Calle 13 wrong insulting Puerto Rico governor
Posted on 22. Oct, 2009 by Hector Aviles in Blog
Rene Perez (Residente), lead vocal an one of the popular regaetton duo Calle 13, insulted the governor of Puerto Rico in the Premios MTV 2009 ceremony which took place this past October 15th. Residente, who was co-host of the ceremony along side Nelly Furtado, took a moment during the show to lambast the governor of Puerto Rico, calling him an “SOB”. And with that, Residente and Calle 13 took a giant leap backwards in his artistic career.
Circumstances which triggered the comments:
Rene Perez used the ceremony televised to many countries to express his disagreement with the fiscal policies enacted by the governor of Puerto Rico. The island is going through a very rough economic time, due not only to the global recession, but also to the poor fiscal practices exercised by the previous governors. Similar to the actions taken by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, current Puerto Rico governor Luis Fortuño, who won the 2008 elections by the largest majority of any recent election, has been taking drastic fiscal correction policies to try to rescue Puerto Rico’s economy out of a falling spiral. Part of those policies include a huge reduction in government employees, and cutting budgets. Unlike any other U.S. state, the government of Puerto Rico is by far the largest employer of the island, and its inefficiency and over-employment has been the source of sarcastic jokes for decades. A common joke is that in Puerto Rico it takes a crew of 10 government employees to change a street post light; one to climb the post an change the bulb, and 9 to sit under the shadow of a tree and watch. The current global recession converted a bad situation into an unsustainable one.
Many people in Puerto Rico resist Governor Fortuño’s economic policies, particularly since it affects many families left without a breadwinner. There was recently a general strike in the island to protest the economic policies implemented. Rene Perez wanted to use the high exposure forum of the Premios MTV 2009 to show how socially conscientious he is.
Why use insults to express disagreement of ideas?
People are going to agree and disagree with this and any other issue of public impact. But there is no need to incur in the lowest personal insults just because we disagree with another person, whether that person is the Governor or the janitor. Rene Perez doesn’t have the maturity to understand that. And that immaturity will come with an artistic and therefore, financial cost.
Each of us should repudiate this kind of behavior. We should be more tolerant for different viewpoints, specially if we don’t agree with them. There will be a time and place to make our opinion count. In the case of politicians, its every 4 years. We can send them to the unemployment line if we don’t like how they are running the country. If an artist like Residente of Calle 13 acts in a way which denigrates my country, as he just did, because by insulting the governor of Puerto Rico he embarrassed himself and insulted and embarrassed all of us Puerto Ricans, then we can use our spending dollars as our action against that behavior. I will never buy another Calle 13 album, will never go to any of their concerts, nor sponsor any of their activities, even when I like some of their music. The government of the city of San Juan already cancelled a contract Calle 13 had to rent the Roberto Clemente Coliseum for a concert. And I’m sure no one in their right mind will ever invite Rene Perez to host any other event.
Let’s build bridges, not walls:
- “You should have disagreements with your leaders and your colleagues, but if it becomes immediately a question of questioning people’s motives, and if immediately you decide that somebody who sees a whole new situation differently than you must be a bad person and somehow twisted inside, we are not going to get very far in forming a more perfect union.”
I hope Rene Perez’ bahavior is the exception rather than the rule, and that people can see that this type of low life behavior results in nothing constructive. Communicating our differences with respect will maintain the dialog open, and the ideas on top of the discussion. This style is what gave President Obama the Nobel Prize of Peace, whether deserved or not. But his engaging and open to dialog approach is what makes any disagreement a civilized one.
There is a wise saying in Spanish that says “lo valiente no quita lo cortez” (the courageous doesn’t take away the courteous). We will always have differences of opinion with the people around us. You may be a Republican, and have friends that are Democrats; my friend may root for the Yankees, while I root for the Red Soxs (or any other team playing the Yankees 
, I’m catholic, and have friends that are Muslim, Jews, Protestants, etc.
Like Ruben Blades says in one if his live recordings, “lets play to our strengthsas opposed to our differences and we’ll get somewhere”. I would add that if we play our differences, lets do it with RESPECT!
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JOSE R. RIVERA
15. Jan, 2012
“All see, and most admire, the glare which hovers round the external trappings of elevated office. To me there is nothing in it, beyond the lustre which may be reflected from its connection with a power of promoting human felicity.” – George Washington; Letter to Catherine Macaulay Graham, January 9, 1790.
George Washington did not use insults, he lead a militia against the oppresors…
Have to include the whole scenario in the comment.
A lot of days before the day of “insults” the People of Puerto Rico had made a lot of demonstrations against the public politic of fire gubernamental employees, thing that he publicly denied on his political campaign, betraying and oppressing those who voted for him. Me and my wife are two of about 30k who had been betrayed and oppressed in the name of a supposed reorganization that what had done is distributing the battered budget and the salary of fired employees between the governors’ richests friends.
Instead of leading a revolution (as George Washington) against the oppressive and treacherous governmental administration , Rene took the collective upset and resumed in words what George Washington did with bullets.
IT WAS’NT RENE, IT WAS THE PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO AND I SUPPORT THE INSULTS.
Hector Aviles
15. Jan, 2012
In my opinion, “lo valiente no quita lo cortes”. Our society, since the George Washington days, has kept civiliy as a means to air differences. Washington took to arms since there was no democracy. If we don’t agree with a goverment, we can get the out of office in the next election by voting against them. Insults and disrespect for the office held by our officials, only ends taking us in a social downward spiral, with respect lost by all sides. And we wonder why our society has degraded as it has!
I respectfully disagree with you and Calle 13.