Pinochet Campaign

By 1980, Chile had been under the brutal dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet for 7 years. During those years, Pinochet facilitated assassinations, tortures, disappearances, and exiles of many political figures who posed a threat to the regime. Despite Pinochet’s attempts to eradicate any hint of discontent, opposition towards his military rule steadily began to grow. As a result, Pinochet created a revised Constitution that would allow a plebiscite to be held 8 years later to determine whether he would remain in the presidency. By calling for a plebiscite, General Pinochet opened up a window for the opposition to end his dictatorship. Political parties began to mobilize and formed a coalition to oppose Pinochet called the Concertación.
The commercial was attractive, fun to watch, and encouraged optimism. It had a catchy jingle that quickly became a popular song. The movie No screened its popularity by incorporating a scene with a janitor who was whistling the tune while working (Larraín 2013). This jingle helped spread awareness of the goals of the ‘No’ campaign by being something people could sing along with. In the commercial actors were living lives as those who were white and upper class. For example, during the shooting of the picnic segment a baguette was used as a prop, yet baguettes were not typical food eaten in Chile (Larraín 2013). Even so, the baguette symbolized the opportunity middle and lower class citizens would have to become wealthy in a society free of
By 1989, 16 years had passed where the brutality of the Pinochet regime had dominated. The people of Chile were oppressed. Not many were brave enough or willing to stand against Pinochet and the military. Which, in return, verified that Pinochet accomplished his goal of destroying the opposition. The people witnessed military raids, seen others being forcibly removed from their homes, seen dead bodies floating down rivers, and heard the gruesome testimonies of the few victims that survived the horrors of the torture sites (Rettig 1991, 155-170). By remaining quiet and conforming to the societal rules Pinochet put in place, the possibility of being picked up by the military slightly diminishes. To the Chileans, acting this way meant survival. To go against this powerful, vicious regime looked like suicide. Why would someone risk their safety by doing something that they know could very well lead to their deaths? This line of thinking is what the ‘No’ campaign had to overcome. They had to encourage the people to be brave and fight for a better