POLITICS-ARGENTINA: Youths Criticise from the Sidelines

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 18 1998 (IPS) - Most young people in Argentina have no interest in politics, are skeptical of leaders and institutions and rarely participate in organised groups, not even student organisations.

But, according to experts, this apparent apathy constitutes a form of criticism and resistance.

Like other surveys conducted in recent years in Latin American countries, a study commissioned by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) found that only 23 percent of young people aged 18 to 25 in Argentina had any interest in politics, and only one percent were members of a political party or organization.

Similarly, a survey conducted by the Gino Germani Institute of the School of Social Sciences, concluded that 77 percent of students at the University of Buenos Aires, the country’s largest, were not members of a political party, labour union, student movement or any other social organisation.

About 90 percent of respondents said they did not trust political parties, 82 percent said the same of labour unions, 73 percent mistrusted the judicial system and 75 percent the police.

Some experts disagree with the idea that the skepticism of youth is a result of their lack of interest in politics.

Sociologist Perla Aronson, author of a study titled ‘Why Young People Participate in Political Parties’, told IPS reluctance to become party members was a rebellious and positive attitude, given the deterioration of these institutions.

Moreover, members of political parties maintain a conservative and conformist discourse, Aronson added.

The expert conducted a series of interviews with young party members and found that a large majority of them did not fit the mould of the idealist, critical and rebellious youth who want to change society and have proposals about how to go about it.

On the contrary, Aronson found that these young people were conservative, and that they felt they were better and more socially responsible than young non-members, whom they saw as frivolous and stupid. They also felt that political activity protected them from dangers such as drugs or prostitution, she noted.

“Among young people there are two kinds of activists,” Aronson commented. “Some have subordinate roles in their organisations, and feel that they are not being taken seriously but are being used by those higher up to do menial tasks, like showing up at public events or adorning walls with graffiti.

“Then there are the more bureaucratic types, who have achieved a certain level of professionalism within their organisations. They do not promise to be different from those higher up, because they feel corruption and weakness in the face of temptation are an inevitable part of political activity.”

Few of those interviewed expressed optimism about being able to change this situation. They did not even feel able to contribute when the time came to elaborate goals and strategies. They saw themselves as part of a political structure, and felt they had to respond like cogs within the machine, Aronson found.

In interpreting the UNICEF survey, sociologists Emilio Tenti and Ricardo Sidicaro came to a similar conclusion as Aronson: indifference is not apolitical, but fundamentally critical of the way in which politics work.

“Politicians are fond of saying that young people are not interested in politics, but the perspective of the youth is actually not apolitical, but very critical of the way in which political parties and their leaders operate,” said Sidicaro. “They are not saying that they are not interested, but that they do not feel it functions very well. This is why they are reluctant to participate.”

This attitude is even given expression on television and radio: the hosts of mass-audience programmes, who are usually also young, make fun of traditional political discourse, turning their programmes into comedy filled with bitter irony.

Politicians hesitate between appearing before the mass audiences of those programmes or staying away so as to avoid being ridiculed, but either way, few escape unscathed. Even when they try to be serious, the editors of the programmes subsequently add in sounds and signs accusing the invited guest of lying. Radio shows are also filled with characters based on politicians, who are often portrayed as miserable personalities who stop at no illegal act to gain popularity.

One such radio programme uses scripts written by a pair of young comedians and is very successful. The writers have came up with a bogus joke competition featuring promises, statements of principles and other less-than-believable lines by politicians.

At the end of each phrase, there is a chorus of laughter and applause. At the end of the week, a winner is selected. The winner could be, for example, President Carlos Menem saying that he has no interest in being re-elected for a third term. (FIN-IPS-mb-mj-ip-mg-kb-98)