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The real issue is who controls the change

In this time of presidential elections in the United State, candidates constantly talk about the need for change and they even associate change with hope or with future prosperity.

 

It seems that everybody, regardless of party affiliation or ideology, agrees that there is a need for change and that change will solve all the problems we face today, from local problems to national and international ones.

 

However, if you think about it, you will soon realize this kind of narrative is not about change, because change is unavoidable, but about who is going to control the change.

 

What the candidates are saying is that they can control the change and they can funnel that change for the benefit of those who vote for them, something like building a dam to control a powerful river and use it to generate energy.

 

But can they really control change? Let us share some examples. During the next 30 years or so, there will be 60 million more Hispanics in the United States, for a total of 100 million or a quarter of the population of the country. Also, according to a study done at the University of California in Riverside, almost 70 percent of children under 10 in the United States are Hispanic or other minorities.

 

In fact, according to the New American Consulting Group of Denver, in the American Southwest since at least five years ago more Mexican tortillas are sold than white bread and more salsa than ketchup. And we should also mention those schools were most of the students speak Spanish and few teachers do.

 

Those statistics show the demographic change in the United States is happening and is unstoppable, as it is shown inside the stores owned by big corporations, where all the signs are in both English and in Spanish.

 

I sincerely believe that the candidates are saying when they talk about “change,” “hope,” or “prosperity” is that they will do everything possible to minimize the effects of change for those who will vote for them. That’s why we said above that change is not the issue. Who control the change is.

 

We, Latinos, are the change of this country, but we are still a minority and, even more, an even smaller minority at election time. Even more, many Latinos who can vote don’t vote. For that reason, even if we are brining social and demographic changes to this country, we will not control the political situation.

 

As a proof that that is already happening, it is enough to think about the high dropout rate among Latinos and about the high unemployment rate among Latinos. Why such a high dropout and unemployment rates among Latinos? Because schools and workplaces are dams to control the impulse and energy of Latinos.

 

In ancient Greece, the philosopher Heraclitus admonished us that “everything flows,” or, in other words, change is always happening. If we are the change, we should be careful not to vote for somebody who only wants to control us.

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