Turmoil in Venezuela - Looking at the Brutal Reality of a Failed State (through #GooglyEyes)
What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear:
"Venezuela"?
I had to throw this question into the chat on Discord, just to make sure it wasn't just my own ignorance that caused the agitation I was feeling after being compelled to look into the current events in Venezuela last night.
For the sake of my own mental health I have stopped to actively look into the miseries our modern world produces and I've also stopped listening to the hyperbolic reports on "current events" in the mainstream media. It was entirely possible that I was just being ignorant, but the first reply seemed to confirm that I wasn't alone:
"Cheap Gasoline?!"
And that's actually a good point! Venezuela has the world's largest known oil reserves and has been one of the world's leading exporters of oil. Barely 20 years ago Venezuela was one of the "richest" countries in South America.
What we should really think of when we hear "Venezuela", though, is probably something more along the lines of:
Hyperinflation, Food & Medicine Shortages, Riots, TURMOIL.
Venezuela is literally the nation with the world's most severe economic crisis at the moment. One would think that the media should be full of reports on the situation, dissecting the causes and discussing possible solutions. But alas, NO!
When narrowing down the search results on "Venezuela" to new uploads from the past week, there's just ONE youtube video in English on the first page, and it's one of those auto generated headline feeds. Take a look yourself, it's just 1minute:
Now this isn't very revealing, allthough it does at least give a rudimentary view at the situation.
I was looking for something more personal, more "credible" and down to the ground though. I did find a very touching first-hand report told by a Venezuelan from several months ago. Keep in mind, the situation has probably escalated even more since then. Please watch this (12min):
I'm a bit speechless, and I feel like I know much too little still about the situation down there. It's really hard to get well explained facts about the developments leading to this. All the news (even most alternative sources) fail to dig into the complexities of this that have evolved over the past few decades.
I don't want to get into political commentary or conspiracy theories here, but the simple sentiment of "corruption and failed socialism" leading to "the inevitable demise of a country" doesn't satisfy me at all.
I have not always been as ignorant as I am today. I've spent a few miserable years of my life actively looking for the truths behind all the crap which humankind has to go through. I know Venezuela's history is not as straight forward as it may look like under the superficial look provided by news agencies.
For those of you who would like to learn more about Venezuela's recent history, I'll recommend another YouTube Link . This is an hour long documentary on the failed Coup against former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It show's eerily familiar signs of foreign intervention, Snipers shooting at both sides of a protest, all too similar to what has been reported about the Maidan Square in Ukraine. If that's not enough to shake you up in your chair, google "economic hitman"... but I digress.
Now this is all a bit out of the ordinary for what I usually post on steemit. So:
Why do I post About Venezuela?!
Most of you who'll read this probably know me through #GooglyEyes or lately even the fluffy @steemkitten cuddle-bot. All pretty cheery things and nothing too serious at all.
I mostly busy myself with spreading positive vibes and it's not my intention to depress anyone with the dire situations in other parts of the world that I have no personal experience with. But it's actually this silly little #GooglyPrize contest that brought my attention to this stark reality, and I felt a deep need to share this moment!
A Surge in Users from Venezuela!
Over the past weeks I have noticed a surge in participants posting in Spanish. I am always happy to see new members joining the contest, but I also have to admit I was a bit disappointed by what at first looked like rather low-effort entries. But hey, everyone is welcome and I'm not going to complain. But of course I'll do some double checking if users are just in it for a quick buck or if they enjoy the actual idea behind it.
I feel a little bit like an entitled douchebag for looking down on those "low-effort" posts, but as more of those came in accompanied by sentences that sounded a little lost in translation, I slowly realised that I was missing some background information.
by: @victorking31
this pepsi is happy because the people of the market where I was, were crazy to take it and I was lucky to take it myself, and is happy because they could not take it exept me
by: @ralr11
It's true I miss the coffee ups!
In my country it is difficult to obtain coffee, right now it is a product regulated by the government and that makes it disappear from the market and if you get it the price is very high
There's not much more I can say about this. But I understand now, a crypto dollar gets you far in a country with failing fiat money! I hope the few cents in upvotes I have sent their way can help just a little bit!
And aside from all the depressive realisation, I also think this is a situation where the benefits of unregulated open monetary systems will show it's true power. And STEEM, it even comes with a censorship-proof media platform!
More Power To The People!
PALnet has a chat room #teamvenezuela on Discord!
Venezuelans - band together, support and help each other!
Join the Peace Abundace and Liberty network
Additional Info that didn't fit the post:
@steem-pays is a "service" that helps exchange STEEM/SBD into local currency in Venezuela. I have no idea if this is legit or even a good idea when inflation is in the thousands of percents!
the Venezuelan government, in a struggle to regulate their currency, have announced a national cryptocurrency backed by oil reserves - the PETRO. Yeap, again, no idea how legit that is, but coindesk reported about it in Dec. Latest updates from a day ago include the potential release of a "fake" or "draft" whitepaper.
let's try to make the world a better place
follow @fraenk
... it's free!
fraenk loves you!
@fraenk resteemed, it is very sad for Venezuela, with their natural and human resources, they should not be a basketcase like they are now.
Great post I live in the UK and the crisis happening in Venezuela is hardly ever shown on the mainstream news channels . But what i have seen on the news doesn't look too good with people paying for everyday essentials at
hugely inflated prices.
And to imagine that a decade ago the country was doing just excellent. How is it even possible to come to all this?! Truly baffling to imagine how monetary doctrine and political struggles can create so much misery in such a short time.
One of the venezuelan president, current or former, said to be a Trotskyist. People need to realize that mass-media is leftist and politicians mainly too, so they talk all that bullshit of well doing economy and so on, but truth is that some one with actual economical understanding can tell quickly it is fucked up before leftards even realize. Modern goverment forms are more like eels, they live when they can suck natural resources, then collapse.
so... what's at the core of the problem then? because I can't quite make up my mind yet.
I have to agree on your last point about modern government! Though, the creature you meant to compare it to is probably a leech, not an eel.
Thanks for correcting that leech*. Core problem is that guy was a communist, which led him to go for goverments total-control. Goverment trying to take care of everything creates massive amount of unnescesary byrocracy and mid-mens, eating all the profit. It is also a fact that micro-managing is not realy a job for state because it leads to empty shelvs because of systems incapablity to get feed-back. Also I'm not sure theres been too many Trotskyist in the last 50 years. I think that Trotskyism has been kind of dead from the get go, but it's main idea however is that communism must be violently spreat everywere around the world or it won't work.
total government control... heck, government control in general usually doesn't lead to good things!
But I am not sure where you are going with this "Trotskyist" thing and it appears you aren't certain yourself, taking into account that you weren't even sure if it's the common or former leader you are referring to.
I don't think Venezuela has been engaged in trying to spread communism?! But I cannot claim too know much about the situation, so correct me there if necessary, please!
I'm trying to say that the president didn't make any sense him self. Yeah, I have not dug too deep into what this trtskyism excactly other than violent spread of communism everywere. Wikipedia page basically just says that Trotsyism has very little differences to leninism.
Hello @fraenk
I tell you that your vote is very useful to Venezuelans. I have a friend of many years there and I could not find a way to help him, until steemit made it possible since I could make transfers from here to his wallet, without any cost and that easy.
Due the SBD went up in price, he told me that I change 12 SBD to his local currency and this represents 5 monthly salaries.
This also happens in Nigeria, your currency is so devalued that 1 SDB is almost a monthly salary.
Colombia my country, has had many problems with this president of venezuela! My president has been very tolerant and diplomatic but even so he receives insults and reprisals in commercial transactions and border closures. Threatens to join terrorist countries, and attacks with a very low vocabulary, this guy is crazy and rude.
There are many things that make this perpetuate. But basically everything has a common origin: A people with education and without hunger does not come to this situation, because the vote is conscientious, but the masses without access to an education or decent conditions, simply vote for the character that offers them crumbs. This is a vicious circle. Not only from Venezuela, but also in several Latin American countries, including mine. It is horrible to see the days of voting, cars hired by politicians picking up people and giving them a plate of food to go to vote, or some tiles or concrete blocks, the promise of the famous monetary aid of government programs, or the promise of a job etc. If the state uses resources well in education, health, politics, etc. productivity increases and living conditions improve for all. People with conscience, productive and without hunger do not vote for crumbs, so the corruption diminishes. Corruption and ambition is eating humanity alive.
thanks for this up-close and personal comment on the matter @samic. I am still struggling with the realisation of what's going on there and how such a situation can come about!
Hola @fraenk, gracias por interesarte en el problema que actualmente está atravesando Venezuela y de cómo los ciudadanos hacemos para poder sobrellevar esta locura de gobierno. Déjame decirte que no eres ignorante, es solo que el gobierno nuestro censura a los medios de comunicación para que el mundo no sepa la problemática que existe en mi país. Aún así, los ciudadanos, en la manera de lo posible, gritamos al mundo todos nuestros problemas mediante el internet y steemit ha sido el medio principal que nos ha ayudado en eso. Steemit ha siso la "tabla de salvación" para nosotros los Venezolanos ya que la cesta básica tan elevada que con un sueldo mínimo de 4 dólares mensuales no se puede comprar. Yo cambio 5 sbd semanalmente y puedo comprar los alimentos, o sea que serían 20 sbd al mes y aún así no compro todo. Hay gente comiendo de la basura, de lo que recoge en los containers y le dan a sus hijos, la gente del exterior no lo cree pero esa es la verdad. Gracias de nuevo por tu interés. God bless you.
thanks @isabelpena for posting this detailed comment. Please let me share the google translation for everyone:
I want to show you this video made in April 2017, by Telenoche. Since this time to now the inflation is changed, is more now.
If you have something of worth but don't want to play ball... it's going to be hard to keep control of your own country. Sad to see the economy fall apart like that, no matter who is running a country or not we shouldn't wish for the masses to be unable to purchase food or basic necessities and have their savings evaporate like that. Although I never think it's a great idea to sell gasoline or oil at a subsidy, now that's just bad for the environment.
I guess some will call it "collateral damage".
It's just painful to watch how centralised greed and power tramples over the people!
It's detestable how we can dehumanize the other if they happen to have access to something we want. The wrong people suffer and get punished time and again.
I feel for the people there. All states fail, some more terribly than others. We must be ungovernable. Outcompete the ones that want to control us. We have the tools.
word up!
Lo más triste de todo esto es que la pepsi está carisima!, saludos compatriota!
¡Más poder para la gente!
I hope the situation gets better down there soon! From all my heart!
Thanks for shedding some light on the situation @fraenk!
It sickens me to know that no media at all is focusing on those people.
"But I understand now, a crypto dollar gets you far in a country with failing fiat money! I hope the few cents in upvotes I have sent their way can help just a little bit!"
You've got such a good heart. In times like these, we have to stick together!
One Love!
Wow that's intense. No one should have to live like that : ( Yea, where's the media on all this!? It's pretty sickening governments spend time and resources on idiotic and petty things, trying to get people distracted from real life events that need attention. As well as the media : (
Yeah, I was baffled that I haven't heard anything about this in the past year or so!
I know what you mean... I have traveled and lived in countries and have endured the miseries of this dog eat dog system... Now I want to actively look for people to follow and support, especially those who have high-effort entries trying their best to write in English and persistently trying to change their lives through Steemit.
I almost traveled to Venezuela recently but I didn't...It would be insensitive to do so but a part of me wish I did because I want to expose myself to truth.
Ignorance is a bliss for most people, unfortunately. But knowing the truth will set us free.