What is it really like in Venezuala?

[fela fan]

What, and the rest of the world's media print 'The Truth'?


And TBH I'm not going to get involved in a debate about the role and influence of the modern media at 6th form level, nor pander to your obsession with USUK...because of course, the elites of the EU, or India, or China or Japan are magnanimous, benevolent humanitarians with only the best of intentions for the rest of the planet...

You are making the connection that because i complain about the anglo-american media then i must think other media are not similar.

Because i don't say something, you assume it to be my thinking!

I refer to the anglo-american media because i'm well clued into it, primarily because it uses the english language. Also because my main beef in my hopes for a world of justice and fairness is with the anglo-american empire that does most to fuck with justice and fairness in terms of scale. And furthermore that these two exceedingly wealthy nations have the resources to spread peace in the world, rather than the wars they unleash on peoples trying to live their lives.

It's not an obsession mate, it is simply an outcome based on the actions that the USGs carry out. By focussing my mind on the anglo-american world it does not mean that i don't recognise abuses carried out elsewhere, but in my opinion the worst is committed by the US while simultaneously it is them who have the most influence in setting a peaceful agenda for our planet.

It therefore makes perfect sense for me to focus most of my energies, when i'm complaining, on the US and the UK. And if i did the same on thailand, i'd've been kicked out or bumped off ages ago. And i like my life here. And yes, i recognise the irony of it that that would not happen in my country of birth, but life's weird sometimes.

Ps, it doesn't do you any favours rabbiting on about 6th form, i was in that 25 years ago...

 

[kyser_soze]

18 years ago for me...

 

[Kevicious]

I think the main question posed in this thread was "democracy or dictatorship?".

Undoubtedly a democracy, proved over and over again despite the coups, the anti-Chavez media onslaught and the shady US machinations. He has won more elections than either the US or British no.1 over the last 10 years, and under the gaze of international observers. I imagine the voter turnout was higher too...

The people of Venezuela have clearley spoken (again and again), I hope it goes the way most posters on this thread thread hope it will....

 

[nino_savatte]

Edited

 

[CyberRose]

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=12986

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=12962

Couple of decent articles on media "censorship" in Venezuela (not that I normally bother with the rubbish written in Zmag! )

Since I started looking into Venezuela, it seems that ALL accusations of media censorship stem from the decision to not renew RCTV's licence to broadcast on the frequency they were (they are allowed to continue to broadcast on cable/satellite - hardly the actions of someone censoring a media outlet because of their political views!). I haven't found or heard of any other examples of media "censorship" in Venezuela, in fact, the fact that Chavez is allowing the opposition TV stations that organised the coup against the government to continue to broadcast is remarkable - and if those stations were operating in any Western democracy they would be off their air and anyone linked to them in jail!!

 

[CyberRose]

Just watched the documentary 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' - vital viewing I think for anyone interested in Venezuela

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5832390545689805144

 

[London_Calling]

An Ex of mine inspects power plants and goes there about every four months. He doesn't think Chavez' policies concerning power plants is going to work well. He recently put out a decision that only Venezualian companies could do maintenance on them and build new ones. My Ex figures, that a lot of their generation capacity was designed and built by foreign companies so getting parts and expertise to fix them will be difficult with that policy in place.

The fav angle of the first-world contractor - you guys can't possibly understand this technology so, after we finish building it, you’ll have to contract with us to maintain it for the next 20 years.

Maintenance contracts are where the money is, building the tech is just the means to that end – a la printers and printer ink writ very large indeed.

Oldest game from all of Africa, through the Mid East to all points.

 

[London_Calling]

Since I started looking into Venezuela, it seems that ALL accusations of media censorship stem from the decision to not renew RCTV's licence to broadcast on the frequency they were (they are allowed to continue to broadcast on cable/satellite - hardly the actions of someone censoring a media outlet because of their political views!). I haven't found or heard of any other examples of media "censorship" in Venezuela

When I started inquiring (you mentioned in the OP a thread I started) the point was made a few times that RCTV isn't a news and current affairs channel, it's all or nearly all, soap opera's and the like.

I'd like to hear that again from informed and/or from factual sources, but the point here is that I wouldn't assume a comparison with more familiar tv media.

 

[CyberRose]

When I started inquiring (you mentioned in the OP a thread I started) the point was made a few times that RCTV isn't a news and current affairs channel, it's all or nearly all, soap opera's and the like.

I'd like to hear that again from informed and/or from factual sources, but the point here is that I wouldn't assume a comparison with more familiar tv media.

Well according to the articles I posted above RCTV wasn't taken off the airwaves for its political views or its involvement in the military coup. The government wanted a state owned TV channel that could reach as many people as possible and that frequency happened to be Channel 2. It's up to the government to renew frequency licences and they decided not to. RCTV has not been shut down, it can continue to broadcast on cable or satellite. No idea whether they have news programmes (I can't imagine they don't) but during the coup they certainly made their political feelings known. Needless to say, I'm not sure how what you said above relates to what I said in my quote?

 

[Jografer]

Doesn't Caracas regularly appear in lists of "top 10 crap cities in the world to travel to", in terms of personal safety....

 

[London_Calling]

I misread you. Early doors, my apologies.

 

[London_Calling]

Doesn't Caracas regularly appear in lists of "top 10 crap cities in the world to travel to", in terms of personal safety....

Is this an official submission for Non Sequitur of the Day, or are you practicing ?

 

[Jografer]

Is this an official submission for Non Sequitur of the Day, or are you practicing ?

not sure what you mean....

 

[MrFalafel]

Doesn't Caracas regularly appear in lists of "top 10 crap cities in the world to travel to", in terms of personal safety....

Yes, the major real criticism of Caracas is the horrendous crime rate. However, crime was already a major issue for Chavez' predecessor. Also, the perception is the police department is completely corrupt which is one of the main reasons why crime is so bad. Chavez is trying to combat the systemic corruption of the police department but to combat this, the corrupt police are creating a situation where crime rates rise therefore denigrating Chavez which would mean the corrupt police can stay in their jobs. Complicated? You bet.

 

[JoePolitix]

The U.S and Venezuela: Constitutional Worlds Apart

Although imperfect, no country anywhere is closer to a model democracy than Venezuela under President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias. In contrast, none is a more shameless failure than the U.S.A., but it was true long before the age of George W. Bush. The difference under his regime is that the mask is off revealing a repressive state masquerading as a democratic republic. This article compares the constitutional laws of each country and how they're implemented. The result shows worlds-apart differences between these two nominally democratic states - one that's real, impressive and improving and the other that's mostly pretense and under George Bush lawless, corrupted, in tatters, and morally depraved.

Read it here:

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=2120