Peyton O’Laughlin
Question: How does Guevara view the economic and health implications of various occupations during his travels?
Answer: I think Guevara often views the health implications that many Latin Americans face being in direct relation to their long hours and low wages. Examples of this ideology are present in how he describes the mining process in Chile, always detailing the labor as excruciating due to its inherently rough physical work and the environmental climate of the mountains. Likewise, the living conditions conflated with this type of work is always described as poor. Equally, Guevara highlights the economic factors that play into health by exemplifying the waitress he meets in Chile. As a doctor, Guevara is keen on the fact that the waitress has a heart condition but she does not seek medical help because she either cannot afford to miss work or cannot afford medical attention. Later, when Guevara is recanting his time in Chile, he describes the condition of many Chilean hospitals and describes them as filthy and not well maintained with lacking amount of medicine, equipment, and funding. Furthermore, some of the pricing for medical attention can cost from 300 to 500 Chilean escudos, which is said to be “legalized theft.” In sum, Guevara highlights these situations in his writings because they are of importance to Latin American power structures. The income inequalities and poor working conditions only add to rampant health problems. Likewise, these issues tie into years of economic subordination to foreign influences bent on economic control.
Leave a Reply