It’s so weird to me that ‘socialist’ is basically a swearword in the U.S. To me a socialist is just someone who believes in wealth distribution (via taxes) as a means of eliminating poverty.
I’d call it late-stage autoritarianism. Because the defining characteristic is exactly that. It does’t really matter if the strong-man is theoretically socialist, fascist or whatever.
“Liberal” is used offensively over there too. Language, eh?
I don’t know, by that standard almost anything with a charitable component is “socialist”, back to medieval times, or is it not? I’d rather go for “applying democratic principles to the economy”.
“suposed” dictator? If maduro is not a textbook dictator then I’m not sure that word means what you think it means.
Socialism, basically, means that everyone else owns your labor and it’s product and that nothing is truly yours, including you. What fascinates me about this is that this is suposed to mean a system devoid of hirarchy and complete equality but by intrinsic necesity always ends up with the most hierarchical and brutal systems to manage the distribution.
My bet would be the move does not benefit him. We have the president of a country under attack by the USA and its allies and, from the sound of it, a bumptious reporter getting in his face and demanding that he watch a US propaganda movie.
He probably was just annoyed/lost his temper and asked that the reporter and crew be removed. Thank heavens the US president would never do anything like that. (Give me that mike!)
I’m sorry but this has nothing to do with the US with where the country is at present. The US might be trying to pressure Maduro to cede power but the state of the country as it currently is has been caused by the Chavistas. If anything the US has purposefully stayed out of meddling with the country until very recently. Where the country is currently at is the culmindation of 10+ years of corruption, looting and criminal enterprise of Chavez and Maduro.
When a dictator and autocrat declares his nation socialist, that doesn’t mean it’s actually socialism.
and
I see a lot of special pleading for single definitions of socialism. There seems to be some appeal to an absolutist view of socialism where if it doesn’t fit the grade school definition of classical socialism then it can’t really be socialism.
Obviously, reasonable people understand that words have more than one meaning and that arguing for a single definition lacks nuance and understanding. In the U.S.A. we democratically elect our government in the form of a republic. That government represents the people. Therefore the people make the laws and decide where the money we all pay in to the government coffers is going to be spent. Another way to describe such a government is democratic socialism.
In Venezuela, an autocratic dictator decides how the money is spent. I do not see how such a system fits on the spectrum of socialism.
It’s untenable to say “you shouldn’t report on this”. It’s obviously bad to bully journalists and manipulate reporting. We believe in freedom of the press, not propaganda.
But it’s equally obvious that the reason for this highly theatrical scenario is an ongoing power struggle between the US State Department and the Venezuelan government over control of Venezuela. This story itself is propaganda. It exists to provoke hysterical reactions like this:
Maduro is absolutely correct:
While he’s not a good person by any means, he is absolutely the target of US imperialism, and it’s irresponsible not to highlight that in any American reporting about the “facts” of political developments in Venezuela.
a) The USA enthusiastically backed the failed 2002 coup in Venezuela.
b) The 2014 crash in oil prices that crippled the Venezuelan economy was deliberately engineered by the USA and their Saudi clients.
c) The US has maintained sanctions against Venezuela since 2014.
Ok, what the fuck do you know? I have family in Venezuela, and i myself and my immediate relatives have had to leave the country because of Chavez. I’ve had relatives be shot at, and a cousin that was killed because of the social instability. I’ve emotionally suffered for over 10 years because of the Venezuelan government, and you’re telling me what’s going on is propaganda? Nah, where the country is currently at has nothing to do with the US. This has been a long time coming, to say that this is propaganda is an insult to what the Venezuelan people and my family have had to endure. Don’t talk to me about Venezuela.
That’s terrible, and I believe you 100%. The Venezuelan government definitely does some fucked up stuff, and it’s inexcusable. But that doesn’t mean this scenario isn’t propaganda, nor does it mean that the US Government isn’t actively trying to undermine and replace a foreign anti-American government. (I should maybe explain that by propaganda I don’t mean that it’s a literal lie, but that the Univision move, the subsequent headline, the context it’s placed in, the missing context, etc. are designed to tell a very specific story slanted towards US Government interests)
I recognize that because of your life experiences and perspective, you probably think that the US should be waging a propaganda war (maybe even a military war) to cause “regime change” in Venezuela. I doubt anyone will change your mind on that point, but it doesn’t change what’s happening.
Considering that Maduro is an incompetent idiot, I’m not surprised he does things that can’t possibly benefit him.
Capitalism, on the other hand, means that Jeff Bezos owns your labor and its product, and nothing is truly yours, including you.
* Just kidding, everyone knows that the Free Markettm gives us the inalienable right to have our labor owned by Walmart instead. In socialist Venezuela, they don’t even have Walmart!
You’re making it sound like the Saudis and US did it to attack Venezuela’s economy. If the price collapse (due to Saudis not cutting their own production) was aimed at anyone, it was aimed at Iran on one hand, and US shale oil companies on the other.
Milliefink’s map seems to contradict (a).
Yes, Maduro is a criminal who is heavily complicit in this awful mess, but the opposition has the hard stink of a Shock Doctrine. Nothing good comes out of this.
Right, and Chavez put all their eggs into one basket, hiring tons of people with out increasing out put, and the elites siphoning off the profits. When the price tanked (which is bound to happen with a commodity that fluxes) they couldn’t afford to pay people and the economy tanked. They made other horrible economic decisions like outlawing imports, which means people can’t get things they need. (And sanctions being redundant.)
The problem with Venezuelan oil is even though it is the largest known reserve, it is hard to pump and refine and thus more expensive.
I’m rooting for your family. I hope the necessary transition is a quick one.
