The Final Straw
The Final Straw
Read Introduction
It is human nature to get fed up. To no longer be able to take it anymore. To have had enough. Of course our tolerance for the intolerable varies from person to person. But when a community of people feels they have suffered for too long, are pushed to their edge, have had their patience and tolerance stretched to the limit, it only requires one final act to push them over the edge.
The final straw comes in many shapes. Sometimes it is tiny. Sometimes it is momentous. But regardless, it is the decisive moment. The moment to put the foot down. Or to raise the fist. To stand together and say enough is enough. We will not take this any longer. We will resist. We will protest. We will let our voice and our position be known.
People around the world are taking to streets (and the internet) to protest the methods of rule, or lack of rule, imposed by governing bodies. It may be in response to corruption of office, human rights violations, economic mismanagement, or a struggle for who has the power, and how much. Each item in this collection represents the decisions or laws that pushed communities around the world to risk their lives or well being to stand up for what they believe is right. These objects illustrate the final straw.
The Metro in Chile
Designed as an affordable means to commute, public transportation is essential to the people of a city. When the government raised Santiago’s metro fare by 4%, people saw it as another step in a long history of government-perpetuated disparity between rich and poor. Anti-government protests attracted crowds estimated at over one million people. Some were peaceful and others more violent. Claiming the country was “at war,” the government ordered 10,000 troops to suppress the protests. 29 people were killed and, according to the UN, over 28,000 arrested. After large-scale anti-government demonstrations and violence continued, the Chilean government agreed to hold a vote on the option to create a new constitution. The vote is scheduled for April 26, 2020.
Onions in India
Onions are a staple of Indian cuisine and one of the country’s most popular vegetables. From August to October 2019, the price of onions tripled, making them unaffordable for many households. In an effort to bring the price back down, the government banned all onion exports. However this led to the price crashing. The fluctuation in onion prices represented a volatile economy and sparked major protests that demanded a more effective government.
It is human nature to get fed up. To no longer be able to take it anymore. To have had enough. The final straw comes in many shapes. Sometimes it is tiny. Sometimes it is momentous.
Fugitive Offenders Amendment Bill in Hong Kong
Civil liberties are central to the health of a nation and its citizens. When the Hong Kong government introduced a bill that would newly allow it to extradite its citizens to territories including China, people saw it as a threat to their autonomy, privacy, and freedom. Millions of Hong Kong citizens, led by student activists, organized large scale demonstrations. The protests against the government and its leaders are ongoing.
Oil in Haiti
The collapse of a Venezuelan program that supplied Haiti, one of the western hemisphere’s poorest countries, with subsidized fuel caused a shortage in fuel and a spike in price for Haitin citizens. The country was already suffering from rising inflation, a history of government corruption, economic mismanagement, and, most recently, accusations of fraudulent elections. The fuel shortage sparked civil unrest, violence, and demonstrations that demanded the president resign. 17 people have been killed and hundreds injured. The fuel shortage and civil unrest has further crippled the country, making it difficult to deliver basic necessities such as food and water.
Hookahs in Saudi Arabia
Smoking hookah is a popular social activity in Saudi Arabia. When the Saudi Government imposed a 100% tax on bills at businesses serving tobacco products, Saudi citizens instantly took to social media to protest the Hookah Tax.
Gasoline in France
A €0.25–0.30 ($0.28–0.34) increase of France’s fuel tax sparked the Yellow Vest Movement, a populist grassroots protest movement made up of marches and demonstrations in public spaces against the rising cost of living. Protesters said the gas tax was an economic burden disproportionately placed on working class people throughout France.
Gezi Park in Istanbul, Turkey
Public squares are important gathering spaces in cities across the world. In April 2012, the İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi (Istanbul Metropolitan Authority) publicized its plans to redevelop Istanbul’s Taksim Square. Architectural renderings showed that the plans involved demolishing Gezi Park and rebuilding the Taksim Military Barracks as a shopping mall. A petition to save Gezi Park circulated in December 2012. A citizen-led sit-in formed to prevent bulldozers from entering the park to begin demolition. A violent eviction effort against protestors by the government led to civil unrest and demonstrations. 22 people were killed. Plans to demolish Gezi Park were cancelled.
WhatsApp in Lebanon
Affordable methods of digital communication are central to modern society. In an effort to address its economic crisis, the Lebanese government released a budget proposal that included a new 9,078 LBP ($6 USD) a month tax for using the popular communication technology WhatsApp. Within days of announcing the “WhatsApp tax,” hundreds of thousands of people across Lebanon were demonstrating. For Lebanon’s citizens, the tax proposal represented the government’s austerity, corruption, and inability to fairly and effectively manage the economic crisis. Since the protests began, 7 protestors have been killed and the prime minister of Lebanon resigned.
Alleged Fake Ballot in Bolivia
Democracies can’t function if voters know votes don’t count. The morning after Bolivia’s general election, people in the town of La Paz spotted additional ballots for the incumbent party stashed in vehicles and hidden in residences. Images of the ballots spread, and it was believed these were fraudulent votes. After major protests, and pressure by the country’s police and army, President Evo Morales resigned. That led to counter-protests by his supporters. An interim government has been formed, but protests continue. 14 people have been killed.
Announcement of Reelection Campaign in Algeria
A healthy leader is integral to a functioning government. In February 2019, despite ailing health and having been rarely seen in public during his fourth term, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika published a letter via the state-run وكالـة الأنبــاء الجزائريـة (Algerian Press Service) announcing his intention to run for a fifth term. Algerians who saw Bouteflika as ineffective began protesting. Chants included “there is no president, there’s a poster.” It is estimated that over one million people joined in the protest, which continued even after Bouteflika announced he would no longer seek reelection.
Email us with any questions or comments about this exhibition.
This exhibition and many more are in the Mmuseumm 2020 Jumbo Catalog available for purchase at store.mmuseumm.com
Mmuseumm is a non-profit project dedicated to helping people see the world we are living in through physical evidence. Support Mmuseumm by making a tax-deductible donation at Fractured Atlas 501(c)(3)