Supporters Of Hugo Chávez Mourn In Caracas, Venezuela
Supporters of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez pour into the streets of Caracas after the announcement of his death.
Supporters of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez react to the announcement of his death outside Miraflores Palace in Caracas.
Supporters of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez react to the announcement of his death outside the hospital where he was being treated, in Caracas. The banner reads, “Chavez, our liberator in the 21st Century.”
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sergiogaldosfromdablockp 3 months agoThat supposed “strong welfare system” is nothing more than weak, corrupt and fake. Support from the poorer ones (not all of them) comes from little attention they’re given (they are still poor and more dependant than ever)
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- janetb15 Supporters Of Hugo Chávez...
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Happy Dude 3 months agoOh yes, “dictator” who won more elections with higher margin than any leader in the world, elections that the Carter Foundation called some of the most participatory and fair in the world. The man who “wasted” Venezuela’s money on programs that just happened to cut poverty in half and extreme poverty by 70% since fending off the coup and taking control of the oil in 2004. Who expanded health care and university education to all who desired, reduced inequality, and reversed decades of economic decline. Chavez was very wrong to offer solidarity to Middle Eastern dictatorships, but he operated from the viewpoint that almost every Latin American country has had brutal and corrupt dictatorships installed or given crucial support by the US. He saw his enemies’ enemies as his friends, an error that US leaders know all too well. He also focused too much on increasing consumption vs. building real industry beyond resource extraction. (The rich actually benefitted a lot from the inflated Venezuelan currency while industry suffered.) Not a saint, but someone who (in both action and as a symbol) did much to advance Latin America away from the violence and subservience of centuries past.
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- vanedulac thinks Supporters Of Hugo Chávez... is Fail
- maryl24 thinks Supporters Of Hugo Chávez... is Powerful
- Michelle Broder Van Dyke Supporters Of Hugo Chávez... and thinks it’s OMG
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evilito 3 months agoI don’t see any worshipping going on. I see them mourning a leader for whom they had tremendous affection. You probably grew up in the States, most likely middle class. Many Venezuelans grew up dirt poor. Not all of them. But a great deal of them did. Not only dirt poor, but getting screwed by every government that came and went. You know, the way most poor people do around the world. They had little to no access to housing, healthcare, food, education. Just living in shit conditions. All this, mind you, in a country that is wealthy with oil revenues. But of course, the ruling classes kept all of those goodies. So Chavez came along. He ascended to power with the support of these poor people that had been getting shit on for generations. And you know what happened? Unlike other politicians who use the poor to get into office, and then cynically discard them once in power, Chavez actually delivered for them. Subsidized housing, education, health care. Food for those who couldn’t afford it. Suddenly, the people who had been stepped on by their society had political power. And some basic needs as well. So perhaps you have a better understanding of why these “idiots” are mourning this man. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that Chavez was a heroic or flawless man. Nope. He certainly had authoritarian tendencies, and other parts of his society were mishandled and neglected by his rule. And it’s not news that he thought a little too highly of himself. But he actually made life better for people who pretty much had nothing. And his being in power was an expression of their political power. For the first time in who knows. And it’s awesome to see a leader - no matter how flawed - actually put the needs of those with nothing over the needs of the rich, for a change. May he rest in peace.
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antonios4 3 months agoIf you like him so much go live there. I had to leave my family, a good job and everything I love because of your little hitler hero. Take off your Che Guevara tee and wipe your arse with it, think twice before insulting hundreds of thousands of self exiled like me, who had to leave one of the most violent countries in he world. Find a translation of this Venezuelan word: MAMAGUEVO. Gracias, pajúo.
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