Re: <nettime> Rebelion_/_Narco_News'_Take_on_Venezuela

[Quim Gil <qgil@lawebespiral.org>]

It would be possibly a mistake to consider "the anti-Chavez" as a single
social body, also to consider that what is going in Venezuela is simply
a pro-Chavez - anti-Chavez confrontation.

David, a friend from Caracas, veteran of more than one Latin American
revolution and skilled in socialist and capitalist economics and
politics, makes an interesting point that I think is shared by millions
of citizens that suported the Chavez government but not anymore:

"We want to count votes to not to have to count deaths"

Out of Venezuela, the mass media (and also the alternative media highly
influenced by the official sources of information of the Chavez
governement) tend to display a picture of black and whites, Chavez
followers and golpistas (partidaries of the coup d'état). Left and
right. Latin American revolutionaries and US influenced reactionaries.
Etc.

I'll try to translate an interesting description of the current social
groups in Venezuela written by this friend here -
http://lawebespiral.org/foros/viewtopic.php?topic=875&forum=4 :

(quote) 

a) a progressist sector with social sensitiveness, divorced and out of
the factors of power. They are grouped in a wide range of activist and
community organizations and has the qualification needed to drive the
country. They don't have (nor want to have) a "leader", in fact they are
very horizontal oorganizations.

b) a fanatical sector, "ultroso", totalitarist, that was defeated as a
guerrilla in the 60's, that keeps the dreams from that time and what is
worst: their means ("sus métodos"). It is a piramidal organized sector,
with military training and possess fire weapons: pistols, rifles,
machine guns, explosives... Friend of heart of Castro, lybians, etarras
and the rest of the court.  

c) a hugue sector ignorant and manipulable, sadly predisposed to easy
solutions and wishing a Messiah, that voted more for a leader
("caudillo") than a president. It is the most vulnerable sector, without
access to education and stablished jobs. 

d) a huge mass of people that supported an option of change and was
disappointed ("se vió defraudada") by the corruption, the violence, the
failure to keep promises and the totalitarism. They keep themselves out
of the political fight and until a while they had an insultant political
innocence. They constituted "the middle class" (that is, everyone that
had "a proper job"). They have gone to increase the unemployed sector in
the last years. 

e) a sector that tries to go back to the stage left behind of the old
parties, accomplice of anything that their power allow them to make. For
the power they don't hesitate to agree anything with anyone, even with
this regime.

f) classical obscure sectors of economical power derived from the oil,
the commerce and the industral activities. They supported economically
the Chavez government even when they knew their tendencies (for
instance, this is the case of the Spanish banks).

g) the drug carteles that use Venezuela as a distribution bridge. That
¡what a coincidence! are linked to the Colombian guerrilla. That ¡what a
coincidence! supports the current regime. 

(end of quote)

I don't live in Venezuela so I'm not saying these ARE the profiles, but
the picture is far more rich and interesting than the anti-pro
simplification.


David also asks: do you see an obscure elite of reactionaries here?
http://www.mipagina.cantv.net/kidshome/ 

He is demonstrating in the streets these days. Like other friends in
Venezuela I have. They could join your table for lunch and you will
realize how much do you agree about economics, politics and the current
situation of the World. Actually many of us would realize that they
think (and specially they act and live) far more in the left than the
leftist we know. But now they may be seen as "anti-Chaves oppositors" in
the same level than military and economic elites organizing a coup
d'état. 

Because they are demonstrating in the streets these days, because they
want to stop a process of confrontation that will end up in a civil war.
And they are asking for something as outrageus as... an election.

One more sentence of this friend:

"European friends, please take away this habit of seeing sympathetic
everyone that says what you want to hear.

And now yes, to the street goes now a dangerous counterrevolutionary
armed with a whistle, a flag, a spoon and a casserole.

I see myself ridiculous, I know, but I can't do anything else. Can you?"

(Y ahora sí, pa'la calle se va ahora un peligroso contrarrevolucionario
armado de un pito, una bandera, una cuchara y una cacerola.

Me veo ridículo, lo sé, pero no puedo hacer otra cosa. ¿Ustedes sí?)


Quim

On dl, 2002-12-09 at 04:30, anastasios@hell.com wrote:
> There seem to be a few perceptions of what is going on in Venezuela. 
> Unfortunately, I seem to read the anti-Chavez take on things in most 
> articles. Below are links to articles that provide an alternative view of 
> the chaos in Venezuela.

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