Jerez

Sergio Jerez
LBST 2213-Q18
14 November, 2016
Guerrilla Warfare Frame
As human beings, we construct social realities. These social realities only exist because a
group of people decided to fabricate them based on their own views. Ultimately, these realities
become so engraved into our culture and branded into our mind, that they become real. Social
realities do exist and take part in our everyday life however, we need to understand that they are
simply a concoction of human ideas. Like their creators, social realities possess flaws and
misconceptions. Controversy can cause humans to frame such realities in the way they see fit.
Mankind manipulate others through the use of language. Framing is a tool used to evoke
different emotions and ideas on a targeted group of people. Sometimes this tool is used to attack
or focus on certain social realities. War plays a significant role on civilization. Throughout the
past centuries, society experienced many different forms of war, almost as if war had different
breeds within its own nature. We tend to forget that the most frequently fought war is the one
fought by unskilled, untrained citizens; what military establishments and government bodies
might call guerrillas. Through the history of the world, the most prominent tactic of war has been
guerrilla warfare. For many, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about guerilla
warfare is the war between the United States and Vietnam. However, guerilla warfare has much
more history and prevalence than one would think. Many might not even consider guerilla as a
form of war, but a form of terrorism. On other hand, others might see it as the only way to
protect their society and what they love.

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The online etymology dictionary refers to guerrilla as fighters in an irregular,

independent armed force. Merriam-Webster describes it as small group of soldiers who do not
belong to a regular army and who fight in a war as an independent unit. If we were to directly
translate the word guerrilla it would literally mean little war. Guerra meaning war in
Spanish, and illa is added to make the diminutive of a word in many forms of Castilian. In the
early 1970s, a group of citizens from the Republic of Colombia created the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The uprise of armed forces sparked because of the
unsatisfactory and disillusioning polices that the liberal party had put in place for the country. At
the time, the guerilleros (guerilla members) were considered freedom fighters by a large group
of un-wealthy Colombian citizens. The FARC say they represent the rural poor against
Colombias wealthy class, and oppose U.S. involvement and influence in Colombia (The
Guerrilla Groups in Colombia). Considering that 75% of people in Colombia are in economic
strati 1 through 3, and only 9% of the population are in the highest strati: 5 and 6 (Eekelsey), one
would infer that the guerrilla is an influential force to the people of Colombia. Yet, the internal
situation of the country says otherwise. The majority of the citizens of the country do not see the
guerrilla as freedom fighters, as a matter of fact, they are perceived as people who broke the law
and therefore deserve to pay for it.
I previously mentioned that guerilla warfare tactics were used in the Vietnam War. What
we dont realize is that were not looking far enough into the past, and we can look back even
further. Guerilla warfare was probably the first tactic of war in the history of mankind. It dates
back all the way to the 22 nd century B.C during the disintegration of the Akkadian Empire in
Mesopotamia (Invisible Armies, W.W. Norton). I would like us to consider that at some point in
the history of man-kind we didnt have any armies, and the ones who fought and protected their

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region or property were unskilled, untrained fighters. Doesnt that make them a small group of
soldiers fighting in an independent unit? Doesnt that make them Freedom Fighters? Does
that not make them Guerrilleros? So, when did the term guerrilla or guerrilla warfare become
such a bad connotation and begin to be referred as irregular fighting, when at some point in
yesteryear, it was considered to be the most regular form of fighting.
Starting in the 18th century, certain revolutionary wars for independence began to be
dubbed guerillas, and later, its tactics were denounced as guerilla warfare (A history of Guerilla).
The world started to deviate from the idea that militias led by the people were a form of
patriotism and firm beliefs, and more towards the mindset of guerilla warfare as taboo.
Considering that guerilla warfare won the United States the independence from Great Britain, it
is surprising how a few undesired events and actions from minority of guerillas has formed a
new perception in the minds of the people. Additionally, some people stray away from the idea of
what the basis of guerilla warfare is, and go as far as to compare it to terrorism. To many, the
attacks of 9/11 were labeled as a form of guerilla warfare taken to a terror level. (Scarborough,
Rowan). Taking this into account, what people once saw as guerilla warfare has dramatically
changed. Statistics show that many of the views now have disoriented from what used to be the
main idea.
Through the last 4,000 years or so, the social construct of guerilla has been framed in
many different ways. In recent years, guerillas have been mostly involved with religious radicals
or extreme political idealist who believe that war is the only way to fix certain issues of society.
These form of guerrilleros decide to take matters into their own hands even if it involves doing
so in a non-conventional way. Referring back the FARC, kidnapping and ransom payments were
their primary source of income, in conjunction with drug trafficking. Actions as such are what

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have deterred the idea of guerrilla into a conception of criminalist views and terrorism. Despite
the recent violent and illegal model of guerrillas around the world, we also need to take in mind
the times when guerilla warfare didnt involve drug trafficking or kidnapping. Examples of these
occurrences are Greeces war for independence against the Ottomans, the wars of unification in
Italy against colonial powers, and the slave revolt against the French that led to the foundation of
the Republic of Haiti (Invisible Armies, W.W. Norton). These are clear precedents that are not
taken into account when talking about guerilla warfare because of the dust cloud created by the
negative aspects of criminalism. The framing of different situations is what might ultimately
change the conception we have on certain subjects, such as the different frames seen for guerilla
warfare.
Frames are often manipulated to make us think or feel a certain way. However, many
occasions show that frames also change through time. Our perception can do a 180 degree spin
in comparison to what it once used to be. Society works the same way, time causes us to change
our ideas, and thus making us use words and language to frame things in different ways.
This assignment has taught me that to understand frames, you need to understand the
context, and the only way to understand context is to look at the past. When looking back, we
must be in search of what the social construct was, and how it compares to now. The library in
the University provides great resources for investigation on world history. The Atkins library has
subject librarians that will guide you in finding the information you are looking for. We must also
understand who formed the ideas of such construct, and who forms the ideas now. To be able to
know who is currently forming the frames we must be up to date in current events. Media
sources such as CNN, FOX News, or The New York times provide accurate information on
current events not only the United States but around the world. Last, and in my opinion, most

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important to understanding frames, you need to understand what side of the frame is telling you
their belief or idea. To be able to know what side the frame is coming from, you need to get both
perspectives of the frames. A way to do this is to interview different people in opposing sides or
visit websites guaranteed to be free of censorship. Some of these guaranteed websites are The
Independent, The Real News, and Media Center. Interviews allow us to understand differing
opinions, if I were to ask a member of the Vietnamese Guerilla group what he stood for, he
would most likely say freedom. If I were to ask a US soldier what the Vietnamese guerrillero
stood for, he would probably say something other than freedom. Being able to determine how
the construct has changed, who creates the construct, and what side it comes from, will easily
help understand others frames. Essentially these skills will allow us to mold our own frames and
use them in imperishable forms.

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References:

A History of Guerilla Warfare "How the Weak Vanquish the Strong." The Economist. The
Economist
Newspaper, 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.

Boot, Max. Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient times to the
Present.
New York: Liveright Pub., 2013. Print.
Eekelsey, By. "Social Class (and Castes?) in Colombia." Accion Ambassadors Blog. N.p., 30 July
2015. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.

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"Online Etymology Dictionary." Online Etymology Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.

Scarborough, Rowan. "9/11 Changed War-fighting." Washington Times. The Washington Times,
n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.

"The Guerrilla Groups in Colombia." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.