Indonesian night

In a depraved parallel universe, veterans of the SS or of the death squads in Argentina grow old amid the admiration and respect of their neighbors, and appear on TV interview shows to public applause. They proudly accept invitations to act in films, where sometimes they play the role of torturer and sometimes, bedaubed with ketchup-like makeup, that of victim. The ambience of the TV interview runs from nostalgic to festive. The youthful torturer of the past, now a dried-up scrawny old man whose attire is of antiquated elegance, does a simulated strangling, then proceeds to dance a few steps of cha-cha-cha on a concrete floor that was once a pool of blood. Veterans of paramilitary organizations speak from platforms where members of the present government sit, to an audience of young recruits in black boots, rakishly angled berets, and camouflage uniforms. The veterans declare their double condition as patriots and gangsters. The local governor declares that they are valuable elements of society.

CONTINUE READING >>