People often ask me, "What's Chile like?" My response is always the same: it's a hilarious country. After all, the national motto is:
By Reason Or By Farce*
And what's funnier than a good farce?
*Spanish translation: "Por la razon o por la fuerza."
10 comments:
Anonymous
said...
....I must say that as much as I love Chile (I would never describe my homeland as a 'farce', however) I really do hate the motto...Its OTT, arrogant to the point of being ridiculous, bellicose and conflicts with this image of the stable, diplomatic and democratic nation that Chile is trying desperately to project to the world....I think we are due for a change! A famous Chilean, who I cannot recall at this moment, once questioned the stupidity of this motto and suggested that it be changed to read: Por La Razon y Siempre Por La Razon....
Indeed, "Farce" is a good translation of "fuerza", at least as it plays out on all-too-many occasions I see Chilean dudes in public places like the bus or grocery store checkout line puffing up their chests and yelling insults but it never comes to anything. Prolly for the better, although they could spare everyone the spectacle.
Not so fast, pretty boy. The current motto is appropro to the max unless Pinochet's constitution can be upended. Unless obscene and unnecessary arms buildup can be curtailed. Unless a legal resolution to the war with the Mapuches can be achieved.
Changing the motto to anything less descriptive than the current one - that would be a farce.
But i do agree with Patricio...it's not exactly a great image to be sending out to the world. Whenever i tell people the Chilean motto, the comments are always along the lines of 'i'm not surprised, 20 years of dictatorship blah blah blah...' Changing the motto to something, well, less aggressive would be a small step to changing the image of Chile and stepping out of the shadow of Pinochet.
...who reads mottos, anyway??? At least Chile cannot be accused of not honouring its own motto - well, at least they have the 'fuerza' part sorted!!! Which is more than I can say for the equally 'interesting' mottos of some other countries in the region(courtesy of Wikipedia)...seriously though, you sometimes hear Chileans make reference to the motto to justify agression both domestically and with our neighbours which is worrying and why I think a change to the motto would go some way to changing mind-sets.
Maybe you should try to find a better translator before posting. Por la Razon o la Fuerza means By Reason or FORCE, not farce. They're two very different words. And before saying this motto is not peaceful enough for you, think about what you would do if your family becomes threatened, if someone tries to harm your children, what will you do when reason is not enough?
Show me one person in this world who would respect the opinion of someone with no argumentative skills whatsoever as yourself. And then, after you realize how petty you are, just dedicate yourself at what you're best at: calling people names. Only next time, save us the annoyance, and do it while looking at the mirror, okay?
10 comments:
....I must say that as much as I love Chile (I would never describe my homeland as a 'farce', however) I really do hate the motto...Its OTT, arrogant to the point of being ridiculous, bellicose and conflicts with this image of the stable, diplomatic and democratic nation that Chile is trying desperately to project to the world....I think we are due for a change! A famous Chilean, who I cannot recall at this moment, once questioned the stupidity of this motto and suggested that it be changed to read: Por La Razon y Siempre Por La Razon....
Patricio
Funny :-)
Indeed, "Farce" is a good translation of "fuerza", at least as it plays out on all-too-many occasions I see Chilean dudes in public places like the bus or grocery store checkout line puffing up their chests and yelling insults but it never comes to anything. Prolly for the better, although they could spare everyone the spectacle.
>>>I think we are due for a change!
Not so fast, pretty boy. The current motto is appropro to the max unless Pinochet's constitution can be upended. Unless obscene and unnecessary arms buildup can be curtailed. Unless a legal resolution to the war with the Mapuches can be achieved.
Changing the motto to anything less descriptive than the current one - that would be a farce.
"By Reason Or By Simply Asking Nicely, Please" would be a good motto. Inaccurate, but still, it might help make a difference :)
But i do agree with Patricio...it's not exactly a great image to be sending out to the world. Whenever i tell people the Chilean motto, the comments are always along the lines of 'i'm not surprised, 20 years of dictatorship blah blah blah...' Changing the motto to something, well, less aggressive would be a small step to changing the image of Chile and stepping out of the shadow of Pinochet.
...who reads mottos, anyway??? At least Chile cannot be accused of not honouring its own motto - well, at least they have the 'fuerza' part sorted!!! Which is more than I can say for the equally 'interesting' mottos of some other countries in the region(courtesy of Wikipedia)...seriously though, you sometimes hear Chileans make reference to the motto to justify agression both domestically and with our neighbours which is worrying and why I think a change to the motto would go some way to changing mind-sets.
The motto is fine the way it is, and I believe it was there before Pinocho took power.
Maybe you should try to find a better translator before posting. Por la Razon o la Fuerza means By Reason or FORCE, not farce. They're two very different words.
And before saying this motto is not peaceful enough for you, think about what you would do if your family becomes threatened, if someone tries to harm your children, what will you do when reason is not enough?
Previous poster, you're an idiot with the comprehension skills of a backward 4 year old.
Show me one person in this world who would respect the opinion of someone with no argumentative skills whatsoever as yourself. And then, after you realize how petty you are, just dedicate yourself at what you're best at: calling people names. Only next time, save us the annoyance, and do it while looking at the mirror, okay?
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