Repeated History: The Case of the World Today since 1968

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The year of 1968 is said to be the most unforgettable year. From protests and riots to violent wars, the world thought that it would never see anything like it. However, worldviews have revived. For the past 51 years, there have been many cases of history rewriting itself. Young people have found themselves once again in the heart of anti-authoritarian protests against powers that worked to suppress them. The fight against racism and injustice in America hasn’t changed much. Neocolonialism and the influence of Western nations had little to no alterations on the world since then.

Anti-Authoritarian World Views in Young People

More times, students have been victims of suppression and abuse of power when protesting. This caused a big rise of anti-authoritarian worldviews in the youth. In October 1968, thousands of students gathered in Tlatelolco Plaza for a peaceful protest against the right-wing party that led the Mexican government. They hoped to create a new student movement as they had witnessed around the world. They wanted a communist, leftist government. However, it did not last long. When the police and military showed up, they shot in the crowd and killed approximately 400 unarmed people (Schuessler, 2). This massacre’s aftermath “gave rise to a wave of activists determined to seek new paths of resistance” (Malkin, New York Times). A participant of the protest and survivor of the attack, Sergio Aguayo, documents that till this day “students are creating institutions that gradually weakened the foundations of authoritarianism” (Malkin, New York Times). Evidence of this is shown today in Chile. The protests against the transportation fares and poverty have been arranged and orchestrated by secondary-school students. There’s also military sent to the streets to control and arrest protesters. Death toll is rising day by day (Armus, Washington Post). Students have also been victims in the wake of all these movements they’ve been creating. After the death of teenager Edson Souto in Brazil 1968, students started a year-long protest against military dictatorship that ruled the country. All over the world, the youth population often showed displeasure over authorities that would take advantage of people and overuse of power from people and institutions that are supposed to protect and govern properly. This rise of political awareness in the youth has given them this radical persona. Young people are continuing their fight against authoritarian figures and governments.

Anti-Racism in America

Racism in the United States hasn’t gone anywhere since the beginning of its history. What describes the best anti racism is that whoever is anti-racist is also against the institutions and foundations that protect racism. This includes governments and authorities. Equality and justice are long overdue for the African American community. 1968 was a crucial year for the fight for justice for African Americans. The leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, was killed. This was a turning point for the anti-racism movements in America. His death caused more racial division between the black and white population. Other movements were quick to emerge such as Black Power and the Black Panther Party. They focused more on the violence then the nonviolence. “Many black leaders wanted to fight segregation with segregation” (quoted in Wood, week 8, slide 6). Riots and the targeting of black people was roaring greatly in 1968. This did not change in present day America. The murder of Trayvon Martin and the not guilty verdict of George Zimmerman sparked what would be a current movement that has the same goal as the ones that came before it; justice and anti-racism against African Americans. The Black Lives Matter movement is a social movement that also focused on nonviolent actions like the ones used during the Civil Rights era; peaceful organized protests and boycotts. It also focuses on gun control. They believed that racists with weapons and a badge is the most terrifying and it threatens the black population the most. The movement continued after events of police killing unarmed black men such as Mike Brown in Ferguson and Eric Garner in New York. The Mike Brown shooting kickstarted the ‘Hands up, Don’t Shoot’ slogan. Ferguson protests activists also had the same fate as the Civil Rights Movement activists; six people in the Ferguson activist community were all found dead in four years since the protest and riots started (Dickson Rolling Stone). Unlike 1968 and past movements, BLM has no hierarchy and is not restricted to black people only. Whoever is interested to take part in this fight are invited. From American lawyers, teachers and politicians to people all over the world that are watching the anti-racism movement in America. Unfortunately, racism in America is still relevant and as long as it is, there is always going to be an anti-racism movement fighting it.

Neocolonialism

Throughout the years, neocolonialism has taken many forms. From sending American troops to Vietnam in 1968 to China building empire companies in Africa in the 2010s, neocolonialism has been a serious threat to many countries’ freedom. “An increasing number of political scientists are exploring the notion that colonialism is not dead, but has instead given rise to neocolonialism” (Auerbach, 1). France has been a prime example of this. Since the decolonization of Africa, France has kept a close relationship with its former colonies and even calling it ‘Francafrique’ (Roesch, 25) and “Charles de Gaulle considered this special relationship to be a condition for the grandeur de la nation and as a mean to secure France’s position as one of the world powers” (Roesch, 27). In May 1968, students of the University of Dakar protested against the fact that the school was still a French school and that they were learning French studies and history even though the country had been independent for almost 10 years. They argued that they still felt under French rule and that they were fighting neocolonialism (Gueye, 1). They also believed that fighting neocolonialism also meant to change the world (Gueye, 13). Neocolonialism is said to be a way for big countries with lots of resources help countries with failed economies. Ironically, all these failed countries are actually former colonized countries. The United States is also a big benefactor of neocolonialism. In recent decades, it has sent troops to Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, all Muslim populated countries, in the name of intervention. What neocolonialism really does is to keep former third world countries from being fully independent which can become a risk to the great powers of the world. “Neo-colonialism is…the worst form of imperialism. For those who practice it, it means power without responsibility, and for those who suffer from it, it means exploitation without redress” (quoted in Auerbach, 2). These colonizers worldview stems from the privilege that they had during colonization.

Conclusion

This rebirth of worldviews is mostly caused by the division of the world. The danger and violence that the world is facing in the future is originated from the lack of understanding between generations. As long as the world is divided like this, where the rich benefit from the poor, where race defines laws and generational gaps are ignored, worldviews like anti-authoritarianism, anti-racism and neocolonialism are going to rampant.

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Repeated History: The Case of the World Today since 1968

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