2009.10.07_back to the p-word (political, not punctual)

For my first three weeks here, I was a punctual citizen -- I think mostly because being on time was a lot less work than dealing with potential additional planning and talking. Now that I've found my comfort zone, tardiness seems to have worked its way back into my attributes. So I arrived at the starting point of the march thirty minutes late. There was definitely a march there, but with the high frequency of demonstrations in Buenos Aires, I started to wonder if it was my march, or if that one had left and another had already started. It was pretty big, and there was no way I was going to track down my friend to validate my whereabouts, but it was pretty big, so I went with it. With signs like "For a just distribution of the riches," "For the fundamental rights of work," and "For health and job security"; and with slogans that declared support for the people of Honduras, it couldn't suck. And it didn't.

The march was instigated by the CGT (Confederación General del Trabajo de la República Argentina) and the CTA (Central de los Trabajadores Argentinos). The CGT is a massive national trade union with a broad base, and the CTA, also a multi-tendency organization, was actually formed from a split in the CGT in the early 90s by workers that refused to yield to Menen's free-market agenda. While the organizations have a history of differences, today they showed their readiness and willingness to come together with tenacity to pressure the rats in power when justice calls. As expected, the energy was high, and while the drums and horns were loud, the signs and speeches hit all the right notes. The confetti, a cloud of hundreds of political fliers, said this was my kind of party. But my favorite part was that I got to do what I do -- photograph people. I haven't had this many people want their picture taken since the days when I shot drunk vacuous college girls at sorority parties for not nearly enough money. Uck. Anyway, these people are the reason I take pictures, and they don't even want their picture -- they just want their picture taken.

(more)

Oh yeah, I eventually found my friend, through the lens of my camera, and he informed me that I was at the right march, so that worked out.