Ask the average US citizen where Chile is on a map and they will likely point in South America’s general direction, with the saying that Chile is the “skinny one”. Americans (a painfully vague moniker United States citizens have granted themselves) usually only learn geography when considering who and who not to bomb into submission. Americans can pin point Iraq, describe Afghanistan in general terms, and Americans over the age of 50 can give you a few key aspects of the Vietnam War. American mastery of elementary level geography is largely based on our military hubris.
It is unlikely that the US is going to bomb or invade Chile any time soon, so most Americans are not going to worry themselves with Chile’s current crisis of economics, political power, and identity. For the nearly 19 million Chileans who are questioning what kind of country they want to be, America’s apathy is both a blessing and a curse. God forbid outside meddlers became involved in Chilean politics, but it is truly a shame that more people across the globe don’t know what is going on in the “skinny country”. Why does the apathy towards Chile’s crisis exist in the first place? And why has international press coverage of the on going protests in Chile slowed to a trickle?
Bevacqua 