of Having the Same Name as a Police Officer

"This means that when it comes to a driver’s chance of getting a mercy ticket, having the same first name as your officer is as important as being white."

"We found that the preference toward drivers with the same first name as the ticketing officer counteracts other biases. For instance, when a white officer pulls over an African-American or Hispanic driver with the same name, the negative racial bias disappears. The simple connection an officer experiences because of matching names overcomes any bias held against minority drivers."

"We suspect that “same name bias” can be found in many other areas — and that in the legal system, it’s the tip of the iceberg. It’s just one example of how law enforcement decisions can be highly subjective and how small, random and supposedly irrelevant factors determine how people end up treated, even when the stakes are high."