Week 9

In this week’s reading of “commerce, coercion, and America’s empire” it is focused in Latin America’s relationship with the United states. The United states ultimately saturated Latin America with its hollywood films, fast food, and cars but was enforced through violence. One thing that stood out to me in the lecture is when it stated that “where the United states felt that its political or commercial interests were in jeopardy, it was quick to send the marines to remain order on its two terms”. I think this is even evident today because when anything goes wrong it results in violence and violence creates division between people. Examples of this is the black lives matter protests this year. Police were shooting rubber bullets at protestors and were dismissing the voice of the oppressed. 

Another example of this is when we read about the period in which the American President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his administration spread lies about Guatemala, saying that it was a communist state that was a threat to the United states in order to create fear. They knew the lasting effects of these news and Latin America eventually was no longer favorable to the United States.