Although we may not like it, Sarmiento was right when almost two centuries ago he drew a profile of Córdoba in his book “Facundo”: “The spirit of Córdoba is monastic and ecclesiastical (…) the city is a cloister; the legislation that is taught, theology, all the scholastic science of the Middle Ages.” He wasn’t wrong one bit. If one scratches a patch on the skin of Córdoba these days, one will find right there, in the very epidermis, a whole combo of deeply conservative reasoning that includes, among other niceties, homophobia, racism, double standards, a lot of garbage under the rug for the ‘what will they say’ and an exacerbated egocentrism of beings from Cordoba who – without exposing any type of merit – believe themselves to be the best guy in the world and the best in the universe, although – it must be said – they also dream of living in Miami.
All these benefits are jealously camouflaged in that particular funny character that enjoys national fame, but we must also add many, many temple Saturdays and church Sundays (at least you have to pass in front of the door) and we will have an approach to the Córdoba stereotype that seems to represent the thoughts of Senator Carmen Álvarez Rivero, member of the PRO, former running mate of the colorful Luis Juez, religious activist and also opponent of labor rights; In short, a faithful exponent of a current Córdoba far removed from those bravery that went through workers and students to forge the Cordobazo, the only and fleeting spring of Córdoba rebellion.
But everything has to do with everything. The inheritance does not abandon us. Milei chose Córdoba to come celebrate on May 25 and did so in front of a tiny group of followers. Did he come to celebrate the creation of the First Junta and the dismissal of Cisneros? No, he came to the city that he (and also Macri) would have chosen to be in May 1810: a Córdoba that was synonymous with the anti-revolution and a refuge for the royalists. But Sarmiento says it better, also in “Facundo”: (…) Throughout the revolution, Córdoba has been the asylum of the Spaniards, mistreated everywhere else. They were there like at home. What impact would the revolution of 1810 have on a people educated by the Jesuits and cloistered by nature, education and art?
And to illustrate what Sarmiento wants to tell us, we add the words with which Senator Álvarez Rivero ended her speech last Wednesday: “Milei feels that he is guided by heavenly forces in this fight for freedom. Let me tell you, as a member of the Catholic Church, I believe that God became man, and that is the essence of our freedom. That is why today I invoke: Jesus Christ, Lord of history, we need you. We feel overwhelmed, we need your relief and strength; “We want to be a nation.”
In short, this religious mysticism that in the 21st century takes the form of “revealed truth” in the highest seats of political power is not only a medieval manifestation and offends reason, but also something to fear: everything Bad can happen when our fate is in the hands of people who put “the strength of faith” above and leave aside the paths of science, reason and intelligence when seeking a solution to the problems of life. people.
