Editorial 30

Abstract

This volume of Pensamiento Americano has corruption as one of its featured articles. And, although it may seem wrong to say so, there is a need for us citizens to recognize the small corruptions we do on adaily basis. Obviously there are scales of corruption at various levels, but this corruption as a product of fetishistic materialism is part of our social history. Let us not be romantic about pointing out the macro corruption at institutional levels, for example, and avoid doing it by paying the police officer when we are going to withdraw a generous sum of money in Colombian banks. Because of the fear instilled in our minds by the newspapers almost daily, we accept to pay this agent to protect us until we arrive at our destination with that money taken out of the bank, with our lives intact. It is often said that "it is good to give something for the agent", although it is his function to provide us with this security, according to the internal communications of the banks. But... we pay for this agent to protect us and not to report us to the criminals. That, I am sorry to say, is how we are part of the gear of corruption. We can say we are corrupt when we accept the fruit basket from the student who lives in Sabanalarga, and needs to improve his grades - in this case, fruits are the bargaining chip.